Inspired by both my dance background and some amazing teachers, I began to look for more ways to allow more freedom within the traditional asana form. For me this looks like experimenting with length and depth of breath, finding pulsations or diving into the realm of subtle movements that initiate from an internal reference point. These 5 poses are some of those which I often use to explore this idea.
Wild Thing
This pose can be approached in many different ways; seated, downward dog, plank, side plank. However, from downward dog
Lift one leg into the sky
Bend the knee and rotate the hip open
Step the foot to the outside of the grounded leg
Once your both feet are meeting the mat pour your weight through the feet to lift the body
The chest and pelvis begin to rotate towards the sky and the free arm can extend.
From here I like to bring my hips to the floor and push back up a number of times, bending both knees to contract the body and then breathe out into the expanded form.
Goddess
Stand with with your feet wide apart. Toes turned out and heels turned in
Bend your knees and allow your pelvis to sink towards the mat
There is so much capacity to find your own expression and movement patterns within goddess pose. Experiment with the upper body and arms to start (it’s also a great support when the legs get a little fiery) and see what happens
Phoenix Pose
Start in mountain pose
Bring your knee to your chest
Step the lifted leg to the outside of the standing leg. Balancing on the ball of the foot
Bend the knees and sit hips back (like chair pose)
Reach arms up and take a wide v-shape
I like to pulse this one and use my arms like wings of a bird. As I inhale I reach them and my gaze upward and as I exhale and wrap the arms around me and bring my chin to my chest.
Sunflower Breath
A simple one-breath-per-movement asana that acts a bit like blowing away the days debris.
Stand with legs slightly wider than hip width apart
Inhale to lift arms and straighten legs
Exhale to lower arms, bend knees and fold the body forward
Depending on my how much energy I need to move I will alter the speed and intensity, sometimes adding a jump as I inhale to stimulate, for example, or moving really slowly (8 count inhales and exhales) to unwind
Constructive rest
Nothing like giving yourself a big old hug! This pose is a complete reset. The proximity to the ground and the self touch just feel magical and can cultivate as sense of containment plus the ability to fully release
Lay on the floor
Bring legs wider than hip width
Allow knees to fall towards one another
Wrap arms around your body with hands resting on your shoulders
You can change the positioning of the arms too; overhead, on your thighs, alongside your torso or anywhere on your body. See what feels good for you.
This is where subtle movements feel larger than life, such as a sway of the pelvis, imagining you’re pouring water from one hip half to the other. Or even just breathing into the back of the body and noticing how it imprints on the mat.
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