Spring Cleaning Our Poses

For the beginning of Spring we’re going to look at spring cleaning our poses.

STANDING POSES

Are a great way to energise and awaken us especially after the winter months. They stimulate, energise and rebuild us from the ground up maintaining our connection to Mother Earth.

BUILD STRENGTH AND STAMINA

These days we seem to be seated for so long during our days: working, eating, resting, tv, computers, reading – so let’s stand as much as we can.

When we stand in yoga we’re not hanging off our joints and unaware. We’re focusing on our foundations – our feet and upwards into our ankles, legs, knees and hips. Creating strength in these foundations for the body parts above to balance and be graceful upon them.

We balance ourselves from our standing posture, from our feet. Pressing firmly down to activate. This builds stamina, energy and strength in our body.  Standing poses build our relationship to our feet and how we stand in relation to the rest of our body too, building our posture.  Our legs can be internally or externally rotated bringing strength and awareness to these areas of the legs and hips.

In standing, our body is lifted and open, which opens our chest and body to breathwork. We are not compressing and weakening our core body whilst we stand. We are opening our body to a deeper and thereby stronger breath capacity.

DEVELOPING HEAT AND WARMING UP

Standing poses require more energy than seated poses. They require us to focus and be energised, using more muscles throughout the body and creating heat.

We also have the ability to move more freely in the standing poses, as we’re not seated (for example) and locked into our pelvis.  We can safely warm up and open the body prior to more complex poses.  They give us the option to have more mobility. Bringing balance with a combination of strength building and opening.

EFFECTS OF STANDING POSES

• Do you feel grounded and stable?
• Standing on your own two feet builds confidence
• Feel emotionally centred
• Establish a connection to mother earth
• Awakens Muladhara (base) chakra
• Strengthens the lower energy centres
• Creates a sense of presence
• Stimulates the Central Nervous System
• Increases alertness
• Aids: circulation, digestion and energises the entire body

ACTIVATE AND INITIATE FROM THE GROUND UP

Whist standing in poses this week, feel from the ground up and connect to your whole being feeling activated and awakened. Energise and press away from the earth and feel the energy come up through your legs to give you a lift, feeling this rebound energy balance and align you.