A simple home practice

LOOKING FOR CALM
The kiddies are all back to school and so far so good! I have learnt from previous years that I am inclined to turn 'headless chicken' in September, and have planned and prepped to within an inch of my life! Without consciously choosing to, I’m also finding myself shifting towards calming and supportive poses in my yoga practice – such as forward folding poses. Forward folds don’t come naturally to me, they challenge my ego and patience, but they are deeply therapeutic and soothing, and my intuition brings me to them when I need them. I’m also finding comfort in familiarity by spending extra time in some of the basic poses of yoga. When the world around you is spinning fast, it feels lovely to do the complete opposite on your mat and simplify your practice to its utmost essence.

FIND YOUR HAPPY POSE
This sequence focuses on keeping it simple and playing around with as many of the familiar poses of yoga as possible. When you encounter a pose that feels perfect to you, either in finding your strength or finding ease, pause for some extra breaths and enjoy the sensations that arise. Scan through your body from your toes to the tips of your crown and look for feedback.

EXPLORING SIMPLICITY IN YOUR PRACTICE
Notice the effects different types of movements have on you. When you flow you will notice a calming, meditative trance, as you link movement with breath. In deep stretching poses you will feel a calm introspective quietning of the mind. Alternatively the more muscular strengthening poses will bring you into the body, and the present moment, with nowhere to hide! In order to feel the cumulative benefits of this sequence, and get a sense of serenity in familiarity, practice this same sequence for 2-3 weeks. If practicing everyday is daunting for you, start with aiming for a 2-3 days a week, for 10-15 mins, and let it naturally build it up from there.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Dogs is probably one of the more widely known yoga poses. But we often use it as a transition and not give it enough time to explore. Relook at how you approach your Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Dogs and see is it one, or can it become one, of your familiar comforting poses.

The following are some alignment cues that you might hear in class. Print them out, along with the sequence, and play around with what makes sense to you:

• Hands shoulder width apart, feet hip width apart, press into all five knuckles of your hands and lightly though the pads of your fingers, fingers spread.

• Roll your biceps forward, broaden the collarbones, back of the neck long, firm your shoulder blades against your back, head in line with your ears.

• Pelvis tips forward, lift your sit bones up, stretch your heels towards the ground, draw your hips up and back.

• Top of the thighs pressing back, roll your inner thighs back. Hug your outer hips to the midline, gaze to the ground under your pelvis.

• Draw your navel towards your spine to support the internal organs.

• Look for symmetry of the whole body between right and left side joining at the midline.

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

Staying present

IN THE HERE AND NOW
Staying present is a topic we're all very familiar with. Being present in this very moment, in this minute, in this hour, in this day, in this week, in this month, and even in this season, can often be the most challenging aspect to yoga, meditation and life! As the summer draws to an end I feel myself drifting into anxious anticipation of September mayhem. I’m finding it hard to stay in the here and now and appreciate the last few weeks of warmer weather and longer days.

EXPLORING STAYING PRESENT IN YOUR PRACTICE
In our time on the mat we are faced with the same challenge of staying present and not getting lost in endless ‘to do’ lists. Through our practice we can take up this challenge and cultivate a presence that will help us off the mat too. Staying close to the breath is the ultimate tool for finding the here and now. There is no future or past breath – just the present breath. By linking the breath with movement, in a series of mini flows, this sequence brings you close to your breath. You’ll also notice you become very present in your practice when you pause in some of the poses that challenge you – standing poses that activate the large muscles of the legs, or seated poses which test your patience for your perceived level of flexibility. Take a few extra breaths in your not so favourite pose and see where your mind is. Loosen your attachment to what you think the external pose 'should' look like and concentrate on lengthening out your breath, pause, and find small shifts in your relationship to these poses.

SAVASANA ALIGNMENT CUES
Successfully staying present on your mat is a much more intense practice – physically and mentally. Reward yourself with a nice long Savasana and run through some of these alignment cues as you relax:

• In Savasana place your hands under your lower back and slice your buttocks flesh away from you to soften into the lower back.

• Melt your shoulders away to the floor and tuck your chin slightly to lengthen the back of the neck.

• Release any tension in your jaw, part your lips part slightly and let your eyeballs become heavy into the back of your head.

• Imagine skin on your forehead becoming as smooth as silk and the space between you temples become broad and spacious.

• As the back of your head become heavy into the ground, let your whole body become heavy and supported between the ground underneath you and gravity.

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