Category: Yoga

#Journey2Handstand - Day 3 - DownDog

1/3/2016

I could go on all day about how wonderful Downward Facing Dog Pose is in Yoga. Here are just five amazing benefits:

It builds bone density. Postures like Downward Dog (as well as more difficult arm balances) that place weight on the arms and shoulders are great for building upper body strength and preserving bone density, says Herbert–especially important for women as we age and become more at risk for osteoporosis.
It wakes you up. Herbert cites B.S.K. Iyngar, the 94-year-old founder of Iyngar yoga, who says that Downward Dog is one of the best poses you can do when you’re fatigued. “He recommends at least a minute in the pose,” she says, “to bring back lost energy for runners after a hard race.” It works equally well, she adds, for those of us who are just tired from a long day at the office, too.
It eliminates stiffness and back pain. “I find it’s good for people who get pain in their shoulders and upper back,” says Herbert. “Practicing it with proper alignment can make your upper back more flexible and less likely to store so much tension.”
It boosts circulation. Any pose where the heart is above the head is a good one for the circulatory system, because it encourages blood flow throughout the body. An active circulatory system helps flush toxins from our body, keep our immune system in tip-top shape, and helps regulate blood pressure.
It can be easily modified. If you’re overweight, it can be intimidating, difficult, or even painful to put so much weight on your arms in downward dog. We will talk about Dolphin Pose tomorrow, which is a great modification,

So let's get into it!

1. Begin in Tabletop Pose (Hands and knees). Take a slow, deep, and controlled inhale.
2. While you exhale, lift the hips up and back toward the ceiling while pressing into the mat through your palms. Move your weight into your legs without locking your knees. Pull your navel in toward your spine.
3. Drop the crown on the head toward the floor and melt your chest toward your knees.
4. Stay here and come back to your 6 count breaths.
5. Optional: walk your dog - pedal your feet - one heel up and one heel down - for a few breaths.

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#Journey2Handstand - Welcome to Day 1

1/1/2016

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Welcome to the #Journey2Handstand Challenge for January 2016! We are going to practice different poses/exercises each day this month to gain strength and stability in order to work towards a strong handstand. This doesn't mean we will all have amazing handstands that we hold for minutes by the end of the month, although someone might. It will mean that your arms, shoulders, back, legs, and core will be stronger by the end of the month and you will have learned the foundation of how to work into a handstand. My name is Haley and I will be with you this month, walking beside you, showing you the path and encouraging your walk.

Day 1 - High Plank

Wait Haley, you said we were working on Handstands! No, I said we were working TOWARD handstands! Let's start with gaining strength. If you’ve never tried one, a plank may look easy, almost too easy to be beneficial, but this is deceiving. While getting into the proper form is straightforward, holding the position takes strength and endurance in your abs, back, and core.
The plank is one of the best exercises for core conditioning and it also works your glutes and hamstrings, supports proper posture, and improves balance. Sounds perfect for handstands, doesn't it?

Here we go:

1. On a yoga mat, or a cushioned surface, come to your hands and knees (known as Tabletop Pose).
2. Be sure that your wrists are directly under your shoulders and your knees are directly under your hips.
3. Tuck your toes under so that the pads of your toes are on the floor. Pressing the heels back, roll the weight into the balls of the feet, lift your knees off the foor and come into a high push-up position.
4. Flatten your back and drop your hips low - to do this, melt your heart toward your thumbs so that there is not rounding of your back. Then draw your navel in and up away from the floor.
5. Stay here for 3-5 breaths. Count to 6 as you inhale and again as your exhale - slow and controlled breaths. Imagine sending oxygen to the areas that are weak, shaky, sore, or tight.
6. Come out of the pose by coming back to Tabletop Pose (hands and knees).
If at anytime you feel pain - come out of the pose. Discomfort is okay - growth is happening!

Visit Facebook and/or Instagram to get into the contest!
Living Raw By Grace will give one lucky participant a
FREE UnCookBook of their choosing at the end of the month!

#Journey2Handstand - Day 3 - DownDog

#Journey2Handstand - Welcome to Day 1

Day 1 - High Plank

Here we go:

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