Tag Archives: Yoga Pose

Jun29

Yoga Pose: Wheel Pose!

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8 hours.  8 hours of work is all that stands in my way of vacation in Maine with Michael.  I can’t wait and am really looking forward to unwinding, relaxing and recharging.  Out plans include hiking in Acadia National Park, doing a whale watch to see PUFFINS (so excited for that), checking out lighthouses, kayaking on the ocean, bike rides, a winery, golfing and of course lobsters and seafood for meals!   We’ll be making sure to see fireworks for the 4th of July too!  The most exciting part to me is sitting on the deck overlooking the ocean drinking my morning coffee and enjoy wine and cheese with the sunset.  It’s the little things in life that excite me honestly.  I hope to feel inspired to post some pictures when we are relaxing but forgive me if enjoying the moment wins out.  Don’t worry though! I have lined up a couple amazing blogger friends to guest post!  Seriously, I love these ladies blogs and am continually inspired by their writing so I hope you enjoy the guest posts as much as I do!   I also have a post for you all about staying healthy at summer barbecues and parties…just in time for 4th of July! It’ll be a good week of blog reads I can promise that!

Today, let’s chat about wheel pose.  It’s been awhile since I’ve done a yoga pose post and I’ve been obsessed with wheel lately.  I enjoy the pose because it is challenging both mentally and physically.  It is hard to position yourself and continually lift your hips all while maintaining even breath and finding peace in the pose.  Asanas that have me upside down like wheel, shoulder stand and head stand make me nervous and definitely don’t come naturally; but they do feel awesome!  I’ve always wanted to build strength and confidence to go from wheel to standing and back down.  I think it’s beautiful and am always impressed with yogis and yoginis who can do that.  I’ve been adding wheel pose into every practice to help build strength in the pose and to overcome my fear and discomfort.

LOVE Wheel Pose!

I love wheel pose mostly for the stretch I feel in my chest and the expansion in my lungs.  The bend in the low back can relieve a lot of stress that builds up and is not released with forward bending poses.   The pose is so challenging since it works your entire body including your wrists, arms, legs, abs and back.   With the positioning of your head (being tilted back) it stimulates the thyroid and pituitary glands.  To maximize the benefits of this pose you often come into and out of the pose multiple times.  Most instructors do three to five rounds of the pose.

My favorite way to enter the pose is towards the end of my practice.   I usually take one or two bridge poses (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) before coming into wheel.   This allows me to stretch my quads, abs and shoulders before entering the more challenging pose.  If you don’t like bridge try cobra, upward dog and hero to help you achieve the same thing.   When I’m ready to start the pose I lay flat on my back.  I start by taking a few deep breaths and calming my body.  Next I bend my knees and walk them in as close to my sits bones as possible and bend my arms placing my palms flat on the floor next to my ears, my fingers point towards my shoulders.   I start by pushing my feet to the floor and lifting my pelvis to the sky.  When I first get into the pose I continue to lift my pelvis and take a few breaths.  I then begin to work my shoulders open by pushing into my palms and taking three to five breaths.  To come out I think about lowering my neck on the floor and then slowly come down rolling vertebrae by vertebrae.  Generally,  I enter into the pose two more times for a total of 3 times.  Since my goal is to eventually go to standing I work to straighten my legs and walk them closer to my shoulders to deepen the pose.  To counter the pose come in to a seated spinal twist or lay in child’s pose with your hands resting palms up on the low back.

Source: google.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Props can be really helpful in this pose.  Using a strap can help you to better understand your alignment.  One suggestion is to take a strap and make a loop with it.  Make the loop wide enough so that your feet and legs can be hip width and not any wider.  Step into the loop and position it just above your knees on the thighs.  When you lift in to wheel the strap will help to keep your legs parallel and will prevent your legs from splaying open due to a tight groin.  Blocks are also very helpful to use under the hands or feet.  The can help you to lift further to deepen the pose by straightening your arms or legs more.  I’ve found them very helpful  as I try to progress the pose.  They give you a feel of a progressed pose so you know what to work towards.  One of my all time favorite props is an instructor.  They often stand between your head,  and you can grab their ankles or feet.  Depending on where you are tight they can help to lift your pelvis to deepen the pose or work with you to help push your shoulder blades away from the body.  Either feel great and again help you to better understand how to progress the pose.

I love wheel for its challenge but also for all the ways you can progress the pose.  I often find that I have a renewed sense of energy when I come out.  On top of that, it makes my back feel amazing!

Ok, I’m off to get this day going! Enjoy these words for the weekend….

Source: etsy.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Do you practice wheel pose?  Do you feel a renewed sense of energy from the pose?  What is your favorite variation?  Are you able to go from wheel to standing and back down?  Does being upside make you uncomfortable? Are you on vacation this week too?

May10

Yoga Pose: Matsyasana or Fish!

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Hey!   I really love Thursdays, I’m not sure why but part of me feels like if I make it to Thursday the hard part is over and I can relax a little.  I also I am usually very motivated to get things done that I don’t care to do over the weekend so Thursdays are productive for me!  Last night I got in a nice and easy 3 mile run.  It was gray and raining but I really didn’t mind.  I love running in the rain.  The parks are usually empty and there is a certain solitude when it’s raining in Boston.  The sound of the rain on the water, the sound of my shoes on the wet pavement and the water on my face calms me in a way a run on a sunny day can’t.   The warm shower after always feels particularly good too!

I’ve been hiding in the yoga studio a lot lately.  The past few weeks have been rainy in Boston, I haven’t been in the mood to run and I have had a lot on my mind.  All three of those things motivate me to find my mat.  I take classes from a few different instructors at different yoga studios, each class is different and the flows always vary.  Lately all of my instructors have us spending some time in fish pose.   When I first learned fish pose I didn’t really enjoy it, I couldn’t relax and I didn’t enjoy my neck and head being tilted back so far.  Over the years I’ve learned to embrace the pose and now I really enjoy how much it opens my heart.

Fish Pose with Legs in Lotus

Fish pose or Matsyasana in Sanskrit is the counter pose to Shoulder Stand.  It is a heart opener and stretches the shoulders and neck while strengthening the back.  The stretching and strengthening can help to correct rounded-shoulders.  The back bending aspect of the pose stretches and stimulates the muscles and organs of the stomach and throat.  The back and shoulders are strengthened by supporting the weight of your body.  The pose has been known to help relieve menstrual cramps and constipation while the back band portion of the pose can alleviate back pain.  The opening of the chest encourages deep breathing and can relieve respiratory issues like asthma.  The pose stimulates the anahata chakra or heart center, this can help to relieve emotional stress and anxiety.  It took me a few years to find comfort in the pose to really experience the heart opening benefits but I have always noticed the deeper breathing I am to do in the pose.

Fish Pose

Traditionally the pose is done with your legs in lotus pose or Padmasana.  Practicing the pose in this way is very advanced and is  too much for many beginning students.  I’ve only entered the pose a few times this way and have found it to be very intense.  I recommend practicing the pose with your legs straight out in front of you and pressed against the floor or with your knees bent.

  • To  enter the post begin with your legs straight out in front of you or your knees bent and feet on the floor.  Lower down so you are laying on your back.
  • Inhale and left your pelvis off the floor, place your hands under your butt so they create the shape of a diamond.
  • Lower your pelvis down as you exhale.   Bring your elbows and forearms close to your torso so they are inline with your body.
  • Slowly inhale and press against your forearms and elbows as you lift your chest and neck and come into a back bend.  Slowly lower your head to so either the back or crown of your head is resting on the floor depending on the deepness of your back bend.   Most of your weight should be supported in your forearms, elbows and back.
  • Relax and breathe for 5 to 8 breaths.
  • When ready slowly come out of the pose and lower on to your back on the exhale.
  • On your inhale bring your knees to your chest and give them a hug to stretch out your lower back.

Fish is a pose where props are really good for beginners.  A rolled blanket can be placed under the arch of the back for added support or laid out flat for the head to rest on.  Both uses of the prop can make the pose more comfortable and can allow you to relax and breathe deeper which will help you to enjoy the benefits of the heart opener.  There aren’t any poses that are done specifically in preparation for fish pose but this is the counter pose for shoulder stand.  I usually always try to follow shoulder stand with fish pose as the opening feels great on my shoulders after having supported my weight in shoulder stand.

Next time you are in fish pose try to breathe deeply and experience the heart opening of the pose!

Do you enjoy fish pose?  Have you had trouble entering the pose because of the stress it can put on the head and neck?  Do you counter your shoulder stands with fish pose?  Do you find you are able to breath deeply in fish pose?

Mar8

Yoga Pose: One-Legged King Pigeon

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Happy Thursday! It’s supposed to be almost 67 degrees in Boston today and I could not be more excited! I’m planning on doing a 6 mile speed workout tonight and hopefully will get to wear some shorts!  Running this week has been kind of funny.  Tuesday morning it was a brisk 20 degrees out with a feels like temperature of 9 degrees.  It was cold.  Yesterday’s run was a little bit warmer with temperatures in the mid-30s.  I could tell even at 5:30am that it was going to be a warm day yesterday.  The world seemed to be waking up from the quiet, cold slumber of winter, the ducks were on the Charles River, there were more runners out and I saw the first sign of the rowers getting their boats and oars out for the spring season.  It definitely put a smile on my face. Tonight I’m hoping to run in shorts but for Saturday’s 18 miler temperatures will likely only be in the 30′s.  Crazy, right?

I wanted to talk about one of my most favorite yoga poses today, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or One-Legged King Pigeon pose.  Why do I love it so much?  It’s a hip opener and feels great on my tight hips after runs and can release a lot of tension.  Yes, our hips can carry a lot of tension, stress and emotion.  Especially for women.  Our hips can become tight and uncomfortable but this pose works to release all of this.  Some days this pose feels like heaven.  And with my recent tight hips thanks to marathon training you can bet I’m in this pose all the time.

King Pigeon Pose

You can get in to this pose in many ways but I’ll share my favorite…

  • Get into a comfortable down-dog pose.
  • Lift one of your legs toward the sky so you enter into down-dog split.
  • Bend the knee and open the hip.  Take a few deep breaths here.
  • Then in one motion square the hips, and bring the leg through so the outside of the foot is on the mat with the toes facing the wrist.
  • Slowly lower down.  Your front leg should be bent and as close to a 90 degree angle as possible or comfortable.
  • Check your back leg.  It should be straight and your toes should point directly backward.
  • Square your hips towards the front of your mat.
  • You should be able to comfortably sit up here with your knee bent in front of you and your back leg straight.
  • This pose may be enough for you if you have tight hips.  If that’s the case work to open the shoulders and chest.
  • To deepen the pose lower your upper body over your bent leg by coming to your forearms or relaxing all the way down.

Pigeon

  • Breathe deep and bring light and love into your tight hips.
  • To come out of the pose lift your torso so you are sitting comfortably again.
  • Lay your hands flat on the mat, roll your toes under your back foot and come back into down-dog split.
  • Bend you knee in down-dog split and open your hip.
  • Bring your leg back down and rest in down-dog for a moment.
  • Repeat on the other side.

Pigeon pose stretches the thighs, groins and psoas, abdomen, chest and shoulders, and neck.  It can also help stimulate the abdominal organs.  It stretches and opens the shoulders and chest.  And can help to relieve impinged piriformis muscle and relieve sciatic pain.  This pose is great for many athletes.  It helps to relieve the stress that is transferred to our knees from tight hips and improves a range of motion.

This pose is not recommended for those who have a sacroiliac or back injury and ankle or knee injuries.  In the case of extremely tight hips this pose is not recommended either as you should start with other hip openers before moving on to this pose.

The pose can also be advanced in to King Pigeon pose with a one arm or two arm back bend for a deeper total body stretch.

One-Arm King Pigeon

For those looking to start advancing but can’t quite reach their foot the use of a strap can help.  Simply hook the strap over the foot and bring the end of the same shoulder as back leg and gently pull the strap to help bring the foot closer to the butt.

For the truly advanced a two arm back bend would be appropriate and can be advanced even further with the use of a twist.

King Pigeon with Twist

From there you can move on to the variation called pigeon crescent.

Pigeon Crescent

See lots of variations and options in this pose! I truly love this pose.  Sometimes I take it deep and other days I back off and am more gentle with the pose.  Either way I chose it helps to open my hips, release emotion and makes my body happy.  I work it into almost every yoga practice since I love it so much.  My advice for taking this pose to the more advanced variations is to move slowly to the next level and only go as far as you are comfortable.

I leave you with a YouTube Video that explains the pose, how to enter it and align yourself properly and how to use props to help you get comfortable and properly aligned.  Sometimes words and pictures just isn’t the same as a video!


Do you enjoy pigeon pose? Do you use any of the variations?  Do you include this into your practice?  As a runner have you tried pigeon pose to open your tight hips?