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.

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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

Grounding practices

WHAT IS GROUNDING?
Grounding is a word that most yoga teachers mention quite a lot, but why so? Directing our attention and energy downwards stabilises our body, centres our mind, and tunes us into the present moment. Today the world moves very fast, and the lives of most people have become so busy that high levels of stress and anxiety have become the norm. As a result, many people are left feeling ungrounded and emotionally out of balance.  

Recently I realised how important grounding is, especially in the morning as it helps to settle the mind and set the tone for the day. Practicing yoga, going for a jog or meditating are great ways to start the day - but sometimes it is hard to find the motivation to do so. It can be a challenge to ground and calm our monkey minds, especially when our smart phones are close by, or a delicious breakfast awaits! Below are some tips that help me ground my energy, particularly on days when my body is tired and my motivation is low.

YIN YOGA
Lately in these cold winter months, I have skipped my personal practice and slept in more, ending up feeling disappointed in myself for not being a ‘good yogi’. I decided to listen to my body, and realised what I really need to do was a more passive practice to help ground my energy – so I started practicing yin. Yin yoga involves variations of seated and lying poses which are held for 3 to 5 minutes – accessing deeper layers of fascia connective tissue. When practising yin I don’t need to move my body, I can just release into the pose and let gravity do all the work! Staying in each posture for a few minutes, and observing the sensations that arise in the body, is a great way to practice mindfulness. Make sure to slow down the exhalation – this will activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and will help ground the body and put it into a state of deep relaxation.

EARTHING
Recently I discovered a simple practice called ‘Earthing’ that makes me feel more alive, present and reconnected to mother nature. Earthing simply involves connecting your feet to the earth. Well why on ‘earth’ would you do this (pardon the pun)? Studies have shown that by walking barefoot on the earth, the body takes in the earth’s negatively charged free electrons. When absorbed in the body these electrons are powerful antioxidants, and help to reduce chronic inflammation, pain and stress. During these cold winter months, I wrap up warm and walk around my garden barefoot a few mornings a week, for 5-10 minutes, weather permitting of course!!

GROUNDING MEDITATION
My favourite way to ground, especially when I am stressed or anxious, is to do the following exercise which can be practiced anywhere. While seated in a chair, take off your shoes and gently press all four corners of each foot into the ground. Press your palms softly into each thigh. Root your sit bones into the chair and allow your spine to grow tall. Take a slow, long, deep inhalation into the belly. As you inhale, imagine drawing energy up from the earth through the soles of your feet, and feel it flow through the body to the crown of your head. As you exhale, soften the muscles and send the breath and energy back down the body, through the feet and into the ground. After a few deep breaths, just pause, and allow the breath to return to its normal rhythm. Observe the contact of the feet with the floor for a few moments, and then hold the whole body in awareness for a few breaths. Let go of any tension you are still holding onto, and feel the support of the chair below. After a few minutes, you will be surprised how grounded and calm you will feel!

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.

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CON SHEEHAN
Con is currently studying a Masters in Mindfulness Based Interventions in UCD. He is a 200hr certified yoga teacher and is currently completing his 500hr yoga teacher training in The Yoga Room. He teaches in The YogaHub at 6.10pm every Monday and at 8.30pm every Wednesday.