Sculpture Balance

Yikes this one is tricky but fun.  

I have a vision of a group of us learning this posture and standing in a garden somewhere as human sculptures.

Not sure how long we could remain standing as it is one of our most challenging static balances.

I chose to stand on this podium to take these photos.  Which was both a good idea and a not so good one.

I wanted to get up there because I knew it would be challenging.  I can do this fairly easily on solid ground where there is not a lake to fall into.  

So I thought I'd step it up a little. Goodness fear makes it hard to do anything!

My balance was fairly disturbed up there on the podium and there was no way I could hold this for very long.  Fear can really take so much away from us, mentally and physically.  

There are a few basics to coming into this posture.  

Remember:

• when two body parts come into contact try to press them into one another.  That means pressing thigh into foot and foot into thigh, then thigh into elbow and elbow into thigh, then hand into elbow and elbow into hand, and, if you get to the top, pressing hand into chin and chin into hand.  
• try to get a feeling that you are drawing your hips towards one another.
• activate inner thighs.
• find a point to focus on, grip with the toes, and relax your face and breath--these things help with the balance.
• I create firmness in my tummy by lengthening my lower back and pressing my hips forward (though they may not go anywhere).
• have fun.
• don't hurt yourself.
• try not to fall off anything.
• it is best to learn from a physical teacher rather than the internet.
• if it feels bad it is bad so stop.
• natural breathing.

Toe forward, hips forward, hips together, inner thighs together

Lengthen lower back and move hips forward, toe forward.  Be on toe tip if you can.  If that is too difficult be on the ball of your foot.

To help with your balance throughout, try to press your outer hips towards one another.  Then, try to press your inner thighs towards one another.  You should feel that this creates some firmness on the inner and outer hips and helps to stabilise the balance.

My toes of standing foot are gripping.  For the first part I am looking with a soft gaze to the ground.  These also help with the balance.

Relaxing your face and breathing naturally will also help your balance.

Knee move forward, heel to thigh

 Move the standing knee forward so it bends.

If comfortable raise front foot and place heel above knee, on the top surface of thigh.  Press those body parts into one another.

Opposite elbow to top of thigh

 If comfortable take opposite elbow onto thigh.  It is hard to tell that I am doing that in this photo.

Press the elbow and thigh into one another.  Keep pressing hips forward and together.

Other elbow to hand

 If you have made it this far, congratulations.  It is much trickier than it looks!

Opposite elbow can come to palm.  Press them into one another.

Take the hand towards the forehead between the eyebrows and lightly press the skin up.

Head up

This is really challenging for your balance.

One of the things that helps with balance is to pick a point on the floor or somewhere in front of you and gaze softly at it.

Here we challenge that by trying to move the head up!

If you can, slowly move the head up so the chin comes onto the palm of other hand.  Press them into one another.

Enjoy!

Now, who wants to get together with me and be part of a human sculpture garden?!

Happy and safe practicing.  We will be doing this posture for the next 9 weeks in our sequence.  Lots of fun.

Much metta,
Samantha
www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com

5 Minute Spinal Movement Sequence

Before I practice suriya namaskar I 'warm up' my spine, legs and wrists with an active spinal movement sequence that incorporates dynamic balance.

When people start my classes, this opening sequence appears, by far, to present the biggest challenges.  It includes heel raises, one legged balancing, and active spinal movement--often all at once!

I took this 5 minute video at my last retreat in Talalla, Sri Lanka.  You can hear the beautiful birds in the background and see the luscious coconut grove in which we have our twice daily practice!

The video is mainly intended for my students who want a visual refresher of what to do or for interested students who might come to class.  I don't recommend learning from the internet.

After watching the video take a look at some of my practice tips.

Below I have jotted down a few thoughts for some of the movements/actions throughout the sequence.  I say these commonly in class. They are not all of the instructions.  I have tried to clarify a few points were I see students sometimes struggle.

Arms forward and up

When taking the arms overhead, push the armpits forward and up.

When practicing all of the heel raises, lean forward until the toes start to grip naturally, look at the floor to help with balance, then raise the heels.  Keep gripping with the toes.

Knee bends

When bending the knees, I push my knees forward and hips forward.  My hips don't really go anywhere and what you will see is that they lower straight down.

When knees are bending I try to keep firm behind my knees--as though you were trying to perhaps squeeze something behind them.  But don't squeeze too hard!  Remember, feel active but not tense. 

I keep the toes gripping.

Shoulders roll in

When you roll the shoulders in, press armpits lightly down.  I try to press wrists forwards and elbows back.

When you roll shoulders in it is easy to droop the top of the spine.  Be careful it does not sag.   Keep upper back lifted so you do not shorten the front of your body.

Shoulders roll out

When shoulders roll out there can be a tendency to press the ribs forward.  Look carefully in the video and you see I try to lift but not push out in the upper back.

Side bending

When you bend sideways, try to lengthen the one side without squashing the opposite side.  In the video you will see I initiate this movement by raising one elbow without dropping the other.

Twist

When you twist there is a tendency for the hip/pelvis you are turning towards to move backwards.  Try to press that hip forward so the pelvis remains pointing to the front.

Standing balance leg forward

The raised thigh rolls out.  That means your knee seems to roll away from the centre line of your body.  Be careful not to hike your raise leg pelvis up, which commonly happens when people focus on getting their leg high.  It is not how high it is that counts.

Leg to side

Again, thigh rolls out.  It is difficult to get the leg this high so keep it closer to the floor if necessary.  The leg is to the side and slightly to the front.  People who focus on getting their leg too high often have the leg too far to the front but it needs to be more to the side than the front.

Leg behind fold forward

In this posture I push my shin into my hand and pull with my hand.  The raised thigh is rolling in.  That means the knee feels like it is looking more down to the floor.

Leg straight forward fold

Here I am careful not to be too archy in my lower back.  I don't want to feel tension in my lower back.  My raised thigh is rolling in.

Balancing twist

The raised thigh is rolling out.


Additional thoughts
As always, stretch less, tense less, think less, and breathe less.  Try your best without being attached to an outcome.  The outcome people often become attached to in these postures (from my observations) is taking their legs too high.

Better the legs are straight rather than high.  This might mean that you keep toe tip on the floor.  That is an important modification I did not show in this video.  That is, you do not need to raise the toe off the floor at all.  You can keep toe tip down, do the arm and spinal movements, and then just straighten the leg when that time comes.

Relax your tongue and breathe naturally.  This will help you feel calm in these challenging movements.

This is the opening sequence in my current outdoor Canberra yoga classes.  Join us and have some fun if you like!

Much metta,
Samantha

www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com

Fun Balance From Trikonasana

Trikonasana is one of the basic standing postures in yoga.

Cultivating good activation in the muscles around the hip of the front thigh will help you move gracefully into some other fun poses that have their foundations in the triangle posture.

In this post I show a fun transition out of trikonasana that will help develop some balance and focus skills.

Watch the video then take a look at the individual positions in the photographs below.

Lifting not sinking
It is hard to tell from watching (which is why I do a lot of demonstration and adjustment in class) but I work strongly in these transitions to cultivate a 'lifting' not sinking feeling out of the standing (front) hip/leg.

There is a strong action of external rotation of the thigh in the front leg.

External rotation of the front thigh in trikonasana is when you sense the inner thigh rolling up towards the sky/ceiling so the kneecap looks more like it is pointing more straight up or even slightly more towards the outer front foot (rather than dropping in over the inner foot).

You should feel a corresponding activation around your side/outer hip/butt area.

This can be easier to sense for many people if you bend the knee slightly, generate the action, then slowly start to straighten the knee.

If you can make sure you cultivate this external rotation in trikonasana then the transition to the balance will be easier.

If you move slowly you will notice there is a slight tendency for the standing leg thigh to want to roll in and the side of your hip move out slightly.  This leads to a feeling of 'dip' in the hip.

As you transition, counter this by bringing your awareness to the outer/side hip and try to either:

• roll the front thigh out
• move the front hip more to the centreline of the body
• push down strongly through the heel of the standing foot (while lengthening and gripping the toes)

The back thigh, throughout, is rolling in.

Trikonasana

Start in trikonasana.

Ardha Badha Trikonasana
Go for an arm bind if comfortable.  Mine easily wraps around my back to catch my thigh but yours might just be behind your back.  Don't worry where it goes, it is more important there is no discomfort.

Niralamba Ardha Chandrasana (with arm bind)
Niralamba means unsupported.  In this case it means you do not have hands on ground.

I try to maintain the external rotation in the standing hip as I lean forward.  I press strongly through my heel.  I keep leaning forward until my toes naturally start to grip--a good sign that the balance is coming!  My back leg comes up easily due to the shift of balance.  To get it higher I have to use active movement.

Raise elbow
I bring fingertips to shoulder.  Stay steady!

Raise body
Ok, starting to get tough here!  Raise the body!  This is the trickiest transition in my opinion.  You have to keep absolutely stable in that standing hip.

Release bind and straighten arm
Once you are here it is now relatively easy just to release the arm from the bind and extend it out.

You did it!
As Dora (the explorer) would say: You did it!

Of course, you can always keep that back toe tip down as lightly as possible and do the spinal/arm actions with toe tip just touching.  You still need to maintain that lift out of the hip though.

Have fun practicing.  Try your best but without an attachment to the outcome.  Without strain.  Without stress.

Oh, probably you will feel something deep in your butt after this sequence.  Yeah!  It's working.

I don't recommend learning from the internet.  Come to class if you can!

This is a mini-sequence we will be working with in our current 9 week sequence.  It is such a good training tool I will likely be teaching it in our retreat in Sri Lanka and in Bali as well (www.artofliferetreats.com).

This sequence is part of a Yoga Synergy style sequence taught by Simon Borg Olivier and Bianca Machliss.

Much metta,
Samantha

www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com
www.artofliferetreats.com

Wowee Active Hip Opening Sequence!

In the second part of our standing phase of the current series we do this warming, lengthening, strengthening (not to mention challenging) sequence of five linked postures.

This will really connect you to your outer/side thigh/butt area of the front leg.  Remember to stretch less, tense less so if it is too intense then back off.

I did this sequence five times in 36 hours while teaching classes (not sure why I have scheduled five classes in that time frame!) and by the fifth time it was as though I had new hips.  It made me think  I should see if you can get a medicare rebate or something back from your health fund for coming to class as it should feel as though you have a whole new pelvis.

Runners and cyclists, I think you will particularly enjoy it!

Be mindful that you stay lifted out of the front hip so you feel tall rather than sinking.

Also, remain mindful that the front thigh rolls out and back thigh rolls in.

No squashing in the lower back.  It should feel free.

I hope you enjoy this!

I have put the main postures below, with a few optional extras, which is why there are more than 5 steps.

1. From standing, step back...

2. To parsvakonasana...

3. Optional bind only if you can get it in the first second.  Otherwise, let it go...

4. Turn this into a standing balance...

5. Then back to a lunge and turn it into a standing balance the other way (active spinal twist towards the thigh)...

6. To parivrttta parsvakonasana...

7. With an optional bind if it comes in the first second.  Otherwise, let it go...

8. It is almost finished!  Turn back to front and turn it into a standing split without arms ...

9. Ta da!  You did it.  Wowee.  Walk around and see if you can sense a difference between your two sides before trying the second side.

Remember, these posts are mainly for people who practice with me and come to classes or who have an experienced teacher whom they can ask questions of and get feedback from.  Learning from the internet is not recommended.

Might have to think about hip mindfulness workshop soon.  Remind me to help you with this at our upcoming Sri Lanka retreat (16-19 July 2015) and in Bali in September!

Happy and safe practicing!

Much metta
Samantha


www.yogacafelk,blogspot.com
www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.artofliferetreats.com

Balance on the edge

I have been talking about balance in classes this week.

My sequences contain a lot of one legged standing postures.

They help you cultivate stability and mobility around the ankles, knees and hips.

They are also one of the things new students find the most challenging about this style of yoga.

In this video I show myself refining my balance by practicing on the edge of a park bench.  You need to have developed a bit of confidence to try this.

Some of you will be ready for this type of challenge, some of us are still working on getting into balance on solid ground.

Below I share a few thoughts and tips on cultivating better balance.

A slow lift not a catapult 
When I look around in class, sometimes I see people flinging their limbs around in an effort to bring them up and balance.

There is often a bit of wild jabbing and toe-up-toe-down-fling-up-fall-down manoeuvring.  
Sometimes it works.

Most often it is just a bit frustrating for the leg flinger (from the looks on faces) and I am reminded of a baby bird just flapping its wings around but never taking flight.  Having said this I am sometimes guilty of this type of wild flinging--especially when practicing other types of balances like handstands!

When I balance I try to get a sense of the weight shift so the balance feels more like coming into flight.  The initial lift feels mostly effortless in the limb that raises--your foot almost comes off by itself.

Remind yourself balance is about subtle shifts in your centre of gravity.

It might help to think about old fashioned scales where you put weights on one side to try and match the weight on the other so that both sides are equal.

When working with your body you are gradually shifting more weight to one side so that the other side starts to feel lighter.  When you get to the 'sweet spot' the toe feels so light that raising it becomes irresistible.

In all of this, it helps to move slowly.

Feel the grip of the toes
When coming into a balance where the lifting leg is behind the body I gradually shift my weight forward.  If I move slowly I get to a point where the toes of the standing (front) leg naturally start to grip.

They do this so you don't fall on your face!

When you get that initial (natural) grip it is a good indicator that the back toes are getting ready to lift.

One you get that initial seemingly effortless lift, you need to put in some more thoughtful and active effort to raise that leg further.

Relax your face
You don't need a strong tongue, eyeballs, throat, or lips to balance.  But these places often start to get tight when coming into balances.  Perhaps because we are concentrating.

If possible, see whether you can relax those places.

You might notice that, on a physiological level, you start to feel more calm.  That will help with the balance.

It does help to look at the ground/floor with your soft eyes.

Be mindful of keeping lifted out of the standing hip
In the video I do a balance where the leg behind lifts then transition to bringing that leg in front of me and standing upright again.

In both types of balance I am working mindfully to stay lifted out of the standing (weight bearing) leg hip.

That means in my standing leg I am trying to keep front of groin open, keeping a sense of moving the outer hip towards the inner thigh, and rolling the standing thigh out.

Practice heel raises
The opening sequence in my classes involve a set of active heel raises to help cultivate stability in your ankles.

When we do these heel raises we try to lift outer feet toward outer ankles.

This helps to strengthen the muscles on the outer ankles and really helps with your balance.

I will need to post a video of that next!

Until then, happy and safe practicing.


www.yogacafecanberra.blogspot.com
www.yogacafelk.blogspot.com
www.artofliferetreats.com

Dynamic Balance

One legged standing poses can strengthen the standing leg and promote mobility in the raised leg hip

Standing on one leg helps develop stability in the hips, knees, and ankle of the standing leg.  When you are really stable on that leg you can do all sorts of interesting things with the rest of your body.


In the videos below I demonstrate how you can do a lot more with one legged standing poses than just plain old vrksasana (tree pose).  Not that there is anything wrong with vrksasana--it's great too.  But there is a lot more you can do in standing balances that will take your non weight bearing hip through more range of movement while moving energy through the spine.  



These movements are based on my interpretation of the opening postures of the Yoga Synergy Air Sequence.  Please go to the original teachers, Simon Borg Olivier and Bianca Machliss for expert guidance (www.yogasynergy.com).

I have filmed a simple version and a more complex version.  Do what feels right for you. 

One-legged dynamic standing sequence: Simple version

For most of these postures it helps if the weight bearing foot is slightly turned out.  Allow the standing leg to be bent.  You do not have to straighten it.  You can claw with the standing toes a little.  It helps with balance.  Relax your gaze.  In the beginning it helps to look at the floor but with practice you will find you can find other points of focus on.  Let the grounded foot move and wobble as needed to help you find your balance.  


The standing leg hip might try to jut out to the side so try to keep it in.  It's important that you don't feel squashing around the front of the thigh or in the lower back.  Make subtle shifts to keep these areas at ease.  It helps to keep reminding yourself to let the sitting bones move down the back of the thighs.  Relax the tongue, lips and jaw.    


The instructions for the simple and more complex versions are basically the same.  Don't raise the toe if it does not feel right.  You will develop your balance skills even if you keep the toe on the ground.  

Over time, you can lighten the load on the toe so it is just the toenail touching and one day, perhaps, the toe might feel like floating off.  Don't be in a rush to get there and even when you do come back to the toe tip practice sometimes.  I often do and it feels great.

One-legged dynamic standing balance sequence: More complex version

Instructions

Stand comfortably.  Knees soft.  Soften the sitting bones down the back of the thighs to create relaxed space in your lower back.  Relax the face.  Breathe naturally.

Stand comfortably

Simple version

More complex version

From standing comfortably, lean to the right and take your left toe tip forward.  Move the hips forward. Roll the shoulders out, chest rises.  Stay, or lift the toe.  Stay or straighten the leg.  Raised thigh rolling out. 

Simple version

More complex version

Toe tip down, take it to the side.  Thigh rolls out.  Roll the shoulders in.  Hips move forward.  Stay, or lift the toe.  Stay or straighten the leg.  Raised thigh rolling out.

Simple version

More complex version

Toe tip down, arms down.  Roll the thigh in.  Take the toe diagonally behind, knee straight.  Raise the opposite elbow to shield your face.  Lengthen through the front side waist and move the back leg hip forward and up to firm the opposite waist.  Stay, or raise the toe.  

Simple version

More complex version

Toe tip down, elbow down.  Take the toe tip behind you, knee straight.  High on the back toes.  Thigh rolls in.  Push both armpits down towards your waist.  Move the hips forward. Slowly lower the body a third to a half way, however much is comfortable.  Stay, or raise the toe.  

Simple version

More complex version

Toe tip down, thigh rolls in, body rises.  Raise the same side elbow, lengthen through the waist.  Stay, or raise the leg.  

Simple version

More complex version

Toe tip down, elbow down, you are still in a twist.  Toe tip forward, hips forward, take the arms forward and across to twist the other way.  Turn the head and look over your front shoulder, chin to the middle of the throat  head tipped to the side to lengthen the top side of the neck.  Stay, or raise the toe.  Perhaps straighten the leg.  






Return to centre.  Repeat on the other side.  Happy and safe practicing.  Look forward to seeing you in class.

Much metta,

xo Samantha