Salute to the Sun (Surya Namaskar)
A perfect way to start your day or to keep you alert in the afternoon is to practice Salute to the Sun. Lay your mat down either in a cool and cosy room or outside beneath the sunshine!
Lay your mat down outside beneath the sunshine!
Start slowly with your first round on the right side of your body, then the left side. Allow your breath to guide you as you gradually increase your pace creating a flowing, energising cycle!
Cat-Cow Stretch
A very relaxing sequence. Gently dip your spine down and then arch up vertebrae by vertebrae to feel a light massage. Wonderful to practice in the afternoon or early evening.
26/03/2010 at 07:33
Your heels aren’t flat on the floor in the “downward facing dog” pose. This is a fundamental error in one of the key yoga poses. Why do you think you deserve to showcase your yoga poses when they are incorrect? There are thousands of people out there who are actually good at yoga.
29/03/2010 at 13:41
Thank you Rosanna for sharing these sequences with us. I feel drawn to respond to the point which Chris makes.
I’m not so interested in a website which showcases yoga poses as exhibits, but rather in a person authentically sharing her journey with yoga. I’m really touched by this sharing – it is heart-felt and involves a degree of vulnerability.
I imagine that even the most experienced yoga teachers would acknowledge that there is always a distance to travel with each pose and in this way they model for all of us the learning journey.
I also believe that yoga is not about ‘perfect’ poses – or, in fact, ‘perfect’ anything, but rather about an inner attitude of union with self and the divine which is all-compassionate and unconditionally loving.
With love
Corrina
29/03/2010 at 15:58
Chris,
Your comment provoked a couple of thoughts for me:
- I’ve just had my fourth yoga lesson ever today so obviously I don’t know what I’m talking about but when I do this same sequence of postures my heels don’t touch the floor. Nevermind, my intention does – I’m hoping in time to become flexible enough that they will. Of course, one can’t tell the yogi’s intention, but I’d be cautious about making any assumptions from a photo.Â
- I practise and teach Aikido, and I reserve the right to get things wrong. Life is all about recovering and correcting, rather than being perfect. Â Knowing how to adapt to whatever is thrown at us is a far more useful skill than being perfect, and frankly it’s far more interesting. I have always learnt more from teachers who struggle than those that don’t – their slightly messy imperfect world is far more attainable for me.Â
Best wishes
James
29/03/2010 at 17:09
Chris,
You’re right that my heels are not on the floor in Downward Dog pose. However, in recently looking more at the difference between Compression and Tension in yoga postures at my BWY (British Wheel of Yoga) training course, I have had it confirmed that this is the correct pose for me – which corresponds with a belief that I already had, having practiced yoga (including Downward Dog pose) for a few years now.
You see, one reason why some people can’t get their heels down in Downward Dog pose – and never will – is due to Compression (bone hitting bone), rather than muscular tension. What restricts me from getting my heels down to the floor in Down Dog (as well as other postures, such as squat) is compression in my ankle.
A very good DVD to watch on this topic of Compression vs. Tension is ‘Yoga for Anatomy’ by Paul Grilley – which I strongly recommend that you do.
Yoga is not about physical perfection. Chris, by your comment, you are looking at it from the purely physical perspective and in fact what my Down Dog shows is that you do not have to have a perfect body in order to practice yoga – yoga is about harmony and honouring what is. Your comment ‘there are thousands of people out there who are actually good at yoga’ – besides being rude and aggressive – overlooks a fundamental aspect of yoga – that asana is one very small part of yoga.
Rosanna
30/03/2010 at 18:27
As a long term Yoga enthusiast and practitioner I am compelled to reply to the post made by Chris Foster who by his condescending tone has demonstrated a staggering level of ignorance. If he had bothered to study (even at a basic level) the anatomy and physiology of the human body he may not have been so quick to criticize. Humans differ quite largely in their range of movement in joints and this has nothing to do with muscular or other tensions that can also limit joint range. At one end of the spectrum you have hyper-mobility which is often a debilitating condition causing those who have it to incur ongoing muscle and tendon injuries. This is because their joints move by such a large range that it stretches the muscles and tendons too much. As an example, you will see wrist rotation of 360 degrees. Until diagnosed injuries are quite common and when the condition is recognized one of the best therapies is of course Yoga. At the other end of the spectrum for joint movement is that seen above where because of “Bone Compression” movement of a joint is very limited. As an example the feet often cannot be placed flat on the floor in the traditional “Dog” posture and this is more common than many are aware of. In the case of our young lady demonstrating “Dog” above and taking into consideration that she has been practising yoga for a considerable length of time then it is obvious that this is the most likely reason that she is not showing the Dog with her feet flat.
Paul
15/05/2010 at 20:29
I too am compelled to respond to the accusation of a yoga pose being incorrect, albeit briefly. No yoga pose is incorrect unless it is causing pain or will result in injury. Yoga asana practice is not a goal orientated practice but a practice (when talking purely in physical terms) to go to your appropriate edge and that is only something that can be felt from within. But actually it’s great that people do make comments like this for others to highlight the real purpose of a yoga practice. And how yoga is a fantastic journey to integrate mind, body and spirit. It’s also interesting to understand the many different styles of yoga, some of which teach downward facing dog with the heels high in the air!