Challenging stability

BRINGING IT OFF THE MAT
Often in our practice we look at standing asana which require balance as a challenge to be conquered. When we don’t manage to catch our balance, the ego and the self-critic rise to the surface. Our practice on the mat can help us to deal with situations off the mat. We become better at recognising emotions, dealing with them in a supportive safe environment, and feeling more at ease with them off the mat. There will be periods of life when we feel out of balance emotionally and physically. Learning to deal with the emotions which come to the surface won’t stop the periods of instability, but it will help you to manoeuvre through these stages more smoothly – knowing that it’s a natural wave that will pass; staying present, and pausing before you react, as you move through the process.

CREATING INSTABILITY
This sequence artificially creates an unstable physical environment – with the intention of making you feel off balance – challenging you to slow down, explore the feelings that instability bring up for you, and recognising that these feeling will pass. If you find yourself judging your abilities – bring your attention back inwards, down to the three points on the soles of your feet (big toe mound, little toe mound and centre of the heel), and visualise your feet sprouting roots into the support of the solid ground. You will start to feel an engagement and energy travelling up from your foundation. Follow this sensation, pausing at points where you feel muscles working to stabilise and support you. Pay particular attention to your supporting leg/legs in the standing asana of this sequence.

There are two Ashta Chandrasana/High Lunge flows, mark a vertical line in the centre at the top and bottom of your mat (I used chalk). Line the big toe of your front foot to the right of the chalk line and the big toe of your back foot to the left of the chalk line. A narrower stance will make the high lunge more challenging to your balance. Root down into your feet and feel for your centre of gravity. Use a strap around the ball of the lifted foot in Utthita Hasta Padangustasana/Extended hand to big toe to help keep the upper body more upright. For more information on the importance of your feet in yoga have a read of Anatomy 101 - Find your feet.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Hip tension release

ANATOMY OF THE HIP JOINT
The hip joint is our biggest ball and socket joint. It is made up of a complicated network of muscles that build stability in all our movements. When you start to look at the anatomy of the joint it all seems to make perfect sense – until you hit the multi-functional muscles! To maintain stability in movement, each action requires a muscle that contracts – to instigate movement (agonist), and a muscle that stretches – to control the extent of movement (antagonist). But some of the muscles do both! The adductor muscles running down the top of the inner thigh, referred to as the groin, do just that. They adduct (move towards the midline) the leg at the hip joint, causing the glutes to stretch, but they also laterally rotate (rotate outwards) the leg, causing the glutes to contract.

The adductors stabilise the hip joint, hold the inner thighs together and stop the legs from buckling out when we walk. Tight groins can cause an anterior (forward) tilt of he pelvis. If your groins are tight you might notice this anterior tilt in Warrior II, where your pelvis tilts forward and your buttocks stick out, causing you to over-curve your lower back. They can also pull your knee out of alignment and buckle it over to the big-toe side, preventing you from being able to stack your knee safely over your ankle.

HIP OPENERS IN YOUR PRACTICE
We hold a lot of tension in our hips which can be caused by emotional or physical stress. Sitting, running, cycling, all make our hips very tight and limit the range of motion in the joint. Hip openers in your yoga practice aid digestion, relieve stress, release tension and release emotions in a safe environment. Hip opening asana, such as Eka Pada Rajakopotasana/Pigeon, when held for several long, deep breaths, give the muscles time to feel safe and release. It also is a multi-functional asana, in that it stretches the outer hips and inner groin.

You can check to see if your groins are tight by sitting on the ground with the soles of your feet together and drawn towards your groin. Gently drop your knees out on either side, down towards the ground, and notice where you hips start to resist. Print out the above sequence and run through it. Repeat the groin stretch at the end and feel the increased freedom to your inner groin.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Sun salutations flow

WELCOMING THE SUN
Last weekend marked a noticeable change in our weather, and felt like the sun was trying its hardest to melt away our winter layers. While doing the Bray to Greystones walk with my gang, I saw a difference in the general moods of all around us. You can even see it in peoples postures and how they move. We probably grow a few inches when the sun comes out as we uncurl and reach up to the sky.

In honour of the brave Spring sun I've been exploring the Sun Salutations in my practice and my class plan this week. If you look through my sequences you'll notice that Sun Salutation C or the Classic Sun Salutation is definitely my favourite. Have a look at my previous article on Sun Salutation for my reasons why, and the difference between the three. To mix things up a bit I went back to the Sun Salutation A & B, which were probably the first asanas I learnt when I started practising yoga over fifteen years ago.

The Sun Salutations are perfect to start your practice with – they build heat; increase circulation; build focus and concentration; are energising and stretch and strengthen your whole body. They also establish the connection between breath and movement. Each asana coordinates with either and in breath or an out breath. Print out the two Sun Salutations below and the sequence above. Get creative with your Sun Salutations.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Energy bursts

OPENINGS
Spring is the season of anticipation, with glimmers of the life and activity vibrating all around us. We have become so evolved that we sometimes forget that we’re part of nature – and like all nature we too are affected by the change in season. You might find at this time of year your energy levels go from extremes with the changing weather. We turn in on ourselves in the winter times and the body naturally looks for forward bends, hip openers and warming twists in our practice. When the days start to get brighter, backbends and heart opening asana reawaken the energy levels and boost the circulation.

BACKBENDS
Backbends energise and open the body up after the winter months of curling in to protect ourselves from the cold. They also stimulate the digestive system; stretch and expand the lungs and help relieve chronic pain. The depth of our breath can be challenged over the winter months, with head colds and chest infections, and needs to be consciously stretched and opened again to get the health benefits of good breath. This is a great time to incorporate Pranayama breath work at the start or the end of your practice. Or if Pranayama isn’t part of your practice, pay particular attention to your breath as you work through this backbending sequence. Click this link to get a full list of backbends.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Trikonasana - triangle

YOU ARE PERFECT AS YOUR ARE
Sometimes we need to reminded ourselves that the ‘perfect pose’ is exactly where we are today with our bodies, not in the images posted up on yogi social media threads! Each day the body is different, and each hour within each day is different too. Your body will be open to different energies at different times of the day. You might find you need to be more patient with your body in a morning practice, as the muscles gradually shake off the night sleep; if you have a desk job your back, shoulders and neck might feel tight, and a lunchtime practice will help you refocus for the rest of your day; in the evening your energies might be low after a busy day, and a slow meditative practice to calm the nervous system down and be the best thing to bring on a good night sleep! The ‘perfect pose’ for you is unique to your anatomical and muscular structure. Some asana might always be beyond our skeletal range of motion, and some asanas you will always find a challenge, depending on your day to day activity off the mat. Our bodies are incredibly complicated, when we listen to them they will tell us exactly what ways they do and don’t want to move. It’s also important to remember that you still get all the lovely benefits of your practice when you go to your edge, without judgement, with the right balance of effort and ease.

With all this in mind, I’ve been exploring one of the first asana that we learn, Trikonasana. We sometimes become so familiar with the basic poses we forget to pause and scan the body from the ground up to notice what sensations we’re feeling. Where do you feel strengthened and where do you feel lengthened?

EXPLORING TRIKONASANA IN YOUR PRACTICE
Trikonasana teaches foundation, stability, balance and expansion. It brings blood flow to all the organs of the trunk of the body, aids good digestion and relieves stress anxiety and tension. It strengthens the thighs, knees, ankles and glutes; and stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest and spine. Different yoga traditions suggest different distances between your front and back foot. When your feet are closer together it can be more challenging to get the side tilt of the pelvis, when the feet are further apart the pelvis has more room to tilt, but it give a stronger stretch to the inner groins. Play around with your feet distance and see what suits you best.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Try the above sequence paying particular attention on your hip placement in Trikonasana. You will often hear in class the imagery sandwiching your body between two panes of glass. This instruction can sometimes make students unnaturally force the back hip back in line with the front hip. Anatomically it is better for the pelvis to allow the back hip to be slightly forward of the front hip as it tilts up and towards the front of the mat.

The following are some alignment cues that might help you to reinvigorate your Trikonasana. Print them out, along with the sequence, and play around with what makes sense to you:

• From Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Dog, ground your left foot at a 45 degree angle. Inhale, step your right foot between your hands, check for front heel to back heel or arch alignment, exhale here
• Inhale, press into your feet to come up, reach your arms out to shoulder height, straighten your front leg
• Exhale, reach forward with your right arm and hinge to your right from the hip joint, right hip moves back, left hip tilts up towards the front of the mat
• Rest your hand on your shin, to a brick, or the ground inside/outside of your right foot
• Feel for the contraction in your right glute and press into your big toe to slightly engage the inner groin to balance the inside and outside knee joint
• Bottom waist rolls forward, top waist rolls back, reach your left arm up high, palm facing left, gaze to your left or to your left fingertips

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru