New Year's Resolution Yoga Class!!

Sunday, January 2nd in Conway at 11:00am I will be hosting a new year's resolution yoga class.

This class will focus on action, empowerment and change.

Start the year off with a healthy, wholesome and well balanced mind and body!

Moon Salutations (Chandra Namaskar)

While the sun is very limited during the winter months, and we experience the moon and the night more than at other times of the year I have been inspired to practice the moon salutations, especially close to the time of the lunar eclipse!  Moon salutations, just like sun salutations are a way to warm the body, to get blood flowing and to devote your practice to the world around you as well as the world that is your body.  The sequence of postures flows and follows a deep breath accordingly.

Namaskar literally means "salutation," so, in practicing the salutation to the moon or the sun one may find it pleasant to (mentally) connect to the earth and, I suppose, the cosmos.  What I think is so great about moon salutations is that they follow the phases of the moon.  As you practice the sequence you will feel your body "waxing" and "waning."
This exercise is great for the lateral body, meaning the sides.  The progression of poses is great for strengthening the legs as well as stretching the inner thigh muscles.  It is also an ideal practice for opening the rib area and groin area.  The moon salutations are perfect for anyone feeling bogged down by the constant dark and winter impediments to physical movement.

1. Start in Mountain Pose (tadasana), arms lifted

2. Half moon (ardha chandrasana) bring lifted hands to left and then right

3.  Goddess pose (debbiasana) toes pointed 30 degrees out, bend knees, cactus arms

4. Star pose, legs about 3 feet apart, arms parallel to floor

5. Triangle pose (trikonasana) L foot pointed forward, R foot angled in, R hand up, L hand rests on thigh /shin

6. Bend over L leg, R heal pulls towards floor

7. Transition into runners lunge over L knee

8. Bring L knee to face side of mat, point R toes up

9. Shift back into Frog pose, elbows energized agains inside of knees

10-16. REVERSE CYCLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE to come back to Mountain pose!

Additional Chest Openers

Here is another idea for opening the chest and opening your heart.  Quite literally, I feel a weight lifted from my chest when I do this relaxing pose.  It is great for those moments in the winter when you feel yourself becoming negative or cranky because of the cold or perhaps the lack of sun.

These pictures show a bolster being placed along the spine starting at the lower back and across the lower back.  If you do not have a bolster, a rolled up blanket works just as well, but make sure that it is a firm blanket so as to support your back.

 

Be sure to practice your deep breathing in this posture.

                                                                     Relax and let go!

Winter Chest Opener Ideas

As winter sets in I find that I not only tighten my muscles to try to keep warm, but I also begin to slouch and lose posture.  In an effort to remedy my winter tendencies and laziness I have been practicing a few postures that could possibly re-institute a better way of carrying myself and will definitely stretch, release and comfort my tight chest and shoulders.

I have chosen a few postures to share on the blog in hopes that you might find them useful and practice them at home.  I encourage anyone who feels weighed down by the winter chill to use these postures to open the space within their body and warm their heart.

Mini Cobra

Mini Cobra: pelvis tilted forward, hands beneath shoulders hovering above ground, chest opens and radiates forward.  This pose is great for making space in the chest and strengthening the lower back.

Cobra (Bujangasana)

Cobra:  Similar to mini cobra, but the hands are energized and press into the floor to lift the torso higher off the ground.  This pose is also a chest opener and can act as an abdomen/groin stretch, it also strengthens the gluts.

Half Bridge (Ardha Sethu Bandhasana)

Half Bridge:  Feet are hip distance apart and below the knees, shoulders are slightly tucked underneath, hands clasp on the floor, thighs are engages to lift pelvis, gaze is upward.  This pose brings blood to the head (good for memory), strengthens the quadriceps and gluts and, of course, is great for opening the heart.

Bridge (Sethu Bandhasana)

Bridge:  feet are hip distance apart, knees do not splay out, hands are shoulder distance apart.  This pose can be reached by starting in half bridge and pushing up with the hands, it is a somewhat extreme stretch so only do it if you don't have wrist issues and feel capable.

Seated Strech/Easy sitting (Sukasana)

Seated pose: Sitz bones are grounded to the floor, spine is long and straight, hands reaching up high for a full side stretch.  This is a great stretch for the the side body (the latissimus dorsi).

Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana)

Half Moon:  Sitz bones are grounded, lower arm is reached as far out as possible, forearm may come down to floor, upper arm reaches up and out, torso faces forward.  This stretch opens the side body, especially the muscles between the ribs (the intercostal muscles).

 Keeping the spine mobil is very important, especially in the winter when it is easy to stay inside and not move much.  By moving the spine in the 6 different motions that it allows the blood in the torso begins to flow, the synovial fluid (the lubricant between vertebrae) is catalyzed and space is found within the muscles of the back (intercostal muscles between ribs, erector spinae alongside the spine, latissimus dorsi from side body up to the mid arm).

Cow

Cow: Belly drops towards the floor on the exhale, knees under hips, hands under shoulders.  

Cat

Cat: Inhale the spine towards the sky, head drops, hands under shoulders, knees under hips.

C Curve Right

C Curve: Knees under hips, hands under shoulders, bring ear towards hip.

C Curve Left

Shoulder Twist

Shoulder Twist: Starting in a table pose (on hands and knees with a flat back) Place one hand under the face raise other hand on inhale, exhale bring raised hand under and through the hand on the floor, bring shoulder to the floor. Do both sides.

Spinal Twist (Barhadvajrasana)

Spinal Twist: Left leg over the right leg, bring right elbow to left bent leg to twist deeper to the left, left hand acts as a kick stand behind to prop the spine up long and tall. Inhale lengthen up, exhale twist further. Do both sides.

3 Classes

There will be three classes this week.
The schedule is:

Friday the 17th
5:30-6:45pm
TGIF yoga for unwinding

Saturday the 18th
11:00am-12:15pm
Focus on back health yoga

Sunday the 19th
10:00-11:15am
Multi level yoga

Saturday and Sunday yoga classes! (12/4 and 12/5/10)

Two classes are scheduled to happen this weekend! 

Saturday December 4th
2:30pm-3:30pm  (with hang out + tea to follow)

Sunday December 5th
10:00am-11:00am (with possible pot-luck brunch to follow)

REMEMBER: 
-Please bring a personal yoga mat if you own one.  Some are available for borrowing if you do not own one. 

-All classes are Pay-What-You-Wish donation!

Welcome to Hill Top Yoga!

Hill Top Yoga is a community based yoga initiative started by Anna Meyer.  Through traditional hatha yoga practice, taught in the Kripalu style, Hill Top Yoga additionally focuses on the immersion and synthesis of the body, mind and spirit within the self.  Along with these goals is the hope that a neighborhood oriented yoga center will bring people of the community together within a safe, respectful and holistic space.

This blog is meant to provide a space for inquiries regarding current information, the Hill Top Yoga schedule and upcoming events.  In addition to this, Anna Meyer will be posting special yoga notes, specific posture advice and responses to questions asked.

The blog is meant to provide interested and curious students with direct contact with the instructor.  Questions about the philosophy, technical practice and history of yoga are encouraged!  This space will  provide an outlet for further inquiry and learning.