Sunday, February 26, 2012

Virabhadrasana I, II & III - The Warrior Poses

After a little hiatus, the yoga challenge blog is back. This week's post is from Deirdre and I lovvvvveeee it! Hope y'all do, too. Thanks, D! Here's to the (peaceful) Warrior in all of us...

The Tale of Virabhadra
Vira (hero) + Bhadra (friend)

Whether we go to our mat daily, weekly or whenever the mood takes us there, I’m pretty sure all of us can relate to the dance of Virabhadrasana I, II and III and the hundreds of times we’ve practiced these poses.    Think about it, especially if you’re a lover of Vinyassa.   How many times do you glide in and out of Virabhadrasana I, II and III?.   They are almost second nature to us.  We move seamlessly through these postures, our limbs becoming an extension of our breath and our mind already lost in the dance.  “    Inhale, Virabhadrasana I, exhale Vira II, inhale - reach forward, exhale and reverse, inhale back to Vira II and exhale into Utthita Parsvakonasana.”      Vira I, II and III can become the poses that link our sequences.   We can transition through these poses in a trance like state.   


Perfect…yoga doing it’s thing right?  
  
So, when Amy asked me to blog (something I’ve never done before in my life), I was excited to share the below tale.   As part of my yoga teacher training, one of my teaching scripts was on Vira II.  On researching more about the pose I came across various articles telling the history of the warrior poses.    Perhaps after reading this (rather shortened version of the tale) the next time you ease yourself into Vira I, II or III, it could feel completely different.      
     
The origin of the warrior poses, Virabhadrasana I, II and III is derived from an ancient story of Lord Shiva. The warrior poses illustrate an incident that occurred in the celestial realms.   The story gives life to the poses.  It’s a story of love, attachment, pride, shame, vengeance, violence and sadness.  All emotions can be found in this tale of pride and transformation.


In Hindu lore, the powerful priest Daksha threw a huge yagna (ritual sacrifice) and invited everyone-except his youngest daughter Sati and her husband Shiva, whom Daksha despised (even if Shiva was supreme ruler of the universe).  Sati got word of this and suggested to Shiva that they go anyway.  Shiva, not wanting to incite her father’s anger anymore than he has already done, asked, “Why go, where we are not invited?”  Sati was hurt by her father’s refusal to acknowledge her marriage and her husband; she decided 
to go alone to the yagna.


When she arrived, Sati and her father got into an argument, which entertained the guests.  Sati was saddened and humiliated by this public argument with her father. When her father tried to taunt her again she remained silent, letting go of all desire to continue to argue with her father in hopes of defending her husband. She trembled with disgust and indignation at having been so cruelly let down by the one man upon whom she, as a daughter, should always be able to rely. Instead she made an internal resolve to relinquish all family ties. She summoned up her strength and spoke this vow to her father, “Since you have given me this body I no longer wish to be associated with it.” She walked past her father and sat in a meditative seat on the ground. Closing her eyes, envisioning her true Lord, Sati fell into a mystic trance. Going deep within herself she began to increase her own inner fire through yogic exercises until her body burst into flames.


When Shiva got word of Sati’s death, he was devastated.  He yanked out a tuft of his hair and beat it into the ground and up popped his fiercest Warrior.  Shiva named this warrior, Virabhadra.  Vira (hero) + Bhadra (friend).  He ordered Virabhadra to go to the yagna and destroy Daksha and all guests assembled.


The warrior Virabhadra was created and from here the pose take life.  


Virabhadrasana I - Virabhadra arrives at the party and with his sword in both hands as he thrusts his way 
through the earth from deep underground.


Virabhadrasana II - After establishing his arrival for all to see, he takes then sites his opponent, Daksha and takes his stance. 

Virabhadrasana III - He is then ready to commit his act.   


Moving swiftly and precisely, with his sword in both hands and cuts off Daksha’s head.
Although this tale sounds pretty violent (hardly in keeping with the philosophy of yoga) it also evokes power, passion and strength.     

What’s my favorite?  Virabhadrasana II. 
I think of strength and determination – think of the imaginary.   Announcing your presence and power, opening your body to its full extent, directing your strength and passion at the challenge before you as you remain grounded and rooted to the earth beneath you.    When teaching this asana I like to say – inhale confidence for the challenges that lie in your path and exhale any fears and doubts you might have.


Perhaps the next time you’re on your mat and working your way into your first Warrior pose of the day, you might imagine yourself as a warrior.   Strong, focused on task, poised and ready for battle – see what happens….


We practice Virabhadrasana, not to honor the practice of violence against others, but to fight our own ignorance and ego. "What's really being commemorated in this pose's name and held up as an ideal for all practitioners, is the spiritual warrior, who bravely does battle with the universal enemy, self-ignorance (avidya), the ultimate source of all our suffering." (taken from Warrior I pose – Yoga Journal 

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Baddha Konasana - Bound Angle Pose


Welcome, yoga friends, to Week 7 of the yoga challenge. This week's post comes from Stephanie, a personal trainer/instructor at the YMCA. A little bio on her:
I personally practiced yoga "off and on" prior to working at the Y but started practicing more regularly after a cycling crash in 2006.  I started my yoga instructor training in 2008 and became a 200 hour RYT in 2010. Currently, I'm teaching four yoga classes a week but don't have as much time as I like for my own practice.  My goal for 2012 is to do at least 10 minutes a day of self practice. 

Butterfly
Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)
And the variation…
Reclining Bound Angle Pose  (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Benefits (from Yoga Journal)
·                          Stimulates abdominal organs, ovaries and prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys
·                          Stimulates the heart and improves general circulation
·                          Stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees
·                          Helps relieve mild depression, anxiety, and fatigue
·                          Soothes menstrual discomfort and sciatica
·                          Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
·                          Therapeutic for flat feet, high blood pressure, infertility, and asthma
·                          Consistent practice of this pose until late into pregnancy is said to help ease childbirth.
·                          Traditional texts say that Baddha Konasana destroys disease and gets rid of fatigue.


One of my favorite poses and one of my favorite poses to teach.

Why a personal favorite?
When I was younger, this pose was nothing.  There was no awareness whatsoever.  I could put my heels together, draw them towards my groin, splay my knees out and practically lay them on the floor and feel nothing.  Shift the hips back, stretch my torso out on the floor, still nothing.  Then at age 36, I fractured my pelvis in four places.  Coming back to yoga after injury, and attempting this pose, I could place the soles of my feet together about 3 feet in front of me and move my knees maybe a half an inch towards the floor.  A much different reality than what I had previously experienced!  Slowly over the years, with daily practice, I’ve regained nearly full range of motion.   I love that this pose is simple.  You can easily do it while you watch TV or sitting on your bed or even better yet, reclining on your bed.  I still do it daily, often many times throughout the day.  I will never regain the flexibility I had prior to my bike crash in 2006 but this pose has helped me get back to doing the things I love to do and I will be a fan forever.

Why a favorite to teach?
One of my most common requests in class is, “Can we work on hips?”. By gaining flexibility in the thighs and groin, we are able to get more range of motion in our hips. This is a pose that is simple to teach without a lot of complicated directional cues and I love the variations.  We can recline, we can fold forward, we can even do this with our legs up the wall.  And, I know what it’s like to have incredible range of motion in the this pose and essentially no range of motion in this pose so I am able to cue individuals to help them discover what they need to do to get the full benefit.  I love that you can use props to ease individuals into the pose and I do not know anyone who has not made improvement in their range of motion with consistent practice.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Shavasana - Corpse Pose

Happy Superbowl Weekend, y'all!!! What an apropos yoga pose for the week - as Shavasana may well be where we all find ourselves after some football, unhealthy food, the Puppy Bowl, and last, but not least, Madonna...This post comes to you from E.

Really, what could be easier?  Be quiet?  Be relaxed?  Be grateful for your just-finished practice? Sur-freakin-render? Sweet!
Um, no, not so much.
As soon as I hear those words, “Find a comfortable place on your back, let your limbs relax, your legs open, your shoulders fall, your breath soften,” I go into panic mode.  I can NOT do this, ever.  Full stop.
(Mind you, I’ve been doing yoga since some of you were in diapers, and shavasana has always been This Way For Me.  Call it “S#@*I Can’t Go There,” okay?)
I could carry on about my favorite (or not so) poses:  I only hope I can go again to sing the song of how hard Child’s Pose is when your knee wants to turn itself inside out.  Or “I Gotta NOT Crow.” Oh, but I digress.
Back to Dead Girl.
Breathe In:
So, watta we gotta do today.  Oh, yeah, it’s Sunday and it’s a relaxing day so we’re going to Costco for massive amounts of environmentally not-nice paper products, Trader Joe’s for food “staples.” What did I do with those lists?  Wait, did I pay the bills on Thursday like I said I would, oh did I input all of the performance review data, and what about those new leotards for gymnastics, and oh, the flu shots and…
Sister, chill, it’s shavasana.  By the way, just for fun, Yoga Journal says, “Make sure your ears are equidistant from your shoulders.” As if there isn’t enough pressure already.
Oh yeah.
Breathe in two-three-four-five, out two-three-four-five.  In…
Just let the thoughts go. Go. Go, go, goes, we-got-the-beat.
Stop. Say b-bye to all ya’ll nasty thoughts: worn out ballet slippers, chewed up bully sticks (perish that thought!), coveted Michael Kors handbag, oh, STOP, so not yogic.
Where were we?
Breathe. Eyes, relax—is that possible?
Let the thoughts pass over, through, around, go now, it’s okay.
It is?
Yes.
A moment of almost calm.
You were there?
How should I know?  I’m not supposed to be paying attention.
“Let your breath return to normal.  Wiggle your fingers and toes.”
BUT I JUST GOT HERE!
Sigh. It’s all good. 
Did I mention that I love shavasana?