Ardha Chandrasana - Half Moon

GROUND & CENTRE
Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon is quite the balancing act and requires strong glutes to lift the top leg and plenty of core strength to catch your balance. The trick to finding your balance is to start with a deeply bent front knee to bring your centre of gravity down while your body works out how to accommodate this seesaw arrangement you have put it in. Once your core kick in you can start to very slowly straighten out the standing leg and reach in all directions.

THE BENEFITS OF ARDHA CHANDRASANA/MOON POSE
There is nowhere to hide with this challenging pose. It builds focus and concentration and is very grounding and centering. It strengthens the core, ankles, glutes, spine and quads; and stretches the groin, hamstrings, calves and chest. It requires a lot of balancing skills and improves coordination and balance in our everyday movement. It also eases headaches, lowers blood pressure, eases back pain, relieves indigestion, constipation and menstrual cramps, and eases anxiety. Quite the selection of benefits for this simple yet strong balancing pose!

EXPLORING THE ARDHA CHANDRASANA/MOON POSE IN YOUR PRACTICE
In your full expression of your version of the pose connect with your belly button and radiate out through the standing leg into the support of the ground; through the lift leg reaching through the heel of the flexed foot; through the bottom arm, heart centre and the finger of the extended arm; and finally through your tailbone to the tip of your crown. Think of yourself as a jellyfish reaching in all directions originating from your strong core.

ALIGNMENT CUES
This sequence deeply works the muscles of the glutes at the back of the hips to help you connect to these important muscles that will help you left the top leg in Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon.

Print out the tips below, along with the sequence, and build you best version of Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon:

• From Utthita Trikonasana/Triangle with your right leg forward. Place your left hand on your hip and step your left foot forward a little.

• Bend your front knee and place your right hand on a brick a foot forward to the little toe side of your right foot. Press down through the three points of your right foot and lift the inner ankle.

• Keeping your right knee bent, Inhale, float your left leg up to hip height or slightly above, toes facing forward. When you have your balance gradually straighten your right leg.

• Flex your left foot parallel to the ground and press out through the heel.

• Hips and shoulders stacked, reach your left arm up high, palm facing left, gaze down or to your left fingertips.

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Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Savasana - Corpse Pose

THE POSE OF INTEGRATION
Savasana/Corpse Pose is the ultimate pose of pratikriyasana or integrating the effects of the asana. Throughout the practice we use counter poses to neutralise tension caused by the more challenging poses. Savasana/Corpse Pose is a counter pose for the complete practice. It is considered one of the hardest poses in yoga. The mind likes to stay busy and doesn’t take kindly to being asked to quieten. But without Savasana/Corpse Pose you have lost the gentle reintegration to everyday life and the ability to bring the benefits of the practice with you. It triggers the rest, digest and restore nervous system response. Savasana/Corpse Pose is the most important pose for assimilating all the work you have done on your mat.

ALIGNMENT CUES
General rule of thumb is take 10 minutes of Savasana/Corpse Pose for every hour of practice, or longer if you have the time or need extra space to reap the medicinal benefits of your practice. Consider using props if they help you release into your most comfortable Savasana/Corpse Pose. Placing a bolster under your knees will help with any hip tension and will support the lower back if you have back issues. Covering yourself with a blanket will keep you cosy and comfortable as you cool down, and tell your nervous system you are safe and secure.

Print out the tips below and use them to help you find comfort in your Savasana/Corpse Pose:

• Lie on your back, legs stretched out, arms slightly away from your body, palms facing up.

• Legs slightly apart and feet fall out to the side, soften your shoulder, back of the neck long.

• Gently close your eyes, let the body become heavy and melt into the support of the ground

• Soften the muscles across your forehead, releasing all tension, gaze inwards.

• Let all the muscles and bones of you body release any help tension.

• Let the thought come and go without attachment to what you should or shouldn’t be feeling in your Savasana/Corpse Pose.

• Melt, release, soften, relax, breath.

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

Virabhadrasana I - Warrior I

FINDING EFFORT & EASE IN WARRIOR I
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I is one of the most widely known foundational poses of yoga. It features in the Sun Salutations sequences – which are often used at the start of class. But Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I is quite a statement pose in its own right, and to find effort and ease in your expression of the pose it helps to explore some targeted stretching and strengthening, before you arrive there.

THE BENEFITS OF VIRABHADRASANA I/WARRIOR I
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I stretches the hip flexors, calf muscles and inner groin; and strengthens the quads, glutes, shoulders and the muscles of the spine and ankles. It is quite a complex pose for the back leg, and you are not alone if you find it very challenging to get that back heel comfortably grounded, with the toes pointing forward. The hip joint of the back leg is externally rotated, to allow the heel to drop down, while the muscle action of the back leg is internal rotation! This can sometimes feel like the leg is fighting to find its position in the pose, and if you are overzealous about reaching that left hip forward it can manifest in discomfort in the knee or the sacroiliac joints. 

EXPLORING VIRABHADRASANA I/WARRIOR I IN YOUR PRACTICE
The above sequence stretches and strengthens all the appropriate muscle groups in preparation for the nuances in Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I. It also incorporates two balancing standing poses to strengthen the ankle and bring some stability to the joint which takes a lot of pressure in the pose.

In the second pose of the sequence lengthen through your whole leg, press you heel away from you and draw your toes down towards your face, until you feel a strong stretch in the calf muscle. Take some ankle circles here too before you move on to the next hip circling pose. Throughout the sequence there is specific targeted poses for the calves and hip flexors in particular. Bring your attention to these two areas – press the heel towards the ground in the standing calf stretches, and gently let your hips become heavy towards the ground in the standing hip flexor stretches.

In the Ashta Chandrasana/High Lunge to Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I flow, which you will run through three times, place your hands on your pointy hip bones and notice what needs to  change when you drop that back heel to the ground.

When you are in Virabhadrasana II/Warrior II pay particular attention to the back leg and the action of the glute muscle to open the hip out to the side. Press into the big toe mound and try to find that inner arch of your back foot.

ALIGNMENT CUES
When you find yourself in Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I in this sequence consider the 'squaring of the hips' as directional action rather than a definitive end goal. Allow the hip of the back leg to be further back than the hip of the front leg if it feels kinder to the knee and sacroiliac. Spend some extra time in Warrior I and notice what your optimal alignment is, with effort and ease, for your unique body.

Print out the below tips, along with the sequence, and give Warrior I some extra time and exploration:

• From Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog, ground your left foot at a 45 degree angle.

• Inhale, step your right foot to just inside of your right hand, check that your feet are tracking behind their hip joints to allow space for the hips to rotate forward, exhale here.

• Inhale, place your hands on your right knee to help you come up, or draw your navel towards your spine and reach your arms forward and up.

• Reach your arms up high, arms shoulder width apart or palms together.

• Lift your lower ribs up from the rim of your pelvic bowl.

• Keep your front knee bent and stack your front knee over your front ankle.

• Press into your big toe mound of your back leg to find your inner arch.

• Press down into your left heel to ease the left hip forward.

• Press into your right foot to draw the right hip back.

• Scissors your legs together and roll your right thigh down.

• Lift your two pointy hip bones up from your right thigh and gaze forward or to your fingertips.

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