Now you are upside down so the words above and below can be confusing but ideally we want the ankle just below the knee, which actually means closer to the floor, or on your thigh, but not your shin. Start with your legs straight up the wall, and then place your right ankle on your left knee. Wall Eye (of the needle) – We will start on the right side, however, if your left hip is the more open hip, feel free to start on the left side first. Wiggle and move a bit: remember a bit of yang movement between the yin poses helps to free up stuck energy. When you are ready to come out, use your hands to push your legs together, like closing a book. No need to pull though: let your muscles relax. When you want a little more, you can try resting your hands on your inner thighs. Reach that “Goldilocks'” position where the sensations are just right (see Newsletter #1 for an explanation of the Goldilocks’ Position if this is an unfamiliar term for you). Start with your legs straight up the wall (or your variation of that) and then simply let gravity draw the legs apart, your feet sliding down the wall. Wall Straddle – You will need a bit of space for this one, especially if you are quite flexible. Try tantrumasana, which you may have perfected when you were a child: shake everything – let your arms and legs flail in the air! When you have had enough, straighten the legs up against the wall again and give your self a chance to release any tension from the previous posture. For the last minute or so, you may want to come into the traditional Happy Baby by grabbing your feet or holding the back of your thighs, and pulling your knees to the floor. The intention here is to start to wake up the hips sockets, so as long as you are feeling something there, you are getting the pose. Feel free to slide a bit away from the wall so that your sacrum can be flat on the floor. Others may not like this because it puts too much stress into the sacrum. Now your butt may have lifted off the floor when you slid your feet down for some people this is quite alright and they like the hips up a bit. If you can manage to have the feet and knees wider than hip width apart, the pose gets juicier. Have the feet comfortably apart, which for you may be approximately hip width apart. Starting from the legs straight up wall, bend both knees and slide your feet down the wall. Wall Squat (or Wall Happy Baby!) – now we start to work into the hips. It is very restorative and great for people who have been on their feet all day. Hold this position for anywhere from 3~10 minutes. A nice option here may be to place a cushion under your sacrum. If you find that you can’t keep your legs straight and your butt tucked into the corner of the floor and the wall at the same time, it is okay to wiggle a little away from the wall. Wall Caterpillar – from the Wall Butterfly, simply straighten your legs up the wall. Breath, allow a few sighs to slip out, and be present. Wait here for as long as your intuition suggests. Since this is your meditation position, place your hands where you feel most comfortable: either place them over your heart, your belly (or one hand over each), or let your arms fall to the sides. For the Wall Butterfly, bring your feet together and let your heels come as low as they can, and allow the knees to go as wide as they can. Next, try to snuggle your butt to the corner of the wall and the floor. The easiest way to get into this position may be to sit sideways against the wall and then swivel: swing your legs up the wall and lie down. Wall Butterfly – Like all yoga journeys, you can start with a brief meditation, but this time with the wall supporting your feet. (With special thanks to Sally and Diana for modelling!)Įver have one of those days where you didn’t want to do anything but collapse? You know you should do some yoga, but your get up and go has got up and went? Your yoga buddy, whom you rely on for moral support, has bailed on you? Where can you go for that support now? Well, your support may be as close as that wall over there! Put on some soothing music, clear a space by your longest wall, grab a watch (preferably with a timer) and a cushion or two, and settle into some wall yin.
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