Courageous Heart Mudra 

Abhaya Hridaya Mudra

Find the courage to open the heart…

Our Zamasana for October is actually not an asana, but rather a mudra (a hand gesture).

Abhaya means without fear or courage and hridaya is the heart. This mudra seals all of the fingers accessing the energy channels in the body, clearing fear and opening the heart.

To practice abhaya hridaya mudra…

1. Sit comfortably and connect to your heart space.

2. Cross your wrists with the right hand on top.

3. Place your hands in front of your chest with the backs of your hands touching. The right hand will be closer to your heart.

4. Slowly interlace your little fingers, ring fingers and middle fingers.

5. Join the tips of your index fingers and thumbs to create two circles.

6. Experience the quietude and energetic sensations of this practice. Allow your emotions to flow and flux if they need to and rest in the peace of knowing.

For September, we have chosen a simple, shoulder releasing posture that is suitable for all students! If you’re sitting at a desk all day or struggle with a stiff neck, back or shoulders this is a great way to release tension and stretch those achy muscles.

Thread the Needle Pose opens up the muscles in the shoulders, chest, arms, upper back, and neck. This pose is also a small spinal twist, which further reduces tension and cleanses and detoxifies the body. Depending on your flexibility there are many variations of this pose available. By sitting back on your heels in the posture a lovely stretch will be felt in the hips, thighs, and lower back areas!

How to practice thread the needle:

1. Start by coming onto your hands and knees, into Table pose. Adjust your knees so that they are hip distance apart and directly underneath your hips, hands directly under shoulders. Tuck your toes under your feet.
2. As you exhale, bring your right arm underneath your left arm. Keep your right palm facing upward. Continue to move your arm until your right shoulder is touching the mat and you are able to rest your right ear and cheek on the floor. Shift your gaze toward the left.
3. Hold and breathe in the posture. Letting any tension in your shoulders melt away. Stay here for 3-6 breaths (or longer if you want a deeper stretch).
4. To release push up through your right hand and come back up into Table pose.
5. Repeat on the left side!

This month we will practice Ajapa Japa in each class.

Ajapa Japa is the repetition of a memorised mantra, with constant awareness of it’s meaning. We will chant the mantra “So Ham” (pronounced “So Hum”), which translates to “I am He”, meaning “I am the Universe, Divine, Creative Consciousness, God” or your interpretation of “All”.

The sadhana of Ajapa Japa is an ancient mindfulness practice. The practice helps withdraw your awareness of the outside world, and find an inner focus, where you can be free from everyday stress, and find a sense of quiet and calm.

To practice . . .

1. Sit in a comfortable meditation posture, like Sukhasana, with blankets, bolsters, zafus or other props as needed. Ensure the knees are lower than the hips.
2. Assume a mudra if you choose. Jnana mudra with the tips of the thumb and index finger touching and the back of the hand resting on the knees in Sukhasana is a mudra for knowledge and wisdom, and is a common meditation mudra to use.
3. As you inhale, mentally repeat “So”.
4. As you exhale, mentally repeat “Ham”.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 up to 108 times (a complete mala).
6. Reverse the breathing (inhale to “Ham” and exhale to “So”) and repeat up to 108 times.

The July Zamasana of the month is Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, more commonly known as Half Pigeon Pose. Half Pigeon is the king of all hip opening poses, providing a deep stretch that will open up the hip joint and lengthen the hip flexor muscles.  It also leads to a great stretch for other muscles in the body such as the shoulder, chest and abdomen regions. Practicing this pose will do wonders for your posture and body alignment, as well as stimulating internal organs.

This pose is simple to practice and can even be practiced while you’re watching Offspring 😉

Practice Half Pigeon pose:

1. From Downward Facing Dog, lift your right leg high behind you. Swing it forward and bring the outer part of the leg down to the floor, bending the knee and lowering your pelvis, keeping your chest lifted. Bring the right knee behind the right wrist and the right foot behind the left wrist, with a flexed right foot. The right foot can come back towards the left hip but make sure the point at the middle of your shin bone is perpendicular to the centre line of the body (the spine). Keep the left leg out long behind you.
2. If you want to feel a deeper sensation, you can walk your fingertips in front of your shin, coming down onto your palms, forearms, or even fold forwarding to rest your forehead on the top of your hands or the floor. If you experience knee pain in the left leg, place a folded blanket underneath.
3. Hold for at least one minute on either side.

We look forward to practicing Half Pigeon with you in July!

The Zamasana for the month of June is Vasisthasana, better known as Side Plank. Building a strong core is very important for preventing back pain and supporting your body in everyday life. Planks strengthen your arms, wrists and legs and improve overall balance and concentration (must..focus..). Side planking has a few extra benefits, like improving scoliosis, and trains your side muscles, creating greater stability. 

Here are the steps to practice side plank:

1. Put your supporting hand directly below the shoulder; straighten the arm by engaging the triceps and pressing the grounded palm into the mat. Make sure to press the index and thumb finger flat into your mat. Keep the alignment straight so you don’t hyperextend the arm. A microbend in the elbow can help.
2. Contract your shoulder and lower abdominal muscles against the back torso and engage the entire core.
3. Use your thighs to lift the hips up and away from the mat.
4. Pull your body into one long diagonal line extending from the crown to the heel of the grounded foot.
5. While keeping your head and neck in a neutral position, or gazing up towards the sky, you can extend the top arm, keeping the hand directly above the shoulder.
6. Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths. Make sure to breathe and if you can’t, try measuring the distance between the right hand and right foot and step the left foot halfway up the mat and turn the toes out to the right to help support the pose. Perform this variation until you are performing a comfortable full side plank variation. You may also lower the bottom knee to the floor for additional support if you find it difficult to lengthen both legs.

Enjoy Vasisthasana in June!

The Zamasana for the month of May is Ustrasana, better known as Camel Pose. There are many great benefits to practicing this pose, including the strengthening of the back, opening up of the shoulders, chest and quads as well as boosting your energy levels for a positive outlook! This pose is also prescribed to counter the effects of over eating and improve digestion.

Here are the steps to practice camel pose:

Instruction
1. Come up onto your knees, with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips and keep your hips over your knees and internally rotate your thighs, squeezing them toward each other.

2. Inhale and engage your belly, and reach into your tailbone towards the back of your knees, creating space between your lower 
vertebrae.

3. With another inhalation, lift your sternum and draw your elbows towards one other, allowing your rib cage to expand slowly.

4. Keep your chest raised and your core engaged. Keep your spine long and make sure your chin is tucked as you drop your hands toward your heels.

5. Press the heels of your hands into the heels of your feet while placing your fingers over the soles of your feet. Keep lifting using your sternum with steady inhaling and exhaling. You can tuck the toes for extra lift if required. Alternatively, you can place the palms of your hands on your buttocks or lower back, rather than your heels, for a less intense version of the posture.

6. Next, lift your shoulders to allow the trap muscles between the shoulder blades to rise up and cushion your cervical spine. Gently lower the head and neck and gaze at the tip of your nose. Take a few breaths here. If you have neck issues, do not take the head back.

7. To leave the pose, slowly bring your chin back toward your chest and your hands to your hips with your thumbs on your lower back. Engage the lower belly and use your hands to support the lower back as you come up slowly to exit this pose.

Enjoy Ustrasana for May!

Our Zamasana of the month for March is Utkata Konasana, more commonly known as Goddess Pose. The Sanskrit name for this pose, Utkata Konasana (oot-KAH-tuh cone-AHS-uh-nuh), comes from three words: Utkata- meaning “powerful” or “fierce”, Kona- meaning “angle and Asana- meaning “pose”.

This pose targets several muscle groups to stretch and strengthen your chest, arms and lower body.

To practice Goddess Pose:

1. From a standing position take the feet 3 feet apart and turn the feet to 45 degrees facing the corners of the room. Take the arms out at shoulder height, bend the elbows and turn the palms to face each other. As you exhale bend the knees to a right angle, over the ankle, squatting down.

2. Press the hips forward and the knees back. Drop the shoulders down and press the chest toward the front of the room. Keep the arms active, as if they were holding a big ball over your head. Look straight ahead with the chin parallel to the floor.

3. Breathe and hold for 3-6 breaths.

4. To release, inhale and straighten the legs, reaching the fingertips to the ceiling, then exhale the arms to the sides.

Goddess Pose will build outer and inner strength. If you’d like to deepen or lighten the pose, try these simple changes to find a variation that works best for you:

Raise your arms straight overhead, shoulder-distance apart.

• Press your palms together in prayer position overhead.
• Bring your hands into prayer position at your chest.
• Rest your hands on your hips.
• Place your palms on your thighs.

For an even greater challenge, lift yourself onto the balls of your feet, while keeping your thighs parallel to the floor and your knees over your toes.

Challenge yourself with our zamasana of the month!

We are starting off our February with the Fish Pose, or Matsyasana. The Sanskrit name for Fish Pose refers to Matsya, who was an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu. The story goes that long ago, the earth had become corrupt and was going to be overtaken by a flood. Vishnu, who was charged with preserving the universe, turned himself into a fish called Matsya.  Just as Matsya re-balanced earth and ocean, so practicing Fish Pose can be a way of reestablishing your focus and giving you resiliency when you feel gravity laden.

There are so many great benefits to fish pose including:

• Matsyasana is the “destroyer of all diseases.”
• Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas) and the muscles (intercostals) between the ribs
• Stretches and stimulates the belly muscles &  the front of the neck
• Stretches and stimulates the organs of the belly and throat
• Strengthens the muscles of the upper back and back of the neck
• Improves overall posture

Start your February feeling focused and re-balanced with our zamasana of the month. Aislinn helps to demonstrate how to get into this pose:

[wpvideo EEt1735A]

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Happy new year, beloved Zamis! We hope you’re feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after a holiday season spent with family and friends (…and food).

For January, to start 2016 off in a gentle, relaxed way, we’re going to be celebrating our favourite way to chill out: Legs-up-the-Wall pose, Viparita Karani.  ‘Viparita’ means inverted, and ‘karani’ means action – so by putting your legs up the wall you are actively allowing the body to relieve stress and realign – try it, it feels sooo good!

This pose improves circulation, and gravity will move any stagnant fluids stuck in the legs and feet, as well as relieving tired leg muscles. Basically, you get all the benefits of an inversion – like regulating blood pressure – without having to hold a handstand! Perfect for the tired body. And of course, this pose helps to still the mind and bring you to a quiet place, ready to face the new year with fresh clarity and purposeful, positive intentions.

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