Rooting down

GROUNDING
This week has been all about exploring the concept of rooting down and finding a solid foundation, in preparation for our next Living your Yoga workshop on Yoga for Grounding, with Aisling Conn Saturday 3rd Feb, The Yoga Room. Aisling takes the reins for the asana and my job is to prepare the take home booklet on methods for grounding through asana, pranayama, essential oils and nutrition to help you navigate life off the mat. So naturally my class plan this week reflected what I’ve been researching and sequencing into my home practice. Have a read of Con Sheehans article on Grounding Practices for an introduction to what grounding is all about.

FINDING YOUR FOUNDATION
Rooting down and having a solid foundation will help you establish a strong and stable grounding to develop your asana, and work on optimal alignment for your unique body. Bringing your attention to the points of contact with the ground connects you to the earth, and helps to quieten a busy mind, build focus, and bring us back to the body. Like a tree we plant strong and secure roots to grow from. In our practice we train our mind to deal with situations so that off the mat we become better at recognising and dealing with them. Laying a track for the mind to navigate smoothly these are called positive samskaras. We learn how to find our grounding on the mat so that off the mat we might naturally find our way back to this secure, supported and balanced state.

STANDING POSES
Standing poses are very grounding. They build focus and concentration, increases circulation, and improve coordination and proprioception. To explore the concept of grounding in your practice start by standing in Tadasana/Mountain and bring your awareness to the point of contact with the ground. Press into the big toe mound, the little toe mound and the centre of the back of your heel. When you do this you’ll notice your three arches of your feet and your inner ankle lifting.This action is called Pada Bandha (foot energy lock) and brings energy up your legs and wakes up the entire body. When you encounter a pose that challenges your balance imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet, weaving around, hooking into the soil and supporting you. Feel the weight of the body bound into this support and a rebound of energy coming back up from the ground. For more on the anatomy of the foot and how to work with Pada Bandha have a read of Anatomy 101 find your feet.

EXPLORING ROOTING DOWN IN YOUR PRACTICE
As you run through the above sequence keep coming back to your points of contact with the ground. Name what is in contact with the ground to yourself, to help direct your attention there. Start the practice by stretching out the soles of the feet and backs of the heel with a version of Supta Padangustasana/Reclined Hand to Big Toe. Using a yoga strap or a belt around the balls of your foot, keep yours knees inline with each other and concentrate on pressing your heel away from you and your toes towards you. In Ashva Sanchalanasana/Galloping Horse remember we are working with grounding so avoid leaning too far forward and losing contact with the back foot. In Virabhadrasana III/Warrior III bring the focus of the pose to the standing leg. You might notice your lifted leg become stronger and lighter when you find the strength and stability of the standing leg.

ALIGNMENT CUES
The peak pose for this sequence is Virabhadrasana III/Warrior III. Read through these alignment cues to find your Warrior III.

• From Virabhadrasana I, place your hands on your hips, inhale, lean forward and step your left leg forward a little.

• Exhale, hinge forward from the hip joint, lift your left leg parallel to the ground behind you, hips level to the ground. Roll the inner thigh of your left leg up, flex your foot and press out through the heel.

• Reach your arms back or reach your arms forward in line with your ears. Lengthen through your spine and the sides of the body, gaze to the ground or to your fingertips if your arms are forward.

Print the above sequence and work through it slowly. Pause longer in each pose than you usually would will help to achieve deep grounding.

To learn more about grounding practices join Ruth Delahunty & Aisling Conn in The Yoga Room on 3rd February, 2pm, for meditation, asana practice, relaxation and take home material on top tips for grounding.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Lengthen up through the side body

STILLING THE MIND THROUGH MOVEMENT
One of the ways yoga benefits us in our everyday lives is how it trains the mind to be in the present moment. Through movement, and body awareness in each asana, the body is in the present moment – it’s not in the past or planning the future, it’s in the here and now. By concentrating on the physical body as we move we still the mind, give it a single focal point, and help to bring it to the present moment too. Surya Namaskara/Sun Salutations are very good for settling your attention into your practice at the start of your practice. You quickly find yourself in a meditative flow, as you move through one pose to the next, when your mind is focused on the movement and the breath. The brain works like a muscle, when you train it to settle and become still it finds it easier to reach this serene space off the mat too when needed.

YOGA AND THE SPINE
Yoga is all about the spine. It is the midline that splits left and right body and is involved in all poses. The spine is the gateway to the nervous system which quietens the mind, reduces stress, anxiety and tension – leading to a stronger immune system and bringing with it better health. Recently in my home practice I’ve been working with lengthening up the spine through side bends and lifting the upper body up out of the deep pelvic bowl. This helps to open up the space between the vertebrae, which can get quite compressed with extended periods of sitting. We have a lateral side bend of 20o in the lumbar spine (lower), 20o in the thoracic (upper) and 35o in the cervical (neck) – giving a total potential bend for 75o. Throughout this sequence focus your attention on lengthening the spine and concentrate your bends in the lower and upper spine – letting your neck follow the curve of the upper spine without much flexion. In poses where you are reaching your arm overheads along your ear, reach your arm up high rather than up and over your head. This will isolate the action in the side bend and minimise the shoulder stretch.

BE PRESENT
Winter time can be hard on the spine. We are less active and spend a lot more time indoors in the evenings. Print out the above sequence and as you flow through the practice be present with the body as it moves and hold poses. Follow the journey of the stretch. Say to yourself in your mind ‘I am reaching from my toes all the way to my fingertips, I am breathing in, I am breathing out’.

EXPLORING LENGTHENING UP THROUGH THE SIDE BODY IN YOUR PRACTICE
Before each pose take an inhale and lengthen through the spine. Notice how this helps give you space to move a little more freely into the pose. Press into your foundation to find your reach of the spine. When you have a good contact with the ground it is easier to grow and lengthen from.

ALIGNMENT CUES
The peak pose for the sequence is Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana/revolved Head to Knee. Read through these alignment cues to find you version of the pose.

• From Dandasana, open your legs out wide, bend your right knee and place your foot on the inner thigh of your left leg, press out through your left heel, right knee grounded.

• Place your right hand on your right hip. Hinge to your left from the left waist. Place your left forearm on the ground inside your left leg, palm facing up, or hold onto the inside of you left foot.

• Inhale, lift your right arm up high, palm facing left, exhale, reach your right arm up and over your right ear. Reach towards your left foot or hold onto the outside edge of your left foot. Bottom waist rolls forwards, top waist rolls back, gaze up.
  

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Step gently into the new year

DROP SELF JUDGEMENT
For most people December is one of the busiest months of the year. Balancing work commitments, family expectations, and festivities can leave you feeling quite depleted by the time New Years comes around. Then just when you start to think about taking the Christmas tree down, and settling back to work, you’re bombarded by ‘New Years Resolutions’. The pressure to conform, and jump on the resolution bandwagon of self judgement and retribution for those Christmas treats you may have indulged in, is amplified by the diet and fitness books displayed in every bookshop window.

AN INTENTION OF SELF CARE
Personally, I don’t consciously set a New Year resolutions, I feel all twelve months of the years should be a time for self reflection, and deepening your journey towards leading a good life with awareness of where you fit into the world. But new starts can be a good time to remind you of your intentions or kick start a new positive affirmation. Setting an intention of self care instead of self punishment is a better way to start the year. Rather than setting unrealistic goals, that will leave you feeling like a failure and, like many people, drop it by the end of January – set a feel good intention that will give you space for self reflection. Constantly monitor how any new routines makes you feel. If your resolution is filling you with dread, review it and alter your expectations. Observe and take notes – journaling helps to simplify the thought process and makes it easier to whittle out what doesn’t serve you. Take your time and make it a new part of your lifestyle rather than a temporary quick fix. Focus on how you want to feel in yourself and move gently towards a happier and healthier you.

EXPLORING STEPPING GENTLY IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence is designed to help you to move with slow intention and get close to your breath. Start your practice on your back with your knees bent, feet mat distance apart. Place your hands on your belly and feel the breath move through you. Take three to five rounds of this Viloma breath – inhale for a long breath, and then exhale pause, exhale pause, exhale pause – dividing your exhale into three sections.

As you move through your practice observe how your body is responding to each movement – are you getting tetchie to move more aggressively through your practice; do you want to spend more time in childs pose, are you holding your breath; do you hold tension in your facial expression? Throughout the sequence you will be working into your hips which will help you to release any built up tension and tendencies for self judgement. Move lightly through your transitions from pose to pose with just as much awareness and care that you give to the poses themselves. Enjoy a quiet time to yourself on your mat and step into your new year gently.

ALIGNMENT CUES
As you flow through this sequence step so lightly like you are stepping into a room with a sleeping baby. Feel into every transition in and out of each pose and make them just as important as the poses themselves.

• In the first few poses give your hips plenty of time to warm up. When you are moving through the hip rotations move very slowly and make the movements as small as they need to be to really feel the top of the hip bone stirring in it socket.

• Run through Cat Cow Child Pose flow in row two as many times as you’d like. Link each movement with your breath and let the breath dictate when you are ready to move into the next pose in this mini flow. ‘+’ is an inhale and ‘+’ is an inhale. Pause in child pose after and absorb and assimilate your movement.

• For half forward fold press your hands into your shins and reach your chest forward to feel the strength in your upper back. Pause here in this mini flow of row three.

• Your final pose is a lovely restorative hip opener Supta Baddha Konasana. The yoga strap hoops around your hips, outside your shins and wraps around the soles of your feet. If you don’t have a yoga strap just place some pillows under your knees to prop them up. Stay here for your full Savasana or move to supine Savasana is you prefer.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru