Hi there, yogis and yoginis! It's been awhile since I've posted (November of last year!) and I have a lot of explaining to do!
1. Got busy with the holidays (not a very good excuse, since I do practice yoga during the holidays, and I hope you did too!)
2. Completely forgot I had a blog (a sort of good excuse, since I'm old and maybe a bit senile, and I forget a lot of things!)
Well, lately I've been teaching yoga classes to inmates at our local jail twice a week, along with my lovely assistant, Paulette. Rather than keeping me too busy to post, this "mission" has gotten me so jazzed up again about sharing what I know about yoga, Kripalu Yoga specifically, I'm back to share with you!
My handsome photographer is off at a charity event today, so there will be no pictures this time around. However, what I would like you to do is go online and find a demonstration of the Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar, and start doing it. (Just for fun, see if you can find "Yoga with Cat" on UTube! or maybe it's "Sun Salutation with Cat".)
There are many variations of this flow of 11 or 12 postures, so choose one that fits your ability. The basic salutation consists of 1)beginning by standing quietly with hands in prayer position in front of your heart; 2), inhale a breath, move into a standing back arch with arms overhead,, butt squeezed to protect the low back; 3) exhale with arms out to sides as you "swan dive" into a standing forward bend with hands on floor aligned with feet, (see "Yoga Notes" below if you have problems with this) 4) inhale and step the R foot back coming into a lunge with L knee bent, holding the breath in as you 5)step L foot back coming into Plank Pose.(Hands remain fixed in place throughout.) 6) Exhale into Broken Stick Pose by, lowering knees, chest & chin to floor (butt sticks up), then 7)slide the body forward and inhale as you lift head and chest coming into Cobra Pose; 8)now press hands into floor and exhale as you push yourself up into Downward Dog Pose; pause here for about 3 deep breaths; 9) step R foot forward into Lunge, and at this point you might want to exhale as you 10) twist torso to the R, place palms together in prayer position and look over your R shoulder for a breath or 3; inhale as you face forward again, hands on floor, and 11) exhale as you step L foot in line with R foot coming into standing forward bend; 12) with finger tips on toes inhale as you extend the torso forward to stretch spine, then exhale deeply, as you fold head to legs, pulling the belly up under the ribs; release that and with hands in prayer position and inhaling, come back to standing with the squeeze engaged, allowing the arms to sail right up overhead as you arch back one more time. Exhale to starting position, standing calmly with hands in prayer position. You are now ready to repeat the flow leading with the L foot.
When first attempting the Sun Salutation, you may need to rest your back knee on the floor in the Lunge. That is perfectly acceptable. I have to do this sometimes now that my knees and hips are a little arthritic.
The Sun Salutation gives the entire body a stretch. All the major muscle groups are involved. There is upper body strengthening, leg stretching, and abdominal massage happening. The rhythmic breathing clears the lungs and energizes the body. Done slowly, gracefully, and meditatively, this is an excellent morning exercise. It is sometimes done as a warm-up for postures to come, by pausing in each position and doing a few micro-movements to loosen the muscles. People who like their yoga practice to include some vigorous aerobic exercise do several rounds of Sun Salutation very quickly. Use it as it suits you. Personally, I like to perform it slowly in the morning as I prayerfully thank my Heavenly Father for my body and my many blessings, and for a new day full of possibilities. Anyway you use it, Surya Namaskar is REALLY good for you! Have fun!
Yoga Notes:
For heavier bodies or for those who for any reason cannot extend to the floor, do Sun Salutation facing the seat of a chair. From the beginning back arch, bend forward and rest hands on the chair seat, and do the postures in this way. You can substitute a couple of push-ups on the chair seat for Step 6, and in Step 12 you can place fingertips on the knees for the torso extension. So you see, you can still get the full benefits of the stretches, strengthening, internal massage, and flexibility. Remember, yoga is for everyone!
