NavasanaBoat Pose nah-VAHS-anna par-ee-POOR-nah nah-VAHS-anna also known as Naukasana, Ardha Navasana or Paripurna Navasana Naukā (नौका) = A small boat Ardha (अर्ध) =Half Paripūrṇa (परिपूर्ण) = Complete Nava (नावा)= A boat Paripūrṇanavasana (परिपूर्णनावासन) Asana (आसन) = Pose, Posture, Seat (Sanskrit Devanagari translations www.wikapedia.org and wisdomlib.org) Boat pose in its simplest description makes a balancing “V” shape. Paripūrṇanavasana, mostly known as navasana, is a seat balance posture that requires significant strength in the muscles of the back, hip flexors core and thighs. There are many exciting variations of navasana that increase the balance challenge and need additional flexibility. For this set we will focus on the foundational options. Similar postures such as ubhaya padangusthasana (balancing big toe posture) and urdhva mukha paschimottanasana (upward facing intense stretch pose) will be well served by cultivating a steady boat before adding variations with greater leverage and increased hamstring flexibility. The pose navasana (paripūrṇanavasana) is found in Pattabhi Jois’s ashtanga primary series after the rotational marichyasana set and before the arm balance bhujapidasana. In the ashtanga series the poster is repeated five times in a row with either a seated lift, or a handstand between each boat pose. Each round is held for five deep breaths (approximately 30-60 seconds) In B.K.S. Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga” he lists two variations back to back starting with paripūrṇanavasana (the full boat) and following with ardha navasana (half or low boat). Navasana in this text is preceded by dandasana the staff pose and followed by gomukhasana (cow face pose). Iyengar also recommends building up to 30 seconds or more of hold. He does note that one doesn’t need to stay very long to feel the effects of the pose and anyone who has attempted it will usually feel the core work almost immediately. This pose is very simple in shape, but the boat requires concentration and strength not to sink. Simple does not mean easy. Practicing the boat pose variations will improve the core strength which helps support the health of the low back. If you have a sensitive back there are preparatory options that might be a better fit for you to build up to the full boat without straining your back. How to do Paripūrṇanavasana
How to do Ardha Navasana From Seated
Dandasana- Staff Pose Utkatasana- Chair Pose Counter PosesBaddha Konasana- Bound Angle Pose (with a softer back position- let it round a bit) Any easy twist to release the spine and abdominals. ReferencesIyengar, B.K.S. (1966) Light on Yoga, Yoga Dipiki. (3rd Edition) NY, United States of America. Schocken Books Inc Swenson, D. (1999) Ashtanga Yoga, the Practice Manual. (6th Edition) (Woodruff, C, Ed.). Houston, TX, United States of America. Ashtanga Yoga Productions. www.wikapedia.org www.wisdomlib.org About Chris Loebsack
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Dancers Pose aka Lord of the Dance Pose - Standing Balance Pose/Back BendNot-ah-raj-AHS-uh-nuh Nata (नट) = Dancer, Actor, Mime Raja (राज)= King Asana (आसन, Āsana) = Pose, Posture, Seat (devanagari script- wikipedia.org) This posture simultaneously evokes grounding and expansion as it combines standing balance with a back-bend. The pose was given its name Nataraja as one of the Hindu God Shiva’s incarnations as the lord of the dance. This incredible shape presents itself in classical Indian Dance and is depicted in many statues and artistic renderings. The posture is not found in earlier yogic texts, but makes its way into the yoga set of movements during the times of Krishnamacharya in the 20th century. Krishnamachaya’s brother-in-law and one of his earliest students B.K.S. Iyengar features this posture in his text “Light on Yoga” (p420-422). Iyengar states,”This difficult balancing asana develops poise and a graceful carriage as it tones and strengthens the leg muscles. The shoulder-blades get full movement and the chest expands fully. All vertebral joints benefit from the exercise of this pose.” There are many variations of dancers that range from easier preparations to incredible contortions. Variations will be shown in photos. The breakdown listed will be for the more intermediate dancers variation as seen in the photo above. How to do natarajasana pose - basic version
Benefits
Preparatory posesTadasana Vrksasana Anjaneyasana Anahatasana Counter posesTwists forward folds References Tumee.com Iyengar, B.K.S. (1966) Light on Yoga, Yoga Dipiki. (3rd Edition) NY, United States of America. Schocken Books Inc. About Chris Loebsack
Go Wide: Prasarita padottanasana the standing wide leg forward fold pose by Chris Loebsack10/11/2020 Prah-suh-rita paad-oh-taan-ahh-Suh-nuh Prasarita (प्रसारित) = Spread out Pada (पाद) = Foot Uttan (उत्तान) = Extended Asana (आसन) = Pose, Posture, Seat (www.wikipedia.org) This posture is a standing wide leg forward fold that has several variations. As like many of the standing postures you will not find this pose in ancient texts or images, rather this posture appears in the 1900’s in the teachings of Krishnamacharya. This pose is predominantly displayed in the primary series of Ashtanga Yoga by Pathabbi Jois with four specific variations labeled A, B, C,& D. B.K.S. Iyengar also uses this posture in his work, “Light on Yoga”. Seated and supine variations known as upavista konasana and supta konasana use the same shape with differences in gravitational direction and weight bearing. How to do utkata konasana A
Benefits
Preparatory posesReclining Angle Pose (Supta Konasana)
Seated Wide Leg Forward Fold (Upavistha Konasana) Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana) 5 pointed Star Pose References Utkatasana. www.ashtangayoga.info, Retrieved 6 August 2020. Kona www.wisdomlib.org Retrieved 4 August 2020 Swenson, D. (1999) Ashtanga Yoga, the Practice Manual. (6th Edition) (Woodruff, C, Ed.). Houston, TX, United States of America. Ashtanga Yoga Productions. www.ashtangayoga.info www.tummee.com About Chris Loebsack
Handstand (Downward Facing Tree Pose) - Advanced Inversionah-doh moo-kah virk-SHAHS-anna Adho (अधस्)= Downward Mukha (मुख) = Face Vrksa (वृक्ष)= Tree Asana (आसन) = Pose, Posture, Seat (www.en.wikipedia.org) One of the most powerful poses in yoga is the handstand. This posture can invoke pure joy and a sense of freedom when mastered, while even thinking about attempting it may induce fear for others. Our bodies are calibrated to an upright standing world. As such, literally turning our worlds upside down to balance on our hands carries a rage of challenges across the physical, mental and emotional spectrum. Once we understand the foundations of a handstand, it is actually quite accessible. Contrary to what many might think, the handstand is a physically safer option than some other inversions such as headstand or forearm stand. That said, any inversion should initially be learned under the direction of a qualified instructor to help guide the student through safe practices. One of the main obstacles in handstand is the fear of falling. Fear is not a bad thing in and of itself, the fear can help us cultivate accurate self assessment and encourage us to work the foundations and progressions to build the necessary physical strength and the confidence to explore the full pose. On the other side of it, fear can become an irrational blockade to trying inversions. There are students who clearly have all of the necessary physical tools and have the safety of a spotter or a clear wall and will still have a mental shutdown with inversions. It is another strong reason to train progressively as we need to build up deposits in the bank of personal trust to have the emotional safety to work on this type of skill. In many ways this pose is a more advanced mental and emotional posture than it is a physical one. Handstand training takes time and consistency to master. It is the posture of constant evolution and refinement. This pose that has been adopted by the yoga practice has many roots in acrobatics, gymnastics, circus, calisthenics, and cheer-leading. The current international standard for a handstand in the acrobatic community and beyond holds the handstand in a straight line. This was not always the case. In “Light on Yoga” by B.K.S. Iyengar, you will not find a straight handstand. His handstand is quite arched in the back and the handstand is used as more of a transition from wheel pose or as a pause in the jump forward. The same is true for the ashtanga lineage. Handstand in ashtanga is used more as a transition than it is practiced as a static posture. For our purposes in this round we will look only at the straight line static handstand. How to do Adho Mukha Vrksasana- Handstand
Notes on Variations and ModificationsThere are many variations of handstands that will come off of the straight line. We train the straight line so that we may choose to come off the line with control for other inspire variations rather than ending up off our line by default.
Additional Variations may include: Scorpion Hollow Back Handstand One Arm Handstand Leg Variations- Tuck, Straddle, Pike, Eagle, Lotus, Stag, etc. TadasanaMountain Pose aka Equal Standing Pose or Samasthiti Tah-DAH-SAH-nah (Sahm-mas-thi-tee-hee) Tada (ताड) = Mountain Asana (आसन) = Pose, Posture, Seat Tadasana (ताडासन) = Mountain Pose Samasthiti (समस्थिति) = Equal, Balanced Standing (Devanagari Script from www.wikapedia.org) Tadasana or mountain pose, is the ultimate foundation for all standing poses. It is a basic stance of standing upright with good posture. The pose is engaged but not rigid and cultivates grounding in the feet, and a “root to rise” energy as the crown of the head lifts to the sky. It allows us to stand in a receptive but powerful stance. It can be an easy pose to take for granted, but when given its full respect and attention we can dramatically improve our postural line in the spine and develop better balance. This posture did not appear in yoga texts until 1966 in Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga”. It did appear ,along with other asanas that are now part of the yoga lexicon, in “A Manual of Gymnastics” by Vyayama Dipika in 1867 and in “Anatomy of a Contortionist” by Thomas Dwight in 1889. Yoga had gathered a great deal of postures from the gymnastic and acrobatic community that merged into the yoga sequences and become part of the modern yoga sequences. The hatha yoga variations of tadasana have a wider stance of the feet than the vinyasa tradition. You will also find tadasana at the start of most vinyasa classes and the beginning of surya namaskar or sun salutations. In the ashtanga tradition it is listed as samasthiti, a balanced standing pose. The pose shape is the same whether you call it tadasana or samasthiti. Tadasana is the actual pose and the word samasthiti, however is more of a command of your attention. By its very definition samastitihi asks us to become aware of the balanced feeling and to tune into where our weight is most centered. Samasthiti opens us up to the mindful attention we need to bring to our postures. As tadasana is often the first pose of a sequence it is not surprising then to hear the term samasthiti added to encourage the art of mindfulness from the very beginning of the set. How to do tadasana
For better balance take the feet wider. Try different hand variations to mix things up. Benefits
Preparatory poses and exercises Constructive Rest Pelvic Tilts Thigh Rotation- with straight leg Reclining Mountain Crocodile Pose- Yin ReferencesIyengar, B.K.S. (1966) Light on Yoga, Yoga Dipiki. (3rd Edition) NY, United States of America. Schocken Books Inc. Singleton, M. (2010) Yoga Body, the Origins of Modern Posture Practice. NY, United States of America. Oxford University Press, Inc. Swenson, D. (1999) Ashtanga Yoga, the Practice Manual. (6th Edition) (Woodruff, C, Ed.). Houston, TX, United States of America. Ashtanga Yoga Productions. www.wikapedia.org Chris Loebsack, 500 E.R.Y.T, fell in love with yoga in 1995 and began teaching in 2003. Chris uses the power of yoga to create a space for students that cultivates trust, playfulness and Divine connection with themselves and with community. Living by her mantra, Clarity, Integrity and Love, she draws upon her partner yoga practice to share the healing power of touch and safe intimacy. A passion for discovering subtlety in movement has lead Chris to deepen her education with the Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers® kinesiology program. Her playful yet focused classes are filled with user friendly gems of applied anatomy leaving students with a greater understanding of how to find comfort and space in their bodies and smiles beaming across their faces. She encourages teachers to set a higher standard of excellence through knowledge and has become a valuable mentor to many upcoming yoga educators. Chris's Teaching Schedule |
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