Hello! I’m Yoga Teddy
Bear. On clear nights you might find me
practicing yoga under the moon and the stars.
Now that spring is in the air and the nights are getting warmer, perhaps
you’ll have a chance to step outside and join me. It turns out that even the night sky has some
wonderful poses to show us.
Here are four poses brought to you by a few familiar
characters from above. A crescent moon
and a 6-pointed star help us open our hips, while a five-pointed star and a
half moon teach us how to open and balance.
Keep in mind to keep breathing deeply as you practice these poses!
1. Seated Star Pose. (Sanskrit:
Tarasana) Do you remember sitting as a
child with the palms of your feet together, making your legs flap like
butterfly wings? This exercise is a nice
variation on an old friend. Begin by
bringing the palms of your feet together a little further away from your body
so that the space between your legs forms a diamond shape. Hold your ankles and bend your elbows to fold
forward. If you were looking at
yourself from above, your head, tail, elbows and knees would form the shape of
a 6-pointed star! Let your head hang
and breathe deeply.
2. Crescent Moon Lunge. (Sanskrit: Anjaneyasana) Begin either on your hands and knees, in
plank, or in downward dog. Step your
right foot forward in between your hands so your legs are wide apart. Release your left foot and slide your knee
back if you’d like to increase the stretch in your hip. Put your hands on your front knee and push
back so your spine curves. Reach your arms up and lean back a little more. Breathe deeply and relax. Come out of the pose the way you came into
it, then repeat the steps with your left foot forward.
3. Standing Star Pose. (Sanskrit: Utthita Tadasana) Stand with your legs wide apart. Stretch your arms wide and up toward the
sky. Make yourself look like a big
letter “X”. Breathe deeply and imagine
you are a big star in the sky. If you
feel like opening your chest, look up at the sky and squeeze your shoulder
blades together. If you need length in
the back of your neck, tuck your chin.
This seemingly simple pose is great for maintaining balance as we age,
and for gently opening all our large joints.
4. Half Moon Pose. (Sanskrit: Ardha Chandrasana) Begin in
Standing Star Pose. Turn your right foot
out and shift your weight to it by bending your right knee. Slowly lift your back leg and lower your body
until your right hand touches the ground and your left hand reaches toward the
sky in a straight line. Your left foot
stretches out behind you. Breathe and
balance. Tip: If you feel like you could
fall, try this pose with your back against the wall. As always, remember to switch sides so that
you maintain balance within your body.
Did you hold your breath or did you remember to keep
breathing? How does your body feel after
practicing these heavenly poses?
Heavenly, I hope! Don’t we live
in a beautiful world? It’s amazing that the
even the infinite sky above shares deep and soulful connections to our physical
body.
Happy Spring! Namaste.
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