This is not your mother's chair yoga

Visvamitrasana with a chair.

Sometimes I've had people walk out of class when I ask them to grab a chair as a prop. But this is not for the kind of chair yoga that most people think of. In the Iyengar style of yoga which I study and practice, a chair is used to help support the body as you open into greater ranges of strength and flexibility. Check out this way of entering into Visvamitrasana using a chair. Elevating the pose off of the ground by using a chair makes the pose that much easier and more accessible. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Pose of the month for July - Visvamitrasana

This pose is named after an ambitious king who became a sage by a lot of hard work. This pose is a variation of Vasisthasana, who was the sage that king Visvamitra was trying to outdo. The yoga pose reflects the story behind it; Visvamitrasana is a much harder posture than Vasisthasana, better known as Side Plank. This posture incorporates the elements of a standing pose (think Hand to Big Toe Pose), an arm balance (Side Plank), a big side stretch (Gate Pose), a big twist (Revolved Seated Tree) and a major hamstring stretch (Split). Don’t look at that list and get intimidated. It just means that we will work on all of those elements, bit by bit, to get to the final pose. There are also many variations, options for props and entry level versions on the way. We will just take it one step at a time and warm up to the final pose. As we work on Visvamitrasana this month, remember: “It’s nice to have and end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” – Ursula LeGuin.

I can’t wait to get started! I’ll see you in class. Karin

2017 Postures for the Year

The following is a list of the Postures of the Month for 2017.

January - Plank poses and all of their variations:  High Plank, Low Plank, Side Plank, Reverse Plank, Handstand and Headstand.

Karin in Vasisthasana

February - Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana or Kapotasana - Wheel on your forearms or Full Pigeon

Cailen in Kapotasana

March - Astavakrasana - Eight crooked places pose

Karin in Astavakrasana

April - Eka Hasta Adho Mukha Vrksasana - One arm Handstand

(Pic Coming Soon)

May - Padmasana - Lotus

Karin in Padmasana

June - Natarajasana - Dancer's Pose

(Pic Coming Soon)

July - Visvamitrasana or Hanumanasana -  Side Plank, bottom leg lifted or Split

Karin in Visvamitrasana

August - Prasarita Padottanasana to Sirsasana II -  Wide-Leg Forward Fold to Headstand

Karin in Sirsasana II from Prasarita Padottanasana

September - Salabhasana/Locust

(Pic coming soon)

October - Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

Karin in Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

November - Dancing Warrior Series

(Pic coming soon)

December - Choice of Restorative Pose

Karin in Supta Virasana