Sun Salutations flow

WELCOMING THE SUN
Last weekend marked a noticeable change in our weather, and felt like the sun was trying its hardest to melt away our winter layers. While doing the Bray to Greystones walk with my gang, I saw a difference in the general moods of all around us. You can even see it in peoples postures and how they move. We probably grow a few inches when the sun comes out as we uncurl and reach up to the sky.

In honour of the brave Spring sun I've been exploring the Sun Salutations in my practice and my class plan this week. If you look through my sequences you'll notice that Sun Salutation C or the Classic Sun Salutation is definitely my favourite. Have a look at my previous article on Surya Namaskara/Sun Salutation for my reasons why, and the difference between the three. To mix things up a bit I went back to the Sun Salutation A & B, which were probably the first asanas I learnt when I started practising yoga over fifteen years ago.

The Sun Salutations are perfect to start your practice with – they build heat; increase circulation; build focus and concentration; are energising and stretch and strengthen your whole body. They also establish the connection between breath and movement. Each asana coordinates with either and in breath or an out breath. Print out the two Sun Salutations below and the sequence above. Get creative with your Sun Salutations.

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

Energy bursts

OPENINGS
Spring is the season of anticipation, with glimmers of the life and activity vibrating all around us. We have become so evolved that we sometimes forget that we’re part of nature – and like all nature we too are affected by the change in season. You might find at this time of year your energy levels go from extremes with the changing weather. We turn in on ourselves in the winter times and the body naturally looks for forward bends, hip openers and warming twists in our practice. When the days start to get brighter, backbends and heart opening asana reawaken the energy levels and boost the circulation.

BACKBENDS
Backbends energise and open the body up after the winter months of curling in to protect ourselves from the cold. They also stimulate the digestive system; stretch and expand the lungs and help relieve chronic pain. The depth of our breath can be challenged over the winter months, with head colds and chest infections, and needs to be consciously stretched and opened again to get the health benefits of good breath. This is a great time to incorporate Pranayama breath work at the start or the end of your practice. Or if Pranayama isn’t part of your practice, pay particular attention to your breath as you work through this backbending sequence. Click this link to get a full list of backbends.

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

Trikonasana - Triangle

THE ‘PERFECT POSE’
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that the ‘perfect pose’ is exactly where we are today with our bodies, not in the images posted up on social media. Each day the body is different, and each hour within each day is different too. Your body will be open to different energies at different times of the day. You might find you need to be more patient with your body in a morning practice, as the muscles gradually shake off the night sleep; if you have a desk job your back, shoulders and neck might feel tight, and a lunchtime practice will help you refocus for the rest of your day; in the evening your energies might be low after a busy day, and a slow meditative practice to calm the nervous system down can be the best thing to bring on a good night sleep! The ‘perfect pose’ for you is unique to your anatomical and muscular structure. Some asana might always be beyond our skeletal range of motion, and some asanas you will always find a challenge, depending on your day to day activity off the mat. Our bodies are incredibly complicated, when we listen to them they will tell us exactly what ways they do and don’t want to move. It’s also important to remember that you still get all the lovely benefits of your practice when you go to your optimal version of the pose, without judgement, with the right balance of effort and ease.

EXPLORING TRIKONASANA IN YOUR PRACTICE
With all this in mind, I’ve been exploring one of the foundational asana, Trikonasana/Triangle. We sometimes become so familiar with the basic poses we forget to pause and scan the body from the ground up to notice what sensations we’re feeling, and notice are we pushing into the pose on a day where the body is feeling a bit more tight or tired. Your perfect pose is the point where you feel sensation, strengthening and lengthening, and not beyond it into tension and pulling.

Trikonasana/Triangle teaches foundation, stability, balance and expansion. It brings blood flow to all the organs of the trunk of the body, aids good digestion and relieves stress, anxiety and tension. It strengthens the thighs, knees, ankles and glutes; and stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest and spine. Different yoga traditions suggest different distances between your front and back foot. When your feet are closer together it can be more challenging to get the side tilt of the pelvis, when the feet are further apart the pelvis has more room to tilt, but it gives a stronger stretch to the inner groins. Play around with the distance of you feet and see what suits you best.

ALIGNMENT CUES
You will often hear in class the imagery sandwiching your body between two panes of glass. This instruction can sometimes make students unnaturally force the back hip back in line with the front hip. Anatomically it is better for the pelvis to allow the back hip to be slightly forward of the front hip as it tilts up and towards the front of the mat.

The following are some alignment cues that might help you to reinvigorate your Trikonasana/Triangle. Print them out, along with the sequence, and play around with what makes sense to you:

• From Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog, ground your left foot at a 45 degree angle. Inhale, step your right foot between your hands, check for front heel to back heel or arch alignment, exhale here.

• Inhale, press into your feet to come up, reach your arms out to shoulder height, straighten your front leg.

• Exhale, reach forward with your right arm and hinge to your right from the hip joint, right hip moves back, left hip tilts up towards the front of the mat.

• Rest your hand on your shin, to a brick, or the ground inside/outside your right foot.

• Feel for the contraction in your right glute, press into your big toe to slightly engage the inner groin to balance the inside and outside of the knee joint.

• Bottom waist rolls forward, top waist rolls back, reach your left arm up high, palm facing left, gaze to your left or to your left 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