Root, Balance, Breathe - Yoga, Health and Wellness Brought to You by Roots Yoga

Fourteen years ago, I found myself suffering from stubborn physical limitations and ailments. Unbalanced across the board, I craved fine-tuning on a physical, spiritual and emotional level. Yoga was my savior, bestowing the gifts of harmony and wholeness, a reprieve from today’s chaotic world. It restored my balance and renewed my inner and outer strength. After two years of practice, I became a certified yoga instructor. This past June, with five years of experience under my belt, I opened Roots Yoga. My love for yoga, along with my desire to teach and share my knowledge, has led me to blog for our community. Each week, I will provide a topic, pose or story that will help readers to understand, learn and incorporate the transformational power of yoga and wellness into their lives.

This week's wellness pose is Uttanasana, or forward fold. One of my favorite poses that can be done anywhere, Uttanasana translated means "intense" "to stretch" "pose". This simple, yet effective pose has a vast number of emotional and physical benefits.

Why this move works: Dropping your head below your heart (inversion) helps calm your mind. Folding forward gives a deep stretch to your hamstrings and calves, as well as lengthening them. The overall effect is a release of stress and a
feeling of rejuvenation, as if the weight of the world has been lifted from
your shoulders.

Uttanasana how to:

• Begin standing tall, hands on your hips.
• Keeping your hands on your hips, exhale and, with a slight bend in the knees, bend forward from your hips*. The goal is to bring your head to your knees, but for now, aim for bringing your belly to your thighs. As you fold, pay attention to where your feet are. They should be on the ground, heels pressing into the floor. Think about lifting your bottom toward the ceiling while keeping your hips over your ankles. (If you feel like you're bending down to pick something up, you're likely bending at the waist. Bending at the hips will feel more like you're stretching forward and then down.)
• If possible, bend your elbows and grab them with the opposite hands, so they're folded, but still hanging.
• Envision what it would feel like to be a rag doll, and allow the crown of your head to hang.
• Hold this pose for up to one minute, remembering to inhale and exhale good breaths.*
• You're going to feel like blood is rushing to your head, and it is. When you rise, rise slowly, one vertebrae at a time.
• If you can rise with a straight back, hands on hips, this will help strengthen your lower back muscles.

* Modifications are very important, especially for beginners or those with stiff muscles. If you try too hard, you're likely to injure yourself and be inclined to shy away from further yoga work. If your find that you don't like holding onto your elbows and are unable to reach the floor, put a yoga block in front of you (a shoebox or a couple of books stacked in front of you will also work) to place your hands on. If you have a bad back, give a deeper bend at the knee.

Don't:

• Don't just drop forward, you'll risk injuring your back or knees.
• Over round your back.
• Bend at the waist.
• Hold your breath.
• Rock your hips forward, keep them over your ankles.
• Push too hard, it's about relaxing into the stretch, not forcing it. With Uttanasana, patience is a virtue, and with yoga, it's all about the journey.

What benefits:

• Hips open and your head, neck, and shoulders become relaxed.
• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression.
• Stimulates the liver and kidneys.
• Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips.
• Strengthens the thighs and knees.
• Improves digestion.
• Reduces fatigue and anxiety.
• Relieves headaches and insomnia.

Next week, we're going to discuss Utkatasana (Chair Pose) This powerful pose will help maintain the strength you have built in your hamstrings, glutes and quads this winters ski season! In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to email me at rootsyogaburlington@gmail.com

Namaste, Ginger

Roots Yoga Studio is located at: 220 Cambridge Street Burlington MA 01803(same plaza as True North Coffee)781-272-YOGA

www.myrootsyoga.com

www.facebook.com/rootsyogaburlington