November  2011

Welcome to Yellow Day Yoga

As we move towards warmer days and longer evenings, the appeal of spending time outdoors along with the extended daylight offers us a sense of spaciousness. This reminds us to trust that there is always ample time to do all we need to do, then let go of doing and simply Be. The natural effect of the sunlight is to raise our Prana, the inner and outer energies; with this we become more aware of what activities or attitudes drain our Prana, and be empowered to let them go.

We open up our inner space through cultivating flexibility of mind, enabling us to welcome new projects, beginnings, or lifestyles. What a Divine gift the present moment is when we experience it with Ananda, Aparigraha, and Prem (joy/bliss, non-attachment, and love).

“Everything you touch will reach its goal

 and fly on the wings of an angel…

but wings cannot carry you to God,

only Love can carry you there.”

~ Rumi

Asana of Month

Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose)

Spaciousness can be found in abundance when we open and surrender…

Sit comfortably and bring the soles of your feet together, invite the knees out wide. Cradle your feet in your hands if possible; if this is not accessible for you without straining then take the hands to rest lightly palms facing down on the knees. If your lower back is a little rounded in this position (as for most men due to posterior tilt of the pelvis) take a blanket underneath your seat, spread and draw back through the sitting bones and pelvis. If your tendency is the opposite and the natural curve of the lumbar spine is increased in this position (as for many women due to anterior tilt of the pelvis), then root down through the tailbone and ensure Mula Bandha (the energy lock involving the pelvic floor, transverse abdominus, and internal oblique muscles) is engaged.

If you can hold the feet comfortably here, inhale as you tuck the chin and lengthen up through the crown of the head, then exhale and you maintain steadiness here simultaneously earthing the seat and reaching the crown of the head towards the sky to infuse the spinal column with space between the vertebrae.

Add more dimension to the space by inhaling to expand the chest cavity, then exhale as you fold forward from the hips while retaining the length you have created in the spine. Only draw forwards and down to as far as you are open in your shoulders; if the shoulders begin to round and contract then use your next inhalation to encourage openness back in, exhale as you release the shoulders back and down. Let go of any sense of holding in the hips and shoulders, breathe into any tension and allow it to melt away. 

Press the feet together while extending the knees isometrically to either side. Feel the energy freely circulating the body – offering itself outwards yet always returning to its source.

News & Events

·         How beautiful it is to teach in the new studio at Time for Yoga (formerly Ganesha Yoga), it has taken on a refreshingly light and spacious feel. I welcome you to join us on Wednesdays and Sundays at 9.30am to start your day with Yoga, making the time and space in your diary for You.

·         New Mums & Bubs class at Enta 2pm Thursdays – come join us for a delightful shared practise infused with lightness, steadiness, joy, and ease. Enta is located at 5 Lloyd Street in Strathmore.

Make Every Day a Yellow Day