Yoga Archives - Page 15 of 29

A Yogi in Pune (The Day Of and the Night Before)

August 31, 2016

Unfortunately my allergies have flared up. Leaving your house can be a messy affair for a homebody like me. I think of my house in my absence and I simply can’t tolerate the thought of a messy house left to it’s own devices. I need my house to be spic and span in my absence so that a thin film of dust is all I really have to deal with on my return. So for the past two weeks I’ve been cleaning along with packing and my nose has paid the price dearly. However, I managed to clear the table tops and the counters and ensure that things were in their rightful places before I went to sleep last night. And once settled in comfortably I Skyped late into the night with a friend of mine, excitedly catching up on all the old and what it feels like to be on the brink of the new.

I woke up early today and did a quick practice after which I showered and drove myself to a friend’s place to entrust him with the care of my car for the next few weeks, and to partake of whatever breakfast he could offer an excited yogi just about to embark on a great adventure. I still remember that the last time I came back after a long trip, the battery of my car fought a slow death leaving me stranded many a time. This time I wasn’t going to take chances, specially not with breakfast.

I managed to catch a few minutes of sleep on the plane before we landed, but airplane don’t really count by way of making you feel rested. The opposite, yes. I deplaned to find out that there was a transportation strike in Pune and therefore couldn’t get a pre-paid taxi to my accommodation. Ola shared cab to the rescue.

My accommodation is a room nestled in a culvert near RIMYI. I have a clean, freshly painted room all to myself. The kitchen is easily accessible and I spent a little while getting to know my hostess over a mug of (much needed) hot green tea. Turns out that the house is situated on Sudheer Pawar Path, and Sudheer Pawar was my hostess’s uncle! He was an officer of the Indian Air Force who crash landed due to a malfunctioning airplane and the government named the road in his honor. Add a bit of history to anything, and you increase my wonder for it manifold.

My hostess was kind enough to provide me some paranthas for lunch and after a quick rest I decided to go exploring. My hostess gave me clear and concise directions and I reached the institute in no time. The evening timings of the institute are 4-6 pm and I was a bit early. I made enquiries with the guard who told me that I should come at 4 and not to worry as there won’t be much of a crowd. I remembered the mad rush at KPJAYI and wanted to make sure. Finally he told me that there is only one day of the year when there is a rush (I forget which one) and after that since there are no new admissions, there is no rush. I did notice that there was a board on the gate which said that the admissions are closed until May 2017. And here’s where I felt grateful that I had somehow beat the queues.

I decided to explore a bit more and wandered a bit further down the road where a random lady walking next to me started lamenting about the transport strike. And she didn’t trust Ola. Not sure what she was planning to do. I bought myself a toothbrush, toothpaste and a coffee and answered some messages until it was time to head to the institute.

I decided to ask for the legendary Mr. Pandurang Rao at the institute and see if I could register today, since I was already there, instead of having to wait until tomorrow. I know these guys are sticklers for rules and I wasn’t sure I would be entertained. However, I was! Mr. Rao handed me the registration form and once I’d filled it out he drew up my schedule on a pink post it…only to ask me once again how long I’ve been practicing and then relapsed into deep thought. Then he decided to make a phone call and spoke to the person on the other end about ‘the student from Bangalore’. The conversation was in Marathi, so even though I heard it all, I couldn’t understand it. He came back and asked me ‘Can you do the Sirsasana?’ I said yes and he then took a while to figure out whether to put me in the Intermediate or the Senior class. Finally, the Intermediate it is and I have to report to the Ist floor tomorrow morning at 7 am.

My hostess is taking us all out for dinner tonight, so I get to meet some of my housemates as well!

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Yoga

How-to: The Zero Waste Home

August 18, 2016

Small things we can all implement in our lives!

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Yoga

A Chat with Abhijata Sridhar

July 27, 2016

POMELO_20160723084413_save[1] Those following my Facebook updates would know that I attended my first Iyengar workshop last weekend. I had been looking forward to the workshop all month. Turns out, the workshop became special for me. It was conducted by 3 senior Iyengar teachers. It was held at Belur, BKS Iyengar’s birthplace. Iyengar teachers are legendary for being strict and no nonsense. So when, at the end of the first day I came up with the idea that maybe I could do my first ever interview for the blog with one of the most famous yoga teachers in the world, I didn’t think it would actually happen. But it did! And I was kicked. Below is the interview. At the end is the link to where you can hear it on YouTube.

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PB: First of all Abhijata, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. I know its on short notice but thank you so much.

AS: Welcome.

PB: So the first question I wanted to ask you is in your opinion what is the role of a guru. In the modern context when the practitioners have changed and the practice has changed, and you know, lifestyles and I think times have changed so now what is the role of a guru in a student’s or in a seeker’s life?

AS: I think the word guru is used very..uh… easily these days…because so many people that we see I would say are teachers, instructors…I mean it starts off with you know being..instructing a class, conducting a class, teaching a class… A guru is not somebody who teaches you a subject, a guru is somebody who teaches you about living, a guru is somebody who teaches you life. So, not everybody can get a guru, not anybody can become a guru (starts laughing).

PB: Hmmm..ok..alright..and do you agree that, you know they say that when a student is ready then the guru appears. So and…I feel that is sort of taking away responsibility from a student, like y’know you just keep on doing your work and the guru will come on their own. But do you feel for students today who are seeking something more from the practice, do you think they should go out and actively look for a guru or do you feel that they should just wait and when they are ready the guru will appear.

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AS: Ah….I’ve been lucky to have had my guru (laughs again), so I don’t think it will be fair for me to answer this question because fortunately I was lucky enough to have been born in this family and to have been taught by him and by my uncle and aunt, Geetaji and Prashantji too and then Guruji became my guru. So yes, in a sense you cannot make a guru, but yes a guru appears it is true in one sense, but at the same time you can’t expect someone who is teaching you a subject to be a teacher and then somebody just comes and there the guru has appeared. I think a teacher transforms to becoming a guru, a student transforms into becoming a shishya and it doesn’t happen so easily, it’s not so easy. (starts laughing)

PB: And so that’s another question I had for you, when did your grandfather, he was your grandfather and then what was the moment when he became your guru? What was that transformational moment for you when you realized that ok this transformation has happened. It’s like a paradigm shift which happens in your life. So when did you realize that?

AS: I don’t know. Honestly I don’t know when he being my grandfather stopped and he becoming my guru emerged. When I came to Pune I just wanted to see what this yoga was about. I mean, why there are so many people from all over the world who come to my grandfather to learn…so let me see what this is all about, that’s how I started my learning in yoga. And he was teaching me asanas, and somehow it just evolved into he teaching me …

PB: life?

AS: ..so many other things (laughs).

PB: And also, so you’re one of the more younger teachers in the world of yoga, so how do you feel your teaching has evolved from the time your grandfather was teaching, from the time his guru was teaching? You know because people have also changed, so do you think your style of teaching has evolved with the times or is different from what the style of teaching of older teachers has been.

AS: Ah…I have not seen the older generation teach..you know..8 years ago I don’t know how it was but I’ve heard stories. I’ve heard stories of how my grandfather told his guru that he can’t do Hanumanasana. And his guru: Why? And my grandfather as a young boy when he told his guru that I cannot do the Hanumanasana because my langot is tight and his guru said just bring the scissors I’ll cut off your langot and you just do the Hanumansana. It’s about doing the Hanumanasana (both begin to laugh), it’s not about your clothing. So the gurus of those days I guess were like that (laughs). So…uh…I have started teaching in this age, so I have seen people, moved around people of this generation so it must have evolved in this style. But like I told you before, fortunately because I’ve seen them, I’ve seen Guruji, I’m still seeing my uncle and aunt, it is different. Because being closer to the source…I guess makes a difference.

PB: And what is a typical day in your life like? You know, when do you wake up and when do you practice?

AS: (laughs) Now my daughter has started school (laughs some more), so its changed. So I wake up, make her … pack her off to school and then my practice starts at nine. Goes on til twelve in the afternoon. And then I…two three days a week I also practice in the evening from four to six. Other two days I teach. My grandfather has said that if you are teaching a one hour class your practice that day has to be of three hours so…(both start laughing)

PB: I see, I’ll keep that in mind. (laughs). Your tips for yoga practitioners of the Iyengar tradition in terms of diet, practice and code of conduct.

AS: Practice would come first. Diet and code of conduct would follow. Practice, practice with all your heart, practice with sincerity. You know, often we cheat ourselves and we don’t know we are cheating ourselves I mean, if the going gets tough we want to go away from that. We think this is my limit, this is all I can do, that’s how the human mind thinks. And it’s very difficult to challenge that if you don’t have a good teacher. I mean, Guruji was there telling me you are escaping, you are being lazy. At that time I thought I was putting in my best and I thought I couldn’t do anything more than this but then he would say no this is nothing. So he was there, to you know, push me through that. And again, its not just about the quantity or the intensity but it’s one part of it. The point is asanas teach you about your own thinking pattern. You know, we so often want to escape, you so often want to do so much lesser than what we are truly capable of so fortunately if you have a good teacher who can identify the weakness in you and push you along then it’s good. Otherwise you have to be really observant and critical of yourself, to see what you are doing. And once your practice goes up like that, your diet will change on its own because you will realize that if you had a late lunch it’s not working well. If you’ve had a heavy lunch it’s not working well. If you’ve had spicy food it’s not working well. So that will change on its own.

PB: OK and would you like to make a comment on vegetarianism….in today’s context you know…when…

AS: Ah..I’m a born vegetarian so I don’t know the other side of it. But what I have seen my grandfather tell people is that you practice and you…

PB: Yeah I read about that in ‘Light on Yoga’ also…And code of conduct? I know it’s a very vast thing but as a practitioner is there anything you’d like to say?

AS: Code of conduct is not needed just for a practitioner, code of conduct is needed to just be a good human being (starts laughing).

PB: Alright! And tips for yoga teachers, um…wanna be yoga teachers of the Iyengar style of yoga.

AS: (laughs) The wanna be yoga teachers of the Iyengar style have to realize that a lot more has to be put in before you can become a teacher. (laughs)

PB: Yeah…

AS: because it’s very … I don’t know whether the demand is so much…of late so many people have developed this interest to become a teacher. I don’t know whether it is because of the popularity, because of the media, because of the demand, whatever it is, but we shouldn’t compromise on the quality…so we shouldn’t hurry up to become teachers. My uncle often tells in class that you do all your schooling, you go for your graduation, you go for your post graduation, you do another degree and then you teach kindergarten. So you know you cannot learn for three years and then teach a one year old in yoga. So you have to have your own abhyasa before you are ready to teach, before you are truly ready to teach…

PB: OK, alright. So that’s pretty much all the questions I have. Thank you so much.

AS: Thanks.

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And here’s a link where you can listen to the interview:

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Travels Yoga

The Habitat

July 11, 2016

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“Make sure your doors and windows are securely locked, the petrol full and even if someone tries to stop you for ‘help’ DO NOT STOP. And also, go there during the day, you don’t want to be mauled by wild beasts when night falls.”

This was the directive given to me the first time I headed to what I now simple call The Jungle.

So it was natural that we were a bundle of nerves when we headed towards the Bannerghatta National Park. Slowly and gradually the hustle and bustle and the traffic IMG-20160403-WA0033 and the potholes of the Bannerghatta road faded away and we were on the dusty country roads. Here there were no signboards and everything looked the same. Perhaps the danger of getting lost was very real, which is why our host kept on repeatedly calling us to ensure we were safe. That is, when we got connectivity. The rest of the time we kept on going on a hunch. Driving a rickety old Alto over craggy rocks and stones and on terrain meant for four wheel drive is no mean feat. Every time I saw a mound of formidable rocks, I would set my jaw and press along. My own man vs nature adventure.

I had no idea what to expect that first weekend at the farm. I discovered that the IMG-20160403-WA0050 temperature deep in the jungle is a couple of degrees lower than in the city. And I certainly didn’t expect to sleep out in the open inside a mesh hut. The still remember my first night at the farm. The croaks of the frogs, and right outside the hut, the river illuminated by the light of the moon, the silhouette of the trees framing my view. I snuggled deeper into my warm razai and drifted off into the most peaceful sleep ever.

I’m back from another restful weekend at the ‘Vishnu’s Farm’. Deep in the Bannerghatta jungles, this place has come to symbolize peace, serenity and the Slow Movement (even before it became the latest fitness fad). This time I took my sister (visiting from Hyderabad). I explained to her that most of the farm has no lights, no real means of cooking your own food, and that we might spot an elephant or a bison while walking around the acreage. But nature is constantly evolving and moves on no matter what. So the Farm is always a bit different every time I go. (There is a valuable lesson in this.)

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However, the past couple of times I’ve been to this haven, an idea has been taking shape in my mind. In our frazzled lives, oasis of calm such as Vishnu’s Farm are difficult to come by and this place is just perfect. Devoid of the trappings of modern existence (no cell phone coverage and other such fancy accoutrement), this place hits your reset button. The closer you are to nature, the closer you feel to yourself. This past weekend I decided on a retreat. A retreat focused on peace, quiet and getting back to nature. A simple retreat aimed at appreciating how we can live the best possible life by staying aligned and attuned to nature.

Vishu’s Farm is more appropriately called a habitat. Vishnu has made sure to integrate himself with nature rather than modifying the existing ecosystem to suit his needs. So he’s made sure not to disturb the trees, and continues planting new ones. He’s built lakes in the property so that the water life thrives instead of perishing (you may spot a cat stealthily waiting for it’s next meal). When the elephants repeatedly broke a wall somewhere in the habitat, Vishnu stopped rebuilding it. In his own words – “It’s their land, I’m just an encroacher.” Perhaps this belief fuels his tireless work for conservation in the area.

So when you come on this retreat, you aren’t checking into a fancy resort with exotic scented soaps. You are spending time in someone’s life’s work. A home that Vishnu has painstakingly created against odds such as red tape and litigation, indifference and corruption. And how can we forget the quarry mafia?!

It is no surprise then, that a retreat such as this will always be for a closed group. Comprising people who will be able to appreciate the passion and belief that it takes to live a lifestyle where there are no TVs and limited net connectivity. Where lunch takes time to come from the nearest village. Where there are no dustbins around the property because waste disposal is a challenge and you are encouraged to take your trash back to the city with you.

Where the days are beautiful and the nights peaceful.

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Yoga

Why Things Are Working Out

June 16, 2016

I’ve been mulling over the power of positivity for a while now. It started with a book recommendation by a student. According to this extremely empowered, intelligent, successful and smart woman, just following the tenets of visualization and positive thinking helped her immensely and since then she’s been a Believer. Always one to be wary of cult-ish balderdash, I politely nodded and said I’ll put the book on my TBR list, which of course didn’t happen. Then came the past life regression workshop that a friend of mine dragged me to. I was unable to devote any time to channelizing my present thoughts, so the idea of involving my past life in creating a better future for myself was fanciful. However, I’m glad I went because the one thing that I took away was that your thoughts are indeed powerful and the ability to shape your future lies within you. For months now I’ve been working on visualization in the quest to live a more wholesome life. While I can’t claim that I have successfully manifested my wildest dreams through the power of positive thoughts, I can vouch for the fact that there has been a shift in my days after I started consciously changing the tenor of my thoughts. I also know that a lot of people would like to live more meaningfully but are at a loss as to where to start. After months of practice, I feel I have come up with a method that can help just about anyone inculcate the habit of positive thought

First and foremost is an honest assessment of yourself, warts and all. Have you become complacent with your situation in life? Do you find yourself explaining away selfish or hurtful behaviour? Once, a friend of mine tried to give me advice about how I can curb my ‘natural’ instinct to be selfish. Her heart may have been in the right place, but unfortunately, my heart hurt. I value her advice, but I wish she had focused more on what actions I can take rather than dwelling on a characteristic of mine she didn’t like (and which, to give me the benefit of the doubt, may just be her personal opinion). Conversely, a few reek of self-satisfied smugness. They believe there is no other way and the choices they’ve made are the only ones that can be made. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are living their lives in the best possible way they can. Hey, if you are happy and elated with your life and leap out of bed daily to live another inspired day, then I have a lot to learn from you. But if you believe there is more, then introspect. Remember, if you continue to be the kind of person you are right now, with the same thought patterns, the same reactions and the same behaviour, then your life will continue to be the way it is now. It’s great if you’re happy with the status quo. But there is a whole world out there that you might just enjoy exploring if you decide to improve yourself a little bit.
Start with small. I believe in small. Less stuff, less baggage, small changes, small portions (:)). You may be someone who believes they have a lot of scope for improvement, but self-improvement is something that has to be done patiently and with baby steps. Start with one thing about yourself that you would like to change. Make this something to do with a thought pattern and watch how your life starts to mirror goodness and positivity. One day you’ll wake up grateful for all your good luck and for everything working out for you.
Once you identify what that negative thought pattern or habit is, work on consciously replacing it. Essentially you are eliminating a negative and immediately utilizing that space for a positive. This also ensures that you leave no space for a negative to come back to your life. You’re driving it out and consciously renting that space out to a positive more nurturing thought or action. A few years ago I was watching a ballerina practicing and I thought of how pretty, delicate and feminine she looked…and before I knew it I had told myself that I would ofcourse never be able to practice ballet because I wouldn’t fit into a tutu nor ever look so pretty, delicate and feminine! Now, I may not be ballerina material, but it’s not for me to tell myself that. The thing to do is to give it a go. Or alternatively, replace thoughts of a negative body image with that of a positive image such as appreciating how I can hold a chaturanga forever or how gracefully I do the Natrajasana.
Once you are on the path to change your deeply ingrained involuntary habits, it is important to assess yourself from time to time. Are you trying your best to put in place a system of new habits and thought patterns? Or are you just congratulating yourself about putting in effort? Too frequently people think it’s the thought that counts, but here we’re trying to change the thoughts themselves, so it’s the action that counts. Exercise the utmost honesty with yourself. Are you actually trying your best to coax your subconscious into rephrasing your words? Do you let yourself off the hook easily when you slip up or do you tell yourself sternly that this behaviour is not acceptable and you must not let this become the norm? For instance, every time I catch myself starting a sentence with ‘No, but…’ I stop mid-sentence and instead say ‘Sure, however…’ or ‘Hmmm, however…’. I’ve found that instead of breeding a sense of no, can’t, won’t etc., the other phrases immediately put me into a state of let’s move on and look for a solution or an alternative. It works, try it.

Your thought patterns form a blue print for your days and consequently for your life. So if you work on consciously changing your thoughts you will clear the path to a better existence. I’m a great believer in small actions bringing big rewards and when you replace a negative with a positive, then you will change your world. After all, if you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.

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Yoga

The Yoga Practice

June 16, 2016

A system whereby you can practice yoga daily in the comfort of your own home through a combination of personalized videos and customized yoga plans crafted and created for you by an experienced yoga teacher.

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With the increase in lifestyle related conditions and diseases, there is an increase in an interest in living a holistic and healthy life. However, time constraints, a lack of motivation, and inaccessibility to a good studio/trainer, contribute to most people not incorporating yoga into their daily routine.

This program is for those who want a good, experienced yoga teacher but don’t have access to one. At a very reasonable cost you get not only personalized attention but also the tools to enable you to practice yoga daily with a focus on constant improvement in your health and fitness levels.

The Offering

We will meet you in person and assess, analyse and understand your needs.

Based on this assessment a personalized video will be created for you.
During a fixed personal appointment, we will help you do the video the first time in person in order to clarify any doubts you may have regarding the alignment of the asanas and to ensure that you are comfortable with the sequence.
Weekly calls to touch base with you regarding your yoga routine will be scheduled. This will be a time for us to share our feedback/concerns/changes regarding the plan.
Bi-monthly Sunday meetings for a group exercise session and for you to practice your routine with me and to introduce any changes together.

This program is available to anyone living in Bangalore.

Monthly Program Components:

2 f2f meetings
2 individual appointments

4 consultation calls (weekly)
Weekly group exercise sessions
Personalized video made for your routine and updated periodically.

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To enrol in this program or to get more information about it drop a message here.

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Yoga

Some More for Your Back

May 4, 2016

My blog about how you can use a rope to manage, heal and even reverse causes of back ache has been hugely successful. It’s great that a lot of people with chronic back ache and even disc bulges and slipped discs have tried this blog and come back to me with positive reviews. In this blog I’d like to explore alternative asanas which also provide relief from back ache.

1. Start with the Ashwasanchalanasana, also called the Low Lunge. Ensure that your back knee is locked and try and push your hips as close to the floor as possible. This creates opposing forces within the body and this helps in easing out the kinks in your lower back. This also stretches the hip joint and strengthens the quads. When you focus on pushing your heel back, you will feel a stretch on the back of the calves as well.

2. Now place the knee on the floor and intensify the stretch a bit more.

3. Now place your elbows on the floor and allow the hips to open up even more. This pose is called the Lizard pose.

4. Next is the Pigeon pose. Place your knee on the floor and try and try to get the opposite thigh as close to the floor as you can. Do this by squaring the hips. The more you align the hips the better the stretch.

5. And finally for the Agnistambasana or the Firelog pose. I try and include this as much as I can in my classes. In this pose the point to remember is that the knee and the ankle should be directly on top of each other for both legs.

Hold these poses for as long as you feel like. If you have the time, even 2 minutes on each side would be great. Since I’m heavily influenced by the Iyengar style I would recommend you find out how to use props to do poses which are a bit challenging for you.

Practice these daily and even more than once a day to manage your back aches.

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Yoga

For All You Goddesses…

March 8, 2016

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And the last pose for this series is, befittingly, the Goddess Pose. The Sanskrit word for this one is Utkata Konasana (I did have to look this up). Of all the hip openers in this series, this one is the most intense. The simultaneous movement of opening up the hips and sinking the hips down to the floor ensures that the stretch is deep and intense. Reaching up with the arms also helps in opening up the chest to enable better breathing.

Benefits:

Great stretch for the hips and the groin.
Strengthens the core.
Holding for long periods will help in strengthening the legs
Opens up the shoulders and chest and makes you feel like a Goddess.
Helps in preparing the body for childbirth so can be done by pregnant women all the way to the end of the pregnancy.

Those of you with stiff ankles, hip and knee joints will face some discomfort when practicing this pose. My suggestion is to use blocks or roll up blankets and place them under your ankles. This will give you a stronger stance. Gradually you will be able to do this pose without the help of props.

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Yoga

Pose #7 for Women – Baddhakonasana

March 7, 2016

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Contrary to popular belief – Baddhakonasana isn’t’Butterfly’ in Sanskrit. Literally translated Baddhakonasana means Bound Angle Pose. A lot of people call this the ‘Cobbler Pose’ as well.

Benefits:

AWESOME FOR TENSION AND STRESS RELIEF.
Stretches the thighs, groin, hip joint and knees.
Great for relief from sciatica pain.
Reduces menstrual discomfort.
Great for keeping the hip joint flexible which helps in preparing the body for childbirth.

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If you have a groin, hip joint or knee injury you may want to exercise caution when practicing this pose.

And here’s a video explaining the Baddhakonasana.

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Yoga

Pose #6 for Women – Malasana

March 6, 2016

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Today’s pose is awesome because it’s one of those poses that our bodies have been designed to do, but because of how our lifestyles have changed in the last 50 years, we’ve lost the mobility and the range of motion to perform the Malasana or the Squat. The fact that it’s taken only 50 odd years for our bodies to ‘forget’ a basic and intuitive movement is unsettling. After all, the last 50 years is a minuscule time frame in the history of human evolution. Imagine the kind of effort required to undo the effects of millions of years of evolution! POMELO_20160306192112_save

There are some contraindications for the Malasana. If you have a knee, ankle or hip injury then I would suggest that you practice with props.

Benefits of the Malasana:

Great to open up the hip joint.
Massages the abdominal and digestive organs and stimulates elimination.
Strengthens the legs, ankles and knees.
Helps in reducing back ache, even for pregnant women.
Conditions the lower body for child birth.

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