Inversions: Notes from our "Advance Your Asana" Series

Sirsasana 

Inversion Workshop

Headstand- Sirsasana

BENEFITS          

 *Stimulates parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for stimulation of "rest-and-digest"), cardiovascular, lymph, endocrine, and digestive systems

 * Lowers blood pressure

·               *Clears thoughts, great for awakening the mind

·          *Helps one become balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, fame and shame, defeat and victory.

·           *Enhances prana and life force

TIPS

*Eyes should never bulge or be bloodshot- keep a calm dristi (gaze)

*Weight only in head, not in arms-lift out of the connection of the floor

*Draw shoulders away from ears to free the cervical spine (neck)

*Rectus abdominus muscles engage to prevent ribs from bowing out

*Draw inner thighs together so that balance is gathered in and pinpointed to sweet spot on the head

*Lift the spine to avoid dumping into the neck

*Eventually 95% of weight is in the head

** For females, Sirsasana is a challenge because they aren’t as strong in the upper body and have a bigger proportion of weight in the hips and thighs

***For males, Sirsasana is a challenge because they tend to have poor hip flexibility, therefore it’s harder for them to get their hips stacked over their shoulders

“Sirsasana is really a blessing and a nectar. In this asana alone, the brain can drawn plenty of prana and blood. Memory increases admirably. This leads to natural Pranayama and Samadhi by itself”~ Swami Sivananda

Shoulder Stand – Salamba Sarvangasana

“ The pose is called Sarvangasasa because it influences the thyroid and through it the whole body and it’s functions. In Sanskrit, Sarva means “the whole” and Anga means “the body”. ~Swami Kuvalayananda

BENEFITS

·        *Healthy blood circulates around the neck and chin which relieves asthma, breathlessness, and bronchitis.

·       * The firm chin lock stimulates thyroid and parathyroid glands, as blood supply is increased.

·        *Soothes nerves and relieves headaches 

·       * The changed in bodily gravity affects the organs, so the bowels move freely and constipation vanishes. Also relieves pain in the stomach and colitis

·        *Leaves you feeling strong, happy and confident.

·        *Allows prana and new life to flow freely, leaving the mind at peace.

TIPS

·        *Keep the natural curve of the cervical spine so that it can bear the weight of the head perfectly

·        *Lift centre of the neck towards the ceiling and life the chest to chin to avoid gripping the neck

·        *During your first few attempts, the centre of gravity may be in the hips, and your bum and legs might be behind your head. With practice your legs will go straight up over head, and you’ll balance with little effort.

·        *Press upper palate of mouth into the ground, as well as forearms (connect to foundation for full extension through the legs)

·        *Pull energy from the pubic bone up the inner line of the legs, and our through the inner big toe to release pressure out of the low back, and to extend the spine.

·       * Keep elbows hugging together. Eventually the elbows will be outer shoulder distance apart.

** Headstand (King)- Celebrates power and consciousness

     Shoulderstand (Queen)- nurtures the body

“ Take as much time as you need-weeks, months, or even years-to work on the preparatory poses. Once you do float up in Headstand, the ease that you will experience in the pose will be worth your efforts.”~ Patricia Sullivan

Arm Balances: Notes from our "Advance Your Asana" Series!

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Arm Balances

           The highly mobile structures of the hand, elbow and shoulder girdle are ill suited to weight bearing.

In the foot, four fifths of the foot’s structure is dedicated to weight bearing because the dense tarsal bones comprise half the length of the structure.

In the hand, half the length of the structure is composed of the phalangeal bones. The solid and relatively immobile carpals (wrist bones) comprise only one fifth of the total length of the hand. Therefore, you only have half the length of the hand available for weight bearing.

Chaturanga Dandasana

* Chatur= four    Anga= a limb     Danda= a staff or stick

Affects: builds heat in the body. Strengthens the arms and wrists in preparation for arm balances. Contracts and tones the abdominal organs

* Weakness in the pose shows up in the lower body as lumbar hyperextension combined with hip flexion. To counter this, the coordinated action of the hamstrings is important.

Bakasana

Baka= Crane, heron

Affects: strengthens the arms and abdominal organs since the latter are contracted.

* Imagine wings were spread as you abduct the scapulae, and beak is lifted as you extend the cervical spine.

* Cervical extension tends to flatten the thoracic curve, so it’s important to constantly engage the muscles of the spine to maintain flexion.

Pincha Mayurasana

Pincha= a feather of a tail                        Mayura= peacock

Affects: develops the muscles of the shoulders and back. Tones the spine and stretches the abdominal muscles. Great prep pose for handstand.

* Push forearms into the floor to engage the serratus anterior muscles, which will allow the scapulae to come onto the back close to the rib cage.

* Extension in the thoracic spine essential, therefore freedom and mobility in this area is important. The more extension there is, the less the lower back and cervical spine have to do.

* If there is tightness in the forearm (supinator muscles), the elbows will swing wide and the hands will draw together. A shortened latissimus dorsi can also cause this and can also cause too much lumbar extension

* The curve in the low back needs to be stabilized by a strong core

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Adho mukha= face downward            Vrksa=tree

Affects: develops the body harmoniously. It strengthens the shoulders, arms and wrists and expands the chest. Washes out your brain, and removes blocks. Sweeps away negative and obsessive thinking; you simply can’t obsess while you’re in this pose or you’ll fall out.

* Challenge in handstand is to feel for how to stay connected all the way up and down as you move through unknown space and establish new neurological pathways.

* the breath can often be an afterthought, as there is so much going on already. The combined action of the core supporting muscles, working to minimize shape change in the spine, also minimizes the breath movements. Therefore take quick, efficient breaths that don’t disrupt your balance.

** maintain the integrity of the hands at all times, as all of the body weight is balancing on them. Collapsing into the wrist or heel of the hand is quite dangerous for the carpal tunnel and the nerves passing through it.

* gravity will want to flex and abduct the hips, so it is important to activate the hamstrings and to energize the legs fully to stay straight.

“Instead of feeling how far you can go in a pose, or how long you can stay in it, ask yourself how long you can feel your spirit exploring the physical pose.” ~ Ana Forrest

A Lil Cuban Mix

Guramayle~ Gigi
Fiesta Pa'Los Rumberos~ Albita
En Que Parte de Cuba Nacio el Son ~ Ibrahim Ferrer
Vengo Con Sed ~ Generoso Jimenez
Paradise~ The Boom Booms
All Names~ Jun Miyake
Vamos~ The Boom Booms
Since Our Last Goodbye ~ Charles Bradley
A Bailar Tomason~ Generoso Jimenez
Fiesta de la Rumba ~ Afro Cuban All Stars
Gati Bongo~ Orchestre Baka de Gbine
Mali Sadio ~ Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra
Kothbiro~ Ayub Ogada & Gavyn Wright