Get a Core! Perfect Posture Stand Up Straight! with Psalm Isadora

Hello. 

Just wanted to real quickly share this video from Psalm Isadora about the simple act of standing. 

I say "real quickly" because honestly, this post has been a draft for at least a week. If I don't get it posted now, i never will. 

Good posture is not just for the yoga mat. Good posture, or a "strong  mountain," on the mat will eventually translate to a "strong mountain" in the grocery line, if you let it. 

Take a minute to practice along w/Psalm. 

Notice how you feel as you stand connected to your center. 

See if you can bring this posture into your day. 

& just for grins & giggles, notice how stress affects how you stand and move. 

Personally, when my day gets rough, my right foot tends  to turn outward. I sink into my hips & drop my belly forward. My shoulders, especially the left one, begin to round & my chin kind of juts out and down. And i begin to just hurl myself forward, kind of like a boulder tumbling down a hill picking up all kinds of muck becoming heavier and well.... muckier.

The really interesting thing is, the more I hunker down, the less I am aware of what is going on in my body. I can stay low to the ground and thrash my battle axe around, than wonder why my shoulders & arms hurt so damn much.

I guess, this is what I feel that I am:

Found here

Except.... you know, without the armor & .... the boobs & not nearly as cute. 

Not that there is anything wrong with being a dwarf my Tolkien friends. & in no way, NO WAY, is this intended to be malicious towards little people. 

A fantasy style dwarf is just what comes to my mind when I try to define how  my posture changes under stress. I just bear down and stomp about. & I have arthritic toes and popped ligaments and all around crazy feet problems to prove it. 

And really, the inner me is just more elfin. 

Like this:

http://www.wallfox.net/Abstract/Fantasy/water_fantasy_rocks_fairies_elf_sprites_1280x1024_wallpaper_28543

O.k. Maybe more like this: 

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/elf-10-10-sm.jpg

At any rate, bringing awareness to how my posture really changes when I am stressed has helped me to truly feel how I am physically being affected as opposed to being a victim to the after effects of a day filled with mindless bolting to & fro. 

 This awareness allows me to work on regaining and maintaining the quiet strength of my center. 

I would like to say that I frequently stop and practice this itty bit of breath work. But I can say that i do so more often than i used to & when i do, I am happy that i did. 

Upon noticing the effects of stress on your posture -  

 - inhale acknowledging

 exhale accepting those feelings as they are in that moment 

(easing tension in the feet, facing toes forward & resting on the 4 corners of the feet)

inhale accepting 

exhale remembering that all is impermanent.

(relaxing my knees, internally rotating my thighs, scooping my tailbone, engaging my abs)

Inhale surrendering to the feelings

Exhale sending positive energy to others who may be feeling the same as I in that moment. 

(sliding my shoulder blades down, lengthening and softening my neck, relaxing my jaw, easing my gaze)

Inhale - welcoming energy from earth & sky into the core of my body

(lowering my ribs, re-scooping and connecting through tail bone and core)

Exhale sending that energy back out

Of course, I don't always get through all of the above. lol

However, the process is interesting if nothing else. 

If you have minute, give it try. See what is going on. & if you feel inclined to do so, share your findings in the comments. 

Would love to hear from you. 

Peace

To find balance

O.k. I must admit that walking the middle path can be quite frustrating at times. Most of the time. Pretty much all of the time.

The middle path is the one between your spirituality and the rest. It is the act of being "in the world but not with the world." It is the balancing act between the muggle world and the magical.

Of course the key is to meld the 2. To carry yourself strong and peacefully moving from the quiet wisdom of the center & speaking the truth of the greater Self.

But, truth be told, it is hard to hold the balance. It is hard to stay away from the drama of daily work life. And floating in yoga all day is just not in my cards at the present.  So... i must walk the middle path.

Lately this has been difficult to say the least. & i find that i have been experiencing  crazy new sensations. Panic attacks and gastrointestinal disturbances. Yeah. I'm laying it out here. These sensations are simply new & are usually most severe before and during my work day & then later in the evening before bed.  I have always been a go with the flow kind of person. Maybe too much flowing not enough standing up for myself? Or possibly the internal resistance to surrendering to the insane weirdness of the most modern day workplaces. I really don't know.

I do know this - my personal practice, no matter how minimal, is becoming more & more dear to me. The challenge, truthfully is finding the time & letting go of the idea that there is "not enough time."

Yesterday morning, the struggle to maintain my breath and calm the racing of my heart as i prepared for work helped me to step on my mat. My time? 10 maybe 15 minutes. My practice? A (for me on that day) short series of strong standing postures that helped me to ground and find my center. My meditation was a Qigong style qi  energy movement meditation.

Remember - practice safely & mindfully. And check with your doctor before venturing into any exercise program.

Hold each posture for about 7 - 10 breaths or whatever helps your mind to quiet.

tadasana (mountain)
vrksasana  (tree)
virabhadrasana 2 (warrior 2)
viparita virabhadrasana ( reverse warrior)
parsvottanasana ( pyramid pose)
virabhadrasana 1-( warrior 1)
prayer twist
crescent warrior
standing split
Tadasana (mountain)
Repeat on other side

Tadasana with arms overhead opening into a backbend.
rolling into a squat
sukhasana

meditation
Make the akash mudra.
Place left hand at the second chakra
Right hand chest level
Relax the eyes, settle into the breath
move the qi from the bottom hand to top and top hand to bottom.


Namaste

Posture

A while ago I had the good fortune of attending a workshop with wonderful Anusara teacher Jamie Allison  at the Atma Center in Cleveland Heights. I have taken workshops with Jamie before & have never been disappointed.

The workshop was a wonderful refresher on how to properly align one's self to avoid injury while practicing yoga asana or simply standing in line at the grocery store.

Because Jamie is an Anusara instructor, there was much talk of "loops" & "spirals" & such. Honestly Anusara verbiage can make my head spin.  So, I try not to get lost in the lingo.

Here are the directions for proper alignment as I understand them mentally and feel them physically. If any Anusara instructors wish to correct or comment, you are greatly welcome to do so.

In Tadasana:

1. Stand with feet hip width apart. The outside ankle bone lines up with the greater trochanter(the big outside thigh bone) All 10 toes point forward.
2. Lift up through the toes and spread them wide. Spread the toes evenly through the great and little toe. Get the feeling of the little toe wanting to touch the heel.
3. Lift up through the inner and outer arches of the feet.
4. Draw your awareness to your heels and energetically (isometrically) lift the heels and move them back.
*we are not really lifting the feet here. We are simply finding balance between the front and back of the feet.
5. Press the shins in towards one another.
*Very subtle movement. To get an idea of how this feels, lean forward, place your hands on the outsides of your lower legs and kind of press the lower legs towards the mid line. Again, there won't be much movement.
6. Bring you awareness to your knees. Take note to neither lock the knees nor bend them.  If your feet, ankles and shins are aligned, your knees will feel charged up and buoyant.
 *this was the most awesome feeling. My knees are often very cranky and I let the thighs do most of the work by keeping a very slight bend in my knees. However, lining up correctly through my lower body allows my knees to be an integral part as opposed to a couple of bystanders. I don't know how else to explain it.
7. Press the thighs back and wide. Literally. take your fingers to your thighs and press them back. Now find the widening in the sit bones.
8. Engage the pelvic floor *think kegel exercises.
9. Scoop the tailbone.
10. Bring the hands to the bottom of the rib cage and lift through the side body.
11. Raise the shoulders up. This is a very exaggerated movement. Really lift the shoulders up towards the ears. Then move them back and allow the shoulder blades to move down the back and hug in towards the heart.
12. Keep the shoulders active. Relax the arms.
13. Lengthen through the sides of the neck. Find the place in your vision where your eyes are balanced between the upper & lower lids.

Rest here & breathe.