POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

With Chrisandra Fox

Abiding in yoga, do your work without attachment and with being balanced in success or failure. Balance is called yoga. -Bhagavad Gita (trans. by Georg Feuerstein)

What is the nature of balance? We talk about losing it, finding it, and many of us seek it through yoga and meditation. Among the definitions offered by Mirriam-Webster’s online source are: Stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the vertical axis; equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements; mental and emotional steadiness; and, (a personal favorite), an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements.

In hatha yoga, we use practices to balance the solar and lunar energies of the body to influence our consciousness and tip the scale in the direction of wholeness. Union. Integration of the dark and the light.

To this end, hatha yoga works to intelligently organize the subtle body energy in a way that cultivates sama, or evenness and calmness throughout the layers of our being. We often speak about yoga as a balance of effort and surrender. Through this practice, we become more aware of where and when we need to give a little more, and where and when we can let go.

This month’s pose features Ardha Chandrasana, the beautiful standing balance, Half Moon pose. Ardha refers to half and “Candra”, the moon, or a brilliant, shining hue of light.

Summer is the expansive time of year, with greater light and warmth that balances the cold, deep inwardness of the winter months. Try practicing Ardha Chandrasana outside this summer, in nature under the vast sky, on grass or sand, or beneath the canopy of your favorite tree. Observe the balance you strike within your pose, energetically rooting down through earth and connecting through your senses to her ever-changing elements. Play with Mother Nature for support and inspiration to more deeply unfold the pulsation of contraction and expansion, and the balance of effort and surrender.

The Pose

Stand with your feet widely placed. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in slightly. Bend your right knee and lower your hand toward the floor or earth (or root, rock, or clump of grass) six inches or so in front of and slightly to the outside of your foot.

Step your left foot in towards your right foot, and as you inhale, float your left leg up, bringing your leg, hip and torso into the same line. Straighten your standing leg, spread across the bases of your toes, and firmly root down through your heel.

Flex your left foot, drawing your inner thigh back and lifting it up toward your groin. Engage your quadriceps to pull up off both knees, creating evenness and tone through your legs.

Now, rotate your torso skyward and lift your left arm up, lengthen through your elbow and spread your fingers. Keep your legs actively engaged as you turn your navel, heart and throat towards the sky.

If you are working with a tree, find a branch to press your raised foot against, and use that support to receive more grounding and stability through your legs. This is different support than what you experience when you lean back into the tree. From the stability of your legs, turn your torso and gaze up towards the sky. Find your freedom as you balance in the pose, expanding your ribs and chest, and gently toning your navel toward your spine for greater internal support.

When you are ready to come out, release your left foot and place it next to your right foot, and take a few breaths with your torso draped over your front thighs in Uttanasana (Intense Forward Stretch).

Inhale and roll up through your spine to return to stand on both feet. Take a moment here to release the effort and integrate the work of Ardha Chandrasana. Then, step your feet widely apart to balance your practice and play with the second side.

Chrisandra practices Ardha Chandrasana with a beautiful tree near Bernal Hill when she is not teaching weekly classes at Yoga Tree and leading The Heart of Renewal Retreats. Click here for her schedule. She also leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats at Tara Bella Villa in Glen Ellen.

Gratitude to Peter Sterios for inspiring this pose and to Richard Rosen for Sanskrit and sage counsel.

Photography by Faernworks, Faernworks.com

also posted at

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/aug10_pose.html

 

POSE OF THE MONTH: Anuvruttasana Variation: A Take on the Parabola Pose

writing by chrisandra fox

photography by faern, faernworks.com

Anuvruttasana, (sometimes written �anuvittasana�), comes from anuvrtta — “rounded off,” and refers to the parabola-shape of the pose. This month�s pose is a variation of this standing backbend, and an opportunity to glimpse the deep joy one can experience from the freedom of standing alone, in the light of one�s true Self.

In the fourth pada, or part, of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali describes the path of kaivalya — renunciation, or detachment and freedom from worldly desires and actions. According to the classical tradition, dedicated practice can lead the yogi from a divisive mind state to this place of illumined intelligence and purified consciousness. The nature of this freedom is aloneness or isolation, in which consciousness rests purely in the light of the soul, or the seer. Here, one is freed from the influence of the gunas, or qualities of nature. Through dedicated practice, the yogi has removed the obstacles to her evolution, and finds eternal happiness as she stands in the light of her soul.

While kaivalya may seem like a stretch for the practitioner deeply engaged with family, work responsibilities, and worldly pursuits, you may taste the joy of freedom in this variation of Anuvruttasana by standing in your center with steadiness and ease and opening the spine without support and without fear of falling.

The Pose

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with your feet the distance of your hips. Inhale and raise your arms out to the sides. Rotate your upper arms inwardly, bend your elbows and bring your hands together for viparita namaskar (reverse prayer). Press the backs of your hands against your back ribs with your fingers pointed toward the sky. Place your pinky fingers against one another, and connect each finger until your hands are in anjali mudra (prayer) behind your back.

If the shoulders are tight, grasp each elbow with either hand instead, and rest your forearms against your back.

Hug your elbows toward your side ribs to encourage the inward rotation in your upper arms and to spread your shoulder blades broadly across your upper back. Lean your back ribs into your forearms, and shift your hips forward. Keep your throat soft as you draw your chin in slightly toward the base of your skull. Work your legs strongly, press your inner thighs back and draw your weight steadily into your heels and across the bases of your toes. Gaze softly toward the tip of your nose as you lean your torso back. Trust in your stance as you draw back through the crown of your head and release your neck. Soften your collarbones away from you ears. Keep your inhalations full in your back body, side ribs and into the uppermost part of your lungs as you soften your front ribs toward your pelvis and continue to release back through your spine.

This pose can feel exhilarating and, yet, steady. Don�t push, but allow your spine to take the shape of the backbend as you ground weight through your legs. When you are ready to come out, slowly bring your chest above your pelvis on an inhalation and lift your head. Draw your chin toward your throat to keep your energy grounded in your body and enjoy the taste of freedom.

also posted at

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/jul10_pose.html

 

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Matsyendrasana

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Matsyendrasana (Lord of the Fishes Pose or Half Spinal Twist)
With Chrisandra Fox

In the Tantric universe, Shakti represents infinite energy and the catalyst for change, and Shiva represents supreme consciousness. In other Hindu systems, Shakti is the divine feminine creative power, embodied in the feminine form and as fertility. Shakti is the energy that animates and is interdependent with the entire universe.

Picture this: Shiva is meditating, deep in stillness, and all is well. His beloved consort, Parvati—an embodiment of Shakti—sneaks up from behind and covers both his eyes.

The entire universe begins to shake, the pulsation causing great movement, activity, darkness, and the imminence of death. Shiva’s third eye opens as a blazing sun, and again, all is well as Shiva regains quiet stillness.

In the physical body, when we practice twists, we enter the dance of these two lovers—the masculine and feminine, consciousness and energy. According to the tradition, the cosmic feminine energy lies dormant as the coiled serpent and spiritual potential within each of us, Kundalini. Upon activation, this cosmic energy emanates forth in spiral waves, and within this spanda, we experience the rising of Kundalini Shakti, the energetic spiritual potential of the individual.

According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, when ardha matsyendrasana is practiced, prana and apana vayus are brought together in the navel center, thus activating this process of awakening knowledge of the Self.

Ardha Matsyendrasana is named for the great fish, Matsyendranath, who overheard the teachings of yoga by Lord Shiva to Parvati, and who reincarnated to be one of the world�s greatest yogis.

This deep twist stimulates digestion and detoxification, balances the parasympathetic nervous system, stimulates liver and kidneys, energizes the spine, and can be therapeutic for sciatica, infertility, and asthma.

In practicing this seated twist, we can attune to the great spanda, and experience the subtle spiraling pulsations of energy that make up all of creation. Awareness of these waves brings us more deeply into an awareness of prana shakti, or the power of who we are, not just as physical beings, but as beings with a spiritual nature. As we attune to this energy, we may become more aware of our place within the entire universe, and grow within this awareness to realize the fullest expression of our unfolding, creative Self.

The Pose

Prepare for this seated twist with standing postures, including standing twists and poses that help open your hips and shoulders.

Sit in Dandasana (staff pose). Extend both legs, and place your hands alongside your hips. If your low back is rounded, sit on the edge of a blanket, so that your pelvis remains in an upright position, and you maintain your lumbar curve.

Bend your left knee and place your left foot to the outside of your right knee. You can work from this position if your hips are tight. Otherwise, bend your right knee and place your foot close to your outer left hip.

Place your left hand behind your back, close to your pelvis, and hug your left thigh in towards your chest with your right arm.

Keep an active press through the base of your left big toe, and drop the weight of the right side of your pelvis towards the ground.

Inhale and left your chest. On an exhalation, draw your navel towards your spine and twist to your left. Use your inhalation to lengthen your spine, and your exhalation to deepen the twist. You may also raise your right arm alongside your ear, lengthening the right side of your body as you inhale. If the flexibility is there, sweep your right arm to the outer left thigh on an exhalation, and maintain pressure between your arm and thigh. From here, you can bend your elbow and point your fingers towards the sky, or, if your elbow clears your left shin as you extend your arm, rest your hand on your left foot.

Twists invoke a beautiful, deep contracting aspect in the organs, while creating space for the breath to fill and expand the back body. Gently fan your back ribs and expand your kidneys as you empty your belly and coil your ribs into the twist.

Feel the twist arising from deep in your belly and low spine, and allow your heart to follow the twist. Turn your head, so that you are gently twisting your neck in the line of your spine. Continue to deepen your sense of grounding through your sitting bones as you create spiral action in your spine.

Now, tune into the spiral action by lengthening your exhalation and creating space for your next inhalation. Turn your neck in the direction opposite the spine, and turn your chin towards your right shoulder.

Twists help us challenge our habitual patterns of mind by inviting new patterns of be-ing in our bodies. As we squeeze our organs and tap into the spiral action of the twist, we are asked to move our breath into different parts of our bodies, while finding equanimity in the twist. This can influence a shift in our awareness and ways of thinking.

Take time in the twist to make sense of your new orientation, using the breath as your guide for understanding the pattern of the twist.

When you are ready to come out, use an inhalation to slowly release your spine, and gently twist in the opposite direction, offering a brief counter-balance to the strong spiraling energy.

Bring your spine to neutral and sit, witnessing the subtle pulsations of energy, and the radiant dance within your Shakti-full being before coming into the second side.

Chrisandra teaches daily doses of twists and other poses at Yoga Tree. Click below for her weekly schedule. She also leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats in California and abroad. Email Chrisandra@gmail.com

http://www.yogatreesf.com/teachers/chrisandra_fox.htm

also posted at:

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2010/04/29/pose-of-the-month-ardha-matsyendrasana/

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/may10_pose.html

 

POSE OF THE MONTH: Vasisthasana (Pose dedicated to the sage, Vasistha)

POSE OF THE MONTH: Vasisthasana (Pose dedicated to the sage, Vasistha)

With Chrisandra Fox

Photography by Faern

The pose dedicated to the sage, Vasistha – this beautiful version of “side plank” is a balance pose that requires coordinating expressions of strength and yielding. The pose strengthens and tones the shoulder girdle, abdomen, low spine, and legs, and can deepen your sense of equanimity, trust, and open-heartedness. Try practicing this pose outside, on the earth and beneath the open sky, and feel how the actions of this pose orchestrate with the currents of energy and intention flowing throughout your body.

Preparation

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with your feet hip width apart, and arms alongside your torso. Draw your thighbones back. As you spread broadly across the bases of your toes and root down through your legs, can you feel the rebounding energy rise up through your inner thighs and spine? Release your tail towards your heels, soften your front ribs, and gently tone your navel towards your spine. As your roots grow, draw the breath gently into the uppermost part of your lungs, allowing for a sense of fullness across your chest.

Inhale, sweep your arms out to the sides and up overhead. On an exhalation, roll your spine and pelvis forward to Uttanasana (Intense Forward Stretch). Step or hop both feet back to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog). Press your thighbones back, spiraling them in as you release your heels towards the ground. Broaden the shoulder blades on your back ribs, soften the tops of your shoulders, and release through the sides of your neck.

The work of your hands and feet will strongly influence your balance in Vasisthasana. Set up your foundation by establishing connection to the earth through your hands and feet. On a sticky mat, you may be able to open across the bases of your fingers and release each finger towards the floor with equal effort. If you are practicing on sand, grass, or mulch, try lightly “gripping” at the ground with your finger pads. This will strengthen your hands and wrists, and set you up for a “lift” in the center of your palm that will radiate energy through the channel of the arm to the chest.

Inhale to plank, draw your shoulders above your wrists and press actively through your heels. Repeat the action of releasing your tail toward your heels, as you press your thighbones into your hamstrings and draw the abdomen in.

The Pose

Step your feet together, place your left hand on the ground under your face and roll onto the outer edge of your left foot. Rest your right arm alongside your torso. Reach through the soles of both feet and lengthen your outer thighs towards your outer heels. Feel the inner thighs draw up as you deepen your sacrum in your pelvis and engage through your navel center.

(Variation: You can also cross your right ankle over your left, still working your legs equally. Or, bend your left knee and support your weight on your left shin. Extend your right leg out to the side. )

Inhale, and lift your right arm towards the sky. Anchor both shoulder blades on your back ribs, keep your chest broad as you open to the expansiveness of the sky. Keep your breath steady, turn your gaze up, lengthen and expand.

This may be challenge enough, to find that sweet spot in the space of gravity and levity. Feel the grounding actions of your legs and standing arm towards earth, and the rising, floating, expansive invitation towards sky.

Vasistha was a son of Brahma, a revered sage and seer. He authored hymns of the Rigveda dedicated to deities who represent qualities of nature – fire, wind, the sun, rain -, and was a teacher to many. Intelligent, selfless, and embodying peace, Vasistha attained great spiritual achievement and imparted great wisdom.

As you practice the pose, feel the dedicated effort in your body and within your intentions. As you remember your breath and keep a soft gaze, can you honor your connection to earth and sky – and feel the outer world support your inner “being” in the pose? As the pose evolves in your body, can you rest peacefully in your awareness of your place in Nature, and the many gifts that come from that awareness?

Try dancing into the full pose, as photographed. Turn your gaze to the ground, bend your right knee and take hold of the base of your big toe. You’ll want to steady the effort in your standing leg as you inhale and extend your right leg toward the sky. Keep both shoulder blades firmly gripping your back body as you spiral your right thighbone in, lengthen through your tail, and energize through your leg to the sole of your foot. Steady now, on an inhalation, turn face towards the sky. Can you gaze at the tip of your nose as you open graciously across your heart, chest, and shoulders?

When you are ready to land, release the big toe grip, take both hands to the earth and press back to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Inhale to plank, and come into the second side.

Rest in Balasana (child’s pose), surrendering your efforts and the weight of your body to the sweet embrace of Mama Earth.

Chrisandra teaches 5 classes at Yoga Tree and leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats locally and abroad. (Click here for her schedule). Her favorite place to practice Vasisthasana is beneath the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Photography by Faernworks, Faernworks.com

also posted at :

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/apr10_pose.html

 

POSE OF THE MONTH: Natarajasana With Chrisandra Fox, photography by faern

Nataraja is one of the many names for Shiva, the Lord of the Dance, and the great source of yoga. Shiva dances the Tandava, a divine dance that produces all rhythm and movement within the cosmos. In this cosmic dance, so beautifully represented in Indian art, Shiva dances the manifestations of eternal energy in the rhythms of creation, protection, destruction, concealment, and release or liberation from the world of illusion.

And, yet, he embodies the enormous paradox of manifesting fierce outer activity while dissolving into deep inner tranquility.

We can express our own dance of eternal energy while practicing Natarajasana, a vigorous standing balance posture that incorporates deep back bending, hip opening, an abdominal massage of the vital organs, and circulation of the heart energy.

This posture challenges our internal stability, as we stand rooted through one leg, and invite rhythms of movement through lifting the opposite leg. Here, we find a creative tension that preserves our balance and yet allows us to then go deeper into the pose to witness the great opening of the heart.

The field of the dance of Nataraja is the universe, which is the center of the heart or consciousness of each person. As you practice this pose, stay connected to your breath and cultivate a steady presence – like an unwavering flame – in the center of your heart.

The Pose

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Stand strongly through your left leg as you bend your right knee and bring your right heel towards your buttock. Take hold of your big toe, the inside of your right ankle or, to modify the pose, a strap looped around your ankle.

As you inhale, raise your left arm overhead, extending through your fingertips, and engaging your shoulder blade firmly on your back ribs.

Press your right foot against your hand and use the resistance to float your right thigh towards the sky. Keep your hips steady left to right, so that your right thigh is not turning out. This will keep the back wall of your pelvis broad and even in preparation for the deeper backbend. Lower your left arm parallel to the floor, gazing towards the tip of your nose, or your fingers.

Your spine may dip forward – keep a lift through your spine and abdomen, lengthen your belly as you inhale, and gently tone your navel center as you exhale. Can you soften your lower front ribs? Can you bring the fullness of your breath to your kidneys in your back body, even as you deepen your backbend? Ground through your standing leg, spreading across the bases of your toes and drawing energy up towards your heart.

Feel the creative tension in the shape of the pose, as your torso moves forward and your leg presses backwards.

There are many wonderful variations you can take in this pose.

To deepen the backbend and bind the pose, bend your right elbow out to the side, and sweep your inner elbow up alongside your ear. Lift your left arm overhead, and bend left elbow. Grasp your toes with your left fingers, or take hold of the strap in both hands. Now, lengthen through the shoulders as you lift elbows towards the sky. Press your right foot and shin back as you explore the radiant opening of your heart, chest, shoulders, and abdomen.

Keep your eyes in a soft and steady gaze. Nataraja is often depicted with a stoic expression on his face, suggesting neutrality, equanimity, and balance within the chaos of his dance. You may find just the hint of a smile, as you attune to the vibratory nature of the pulse of your being, and dance to the rhythm of your breath.

Chrisandra teaches a steady rhythm of classes and the Heart of Renewal Retreats at Yoga Tree and in the Bay Area. Click here for her schedule. www.chrisandrafox.com

originally posted at :

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2010/03/05/natarajasana-with-chrisandra-fox-photography-by-faern/

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/mar10_pose.html

 

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Bhujangasana with chrisandra fox, image by faern

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Bhujangasana with chrisandra fox, image by faern

This deep lunge, often called Anjaneyasana, for Lord Hanuman, resembles the sliver of light of the crescent moon, and powerfully links the downward flow of prana with the blossoming of the heart center.

Devotion, from the Latin “vovere” – to vow completely – implies discipline and enthusiastic dedication. The Hindu mythological monkey god, Hanuman, is a servant of love and devotion to the divine, and it is this servitude that empowers his incredible strength and heroic power.

In this powerful and deep lunge, as we apply the downward flow of gravity into the legs and the standing foot, we can receive the expansive warmth and spaciousness of the open heart and throat areas, awakening the wisdom in the lotus of the heart and connection to a love that embraces beyond condition.

Preparation

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with feet hip-width apart, and hands resting together at your heart in Anjali mudra. Feel your place between the earth and the sky. Become aware of your navel center and your heart center. Inhale from your heart to your navel, and as you exhale, return your awareness to your heart.

Exhale and release your arms to your sides. Inhale slowly, sweep your arms up overhead, and press your palms together. Exhale and fold forward at the hips into Uttanasana (Intense forward stretch). On an inhalation, lift and lengthen your spine to a firm back position. Exhale, and lower once more to Uttanasana.

The Pose

As you inhale, step your right foot back, lower your knee to the ground, and rest the top of your right foot on the floor. Bend your left knee and deepen the crease in your ankle. The front foot may turn out slightly to encourage a release in the groin. If your knees are healthy, continue to fold the leg into a deep lunge, so that your knee moves in the direction of your toes.

Root your left heel by drawing it down towards the ground. Depending on the structure of your ankle and the flexibility around the joint, your heel may not reach the floor. See how the heel is lifted in the photo above? Disclaimer – it’s an older photo, and after some years of practice, the pose has changed nicely. The heel is now down, and there is less strain in the throat. If your heel is lifted, you can place a blanket or rolled section of your mat beneath it, or, better, move your back knee further away from your pelvis to bring the front heel to the ground. You’ll find how this changes the sensations in your chest and throat as you arch back -more grounding yields more space and freedom in the opening.

So actively root through your heel. This action will encourage the grounding of your legs and pelvis, and create the foundation necessary for the circulation and blossoming of the heart energy.

Rest your arms alongside your torso as you begin to find the arc of the spine from the root of your pelvis towards your heart and the crown of your head. Relax your eyes and jaw and feel the drop in and down through your groin.

Use your inhalations to maintain your root through your legs and left heel, and to embody the space across your chest, ribcage, and shoulders. Continue to drop your heel down and back towards your groin. This will deepen the fold in your knee, and open the heart from your back body. Feel your back body become deep to support the opening of your heart into your front body. Imagine the petals of a lotus flower, and the slow, graceful unfurling of these petals from their base. The lotus is a classic image in the yoga tradition, used to portray purity, beauty, and the seat of the soul.

If there is no strain in your neck, then release your neck from its base at C7 as you draw your head back.

Imagine your spine as a cord of light now, radiating the expansive energy of your heart throughout your body. Can you feel the counter lift of your root and the natural tone through your navel center from your monkey tail as you explore this spaciousness and freedom?

You may feel some compression within your kidney area. Soften your kidneys down and draw them more deeply into your back body as you soften your front ribs.

When you are ready to come out, lift your head, plant your hands on the floor, and step back to adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog). When you are ready, step your right foot forward, and come into the second side. Then, step to Uttanasana, and slowly roll up through your spine to Tadasana.

Inhale the arms overhead, and as you exhale, return your hands to Anjali mudra at the heart. Feel into the center of your heart, resting in your awareness of the spacious, open, loving seat of your soul.

---

By Chrisandra Fox

pose of the month photography by faern, faernworks.com
With special thanks to Michelle Duguay for her skillful insight.

Come and practice rooting into your heels and resting in the seat of your soul with Chrisandra, who teaches 5 classes a week at 3 Yoga Tree locations. Click here for her weekly schedule.

originally posted at :

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2010/02/08/pose-of-the-month-ardha-bhujangasana/

and

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/feb10_pose.html

 

POSE OF THE MONTH: Utkatasana – “Fierce” Pose or Chair Pose with chrisandra fox, photo by faern

POSE OF THE MONTH: Utkatasana – “Fierce” Pose or Chair Pose with chrisandra fox, photo by faern

It’s the New Year, and a common time to “renew’ commitment to our practice, which may have become uninspired, or difficult to maintain throughout the holiday season. Even the ancient texts recognize a number of obstacles to yoga (overeating, exertion, illness, doubt, laziness), and offer ways to overcome them.

Iccha shatki refers to the desire of manifestation, the impulse of creation that permeates and lives within manifest form. In our hatha yoga practice, when the energies of the body, including desire, are channeled and brought into balance, we enjoy steadiness in our body’s metabolism, our mental acuity, emotional health, and sense of connection to the world around us. Steadiness in body and mind also leads to unwavering willpower. When our personal will is aligned with the will of creation, we may be fortified in our efforts, and carried along the rivers of grace.

Meaning “fierce”, “powerful”, or “uneven”, a steady practice of utkatasana can ignite the willful desire that fuels our practice and keeps our inner fire bright.

Utkatasana is a challenging posture, placed at the beginning of Surya Namaskara B in the Astanga Vinyasa system. Chair pose is also described in Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, and prescribed in The Gheranda Samhita for conducting water enemas as a purification taken before beginning a practice in hatha yoga.

This powerful posture develops the ankles, calves, and thighs, opens the shoulders, tones the abdomen and diaphragm, strengthens the back, and increases capacity in the chest, for better breathing and circulation to the heart.

Utkatasana builds heat in the body, and can increase and fortify our will. As uncomfortable sensations arise, as we find ourselves in this new, unchartered territory of “sitting” in space, we have the opportunity to witness and surrender our doubts and to remain powerfully “seated” in strength and grace.

The Pose

Stand in Tadasana (mountain pose) with your hands in anjali mudra (prayer) at your heart. Beginners, try this with your feet a hip’s width distance apart. Spread your toes, and align your head, shoulders, and pelvis so that your weight is shifting evenly through both legs, and you feel a sense of spaciousness across your chest.

On an exhalation, release your arms to both sides. As you inhale, raise your arms overhead. As you exhale, bend your knees and lower your pelvis towards your heels, so that the thighs are moving towards parallel with the floor.

The Work

Deepen the fold in the front of your ankle, so you feel your heels taking root on the ground, and a sense of grounding through the lower legs. For some us, the bones of the ankle and foot compress during dorsiflexion, and that will be the edge we meet in the ankle.

Hug your thighs in towards one another, as though you are squeezing a block between them. Lengthen the sides of your sacrum towards the earth, taking your tail gently towards your pubis to draw the length out through your low back. Tone your abdomen towards the spine to maintain internal support, and to awaken your core body in the pose.

You can work your arms and neck in several ways. Do keep your arms drawn back in the shoulder joint, and your shoulder blades actively engaged on your back ribs. Soften your front rib cage, so that your torso follows the alignment of your pelvis and your chair pose doesn’t become a bent-knee backbend.

Postion 1
Keep your neck in the line of your spine and draw your chin slightly towards the center of your throat. Gaze towards the tip of your nose. Separate your hands to the width of your shoulders. Relax the tops of your shoulders as your spread your fingers widely.

Position 2
Press your palms against one another firmly, and draw back through the crown of your head, lifting the base of your skull lightly off the upper spine, so there is no collapse through the back of your neck. Gaze towards your fingers, keeping your forehead and eyebrow center soft and relaxed.

Postion 3
Bring your arms alongside your ears, with your head in a neutral position, and gaze towards the horizon. To increase the power in your pose, lift your heels off the floor, drawing up through the arches of your feet. Then lower your pelvis to your heels. The Gheranda Samhita describes this as The Utkatasana, or hazardous pose.

Have your feet tensed up? Soften the spaces between your toes, so that your feet remain steady, yet happy as you deepen in your chair. Breathe rhythmically and hold the pose for up to a minute, with a soft and steady gaze, and the hint of a smile to release any interior gripping in the brain. Allow yourself to feel the arising of sensations and the heat of any tensions coming to the surface. Allow these sensations to expand and dissolve. Afterwards, return to Tadasana, or follow up with Uttanasana (Intense forward stretch).

The practice of Utkatasana not only strengthens our will, but our sense of surrender as well. We observe how our desire can be channeled into a force greater than ourselves- one that holds us fiercely in grace.

Chrisandra Fox teaches utkatasana in many forms in weekly classes at Yoga Tree and on The Heart of Renewal Retreats in California and internationally. pose of the month photography- faern, http://www.faernworks.com

originally posted at:

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2010/01/27/pose-of-the-month-utkatasana-fierce-pose-or-chair-pose/

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/jan10_pose.html

 

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) with chrisandra fox, photo by faern

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) with chrisandra fox, photo by faern

For many of us, the world of backbends and heart-openers begins with bhujangasana. Strong and centering, cobra is excellent for reversing imbalances of the shoulders, chest, and spine, and massaging the endocrine system. Deceptively simple, when practiced with patience, awareness, and sensitivity to the energetics of the pose, cobra nurtures the “open” heart’s compassion, and a calming, centered sense of wisdom, power, and grace.

The Pose
Lie on your belly with your forehead on the floor, arms rested alongside your torso. Take a few long, slow breaths, feeling the movement of your spine as you breathe. Notice the natural lengthening of your spine as you inhale, and the release to its neutral shape as you exhale.

Place your hands beneath your shoulders and draw your elbows alongside your outer ribcage. Spread your fingers widely, lightly pressing your finger pads against the floor as you draw your shoulder blades firmly onto your back ribs.

On an inhalation, lift your head, shoulders, and chest off the floor, using the strength of your back body and lengthening the front of your spine into cobra.

The Work
Spread across the bases of your toes and press the tops of your feet into the floor. Engage your lower quadriceps and tone your inner thighs. Work your legs actively to support the lift of your torso. Press your pubic bone against the floor, relax your upper buttocks, and lightly draw your tailbone towards your heels. These actions help to create space across your lower back, so that you can distribute the sensation along the entire length of your spine.

Deepen your inner elbows towards your heels as you continue to press through your hands, into the tops of your feet, and into your pubic bone. Rise up by straightening your arms and drawing your chest through. On an inhalation, lift your chin, drawing up and back through the crown of your head. Be careful not to collapse the base of your skull onto your upper spine. You can support your neck by drawing your chin towards the base of your skull, so that you feel a slight lift and softening here, even as you take your head back.

Turn your gaze towards the tip of your nose and soften your forehead as you find a place of rest in the pose, balancing effort of the body and absorption into the energetic experience of your heart.

The Heart
In cobra, feel the length of your abdomen and the sensations across your chest, especially in your heart center. As you breathe, spread your awareness throughout your entire body. Relax the space behind your sternum, or breastbone, allowing for your breath to circulate through your heart center. Feel the connection between your pelvis, your navel center, your heart and your hands.

Cobra Vinyasa
You can create more heat and energy in cobra by incorporating breath-based movement in and out of the pose. From cobra, as you exhale, slowly lower your torso to the floor, resting on your forehead. Inhale, and roll up through your spine to make the shape of the cobra, as you exhale, tone your navel to your spine and slowly lower back down to the forehead. Repeat for 8-10 rounds. Try turning your cheek to one side and then to the other, feeling the release across your neck.

On your last round or so, bend your knees, drawing up and back through the crown of your head, pointing toes towards crown, as though to strike the crown with your tail. If your feet touch your head, take a few deep breaths, relax the space behind your sternum, and continue to spread awareness throughout your body evenly. If your feet are still far from your head, simply imagine the circuitry through your body, connecting a line of energy from your navel center towards your toes and up through your heart center towards the crown of your head. Exhale and release, coming back to rest on your belly.

Any time of year is a good time for practicing cobra pose. In the rituals of our daily lives, we often find ourselves in “forward-focused” positions, with shoulders slumped, spine rounded, and neck jutting forward. A daily practice of cobra can help to correct those tendencies. During this winter’s holiday season, practice cobra to cultivate the enduring wisdom, warmth, and compassion of the open heart that lives in each of us.

Chrisandra Fox teaches bhujangasana and other poses at Yoga Tree. She leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats in California and internationally. Upcoming retreats – Solstice Renewal Retreat, Dec 20th. New Year’s Sankalpa Retreat, Jan. 3rd. Register at yogatreesf.com

originally posted at :

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2009/12/04/bhujangasana-cobra-pose/

 

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) with chrisandra fox, photo by faern

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) with chrisandra fox, photo by faern

Stand straight on one leg (the left), bending the right leg, and placing the right foot on the root of the left thigh; standing thus like a tree on the ground, is called the Tree posture.
—Gheranda Samhita: II.36

In celebration of Yoga Tree’s 10th-year anniversary this month, what better pose to highlight than Vrksasana- Tree Pose. With strong and subtle roots moving towards earth, and energy that rises towards the heavens, vrksasana teaches us how to ground through our center, while being receptive to currents of expansion and growth. Tree pose asks us to stay connected to our breath in each moment of uncertainty, and to maintain steady focus as we fan our inner fire with just the right amount of effort. With too little attention given to form, our tree will be lazy and limp; with too much effort, our tree will collapse. Vrksasana is a practice – and a celebration – in striking a balance between effort and surrender.

For thousands of years in India, spiritual aspirants have made a practice of Eka pada sthana – standing on one leg – for extended periods of time. Considered an austerity, or tapas, this type of practice stokes the inner fire and desire of the individual whose longing is to merge with the divine in the journey of self-realization.

In modern times, Tree pose is often practiced in shorter bursts, with a sense of celebration and surrender, as we consciously internalize our awareness and unfold the stillness within, connecting to our roots, and riding the prana-filled waves of possibility that expand our bodies and our consciousness.

Preparation
Stand in Tadasana, (Mountain Pose). Bring your hands together, interlace your fingers and as you inhale, turn your palms to the sky, raise your arms over head and lift your heels off the floor. Stand on the metatarsals, lifting firmly through your inner heels. Press through the center of your palms with arms stretched towards the sky. Allow the tops of your shoulders to soften as your shoulder blades root on your back ribs. Keep your heels lifted and as you breathe, lengthen your belly. On an exhalation, sweep your arms out to the sides, slowly lowering your heels to the ground. Return to Tadasana.

The Pose
Standing in Tadasana, turn the right thigh out, lifting your heel off the floor, so your weight rests on the bases of your toes. Bend your right knee and take hold of your ankle with your right hand. Place the heel of your foot high up on your inner left thigh, close to the groin. Spread your right toes and point them towards the ground.

Press your palms together at your heart in Anjali mudra (Prayer Pose). On an inhalation, lift your arms towards the sky. You can maintain Anjali mudra, or separate your hands shoulder’s width apart. Spread your fingers, and gently turn your hands towards the backside of your body, to encourage an outward rotation in your upper arms.

The Work
The work of Tree, as in all the poses, is holding a mental space of concentration, while spreading awareness throughout your body. Witness the subtle elements in your breath and your body, responding so that the posture “grows” from the inside out.

Maintain an even spread across the bases of all your toes. You’ll feel your center of balance steady as you lengthen through your inner ankles and ground your heel bones.

Draw your left thighbone back into your hamstrings, so your pelvis is held in its upright position. Lift and lengthen your inner left thigh wall towards your pelvis as you soften your upper buttocks flesh. Feel the release of your tailbone towards your inner left heel. Take your right thigh back, in its outward spiral, so you feel the length from your inner right groin towards your knee.

Tree pose is a living, breathing moment of being in the center of all possibilities. Tone your navel to your spine and gently lift your lower belly in and up towards the center of your ribcage to open the gateway to stability as you lengthen through your trunk. Soften your front ribs to balance this action. Feel your shoulder tops soften as you root the reach of your branches from the bottom tips of your shoulder blades.

Look
Turn your gaze towards the tip of your nose, to steady your mind. As your steadiness grows, lift your gaze to the horizon line, challenging yourself to look with clear, open, receptive eyes. As you like, lift your chin towards the sky, drawing back through the crown of your head, without collapsing the base of your skull on your upper spine. Maintaining awareness in the roots of your standing leg, gently close your eyes. Breathe. Feel and witness each breath as you root, as you grow.

Play
Oh so many trees! You can work with your hands in Anjali mudra at the heart or with arms raised overhead, and with hands spread apart. This variation, pictured above, increases coordination and brings a graceful, feminine quality to your tree:

Stand in Vrksasana, bring your arms out to the sides, to the height of the shoulders. While standing on your left leg, raise your left arm up and arc it alongside your head, as you lower your right arm towards your bent knee. Bring your forefinger and thumb together in Jnana mudra, and continue to reach through your arms as though you are holding a ball between them. Lengthen through the sides of your waist as you arch your spine to the right. Keep steadiness through your left leg. Breathe. Root. Flourish.

Trees stand alone and in a forest, a family, and a community of trees. Balancing the gifts of heaven and earth, trees are nourished by their surroundings, and, in turn, nourish all who come to sit in their presence. Practice vrksasana, and celebrate these moments of inner strength, connection, and serenity.

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Chrisandra Fox teaches handstands and other postures at Yoga Tree 5 classes per week, and leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats. To check out her class schedule, Click here. Questions? Pose Requests? Retreat schedule? Email Chrisandra@gmail.com

*originally posted at:

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2009/10/01/vrksasana-tree-pose/

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/oct09_pose.html

 

pose of the month- Adho Mukha Vrksasana with chrisandra fox photography by faern

pose of the month- Adho Mukha Vrksasana

with chrisandra fox photography by faern

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Downward-facing Tree Pose

with Chrisandra Fox

As a little girl, I had practice of throwing my legs up against the front door of the house, and standing on my hands as long as I could. Each summer, I practiced these handstands on the beach, with no door. Often, I would fall, bringing my legs out to one side, or into Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward-facing wheel), which is how I learned to love backbends. Once in a great while, I would find my balance on the hard sand near the water’s edge. Time would stop and in those precious moments of exhilarating awe, I would try very hard to remember exactly what I had done so that I could repeat the experience.

Handstand gives us the moment of our power – a moment of pure potential – where we may yoke our root and our expansiveness in a single breath cycle. We learn to engage our bodies harmoniously, strengthen our core, sharpen our concentration, expand awareness and engage the mysteries of gravity and levity on a physical level. Handstand asks us to build strength in new areas, heighten coordination and reaction time, and trust that our bodies, and our egos, can take a fall.

When we practice handstand – at the wall or free standing against Nature’s backdrop – we literally turn our worlds upside down for a moment or more of truly exploring the unknown. Within that moment, we may find the power of living in true potential. We may fall to one side or another. We may not be able to kick up every day. Some days, our wrists hurt, our shoulders feel tight, and we can’t find the internal support of our breath and our bandhas to sustain balance. And more, we may meet an incredible fear and discomfort towards going upside down.

But handstands were child’s play for many of us, when we were children. And for those of us who are rediscovering that childlike nature through our yoga practice, there are tools we can use to make this journey to our center one of joy, power, and grace.

Handstand Preparation

The Wrists

Often the biggest obstacle to standing on the hands is meeting the weakness of the wrists. If you suffer from carpel tunnel, you may want to avoid handstand for now and work inversions that strengthen the shoulders, like dolphin pose. The following exercise will help alleviate stiffness and mobilize the wrists:

Sit or stand. Interlace your fingers and press your forearms together, bringing the elbows to the level of the shoulders. Circle the wrists in one direction, 10-20 times. Feel the movement of the bones in the wrists, through the forearms and in the elbow. Maintain a steadiness in your shoulder blades as you rotate the wrists in one direction, then in the opposite direction.

The Shoulders

Keep your fingers interlocked and press through the center of your palms, lifting the arms overhead. Lengthen through your inner elbows, and lower your chin slightly towards the center of your throat. Soften the tops of your shoulders as you root your shoulder blades on your back ribs. Continue to press through the center of your palms. Can you feel a sense of grounding in your shoulders and the navel center, even while you explore that wonderful stretch?

Now lift your head and draw back through the crown, arching your neck and turning your gaze towards your brow center. Take a few breaths, still anchoring the shoulder blades and feeling a sense of length through the front of your neck towards your chin. Bring your head back to center and release your arms to your sides.

The Abdomen

Once you turn upside down, you will want to engage through your core to support the lower body. You’ll feel a natural toning of your abdominal wall in handstand, and you can further build this strength through the following exercise:

Lie down on your back. Lift your arms up overhead and press the backs of them to the floor. Lift your legs to 90°. If your low back is tight, you may try this one leg at a time. Point your toes and lower your legs towards the ground as you inhale. Flex through your feet and lift your legs back to 90° as you exhale. Repeat, keeping your pelvis steady and your inner knees firm.

The Third Arm Eye

A tripod is more stable that a two-legged chair, and so for handstand, we can use our drishti, or eye gaze, to create a third arm.

Come into Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog) with your fingers a hand’s width from the wall. Broaden your shoulder blades from your upper spine, outwardly spiral your upper arms, and feel for a sense of grounding in your forearm bones. Turn your gaze to the line where the wall meets the floor. This is about where you will direct the focus of your eyes when you come up into handstand.

The Pose

Handstand at the Wall

Continue in downward-facing dog at the wall. Lift one leg toward the sky, rooting the pads of your fingers to the earth. Feel the tone of your abdomen as you extend the leg. Repeat on the other side. Now, step one foot halfway to the hands, bend your knee and lift your other leg with a firm press into the ball of the standing foot. You may need to kick the extended leg towards the wall, but keep feeling the root of your leg in your navel center. As you kick your leg up, it will carry your pelvis. The more awareness you have in your legs, the lighter they will become. Let your second leg follow the first with great enthusiasm.

The Work

As you kick up, keep your legs active and engaged, as you did while practicing your leg lifts. This will literally lighten the load for your arms and your shoulders. Press your heel bones against the wall and reach actively through the soles of your feet, as though you are standing on them. Bring your inner knees together.

Have you kept your third arm steady? If not, re-establish your focus through the gaze of your eyes. Continue to anchor your shoulder blades on your back ribs while you lengthen through your inner elbows. Wrists hurt? Give more pressure to the finger pads, as though you are clawing the earth. If your wrists feel fine, give your weight to the roots of your fingers, working with equal effort to awaken the sense of earth energy “lifting” up through the palm of your hand.

Once up, tone your navel to your spine and lengthen your tailbone towards your heels. This will shorten the distance between the pubic bones and the front ribcage, thus eliminating the “banana” shape that often occurs when we fall into our low backs.

Breathe steadily. Feel the orchestra of your body harmonizing, as gravity anchors your shoulders, forearms, and hands, and your legs and feet become firm and light. You may feel an incredible root through your navel as an unbearable lightness lifts and tones your pelvic floor.

Variations

You can release the neck and gaze directly ahead in handstand. This will bring your head and pelvis into alignment, and help you to pull in towards the midline of your body. As you lift your head and engage your third arm gaze, this will lengthen your abdomen and allow you to play with balancing the shoulders and pelvis.

Play! Keep one heel pressed firmly against the wall, point the toes of your second foot and slowly lower your leg towards the ground. You’ll feel a hollowing out in the belly as you lower your leg. Then, on an inhalation, lift that leg right back up to handstand, feeling the length of the abdomen. Change sides. This exercise will strengthen your abdomen, spinal muscles, low back, wrists, and shoulders, and prepare you for floating up to handstand with effortlessness.

Handstand without the Wall

With the support of a friend, you can reduce your need for the wall. Take your downward-facing dog, and have your friend stand to one side of your hands. Tell your friend which leg you are kicking up with before you kick. Your friend extends her arm parallel to the earth, just above your hands. You kick up with one leg to meet her extended arm. Take the second leg to meet the first. Your friend may place a fist between your knees for you to squeeze, or she may place her hand above your feet for you to press up into. Reach through the soles of your feet, spreading your toes and lifting through your inner ankles.

Falling

Falling is inevitable, and the more comfortable we become with “falling” out of pose, the more we learn about how not to fall. As you fall out, fall to the side or back to your downward-facing dog. Fall with awareness. Feel your body move through its descent to find earth. Friends, let go of your partner’s legs. Like cats, our feet know how to find the ground, but we must be free in order to do so.

If you have a practice of urdhva dhanurasana or upward-facing bow pose, you can practice coming out of your handstands by slowly falling back, and bringing your feet to the floor. Stay steadily rooted through your hands.

If fear is the obstacle, place a bolster against the wall, so you have something to “catch” your head as you kick up. Use your inhalation to kick up, and as you exhale, pull into your midline. Remember to use your eyes to maintain a sense of internal steadiness.

Once you begin to unlock the mysteries of your relationship with gravity through handstand, you might find yourself practicing anywhere and everywhere. Plant your hands in the grass, on dirt, in sand, on rock, on the pool’s cement bottom, even on the concrete outside your building. Establish your gaze and float up to your moment of power and potential against a wall, a tree, or nothing at all.

Chrisandra Fox teaches handstands and other postures at Yoga Tree 5 classes per week, and leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats. To check out her class schedule, visit http://www.yogatreesf.com/teachers/chrisandra_fox.htm.

all photos courtesy of faern at http://www.faernworks.com

originally posted at :

http://faern-in-the-works.com/2009/09/29/pose-of-the-month-adho-mukha-vrksasana/

and

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/sep09_pose.html