Buddha Mommy

Last nite, Yin Yoga was introduced to the Monday nite class. The process of developing your own practice comes with time and exploration. Even if all you have time for on a particular day is a down-dog or a child’s pose, that’s the beginning of your practice.
Here is your pose for the week, Garudasana or Eagle pose. A standing pose, a spinal twist and a balance pose, this asana has alot going on!

Garudasana

Eagle Pose (also. Twisted Pose)

“At the center of life’s storms I stand serene.”

Ga-ru-daa-sa-na Garuda = the eagle sacred to Vishnu

Instructions

From tadasana, shift your weight onto your left foot. Fix your gaze on a stationary point on the floor or on the wall in front of you. Bend your left knee slightly/ bring your right foot in front of your left foot, and wrap your right leg around the left as far as possible, keeping your left leg bent.

Bend your left arm 90° and bring it up in front of you, forearm vertical at the midline of your body. Wrap your right arm underneath and around your left arm, with the inside of your right elbow under your left elbow, palms together. Keep your chest lifted, pelvis facing forward.

Breathe smoothly and naturally as you hold the pose and affirm mentally, “At the center of life’s storms I stand serene.”

To exit, release your arms, then inhale and spread your arms wide to the sides. On the exhalation, release your right leg and return to tadasana.

Pause to integrate the effects of the pose, then repeat to the other side.

Just a reminder that we’ll be doing Yin Yoga this Monday 3/8/2010. If you have a blanket, you might find having an extra blanket helpful. As always, I will provide some blankets that the early birds tend to get to first! I’ll have extra mats for padding, as Yin is a mostly floor practice.
We start at 6:30pm. See you then!

Next Monday, March 8, 2010, our Monday nite yoga group will learn about Yin yoga. Here’s what Wikapedia says about Yin: ” Yin yoga, so named because of its correspondence to the Taoist concept of yin, is a very distinct style of Chinese yoga similar to hatha yoga that stretches the connective tissue (joints) rather than conditioning the muscles, the latter being the aim of most other styles of hatha yoga. Experientially, the practice is characterized by passive asanas held for several minutes each. Some[who?] believe that yin yoga is the oldest form of hatha yoga, since it is the ideal method of physical conditioning for prolonged meditation, which is the principal concern of the ancient Hindu practice of Raja Yoga.
Practice

Yin yoga targets connective tissue, specifically ligaments and tendons in the joints and spine. Over time, practice of yin yoga can lengthen these tissues, increasing range of motion. To convey the role that connective tissue plays in determining range of motion, muscles account for about forty percent of the resistance against the body’s flexibility, while connective tissue accounts for about fifty percent [1]. The intensity and physical benefits of the practice depend on two variables, duration of the asana and the temperature of the muscle.

Duration of Asana

In order to lengthen the connective tissue, the practitioner holds an asana, engaging in static stretching. This applies stress, in the form of tension, to the muscle and connective tissue in the targeted region. The muscle, more elastic than the connective tissue, responds immediately, lengthening to its limit. When the muscle is fully stretched, the stress reaches the connective tissue, which is not elastic and does not immediately lengthen. In order to affect the connective tissue, stress must be applied for several minutes at a time. In yin yoga, asanas are usually held for three to five minutes, but can be held for as long as twenty minutes. Because of the long duration of asanas, one of the key values cultivated in the practice of yin yoga is patience.

Temperature of Muscle

If the muscles are cold, they will be less elastic, and more stress will be transferred to the connective tissue. For this reason, it is recommended that yin yoga be practiced earlier in the day, before physical activity that warms the muscles and increases their elasticity. However, some note that practicing yin yoga after a strenuous day is psychologically soothing.

Yin Asanas

Yin asanas are almost entirely passive and do not usually include what would usually be classified as standing asanas or balance poses. During the asana, muscles are relaxed to avoid tetany, which will result from engaging muscles for long periods of time. There are only about thirty-five asanas that are taught by most yin yoga teacher, though this number will vary from source to source, and most poses have one or more variations. However, Master Paulie Zink teaches hundreds of yin postures.”

So the bottom line difference between Yin and Yang (our usual practice) is that the focus is on the connective tissues, rather than the muscles. I think you’ll like the Yin practice I have planned. Yin needs to be balanced with Yang for a yoga practice that will address the entire physical body.

Our pose this week is a Standing Backward Bend. This is the counter pose for Padahastasana. So, one should follow the other to protect your back.

(Standing) Backward Bend

“I am free! I am free!”

Instructions

From tadasana, step your left foot straight back about 2-3 feet. Turn your left foot out very slightly, and bring your left hip forward so your entire pelvis faces forward. Tuck your pelvis to protect your lower back.

Bend your right knee and bring it directly over your right ankle. Tuck your pelvis. Keeping your lower body stationary, inhale and circle your arms out to your sides and overhead/ lengthening your spine and lifting through your heart into a gentle backward bend. Bring your palms together. As you exhale, soften your elbows and relax your shoulders down away from your ears, shoulder blades releasing down your back. Lead the bend with your heart, opening your chest and shoulders while keeping your pelvis tucked and shoulder blades apart.

Keep your neck long, bending it no more than the rest of your spine (i.e., don’t tilt your head way back). Keep your shoulder blades apart, and shoulders relaxed. Gaze softly upward.

Breathe smoothly and naturally as you hold the pose and affirm mentally, “I am free! I am free!”

To exit, on an inhalation, straighten your right leg and lengthen your spine back to vertical as you stretch upward through your arms. On the exhalation, circle your arms slowly back down to your sides, maintaining openness in your chest. Step your left foot forward into tadasana.

Pause to integrate the effects of the pose, then repeat to the other side.

See you Monday nite!

Class on 3/1/10 at the UU Church will include our introduction of using a strap in our practice. Straps can be a useful tool in stretching, assisting sore shoulders during some poses, and and in keeping your mat rolled up for transport/storage. If you have a strap, bring it Monday nite. If you don’t, don’t worry! Sarayu yoga will provide one for you. See you Monday nite!

Our third pose is one of foundation. That foundation is within us and the basis of our entire standing practice. Tadasana looks as if you are just standing there. You are! But you are standing with mindfulness, intention and in simplicity. Become friends with this asana. Your yoga practice will deepen.

Tadasana