Article by: Megan Stremick
Pose: Plank
All I have to do to motivate myself to work on toning and building arm strength is play one of the many home movies that captures my grandmother wearing a sleeveless top and waving at the camera. Oh the humanity of the dreaded arm jiggles! Even with all of her hard work in the kitchen, kneading dough to make fresh pasta and rolling a million Italian meatballs her arms could not escape the flab.
While you may not create cut biceps by pounding out chicken picata, you don’t have to look foolish trying to lift weights next to the 300 pound gorilla at the gym either. Just begin with Plank and come back next week to check out how to move from plank into a full Push-up (Caturanga Dandasana) and really make those arm muscles work harder.
Plank Benefits:
Tone, Tone, Tone
Builds strength and tones your abs, arms, wrists, and back (especially when you keep your back straight and engage your core).
Plank How To:
- Begin in Downward Facing Dog.
- Move the torso forward while keeping the hands and feet stationary—the shoulders are now in line with the wrists.
- If you’ve ever seen someone doing a push up or you’ve done them yourself, this would be the starting position.
- Stay long in the spine by looking straight down, not letting your pelvis drop, and keeping your stomach and thighs engaged.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute then push back into down dog.
- Hold in down dog for five deep breaths and repeat. Sit back in child’s pose at any time to take a break by placing your knees on the mat, resting your tailbone on your heels, tops of the feet flat on the mat, arms down by your side and forehead resting on the mat.
Diva Plank Caution:
Those with carpal tunnel syndrome should do this pose on their knees or disregard completely and work on holding down dog for 5 deep breaths at a time.
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Article By: Megan Stremick
Pose: Childs Pose
There is a little child in everyone of us just screaming to get out but once released this child doesn’t say “let’s go on a roller coaster ride and eat cotton candy till we puke!”, this child whispers in a soft little voice “rest, relax, and just be”. This pose is reminiscent of when I was a little girl and my mom would let me stay up late to watch Bambi. I sat on the comfy shag carpet in a ball in front of the TV and felt so comfortable in my own little world—that is until my brother would push me over and tickle me until I cried, but it was oh so nice while it lasted.
Today, I routinely practice Childs Pose, and I don’t need to be watching Bambi to do it. I practice this pose as both a transition between a series of challenging asanas, or poses, and as a chance to take a rest and calm my thoughts. So let your inner child remind you to rest, relax, and just BE for a few moments out of everyday while you practice this pose.
Childs Pose Benefits:
Gently stretches the lower back, hips, and ankles
Relieves stress and tension
Childs Pose How To:
- Begin on your hands and knees, with the tops of your feet flat on your mat, knees out to a V and your big toes touching.
- Slowly lower your tailbone to your heels and your torso down between your thighs.
- Lengthen the neck and gently rest your forehead onto the mat.
- Place your arms on the mat by the sides of your torso, with your hands back by your feet, palms up.
- Stay here for at least three deep breaths if you are transitioning between poses or a few minutes if this is your only pose.
Childs Pose Caution:
Those with knee injuries should not attempt this pose unless properly supervised by a yoga teacher.
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Pose: Mountain Pose
Tadasana
Stand up straight! Who doesn’t want to walk into a room full of people and feel confident as they stand tall, hold their head up high, and exude a commanding presence? While confidence building may take some work– you don’t tape those daily affirmations to your bathroom mirror for nothing– your attention commanding posture doesn’t have to be difficult.
So, standing up straight is actually a pose, you ask? Yes, in fact, there is more to it than you think. This is a pose all in itself, but most commonly used as the starting position of all standing asanas (poses).
Mountain Pose Benefits:
Improves posture (and hopefully confidence)
Relieves sciatica
Helps to bring focus back to your yoga practice and to your body
Firms the thighs
Strengthens the abs
Mountain Pose How To:
- Stand Tall—arms by your sides with palms facing forward, centering yourself and finding your equilibrium of balance.
- Bring the big toes together and let the heels sit slightly a part spreading the toes. Ground down through your feet.
- Flex the thighs, lifting the knee caps up.
- Reaching up through the spine, feeling as if there is a string attached to the crown of your head and it pulling you up toward the sky.
- Relax the shoulders down away from your ears and squeeze the shoulder blades back creating space between the collarbones.
- Keep the chest lifted, take the arch out of your low back by drawing the sit bones toward your heels (it will feel like a gentle tucking forward of the pelvis).
Mountain Pose Caution:
Do not do this pose if you are suffering from severe headaches or low blood pressure.
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