Featured Asana

• Do you hips feel tight and tense? Are you forced to excessive sitting during your day? Save your back and do daily hip flexor stretches to help counterbalance the prolonged hip flexion. The hip flexors cross the hip joint and include the psoas, iliacus and rectus femoris. If the hip flexors are tight, they pull down and forward on the pelvis, which tilts the pelvis forward and compresses the lower back. Stretching the hip flexors is also a nice preparation for back arches as it allows the hips to fully extend so we can avoid compression in the lower back. Most problems with hip flexors are not with strength but with flexibility and the lack of it. Try the Mooning Warrior Series to open up your hips and challenge your balance.

• Start off in Mountain Pose Tadasana. Step right foot back into Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana (Warrior I) – Hold for three complete breaths.

  
  

• Flow into Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana (Warrior III)- Arms extended ahead of you. Hold for three complete breaths.

  
  




• Maintaining Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana {Warrior III}- Extend arms out to sides (airplane arms). Hold for three complete breaths.

  
  




• From here move left hand to floor (or block) into Crescent Moon Pose Ardha Chandrasana and extend right arm towards the ceiling. Hold for three complete breaths.

  
  



• Float left hand up and right hand down to return back to airplane arms into Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana (Warrior III). Hold for three complete breaths.

  
  

• From here move right hand to floor (or block) into Crescent Moon Pose - Turned Body Parivritta Ardha Chandrasana and extend left arm towards the ceiling. Hold for three complete breaths.

  
  

• Float right hand up and left hand down to return back to airplane arms into Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana (Warrior III). Hold for one complete breath.

  
  

• Flow into Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana (Warrior III)- Arms extended ahead of you. Hold for one complete breath.

  
  




• Lower right foot to floor into Intense Heroic Pose Virabhadrasana (Warrior I). Hold for one complete breath.

  
  




• Step right foot forward into Mountain Pose Tadasana. Repeat series on other side, stepping left foot back.

Helen teaches Yoga in Calgary, Alberta and will be holding a retreat Dec 27/08 to Jan 3/09 in beautiful Manzanillo, Mexico. Check out Mexico retreats for more information.

Would you like to share an asana description for the enews?  If so, send it in to info@soyayoga.com to share with others!