SLOW: INNER CHILDREN AT PLAY
When I was thinking about writing this post, I was pondering which asanas clearly have a playful vibe about them. Then I started dreaming up the ways we could get into the essence of those poses on an energetic level. I started asking what is the vibration of poses such as dancer? I scoured google trying to find the answer only to discover what I already knew in my gut; we make of the poses what we are inside. The vibration we discover in pursuit of our perfect alignment with a pose, is also in perfect alignment of where we are energetically at any moment and the way we are meant to grow. That doesn’t mean that we don’t get better, that we don’t sink deeper into a pose, find a pocket of joy over time. Instead, it means that we accept ourselves where we are. It was also a pretty obvious moment for me personally because my ego wanted for there to be a goal or reason behind each and every asana. It shows how clearly out of alignment I was with Isvarapranidhana (a Yoga term describing the embodiment of an action without thought of gain). Its another reason inner-child work is so beautiful because with Lila (divine play) all kinds of shadows show themselves to us to be healed.
That being said, even though this work can bring up some things that are a little too real for us, it still is a lot of fun. In my personal experience, the more often I’m in good spirits, the more easily I’m able to move through the hard stuff in life, just like every kid I’ve ever known does without thinking about it.
You will find three of my favorite poses below that really activate joy, along with their energetic, anatomical, elemental, and mythological associations (if any). Feel free to try them out and take note of how they make you feel emotionally, spiritually, and mentally before and after. I bet you’ll be surprised by how much your body has been needing these silly postures.
Please keep in mind that these poses aren’t meant to be done on their own. They should be done after your body feels thoroughly warmed up in other more preparatory poses. You will find the suggested prep poses below for each of my favorites, below.
Should Stand
Sanskrit Name: Salamba Sarvangasana
Preparatory Poses:
~ Bridge (Setu Bandhasana)
~Wide-Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana) with a Twist (reaching one arm up to the sky at a time)
~Child’s Pose (Balasana)
~Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
Cues:
1. Lying in a supine position, bend your knees and plant your feet and hands palms-down on the ground.
2. Activate your core, raise your hips up into the air, placing your hands on your lower back for support.
3. Straighten your legs, activating your abs for balance.
4. Angle the elbows out wider for more stability.
5. When you’re ready, slowly bend your knees in towards your ears and lower your spine down to the ground one vertebra at a time.
Counter Poses:
~ Fish (Matsyasana)
Elements: Fire, Ether
Doshas: Vata, Pitta
Chakras: Crown (Sahaswara), Third Eye (Ajna), Throat (Vishuddha), Solar Plexus (Manipura)
Vibrational Resonance: Listen to music of a frequency of at least 528 hertz and/or the musical notes C, E, F, & G.
Enhances: Strength, Balance, and Flexibility
Encourages: nervous system to chill out (rest & digest), lower blood pressure over time (due to activation of carotid baroreceptors in the neck), lymphatic drainage.
Muscle Engagement: Posterior deltoids (press upper arms into floor), Biceps (flex elbows), Wrists engage (press into lower back), Neck & Torso engage and stretch (lengthening spin to the ceiling), Calves and Feet muscles engage and flex when toes are pointed.
Lore: the posture of “when the moon eats the sun”. This posture is said to instill a practice of internal reflection via the forced neck lock of this asana. It requires the Yogi to face their own consciousness (the moon) before anything else.
Bow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Dhanurasana
Preparatory Poses:
~Crescent Lunge (Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana)
~Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)
Cues:
Starting in Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), breath in and bend your knees behind you.
Place your thumbs face-down at your sides and reach for the inner arches of your feet.
Press your hands into your feet and your feet into your hands.
Engaging your abs, squeezing your thighs together, and balancing on your pelvis.
When ready, release your feet, lower your arms and legs down to the floor with your forehead resting on your hands.
Counter Poses:
~ Fish (Matsyasana)
~Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
~ Bridge (Setu Bandhasana)
Elements: All.
Doshas: All.
Chakras: Throat (Vishuddha), Heart (Anahata), Solar Plexus (Manipura), Sacral (Svadhisthana), and Root (Muladhara)
Vibrational Resonance: Listen to music of a frequency between 432-672 hertz and/or the musical notes A, B, C, D, & E.
Enhances: Openness in the Upper Spine and Heart, Shoulder Flexibility
Encourages: Good posture.
Muscle Engagement: Stretches ankles, feet, thighs, groin, abdomen, chest, throat, and deep hip muscles; Strengthens back.
Lore: The mythology behind Bow pose begins with the representation of the bow by our legs and body and our arms as the strings. This is a reflection the Bhagavad Gita (Song of Divinity) and speaks of Arjuna, a great archer (representing our ego) who has to make a horrible decision on whether to fight in a battle in which he will likely kill members of his family and community. He asks for counsel from Krishna (representing our divine consciousness). Krishna tells Arjuna that he must fight and win the battle against them in order to take back what was stolen from his family years ago, a kingdom. Krishna also wisely advises that Arjuna takes the task with a certain level of detachment as the cause of standing in the way of evil is at stake. Krishna also says that detachment should be applied to the good happenings in our lives as they are all simply “sensory impressions”. The lesson is basically not to give into the mutterings of the ego, instead, rise above them and find the wisdom inherent in any decision we make in life. Dhanurasana, gives us the opportunity to apply this advice by bravely balancing (stabilizing our pelvis on the ground) taking responsibility for our lives, reflecting (opening our chest), and taking wise, detached action during the difficulties in life (pressing the hands and feet into each other for better balance despite and because of the resistance).
Lizard Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utthan Pristhasana
Preparatory Poses:
~ Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
~Forearm Plank (Phalakasana II)
~Three-Legged Downward Dog (Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana)
~Low Lunge (Anjenayasana)
Cues:
1. Starting in Three-Legged Downward Dog, inhale, sweep your right leg to outer-edge of your right hand.
2. Angle your foot out slightly to protect your knee.
3. Lower your body down to your forearms, engaging your abs and straight leg.
4. Allow your gaze to point towards the ground to protect your neck and to keep a neutral spine.
5. Hover for 5-10 seconds and then switch sides.
6. When you’re done, come back to a forearm plank and then lower down to the ground, shift your hips back to child’s pose.
Counter Poses:
~Half Split (Ardha Hanumanasana)
~Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Elements: Fire, Water, Earth
Doshas: Pitta and Kapha
Chakras: Solar Plexus (Manipura), Sacral (Svadhisthana), and Root (Muladhara)
Vibrational Resonance: Listen to music of a frequency between 432-528 hertz and/or the musical notes A, B, & C.
Enhances: Hip Flexibility and Strengthens Leg and Groin muscles.
Encourages: Full range of motion in the hips and reproductive health.
Muscle Engagement: Strengthens Pelvic Floor, Deep Lower Belly Stretch, Opens Hamstrings and Quad muscles, Hip Flexion.
Lore: The hips are known as the emotional dumping ground and are the starting point for Kundalini/Shakti energy to travel so any hip related poses are used to release residual emotions or sexual/creative energy.
~Jess~
Sources:
https://www.chakrakey.com/chakra-frequencies-and-correlations-2/,
http://bahiranga.com/shoulderstand-history-meaning-method/
http://wildlightyogacenter.com/lizard-pose-october-posture-of-the-month/
https://www.doyouyoga.com/
https://www.yogajournal.com/
Myths of the Asanas by Alanna Kaivalya & Arjuna van der Kooij
Science of Yoga: Understanding the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice by Ann Swanson
The Heart of Yoga: A Personal Practice by T.K.V. Desikachar
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