#marleen mulder

[dailycupofyoga]

Yoga Practice and the Appreciation of the Body in Forward Fold

Yoga Practice and the Appreciation of the Body in Forward Fold...

Very often when people talk to me about their first experience in yoga they are disappointed about their body, because their body is not flexible. They see their teacher and classmates folding into poses like origami and get discouraged. Or they search for yoga inspiration online and they find the most beautiful pictures of people in out-of-this-world yoga poses. “How am I ever going to get…

[imjustasmith]

name ten favourite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people. tagged by @josephdempsie (a thousand days ago lol)

dana scully (xfiles)

arya stark (asoiaf)

jaime lannister (asoiaf)

gendry (asoiaf)

liesel meminger (the book thief)

fox mulder (xfiles)

peter bishop (fringe)

gale (thg books)

elizabeth i (legacy and marleen lohse interpretation)

robert dudley (legacy)

[inthatstateofgrace]

Yoga Practice and the Appreciation of the Body in Forward Fold

Very often when people talk to me about their first experience in yoga they are disappointed about their body, because their body is not flexible. They see their teacher and classmates folding into poses like origami and get discouraged. Or they search for yoga inspiration online and they find the most beautiful pictures of people in out-of-this-world yoga poses. “How am I ever going to get there?”

Each time I tell them yoga is not about the acrobatics. It’s not about showing off skills. People who can bend and fold like that have practiced yoga for a long time and they love what they can do with their bodies. They have explored their body’s strength and flexibility and appreciate this every day.

This first experience is a wonderful thing; you have started a journey that is going to be wonderful if you allow your body to be as it is instead of focusing on all the things it is not. If you start with yoga you start exploring your body. You learn about its flexibility, about its strength, maybe for the first time in your life. And that is what the experience of yoga is all about. At least the physical experience.

And hear this: you cannot be good or bad at yoga. You cannot have or not have a natural talent for yoga. Or maybe I should say everyone has a natural talent for yoga. Because yoga is the exploration and appreciation of your body and anyone is capable of doing that.

When you practice yoga more often you will get to experience shifts in your body. With a regular practice of poses (asanas) you will find more and more ease like it is with anything you practice in life. One of the most wonderful things I find in yoga is that every time you find yourself on the mat, it will be different. Your body will be different. You find a pose you did not like becoming more easy. Or you get up in the morning and realise you cannot touch your toes like you did the last time in a forward fold. And these shifts will be part of the rest of your yoga journey. Each practice will be different.

This awareness of your body–muscles, bones, nerves, skin, breath–is a true life changer when you start a regular yoga practice. You start collecting data about your physical well-being, your body’s capacities, your focus, and your balance. With every practice you add new data to the study of your body. And you start to compare results. This awareness of your body and attention for all its little signs and signals is something I wish everyone would have in their life.

And if you want to you can explore these signs and signals and really listen to what your body is telling you. Are you experiencing a lot of stress? Do you sleep well? Do you eat well? Can you be kind to yourself? Can you be patient with yourself? Do you love yourself?

Body awareness

I think in today’s world we have forgotten about our bodies. We take it with us everywhere we go, but we don’t seem to be aware of it that much. Sure there are many of us concerned with what we look like and take care of this aspect very well. But I mean do we care about what our bodies feel like on a day to day basis? Or how our body feels during the day from morning to evening? I can imagine when you have an injury or suffering from chronic pains you will notice what your body feels like on a daily basis, yes. But that will most likely be a negative experience. What I mean is much more general. A general yet intentional love for the current state of your whole body and all its little details and wonderful capacities.

Yoga helps you to get this focus in your life. With yoga you learn to become very aware of your body so that you can appreciate, love and marvel at all that it is. For example your breath, flowing through you, giving you life. Your organs working every second to make sure you can live with or without your awareness of it. Your feet, carrying you everywhere you go. So many people say they hate their feet. Well, imagine life without them. They do so much for you, you should love them to bits you know!

Your yoga practice is a perfect moment to give your body the attention it deserves. And – this is one of my favourite plusses – the things you practice on the mat and the things you learn about your body, will eventually become a part of your off-the-mat-life too. You’ll be more considerate about your posture. You will be less inclined to ask too much of your body. You’ll be more aware of your breath. And more balanced overall.

Forward fold – Uttanasana

I was standing in Forward Fold or Uttanasana this morning and I decided to write this article. Forward fold is one of my favourite yoga poses. A delicious pose that is easy and beneficial for your health. After years of practicing yoga this is one of the poses that is so easy, yet tells you everything. If you don’t feel like yoga, don’t have time, just stand in a forward fold for one minute and you will feel totally different.

Personally when I stress, I build up a lot of tension in my neck, shoulders and jaw. Sometimes I don’t even notice it. I also do it in my sleep sometimes, waking up with a tight neck and painful jaw muscles. Then when I step on the mat and get into forward fold it feels like resetting it all. First I notice the tightness or pain some days. (Days I don’t practice in the morning I just start the day without noticing this and it will catch up with me somehow later during the day every time). Also some days I don’t feel tightness at all. I can just bend and even touch my toes!

Days when I can’t, I try not to feel frustrated. I take this as some good advice directly from my body to work on my stress levels and to relax these muscles more. And each time, no matter how far I can stretch, I feel so good in the pose and afterwards. I feel relaxed, I feel aware and I become softer to myself, allowing these sore muscles some well-deserved relief. During the rest of my day, when the stress builds and I’m clenching my jaw again, I notice what I’m doing and correct it. Breathe, relax, let go!

Getting in the pose

Stand up tall with your feet hip width apart or close together, your choice. At hip width it will be easier to balance and the pose will feel more easy overall, for you give yourself some more space. Feet together will feel nice when you’d like to experience an extra stretch in your legs or practice your balance.

Start to focus on your breath. Breathe in deep and breathe out slowly. Forget about everything else for a moment and concentrate on your breath.

Raise your arms to the ceiling slowly. If you like you can stretch a little here.

Then slowly bend forward, following your nose down. If you like you can put your hand on your waist for more stability. Make sure to bend your knees as much as you like. And when you are there, let your arms hang, rest on your feet if they get all the way there or cross your arms and hold your elbows.

Remember to breathe and continue to focus on your breath in and out.

Relax your back, neck, shoulders and jaw. Relax all the muscles in your face.

Feel your ribcage expand when you breath in and feel your back muscles relax with every breath.

Feel your blood flow in the opposite direction.

Getting out of the pose

Getting out of a pose is very important too to prevent injuries or in this case head rush. So please don’t skip this. Don’t just hurry to the rest of your day. Keep moving calmly and mindfully.

The best way, I think is to roll up slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae. Place your chin on your chest and roll up slowly while continuing your breath. Breathe in and out a couple times more when you get all the way to the top and off you go.

You can also continue your practice to another pose. For example place your hands on the mat (bend knees more if you need to) and step your feed all the way back into plank pose. Or continue in a standing pose by rolling up as described above and practice some balance poses.

Think less. Feel more.

This pose will calm your nerves. It is a sweet surrender to your body and to life in the moment. This pose will instantly give you peace and relaxation.

Don’t think too much and do what feels right for you every time. Like my great yoga teacher, (quoted above) has taught me: find what feels good. On the mat and off the mat too.

Namaste.

—————-

Marleen Mulder, a long time yogi who first stepped on the mat when she was 12 years old. Yoga has been a great help for stress relief, breathing techniques and posture building. In the last couple of years her focus has shifted more toward body awareness, self-love and focus. In her professional life she works as a cleantech strategy consultant and is the Founder of a cleantech education and inspiration platform called Minimal Mass. She is passionate about exploring and enjoying nature and lowering her footprint on the earth.

Follow Marleen on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

from Daily Cup of Yoga https://ift.tt/2FjEeQn

[fitvredig-blog]

Balans vinden met je ogen dicht

Waarom hebben we onze ogen nodig in balans houdingen?

Fit&Vredig Augustus 2018 Marleen Mulder

Vanmorgen tijdens de yoga was ik een aantal balans oefeningen aan het doen in staande positie. Tree pose (vrksasana) is een van mijn favorieten. Na jaren oefenen lukt het me goed om een tijd stil te staan in deze houding en te ontspannen. Het is een fijne houding geworden.

Natuurlijk gebeurt er nog steeds van alles. Ik focus op mijn “middenlijn”. Een denkbeeldige lijn die precies door midden van je lichaam loopt van kruin tot tenen. Door op deze lijn te focussen, houd ik mijn balans. Mijn voet raakt mijn bovenbeen precies op deze lijn. Ik geef met de zool van mijn voet even veel druk op mijn bovenbeen als dat ik mijn bovenbeenspier aanspan op de plek waar mijn voet rust.

Om nog beter balans te vinden span ik ook licht mijn buikspieren aan. Hierdoor kantelt mijn bekken en sta ik nog sterker in de tree pose. Voetenwerk blijft ook van belang. Zorgen dat je voet met alle drukpunten op de grond staat (grote teen, kleine teen en hiel). En zo ga ik dan mijn hele lichaam langs om te voelen hoe de pose is en hoe ik deze met kleine aanpassingen kan verbeteren.

Een veel toegepaste oefening in staande balans houdingen is het verleggen van je focus, waar je naar kijkt. Voor de beste balans focus je je blik op een vast punt recht voor je. Alle beweging om je heen leidt erg af van je focus. Dit merk je al wanneer je in de yogales anderen om je heen ziet wiebelen. De cursist voor je is dan ook geen goed focuspunt voor je balans houding. Soms kan het niet anders dan dat er toch iemand in je blikveld zit. Maar he, dat geeft weer uitdaging.

Wil je het jezelf wat moeilijker maken dan kun je in de tree pose je blik naar boven wenden door je kin omhoog te bewegen. Vind een plek op het plafond en focus daarop. Als je buiten yoga doet, dan vind je een boom of de wolken en die bewegen voortdurend. Dit is een echte balans uitdaging!

Vanmorgen probeerde ik mijn balans te vinden door al die punten in mijn lichaam bij langs te gaan zoals ik net beschreef en toen dacht ik zou ik nu mijn ogen kunnen sluiten? Ik voel me stevig en stabiel staan mijn aandacht is bij dat gevoel van kracht en balans, dat moet toch kunnen? Ook dacht ik, wanneer ik mijn ogen sluit, kan ik vast nog beter voelen.

Hooguit kon ik twee tellen blijven staan! In die twee tellen werd de focus op de spieren die ik gebruikte en de middenlijn heel even nog veel sterker en daarna verloor ik mijn balans. Ok, misschien geen succes, maar een ontzettend leuke oefening. Ik probeerde het nog een paar keer, ook aan de andere kant, en ik had de grootste lol.

Conclusie tot nu toe: ik denk dat je dit best kunt trainen. Maar ik ben wel heel benieuwd hoe het komt dat balans en gezichtsvermogen zo aan elkaar gekoppeld zijn. Ik zocht het uit.

Yoga en anatomie

Op Yoga Journal vond ik een prachtig artikel van Roger Cole die precies uitlegt wat er in je lichaam gebeurt als je balansoefeningen doet en de rol die je ogen daarbij spelen. Hij zegt dat een balansoefening in het lichaam ondersteunt wordt door een aantal factoren en ogen zijn daar een van. Wij zijn erg gewend geraakt om juist onze ogen in te zetten bij het vinden van balans, waardoor we met de ogen dicht, vrijwel meteen omvallen. Door de andere factoren te oefenen, kun je minder afhankelijk van je ogen raken en zou je in theorie met ogen dicht moeten kunnen balanceren.

Cole legt uit dat balansoefeningen op een been zoals tree pose onze volledige aandacht vragen. Verliezen we onze focus, dan vallen we om. Hierdoor hebben dit soort oefeningen een ontspannende werking. Ze vragen onze volledige aandacht en inzet en daardoor is het onmogelijk om op iets andere te focussen. Dit geeft rust en ontspanning, ondanks de inspanning die we leveren op dat moment. In een staande balans oefening stellen we ons volledig in lijn met de zwaartekracht van de aarde. Niet alleen onze spieren en botten, maar ook ons zenuwstelsel, gedachten, emoties en je gehele bewustzijn richt zich op het vinden van overeenstemming met de zwaartekracht en daardoor voel je je kalm.

Volgens Cole gaat het bij staande balansoefeningen om drie zaken: in lijn zijn met de zwaartekracht, kracht vanuit de spieren en botten en aandacht vanuit het zenuwstelsel. Dat zenuwstelsel richt zich vervolgens weer op drie onderdelen: het voortdurend monitoren van je houding, het berekenen van de nodige aanpassingen en vervolgens het sturen van die aanpassingen.  

Je zenuwen verzamelen voortdurend data om deze drie onderdelen te kunnen uitvoeren. Zij ontvangen visuele data van je ogen. Door te kijken waar je lichaam zich bevindt en je verschillende lichaamsdelen (handen, voeten) verzamelt het zenuwstelsel de nodige informatie om rechtop te kunnen blijven staan op een been en zo nodig aanpassingen te doen. Maar naast de ogen gebruik je ook je oren, je voeten en nog tal van andere zenuwuiteinden door je hele lichaam.

Het evenwichtsorgaan in je oren vertelt het zenuwstelsel in hoeverre het lichaam in lijn is met de zwaartekracht. Drukpunten in je voetzolen laten weten wanneer je opzij naar voren of naar achteren begint te kantelen. En dan werken er nog eindeloos veel zenuwen in je lichaam mee om te bepalen of je in balans bent, of je voldoende spierspanning gebruik en voldoende druk uitoefent.

De meeste mensen zijn volledig afhankelijk van hun gezichtsvermogen en dit is ook het onderdeel waar we ons in zo’n houding het meest bewust van zijn. Maar onze oren en het zenuwstelsel doet net zo veel werk om in balans te blijven. Cole merkt nog op dat naar boven kijken extra uitdaging biedt voor je balans, door dat je daarmee je oren en je evenwichtsorgaan kantelt. Die moet vervolgens weer opnieuw verbinding vinden met de zwaartekracht en dit lukt niet altijd voordat je omvalt. Langzaam beweging is dan de beste optie.

En als je blind bent?

De vraag die bij mij nog rijst is of blinde mensen tree pose kunnen doen. En ik denk eigenlijk van wel. Zonder gezichtsvermogen ben je juist heel goed in het focussen op de andere krachten van je lichaam. En voor staande balanshoudingen zijn ogen slechts 1 van de 3.

Ik heb online gezocht naar verhalen, maar tot dusver niets gevonden. We kunnen over dit onderwerp veel leren van blinde mensen. Ik zou het erg leuk vinden om te horen van iemand die blind is over zijn of haar ervaringen met yoga en balans oefeningen. Voel je welkom om te reageren in de comments!

[themaxes-blog]

David Guetta – Lovers On The Sun (Official Video) ft Sam Martin

Lovers On The Sun available on iTunes http://smarturl.it/itunes-lots Download remixes from Showtek, Stadiumx, Blasterjaxx http://bit.ly/X41EDu Download the TuneMoji® App for iPhone & send FREE music GIFs: http://bit.ly/TuneMoji1TuCWWR

LOVERS ON THE SUN (FEAT SAM MARTIN) (David Guetta, Tim Bergling, Giorgio Tuinfort, Frederic Riesterer, Michael Einziger, Sam Martin, Jason Evigan) Produced by David Guetta, Avicii, Giorgio Tuinfort & Frederic Riesterer Publishers: What A Publishing Ltd ; Piano Songs / BMG Talpa Music B.V. (BUMA) / Sony ATV (BMI); Rister Editions ; EMI Scandinavia AB; Warner Chappell ; BMG Rights ; Elementary Particle Music/Universal Music Corp (ASCAP) C/O Universal Music Publishing Group. All instrumentation & programming by David Guetta, Avicii, Giorgio Tuinfort & Frederic Riesterer. Additional Production & programming by Daddy’s Groove. Vocal Production by Jason Evigan. Sound Design by Ralph Wegner. Guitars : Michael Einziger, Sam Martin & Jason Evigan. Piano : Avicii & Giorgio Tuinfort. Recorded at PRMD Studio’s Stockholm, Sweden & Metropolis Studio’s London, UK. Vocals Engineers: John Armstrong, Ryan Gladieux, Vincent Watson. Recording Engineers : Xavier Stephenson & Aaron Ahmad. Orchestra Arrangement written & conducted by Franck van der Heijden. Orchestra Recorded & mixed by Paul Power at Power Sound Studio’s Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Orchestra : Ricciotti Strings. First Violin : Ben Mathot, Ian de Jong, Tseroeja van den Bos, Floortje Beljon, Inger van Vliet, Sofie van der Pol, Sara de Vries, Marleen Veldstra. Second Violin: Judith van Driel, Marleen Wester, Judith Eisenhardt, Diewertje Wanders, Elise Noordhoek, Maartje Korver. Alt Violin: Mark Mulder, Yanna Pelser, Annemarie Hensens, Bram Faber. Cello: David Faber, Thomas van Geelen, Jascha Bordon. Bass: Hinse Mutter, Jesse Feves. Mixed by Daddy’s Groove & David Guetta at Test Pressing Studio’s Naples, Italy. (P) & (C) 2014 What A Music Ltd, Under Exclusive Licence to Parlophone/Warner Music France, a Warner Music Group Company

http://www.davidguetta.com http://facebook.com/DavidGuetta Tweets by davidguetta

[fitvredig-blog]

Twist & Turn

Fit&Vredig Juli 2018 Marleen Mulder

Lig jij ook zo te draaien in je bed ‘s avonds en ‘s nacht tijdens deze warme zomernachten? De warmte in de slaapkamer houdt veel mensen wakker deze periode. We hebben de laatste weken te maken met een uitzonderlijke Hollandse zomer. Elke dag mooi weer en de temperaturen zullen nog zeker tot het einde van deze maand aanhouden.

Mij overkwam afgelopen nacht hetzelfde. Ik lag veel te draaien en te woelen en het duurde even voordat ik slaap viel. Vanmorgen inspireerde al dat draaien me om veel twists toe te passen in mijn ochtendpractice. Dat voelt zo lekker. Zitten, liggend, staand, maakt eigenlijk niet uit, zo’n twist is heerlijk voor je lichaam. Tijdens yogales heb ik vaak gehoord dat twist goed voor je zijn, maar waarom dan precies weet ik eigenlijk niet. In deze blog zoek ik het voor ons uit.

Spijsvertering

Twists hebben een positieve werking op de spijsverteringsorganen. Door in de twist te draaien knijp je de bloedtoevoer naar de organen feitelijk even af. Zodra je weer uit de twist draait, komt er een verse lading bloed vrij die naar deze organen stroomt en ze voorziet van vers bloed met zuurstof en voedingsstoffen. Dit stimuleert de werking van de spijsverteringsorganen. En hierdoor hebben twists ook een detox effect op deze organen.

Detoxspecialisten combineren hun adviezen vaak met yoga twists. Twists in yoga kunnen ervoor zorgen dat afvalstoffen die zich in ons lichaam ophopen loskomen en kunnen wegvloeien via de bloedbaan.

Ruggengraat

Na verloop van tijd wordt onze rug steeds stijver. Als we onze wervels soepel houden, kan dit helpen om rugklachten te voorkomen. Twists rekken en versterken de ruggengraat.

Naast het draaien van de wervels zijn twists ook bedoeld om de ruggengraat te verlengen. En ruimte te creëren tussen de wervels. Deze ruimte geeft vervolgens een flinke dosis nieuwe energie. Letterlijk doordat je meer ruimte maakt, stroomt de energie beter door je lichaam.

Twists kunnen ook verlichting geven wanneer je al last hebt van (lage) rugpijnklachten. Blijf altijd wel alert en draai nooit verder dan prettig voelt. Gebruik zo nodig blokken en blijf goed en rustig doorademen in iedere twist.

Stressvrij

Dat fijne gevoel van een twist heeft niet alleen een helend effect op je lichaam. Twist helpen je ook om stress in je lichaam en geest los te laten. Een combinatie van twists en ademhalingsoefeningen kan je helpen de stress in je hoofd en lijf te verminderen.

Beweeg langzaam in de twist en blijf een paar ademhalingen op de plek die voor jou het lekkerst voelt in de twist. Dat lekkere gevoel helpt je ontspannen en daarmee laat je spanning los. Op dezelfde rustige manier beweeg je ook weer uit de twist.

Zorg altijd voor symmetrie in je oefeningen. Als je naar links bent getwist, blijf dan even stil in het midden en voel het verschil tussen beide kanten van je lichaam. Beweeg daarna rustig naar de twist aan de andere kant. En na deze twist voel dat ook weer in neutrale positie het verschil tussen links en rechts.

Oefening: reclined twist

En als je nou vannacht weer niet kunt slapen van de warmte, doe dan een heerlijke “reclined twist”. Dit kan gewoon in bed. Je bovenlichaam blijft op zijn plek, terwijl je je ruggengraat vanuit je onderlichaam draait.

bron: Yoga with Adriene (youtube)

[fitvredig-blog]

Have we forgotten about our bodies? Yoga practice and the appreciation of the body in forward fold.

by Marleen Mulder, April 21 2018

Very often when people talk to me about their first experience in yoga they are disappointed about their body, because their body is not flexible. They see their teacher and classmates folding into poses like origami and get discouraged. Or they search for yoga inspiration online and they find the most beautiful pictures of people in out-of-this-world yoga poses. “How am I ever going to get there?” Each time I tell them yoga is not about the acrobatics. It’s not about showing off skills. People who can bend and fold like that have practiced yoga for a long time and they love what they can do with their bodies. They have explored their body’s strength and flexibility and appreciate this every day. This first experience is a wonderful thing, you have started a journey that is going to be wonderful if you allow your body to be as it is. Instead of focussing on all the things it is not. If you start with yoga you start exploring your body. You learn about its flexibility, about its strength maybe for the first time in your life. And that is what the experience of yoga is all about. At least the physical experience. And hear this: you cannot be good or bad at yoga. You can not have or not have a natural talent for yoga. Or maybe I should say everyone has a natural talent for yoga. Because yoga is the exploration and appreciation of your body and anyone is capable to do that. When you practice yoga more often you will get to experience shifts in your body. With a regular practice of poses (asanas) you will find more and more ease like it is with anything you practice in life. One of the most wonderful things I find in yoga is that every time you find yourself on the mat, it will be different. Your body will be different. You find a pose you did not like becoming more easy. Or you get up in the morning and realize you cannot touch your toes like you did the last time in a forward fold. And these shifts will be part of the rest of your yoga journey, each practice will be different, will feel different. This awareness of your body; muscles, bones, nerves, skin, breath, is a true life changer when you start a regular yoga practice. You start collecting data about your physical wellbeing, your body’s capacities, your focus and your balance. With every practice you add new data to the study of your body. And you start to compare results. This awareness of your body and attention for all it’s little signs and signals is something I wish everyone would have in their life.

And if you want to you can explore these signs and signals and really listen to what your body is telling you. Are you experiencing a lot of stress? Do you sleep well? Do you eat well? Can you be kind to yourself? Can you be patient with yourself? Do you love yourself?

Body awareness

I think in today’s world we have forgotten about our bodies. We take it with us everywhere we go, but we don’t seem to be aware of it that much. Sure there are many of us concerned with what we look like and take care of this aspect very well. But I mean do we care about what our bodies feel like on a day to day basis? Or how our body feels during the day from morning to evening? I can imagine when you have an injury or suffering from chronic pains you will notice what your body feels like on a daily basis, yes. But that will most likely be a negative experience. What I mean is much more general. A general yet intentional love for the current state of your whole body and all its little details and wonderful capacities. Yoga helps you to get this focus in your life. With yoga you learn to become very aware of your body so that you can appreciate, love and marvel all that it is. For example your breath, flowing through you, giving you life. Your organs working every second to make sure you can live with or without your awareness of it. Your feet, carrying you everywhere you go. So many people say they hate their feet. Well, imagine life without them. They do so much for you, you should love them to bits you know! Your yoga practice is a perfect moment to give your body the attention it deserves. And - this is one of my favourite plusses - the things you practice on the mat and the things you learn about your body, will eventually become a part of your off-the-mat-life too. You’ll be more considerate about your posture. You will be less inclined to ask too much of your body. You’ll be more aware of your breath. And more balanced overall.

Forward fold - Uttanasana

I was standing in Forward Fold or Uttanasana this morning and I decided to write this article. Forward fold is one of my favourite yoga poses. A delicious pose that is easy and beneficial for your health. After years of practicing yoga this is one of the poses that is so easy, yet tells you everything. If you don’t feel like yoga, don’t have time, just stand in a forward fold for one minute and you will feel totally different. Personally when I stress, I build up a lot of tension in my neck, shoulders and jaw. Sometimes I don’t even notice it. I also do it in my sleep sometimes, waking up with a tight neck and painful jaw muscles. Then when I step on the mat and get into forward fold it feels like resetting it all. First I notice the tightness or pain some days. (Days I don’t practice in the morning I just start the day without noticing this and it will catch up with me somehow later during the day every time). Also some days I don’t feel tightness at all. I can just bend and even touch my toes! Days when I can’t, I try not to frustrate. I take this as some good advice directly from my body to work on my stress levels and to relax these muscles more. And each time, no matter how far I can stretch, I feel so good in the pose and afterwards. I feel relaxed, I feel aware and I become softer to myself, allowing these sore muscles some well deserved relief. During the rest of my day, when the stress builds and I’m clenching my jaw again, I notice what I’m doing and correct it. Breathe, relax, let go!

Getting in the pose

Stand up tall with your feet hip width apart or close together, your choice. At hip width it will be easier to balance and the pose will feel more easy overall, for you give yourself some more space. Feet together will feel nice when you’d like to experience an extra stretch in your legs or practice your balance. Start to focus on your breath. Breath in deep and breathe out slowly. Forget about everything else for a moment and concentrate on your breath. Raise your arms to the ceiling slowly. If you like you can stretch a little here. Then slowly bend forward following your nose down. If you like you can put your hand on your waist for more stability. Make sure to bend your knees as much as you like. And when you are there, let your arms hang, rest on your feet if they get all the way there or cross your arms and hold your elbows. Remember to breathe and continue to focus on your breath in and out. Relax your back, neck, shoulders and jaw. Relax all the muscles in your face. Feel your ribcage expand when you breath in and feel your back muscles relax with every breath. Feel your blood flow opposite direction.

Getting out of the pose

Getting out of a pose is very important too to prevent injuries or in this case head rush. So please don’t skip this. Don’t just hurry to the rest of your day. Keep moving calmly and mindfully. The best way is to roll up slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae. Place your chin on your chest and roll up slowly while continuing your breath. Breathe in and out a couple times more when you get all the way to the top and off you go. You can also continue your practice to another pose. For example place your hands on the mat (bend knees more if you need to) and step your feed all the way back into plank pose. Or continue in a standing pose by rolling up as described above and practice some balance poses.

Think less. Feel more.

This pose will calm your nerves. It is a sweet surrender to your body and to life in the moment. This pose will instantly give you peace and relaxation. Don’t think too much and do what feels right for you every time. Like my great yoga teacher, (quoted above) has taught me: find what feels good. On the mat and off the mat too. Namaste.