A Warrior Sequence to Honor the Earth

Last Saturday was Earth Day, but really every day is Earth Day. Without our beautiful blue planet, we would not exist. Our Earth provides air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and endless wondrous materials with which to create. We always have everything we need.

Many people marched on behalf of science last weekend or will march for climate change awareness this weekend. Perhaps you are called to summon the warrior within to honor both the power and fragility of nature. As you contemplate your relationship to the Earth, flow through this short warrior sequence. Use it to gather strength and energy for your commitments to the environment as well as to generate inner peace and gratitude for our planet’s innumerable gifts.

Begin in Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana A). Start standing in Mountain Pose. Breathe deeply, then exhale and take a big step backward. Bend your front knee so you can see your toes. Stretch your back leg straight behind you on your tiptoes, then turn your back heel down while keeping your hips facing forward.  Widen your stance if you need more stability. Breathe in and reach your hands high in the sky with your thumbs pointing backwards. Make yourself tall like a mountain.  Lean back just a little. Breathe deeply and feel the energy drawing up through your feet from the Earth.

Flow to Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana B). From Warrior 1, keep your knee over your ankle and breathe out while you turn your hips and shoulders to the side.  Stretch your arm forward over your bent knee and reach the other arm behind you in a straight line. Your palms face down. Press your inner legs apart. Look over your front hand. Breathe deeply and surf the waves of strength.

Fly into Warrior 3 (Virabhadrasana C). Inhale back to Warrior 1. Lean forward to shift your weight to your front foot. Ground your front foot then breathe out as you lean forward to balance with your back leg stretched out behind you. Point your toes down. Reach your arms forward, hold them next to your body or stretch them out to your sides like airplane wings. Breathe deeply while you imagine all the places you will fly. Fly high above the clouds like a grateful superhero.

Transition to Peaceful Warrior (Parsva Virabhadrasana) L/R. From Warrior 3, bend your front knee and gracefully return your back foot behind you. Inhale to Warrior 1, then exhale to Warrior 2. Turn your front palm up and reach forward just a little.  Breathe in as you gently see-saw your arms by lifting your front arm to the sky and sliding your back arm down your leg.  Make sure your front knee stays over your ankle by pressing your inner legs apart. Look up at the sky and breathe. Feel your side ribs stretch open. Breathe deeply and feel peaceful inside.

To finish, inhale to Warrior 1. Breathe out as you step forward into Mountain Pose. Repeat the sequence stepping your other foot back. Spend the same amount of time on the second side. Once you feel confident with the flow, move through the sequence in time with your breath, creating a rhythm in time with the ebb and flow of life. Namaste!

Photos and video by Robert Oakley featuring K. Mae Copham in New Paltz, NY on Earth Day, April 22, 2017. Check out the video here.

Today’s Twist: Half Lord of the Fishes Pose (Matsyandrasana)

Today’s pose is based on the story of Matsya, who began life as an ordinary fish. Matsya happened to be swimming in a river when he overheard the Lord Shiva telling Parvati the discoveries he’d gleaned during a ten thousand year long meditation. Matsya was such a careful listener that he began to embody the mysteries of life, the universe and yoga. Matsya became the first enlightened student, and Shiva the first guru or teacher. Matsya returned in a future life as a half fish, half human being who helped others with his great wisdom.

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose is a twist that is dedicated to teachers. The top of the body is upright like a human, while the bottom half bends like the tail of a fish. This pose helps keep your spine supple and limber while also helping with digestion and blood flow in the body.

To practice Matsyandrasana, sit on the floor with your feet in front of you. Cross one leg over the other and squeeze it in close to your body. Fold your other leg and bring your foot close to your hip. Keep your tail on the floor and sit up proudly like a king or a queen. Turn toward your raised knee and place your hand on the floor behind you by your tail. Then press your other elbow against the outside of your bent knee. Look toward the back and use your arms to make your belly twist like a sponge. 

Take 3 slow, deep breaths completely filling and emptying your chest and belly. Let yourself relax into the pose. Then slowly unwind, and practice the pose for the same amount of time on the other side. 

Tip: if it’s hard to keep both sides of your tail on the floor, you can extend your leg instead of folding it with your foot by your hip.

Story adapted from Myths of the Asanas by Alanna Kaivalya & Arjuna van der Kooij

Coloring by Miss Michele Palumbo of Bay Shore, NY. Enter our coloring contest today to win prizes. Picture of K. Mae Copham by Robert Oakley in New Paltz, NY, April 2017.

Today’s Twist: Pose Dedicated to the Sage Bharadvaja (Bharadvajasana)

Today’s pose begins with a story. The Sage Bharadvaja was devoted to the study of the ancient spiritual texts called the Vedas. He spent three reclusive lifetimes studying. After the third round, the Lord admonished him saying that even though he knows more than anyone else, he has accomplished no more than three piles of dirt because he never shared his knowledge with others. Luckily the Lord gives Bharadvaja another chance, and this time the great Sage shares his wisdom and compassion with others. This gives him so much joy that when the Lord invites him to Heaven, Bharadvaja declines, saying “Living this great wisdom is more of a heaven than I could ever ask for.”

The Pose Dedicated to the Sage Bharadvaja is a fairly challenging posture that is particularly helpful for people with arthritis in their lower back and hips. This is meaningful because the back represents support and the hips are where we hold our fear. Because this pose is a twist, it also is naturally detoxifying and can help blood and energy flow more freely through the body.

To practice Bharadvajasana, begin in in a seated position. Bring both feet back by one hip with your knees bent and on the ground. Keep your tail connected to the earth on both sides as you turn your body toward your feet to look behind you.  Reach your front arm across your body to the outside of your knee, and reach your back arm behind you to grab your front arm above the elbow. Lean back a little and twist as you breathe deeply. Remain here for ten long breaths, then unwind and switch sides.

As you practice today, reflect upon the gifts you have to offer the world. Do you keep them to yourself or do you share them with others? Remember, gifts don’t have to be special talents or knowledge, they can be qualities such as loving kindness, patience, compassion or the ability to listen. Let your light shine! You’ll surely find your piece of heaven there.

Images: Coloring page by Michele Palumbo, Bay Shore, NY with Yoga Teddy Bear colored by Alyssa Copham, Brainerd MN. Photos of Yoga Teddy Bear creators K. Mae Copham practicing Bharadvajasana, New Paltz, NY by Robert Oakley.