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Entries tagged as ‘pose of the month’

recent highlights

July 11, 2010 · Leave a Comment

recent highlights

this passed month or so i have been working non-stop at many different things, not only working at catching up to myself- but also at reviving myself…

one of the most apparent recent highlights for me is the relationship between my trip on a retreat in joshua tree  with pete guinosso and the work i did for the priceless art Grant from False Profit, llc- mainly the landscape at joshua tree

and the emerging of these signals in the drawings for the Priceless installment of my project ‘Interlude:Actuate’

detail from a 6foot by 6foot (approx) piece


i knew for many reasons (that i will share in due time) that the trip and the community on the retreat had a lot to do with me moving forward in making the work- it was definitely a pleasant reflection to have it present itself physically in the work as well.

that being said-
here are some photo highlights for you… in no particular order…. enjoy!

joshua tree yoga and camping retreat with pete guinosso

http://www.yogaislife.net/yogaislife.net/Home.html

stacey rosenberg

http://namastacey.com/

meg!

kk ledford

http://www.facebook.com/kkledford.wildmoonwisdom

meg and lucid dawn!

Jamie and Ian!

chrisandra fox!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Francisco-CA/Chrisandra-Fox-Yoga/111789572186075?ref=ts&__a=16&

jamie and ian again!

priceless!

‘Interlude:Actuate’ at priceless!

http://interlude-actuate.com/

thank you and, that's all for now

Categories: asana · asana of the month · faern · faernworks · interlude : actuate · kk / faern collaboration · mixed media · photography · yoga related
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pose of the month is posted!

July 6, 2010 · Leave a Comment

click here!

http://connectedefforts.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/pose-of-the-month-anuvruttasana-variation-a-take-on-the-parabola-pose/

Categories: asana · asana of the month · faernworks · photography · yoga related
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POSE OF THE MONTH: Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)

June 4, 2010 · 1 Comment

POSE OF THE MONTH: Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose) written by Chrisandra Fox. Photo by Faern. model: tara dale

Commonly known as “legs up the wall”, the supported version of Viparita Karani Mudra (inverted action seal, inverted lake seal, whole body gesture) is a beautiful restorative pose that has been aptly adapted from its traditional form to offer relaxation and restoration in modern life.

After a long day of work, it feels natural to want to put your feet up and rest the body and mind from the concerns of the world.

Yoga teaches us how to rejuvenate even more effectively, by consciously integrating body, mind and Spirit. When practiced with props and held for some time, Viparita Karani can remove physical and mental fatigue, soothe the nervous system, and integrate the mind, body, and Spirit within one�s own awareness.

The nature of an inversion is to �invert� or reverse the position of the internal organs in the body to increase blood flow and improve their function. Inversions also work on our mental outlook, as we literally turn our world upside-down. Legs-up-the-wall is a long-held passive inversion that benefits all the organs, and revitalizes the mind.

This pose works on anxiety, headaches, blood pressure, digestion, depression, and menstrual irregularities, among other ailments.

A Little History. . .

In The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the unsupported version of Viparita Karani is referred to as the �reversing attitude� seal. It resembles shoulderstand, and is described in the following way:

That nectar which flows from the moon has the quality of endowing enlightenment, but it is completely consumed by the sun, incurring old age. HYP 3.77

There is a wonderful means by which the nectar is averted from falling into the opening of the sun. This is obtained by the guru�s instructions and not from the hundreds of shastras (treatises). HYP 3.78

With the navel region above and the palate below, the sun is above and the moon below. It is called vipareeta karani, the reversing process. When given by the guru�s instructions, it is fruitful. HYP 3.79

The nectar oozes from a point in the brain — symbolizing the moon, and consciousness. The nectar falls into the navel region — which refers to the sun, and prana.

Viparita Karani Mudra belongs to the family of �fountain of youth� poses that are said to annihilate death and disease. By reversing the action of the downward flow of this nectar and assimilating it into the body, one is said to rejuvenate and preserve the cellular tissues, thereby slowing down the aging process. The yogi�s aim was to extend one�s life in order to achieve liberation (which takes time), and to enjoy the liberation for a long time once it has been realized.

By going upside down, we can also reverse the effects of divided consciousness or having a scattered mind � a state that many of us experience every day as our prana (life energy) and mental energy flows out through our senses toward whatever happens to be stimulating us in the moment.

A steady practice of Viparita Karani at the wall can help you to strengthen your outer practice of physical restoration and stillness, �reverse� the flow of the fluids in the body and increase blood flow and circulation, which can lead to greater physical health and well-being. This can strengthen your inner practices of �undoing� that lead to your balanced state of mind.

You will need a wall, a bolster or several blankets. You may also have a block, a strap and sandbag. Avoid this pose if you have serious eye problems, such as glaucoma.

The Pose

Place the bolster or 3-4 neatly folded blankets length-wise at the wall. Leave 4-6 inches from the wall for the flesh of your buttocks.

Sit in the center of the bolster, with one hip facing the wall. Place your hands on the floor behind you. Press into your hands and swing your legs up the wall. Rotate your torso so you are facing the wall. Bend your knees, press into your hands, and push your buttocks closer to the wall.

Bend your elbows and ease your shoulders to the floor. If your buttocks have moved away from the wall, bend your knees, rest your feet at the wall, and press into your hands to lift your hips and move your buttocks closer to the wall.

Once you have contact with the wall, tuck the shoulder blades down your back, rest your head on the floor and straighten your legs.

As simple as the pose seems, there are a number of variables to consider. We are looking for a slight backbend of the spine without overstretching the abdomen. The frontal hip points are parallel with your lower front ribs, supporting the arch of your low back. Your abdomen is soft, and as you rest in the pose, becomes deep, like a well. The chest is slightly lifted, to create a sense of spaciousness and openness.

You can check your alignment in the posture first by looking at your legs and feet. Reach actively through the soles of your feet and press your heels against the wall so that the backs of your legs are stretched. Feel for a sense of grounding as you press the heads of your thighbones against the wall. You can deepen this sensation by placing the heels of your hands on your upper thighs, close to where the thigh and pelvis meet, and pressing firmly towards the wall. Keep the pressure steady as you breathe and allow for a sense of length in your low belly.

An option is to loop a strap around your legs once you�ve gotten into the pose. Place the strap across your lower thighs, just above your knee, and tighten it just enough to keep your legs in the shape of Tadasana (Mountain Pose).

Keep the buckle of the strap off your skin so that you minimize the potential distraction of that sensation as you deepen into your pose of relaxation.

For extra grounding, place a sandbag on your feet. Have a friend place the sandbag evenly across your feet, or bend your knees into your chest. Place the sandbag into the soles of your feet and straighten your legs. Allow the weight of the sandbag to help ground your thighs.

Rest your arms out to your sides, up alongside your head, or with hands resting on your belly. If your neck feels over- stretched, place a blanket beneath your shoulders, so that the curve in your neck is supported, while your head rests on the floor.

Release the effort in your legs, without losing their shape. Bring your attention to the downward flow of energy from the soles of your feet through your legs, into your abdomen, and toward your head. Feel for the sense of grounding in the pose, with the radiant expanse of energy from your heart through your arms to the hands.

Become aware of your process of surrender to the shape of the pose, and witness as your breath deepens and expands into that shape. Can you surrender to the undoing, the letting go and the reversing of the normal activities of your body?

Feel your energy collect in the vital region of your body and follow that warmth all the way to your third eye point in the head, softening your eyes, ears, mouth, and brain. Feel the coolness across your brain, in your eyes. Allow your entire being to bathe in this flow of energy in your body and become fully restored � mind, body, and spirit.

Stay for 3-5 minutes, gradually building up to a longer session of 20-30 minutes maximum. When you are ready to come out, unlock the buckle of the strap, bend your knees toward your chest and slide the sandbag down the wall. Remove the sandbag, place your feet against the wall and slide off the bolster and away from the wall so that your back is on the floor. You can rest for a few minutes with the soles of your feet pressed against one another (Supta Baddha Konasana) and your legs resting on the bolster.

Roll to your right side before you get up to greet the world from your renewed perspective of peace and calm.

Chrisandra Fox teaches Viparita Karani in all its forms and other mudras in weekly classes at Yoga Tree. Click here for her schedule. She leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats in California and throughout the world.

Model: Tara Dale

Photography by Faernworks, Faernworks.com

also posted at : http://connectedefforts.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/pose-of-the-month-viparita-karani-legs-up-the-wall-pose/

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/jun10_pose.html

Categories: asana · asana of the month · faern · faernworks · photography · yoga related · yoga tree sf
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POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Matsyendrasana

April 29, 2010 · 2 Comments

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Matsyendrasana (Lord of the Fishes Pose or Half Spinal Twist)
With Chrisandra Fox

In the Tantric universe, Shakti represents infinite energy and the catalyst for change, and Shiva represents supreme consciousness. In other Hindu systems, Shakti is the divine feminine creative power, embodied in the feminine form and as fertility. Shakti is the energy that animates and is interdependent with the entire universe.

Picture this: Shiva is meditating, deep in stillness, and all is well. His beloved consort, Parvati—an embodiment of Shakti—sneaks up from behind and covers both his eyes.

The entire universe begins to shake, the pulsation causing great movement, activity, darkness, and the imminence of death. Shiva’s third eye opens as a blazing sun, and again, all is well as Shiva regains quiet stillness.

In the physical body, when we practice twists, we enter the dance of these two lovers—the masculine and feminine, consciousness and energy. According to the tradition, the cosmic feminine energy lies dormant as the coiled serpent and spiritual potential within each of us, Kundalini. Upon activation, this cosmic energy emanates forth in spiral waves, and within this spanda, we experience the rising of Kundalini Shakti, the energetic spiritual potential of the individual.

According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, when ardha matsyendrasana is practiced, prana and apana vayus are brought together in the navel center, thus activating this process of awakening knowledge of the Self.

Ardha Matsyendrasana is named for the great fish, Matsyendranath, who overheard the teachings of yoga by Lord Shiva to Parvati, and who reincarnated to be one of the world�s greatest yogis.

This deep twist stimulates digestion and detoxification, balances the parasympathetic nervous system, stimulates liver and kidneys, energizes the spine, and can be therapeutic for sciatica, infertility, and asthma.

In practicing this seated twist, we can attune to the great spanda, and experience the subtle spiraling pulsations of energy that make up all of creation. Awareness of these waves brings us more deeply into an awareness of prana shakti, or the power of who we are, not just as physical beings, but as beings with a spiritual nature. As we attune to this energy, we may become more aware of our place within the entire universe, and grow within this awareness to realize the fullest expression of our unfolding, creative Self.

The Pose

Prepare for this seated twist with standing postures, including standing twists and poses that help open your hips and shoulders.

Sit in Dandasana (staff pose). Extend both legs, and place your hands alongside your hips. If your low back is rounded, sit on the edge of a blanket, so that your pelvis remains in an upright position, and you maintain your lumbar curve.

Bend your left knee and place your left foot to the outside of your right knee. You can work from this position if your hips are tight. Otherwise, bend your right knee and place your foot close to your outer left hip.

Place your left hand behind your back, close to your pelvis, and hug your left thigh in towards your chest with your right arm.

Keep an active press through the base of your left big toe, and drop the weight of the right side of your pelvis towards the ground.

Inhale and left your chest. On an exhalation, draw your navel towards your spine and twist to your left. Use your inhalation to lengthen your spine, and your exhalation to deepen the twist. You may also raise your right arm alongside your ear, lengthening the right side of your body as you inhale. If the flexibility is there, sweep your right arm to the outer left thigh on an exhalation, and maintain pressure between your arm and thigh. From here, you can bend your elbow and point your fingers towards the sky, or, if your elbow clears your left shin as you extend your arm, rest your hand on your left foot.

Twists invoke a beautiful, deep contracting aspect in the organs, while creating space for the breath to fill and expand the back body. Gently fan your back ribs and expand your kidneys as you empty your belly and coil your ribs into the twist.

Feel the twist arising from deep in your belly and low spine, and allow your heart to follow the twist. Turn your head, so that you are gently twisting your neck in the line of your spine. Continue to deepen your sense of grounding through your sitting bones as you create spiral action in your spine.

Now, tune into the spiral action by lengthening your exhalation and creating space for your next inhalation. Turn your neck in the direction opposite the spine, and turn your chin towards your right shoulder.

Twists help us challenge our habitual patterns of mind by inviting new patterns of be-ing in our bodies. As we squeeze our organs and tap into the spiral action of the twist, we are asked to move our breath into different parts of our bodies, while finding equanimity in the twist. This can influence a shift in our awareness and ways of thinking.

Take time in the twist to make sense of your new orientation, using the breath as your guide for understanding the pattern of the twist.

When you are ready to come out, use an inhalation to slowly release your spine, and gently twist in the opposite direction, offering a brief counter-balance to the strong spiraling energy.

Bring your spine to neutral and sit, witnessing the subtle pulsations of energy, and the radiant dance within your Shakti-full being before coming into the second side.

Chrisandra teaches daily doses of twists and other poses at Yoga Tree.

Photography by Faernworks, www.faernworks.com

Chrisandra teaches 5 classes at Yoga Tree and leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats locally and abroad. (http://www.yogatreesf.com/teachers/chrisandra_fox.htm).

also posted at:

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/may10_pose.html

http://connectedefforts.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/pose-of-the-month-ardha-matsyendrasana/

Categories: asana · asana of the month · body · faern · faernworks · photography · yoga related · yoga tree sf
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POSE OF THE MONTH: Vasisthasana (Pose dedicated to the sage, Vasistha)

April 1, 2010 · 2 Comments

POSE OF THE MONTH: Vasisthasana (Pose dedicated to the sage, Vasistha)

With Chrisandra Fox

Photography by Faern

The pose dedicated to the sage, Vasistha – this beautiful version of “side plank” is a balance pose that requires coordinating expressions of strength and yielding. The pose strengthens and tones the shoulder girdle, abdomen, low spine, and legs, and can deepen your sense of equanimity, trust, and open-heartedness. Try practicing this pose outside, on the earth and beneath the open sky, and feel how the actions of this pose orchestrate with the currents of energy and intention flowing throughout your body.

Preparation

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with your feet hip width apart, and arms alongside your torso. Draw your thighbones back. As you spread broadly across the bases of your toes and root down through your legs, can you feel the rebounding energy rise up through your inner thighs and spine? Release your tail towards your heels, soften your front ribs, and gently tone your navel towards your spine. As your roots grow, draw the breath gently into the uppermost part of your lungs, allowing for a sense of fullness across your chest.

Inhale, sweep your arms out to the sides and up overhead. On an exhalation, roll your spine and pelvis forward to Uttanasana (Intense Forward Stretch). Step or hop both feet back to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog). Press your thighbones back, spiraling them in as you release your heels towards the ground. Broaden the shoulder blades on your back ribs, soften the tops of your shoulders, and release through the sides of your neck.

The work of your hands and feet will strongly influence your balance in Vasisthasana. Set up your foundation by establishing connection to the earth through your hands and feet. On a sticky mat, you may be able to open across the bases of your fingers and release each finger towards the floor with equal effort. If you are practicing on sand, grass, or mulch, try lightly “gripping” at the ground with your finger pads. This will strengthen your hands and wrists, and set you up for a “lift” in the center of your palm that will radiate energy through the channel of the arm to the chest.

Inhale to plank, draw your shoulders above your wrists and press actively through your heels. Repeat the action of releasing your tail toward your heels, as you press your thighbones into your hamstrings and draw the abdomen in.

The Pose

Step your feet together, place your left hand on the ground under your face and roll onto the outer edge of your left foot. Rest your right arm alongside your torso. Reach through the soles of both feet and lengthen your outer thighs towards your outer heels. Feel the inner thighs draw up as you deepen your sacrum in your pelvis and engage through your navel center.

(Variation: You can also cross your right ankle over your left, still working your legs equally. Or, bend your left knee and support your weight on your left shin. Extend your right leg out to the side. )

Inhale, and lift your right arm towards the sky. Anchor both shoulder blades on your back ribs, keep your chest broad as you open to the expansiveness of the sky. Keep your breath steady, turn your gaze up, lengthen and expand.

This may be challenge enough, to find that sweet spot in the space of gravity and levity. Feel the grounding actions of your legs and standing arm towards earth, and the rising, floating, expansive invitation towards sky.

Vasistha was a son of Brahma, a revered sage and seer. He authored hymns of the Rigveda dedicated to deities who represent qualities of nature – fire, wind, the sun, rain -, and was a teacher to many. Intelligent, selfless, and embodying peace, Vasistha attained great spiritual achievement and imparted great wisdom.

As you practice the pose, feel the dedicated effort in your body and within your intentions. As you remember your breath and keep a soft gaze, can you honor your connection to earth and sky – and feel the outer world support your inner “being” in the pose? As the pose evolves in your body, can you rest peacefully in your awareness of your place in Nature, and the many gifts that come from that awareness?

Try dancing into the full pose, as photographed. Turn your gaze to the ground, bend your right knee and take hold of the base of your big toe. You’ll want to steady the effort in your standing leg as you inhale and extend your right leg toward the sky. Keep both shoulder blades firmly gripping your back body as you spiral your right thighbone in, lengthen through your tail, and energize through your leg to the sole of your foot. Steady now, on an inhalation, turn face towards the sky. Can you gaze at the tip of your nose as you open graciously across your heart, chest, and shoulders?

When you are ready to land, release the big toe grip, take both hands to the earth and press back to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Inhale to plank, and come into the second side.

Rest in Balasana (child’s pose), surrendering your efforts and the weight of your body to the sweet embrace of Mama Earth.

Chrisandra teaches 5 classes at Yoga Tree and leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats locally and abroad. (Click here for her schedule). Her favorite place to practice Vasisthasana is beneath the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Photography by Faernworks, Faernworks.com

also posted at :

http://connectedefforts.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/pose-of-the-month-vasisthasana-pose-dedicated-to-the-sage-vasistha/

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/apr10_pose.html

Categories: asana of the month · faernworks · yoga related · yoga tree sf
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POSE OF THE MONTH: Natarajasana With Chrisandra Fox, photography by faern

March 5, 2010 · 1 Comment

POSE OF THE MONTH: Natarajasana With Chrisandra Fox, photography by faern

Nataraja is one of the many names for Shiva, the Lord of the Dance, and the great source of yoga. Shiva dances the Tandava, a divine dance that produces all rhythm and movement within the cosmos. In this cosmic dance, so beautifully represented in Indian art, Shiva dances the manifestations of eternal energy in the rhythms of creation, protection, destruction, concealment, and release or liberation from the world of illusion.

And, yet, he embodies the enormous paradox of manifesting fierce outer activity while dissolving into deep inner tranquility.

We can express our own dance of eternal energy while practicing Natarajasana, a vigorous standing balance posture that incorporates deep back bending, hip opening, an abdominal massage of the vital organs, and circulation of the heart energy.

This posture challenges our internal stability, as we stand rooted through one leg, and invite rhythms of movement through lifting the opposite leg. Here, we find a creative tension that preserves our balance and yet allows us to then go deeper into the pose to witness the great opening of the heart.

The field of the dance of Nataraja is the universe, which is the center of the heart or consciousness of each person. As you practice this pose, stay connected to your breath and cultivate a steady presence – like an unwavering flame – in the center of your heart.

The Pose

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Stand strongly through your left leg as you bend your right knee and bring your right heel towards your buttock. Take hold of your big toe, the inside of your right ankle or, to modify the pose, a strap looped around your ankle.

As you inhale, raise your left arm overhead, extending through your fingertips, and engaging your shoulder blade firmly on your back ribs.

Press your right foot against your hand and use the resistance to float your right thigh towards the sky. Keep your hips steady left to right, so that your right thigh is not turning out. This will keep the back wall of your pelvis broad and even in preparation for the deeper backbend. Lower your left arm parallel to the floor, gazing towards the tip of your nose, or your fingers.

Your spine may dip forward – keep a lift through your spine and abdomen, lengthen your belly as you inhale, and gently tone your navel center as you exhale. Can you soften your lower front ribs? Can you bring the fullness of your breath to your kidneys in your back body, even as you deepen your backbend? Ground through your standing leg, spreading across the bases of your toes and drawing energy up towards your heart.

Feel the creative tension in the shape of the pose, as your torso moves forward and your leg presses backwards.

There are many wonderful variations you can take in this pose.

To deepen the backbend and bind the pose, bend your right elbow out to the side, and sweep your inner elbow up alongside your ear. Lift your left arm overhead, and bend left elbow. Grasp your toes with your left fingers, or take hold of the strap in both hands. Now, lengthen through the shoulders as you lift elbows towards the sky. Press your right foot and shin back as you explore the radiant opening of your heart, chest, shoulders, and abdomen.

Keep your eyes in a soft and steady gaze. Nataraja is often depicted with a stoic expression on his face, suggesting neutrality, equanimity, and balance within the chaos of his dance. You may find just the hint of a smile, as you attune to the vibratory nature of the pulse of your being, and dance to the rhythm of your breath.

Chrisandra teaches a steady rhythm of classes and the Heart of Renewal Retreats at Yoga Tree and in the Bay Area. Click here for her schedule. www.chrisandrafox.com

posted originally at http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/mar10_pose.html

Categories: asana · asana of the month · faernworks · yoga tree sf
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POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Bhujangasana

February 8, 2010 · 1 Comment

POSE OF THE MONTH: Ardha Bhujangasana

With Chrisandra Fox

This deep lunge, often called Anjaneyasana, for Lord Hanuman, resembles the sliver of light of the crescent moon, and powerfully links the downward flow of prana with the blossoming of the heart center.

Devotion, from the Latin “vovere” – to vow completely – implies discipline and enthusiastic dedication. The Hindu mythological monkey god, Hanuman, is a servant of love and devotion to the divine, and it is this servitude that empowers his incredible strength and heroic power.

In this powerful and deep lunge, as we apply the downward flow of gravity into the legs and the standing foot, we can receive the expansive warmth and spaciousness of the open heart and throat areas, awakening the wisdom in the lotus of the heart and connection to a love that embraces beyond condition.

Preparation

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), with feet hip-width apart, and hands resting together at your heart in Anjali mudra. Feel your place between the earth and the sky. Become aware of your navel center and your heart center. Inhale from your heart to your navel, and as you exhale, return your awareness to your heart.

Exhale and release your arms to your sides. Inhale slowly, sweep your arms up overhead, and press your palms together. Exhale and fold forward at the hips into Uttanasana (Intense forward stretch). On an inhalation, lift and lengthen your spine to a firm back position. Exhale, and lower once more to Uttanasana.

The Pose

As you inhale, step your right foot back, lower your knee to the ground, and rest the top of your right foot on the floor. Bend your left knee and deepen the crease in your ankle. The front foot may turn out slightly to encourage a release in the groin. If your knees are healthy, continue to fold the leg into a deep lunge, so that your knee moves in the direction of your toes.

Root your left heel by drawing it down towards the ground. Depending on the structure of your ankle and the flexibility around the joint, your heel may not reach the floor. See how the heel is lifted in the photo above? Disclaimer – it’s an older photo, and after some years of practice, the pose has changed nicely. The heel is now down, and there is less strain in the throat. If your heel is lifted, you can place a blanket or rolled section of your mat beneath it, or, better, move your back knee further away from your pelvis to bring the front heel to the ground. You’ll find how this changes the sensations in your chest and throat as you arch back -more grounding yields more space and freedom in the opening.

So actively root through your heel. This action will encourage the grounding of your legs and pelvis, and create the foundation necessary for the circulation and blossoming of the heart energy.

Rest your arms alongside your torso as you begin to find the arc of the spine from the root of your pelvis towards your heart and the crown of your head. Relax your eyes and jaw and feel the drop in and down through your groin.

Use your inhalations to maintain your root through your legs and left heel, and to embody the space across your chest, ribcage, and shoulders. Continue to drop your heel down and back towards your groin. This will deepen the fold in your knee, and open the heart from your back body. Feel your back body become deep to support the opening of your heart into your front body. Imagine the petals of a lotus flower, and the slow, graceful unfurling of these petals from their base. The lotus is a classic image in the yoga tradition, used to portray purity, beauty, and the seat of the soul.

If there is no strain in your neck, then release your neck from its base at C7 as you draw your head back.

Imagine your spine as a cord of light now, radiating the expansive energy of your heart throughout your body. Can you feel the counter lift of your root and the natural tone through your navel center from your monkey tail as you explore this spaciousness and freedom?

You may feel some compression within your kidney area. Soften your kidneys down and draw them more deeply into your back body as you soften your front ribs.

When you are ready to come out, lift your head, plant your hands on the floor, and step back to adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog). When you are ready, step your right foot forward, and come into the second side. Then, step to Uttanasana, and slowly roll up through your spine to Tadasana.

Inhale the arms overhead, and as you exhale, return your hands to Anjali mudra at the heart. Feel into the center of your heart, resting in your awareness of the spacious, open, loving seat of your soul.

By Chrisandra Fox

pose of the month photography by faern, faernworks.com
With special thanks to Michelle Duguay for her skillful insight.

Come and practice rooting into your heels and resting in the seat of your soul with Chrisandra, who teaches 5 classes a week at 3 Yoga Tree locations. Click here for her weekly schedule.

originally from : http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/feb10_pose.html

Categories: asana · asana of the month · body · faernworks · yoga related · yoga tree sf
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POSE OF THE MONTH: Utkatasana – “Fierce” Pose or Chair Pose

January 27, 2010 · 5 Comments

POSE OF THE MONTH: Utkatasana – “Fierce” Pose or Chair Pose

With Chrisandra Fox

It’s the New Year, and a common time to “renew’ commitment to our practice, which may have become uninspired, or difficult to maintain throughout the holiday season. Even the ancient texts recognize a number of obstacles to yoga (overeating, exertion, illness, doubt, laziness), and offer ways to overcome them.

Iccha shatki refers to the desire of manifestation, the impulse of creation that permeates and lives within manifest form. In our hatha yoga practice, when the energies of the body, including desire, are channeled and brought into balance, we enjoy steadiness in our body’s metabolism, our mental acuity, emotional health, and sense of connection to the world around us. Steadiness in body and mind also leads to unwavering willpower. When our personal will is aligned with the will of creation, we may be fortified in our efforts, and carried along the rivers of grace.

Meaning “fierce”, “powerful”, or “uneven”, a steady practice of utkatasana can ignite the willful desire that fuels our practice and keeps our inner fire bright.

Utkatasana is a challenging posture, placed at the beginning of Surya Namaskara B in the Astanga Vinyasa system. Chair pose is also described in Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, and prescribed in The Gheranda Samhita for conducting water enemas as a purification taken before beginning a practice in hatha yoga.

This powerful posture develops the ankles, calves, and thighs, opens the shoulders, tones the abdomen and diaphragm, strengthens the back, and increases capacity in the chest, for better breathing and circulation to the heart.

Utkatasana builds heat in the body, and can increase and fortify our will. As uncomfortable sensations arise, as we find ourselves in this new, unchartered territory of “sitting” in space, we have the opportunity to witness and surrender our doubts and to remain powerfully “seated” in strength and grace.

The Pose

Stand in Tadasana (mountain pose) with your hands in anjali mudra (prayer) at your heart. Beginners, try this with your feet a hip’s width distance apart. Spread your toes, and align your head, shoulders, and pelvis so that your weight is shifting evenly through both legs, and you feel a sense of spaciousness across your chest.

On an exhalation, release your arms to both sides. As you inhale, raise your arms overhead. As you exhale, bend your knees and lower your pelvis towards your heels, so that the thighs are moving towards parallel with the floor.

The Work

Deepen the fold in the front of your ankle, so you feel your heels taking root on the ground, and a sense of grounding through the lower legs. For some us, the bones of the ankle and foot compress during dorsiflexion, and that will be the edge we meet in the ankle.

Hug your thighs in towards one another, as though you are squeezing a block between them. Lengthen the sides of your sacrum towards the earth, taking your tail gently towards your pubis to draw the length out through your low back. Tone your abdomen towards the spine to maintain internal support, and to awaken your core body in the pose.

You can work your arms and neck in several ways. Do keep your arms drawn back in the shoulder joint, and your shoulder blades actively engaged on your back ribs. Soften your front rib cage, so that your torso follows the alignment of your pelvis and your chair pose doesn’t become a bent-knee backbend.

Postion 1
Keep your neck in the line of your spine and draw your chin slightly towards the center of your throat. Gaze towards the tip of your nose. Separate your hands to the width of your shoulders. Relax the tops of your shoulders as your spread your fingers widely.

Position 2
Press your palms against one another firmly, and draw back through the crown of your head, lifting the base of your skull lightly off the upper spine, so there is no collapse through the back of your neck. Gaze towards your fingers, keeping your forehead and eyebrow center soft and relaxed.

Postion 3
Bring your arms alongside your ears, with your head in a neutral position, and gaze towards the horizon. To increase the power in your pose, lift your heels off the floor, drawing up through the arches of your feet. Then lower your pelvis to your heels. The Gheranda Samhita describes this as The Utkatasana, or hazardous pose.

Have your feet tensed up? Soften the spaces between your toes, so that your feet remain steady, yet happy as you deepen in your chair. Breathe rhythmically and hold the pose for up to a minute, with a soft and steady gaze, and the hint of a smile to release any interior gripping in the brain. Allow yourself to feel the arising of sensations and the heat of any tensions coming to the surface. Allow these sensations to expand and dissolve. Afterwards, return to Tadasana, or follow up with Uttanasana (Intense forward stretch).

The practice of Utkatasana not only strengthens our will, but our sense of surrender as well. We observe how our desire can be channeled into a force greater than ourselves- one that holds us fiercely in grace.

Chrisandra Fox teaches utkatasana in many forms in weekly classes at Yoga Tree and on The Heart of Renewal Retreats in California and internationally. pose of the month photography- faern, http://www.faernworks.com

originally posted at :

http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/jan10_pose.html

Categories: asana of the month · faernworks · photography · yoga related · yoga tree sf
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Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

October 1, 2009 · 1 Comment

Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
with Chrisandra Fox

Stand straight on one leg (the left), bending the right leg, and placing the right foot on the root of the left thigh; standing thus like a tree on the ground, is called the Tree posture.
—Gheranda Samhita: II.36

chris-tree- 271ebright2-sm

In celebration of Yoga Tree’s 10th-year anniversary this month, what better pose to highlight than Vrksasana- Tree Pose. With strong and subtle roots moving towards earth, and energy that rises towards the heavens, vrksasana teaches us how to ground through our center, while being receptive to currents of expansion and growth. Tree pose asks us to stay connected to our breath in each moment of uncertainty, and to maintain steady focus as we fan our inner fire with just the right amount of effort. With too little attention given to form, our tree will be lazy and limp; with too much effort, our tree will collapse. Vrksasana is a practice – and a celebration – in striking a balance between effort and surrender.

For thousands of years in India, spiritual aspirants have made a practice of Eka pada sthana – standing on one leg – for extended periods of time. Considered an austerity, or tapas, this type of practice stokes the inner fire and desire of the individual whose longing is to merge with the divine in the journey of self-realization.

In modern times, Tree pose is often practiced in shorter bursts, with a sense of celebration and surrender, as we consciously internalize our awareness and unfold the stillness within, connecting to our roots, and riding the prana-filled waves of possibility that expand our bodies and our consciousness.

Preparation
Stand in Tadasana, (Mountain Pose). Bring your hands together, interlace your fingers and as you inhale, turn your palms to the sky, raise your arms over head and lift your heels off the floor. Stand on the metatarsals, lifting firmly through your inner heels. Press through the center of your palms with arms stretched towards the sky. Allow the tops of your shoulders to soften as your shoulder blades root on your back ribs. Keep your heels lifted and as you breathe, lengthen your belly. On an exhalation, sweep your arms out to the sides, slowly lowering your heels to the ground. Return to Tadasana.

The Pose
Standing in Tadasana, turn the right thigh out, lifting your heel off the floor, so your weight rests on the bases of your toes. Bend your right knee and take hold of your ankle with your right hand. Place the heel of your foot high up on your inner left thigh, close to the groin. Spread your right toes and point them towards the ground.

Press your palms together at your heart in Anjali mudra (Prayer Pose). On an inhalation, lift your arms towards the sky. You can maintain Anjali mudra, or separate your hands shoulder’s width apart. Spread your fingers, and gently turn your hands towards the backside of your body, to encourage an outward rotation in your upper arms.

The Work
The work of Tree, as in all the poses, is holding a mental space of concentration, while spreading awareness throughout your body. Witness the subtle elements in your breath and your body, responding so that the posture “grows” from the inside out.

Maintain an even spread across the bases of all your toes. You’ll feel your center of balance steady as you lengthen through your inner ankles and ground your heel bones.

Draw your left thighbone back into your hamstrings, so your pelvis is held in its upright position. Lift and lengthen your inner left thigh wall towards your pelvis as you soften your upper buttocks flesh. Feel the release of your tailbone towards your inner left heel. Take your right thigh back, in its outward spiral, so you feel the length from your inner right groin towards your knee.

Tree pose is a living, breathing moment of being in the center of all possibilities. Tone your navel to your spine and gently lift your lower belly in and up towards the center of your ribcage to open the gateway to stability as you lengthen through your trunk. Soften your front ribs to balance this action. Feel your shoulder tops soften as you root the reach of your branches from the bottom tips of your shoulder blades.

Look
Turn your gaze towards the tip of your nose, to steady your mind. As your steadiness grows, lift your gaze to the horizon line, challenging yourself to look with clear, open, receptive eyes. As you like, lift your chin towards the sky, drawing back through the crown of your head, without collapsing the base of your skull on your upper spine. Maintaining awareness in the roots of your standing leg, gently close your eyes. Breathe. Feel and witness each breath as you root, as you grow.

Play
Oh so many trees! You can work with your hands in Anjali mudra at the heart or with arms raised overhead, and with hands spread apart. This variation, pictured above, increases coordination and brings a graceful, feminine quality to your tree:

Stand in Vrksasana, bring your arms out to the sides, to the height of the shoulders. While standing on your left leg, raise your left arm up and arc it alongside your head, as you lower your right arm towards your bent knee. Bring your forefinger and thumb together in Jnana mudra, and continue to reach through your arms as though you are holding a ball between them. Lengthen through the sides of your waist as you arch your spine to the right. Keep steadiness through your left leg. Breathe. Root. Flourish.

Trees stand alone and in a forest, a family, and a community of trees. Balancing the gifts of heaven and earth, trees are nourished by their surroundings, and, in turn, nourish all who come to sit in their presence. Practice vrksasana, and celebrate these moments of inner strength, connection, and serenity.

Chrisandra Fox teaches handstands and other postures at Yoga Tree 5 classes per week, and leads The Heart of Renewal Retreats. To check out her class schedule, Click here. Questions? Pose Requests? Retreat schedule? Email Chrisandra@gmail.com

photo courtesy of faern, http://www.faernworks.com

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*originally posted at http://www.yogatreesf.com/newsletter/images/oct09_pose.html

Categories: asana of the month · body · faernworks · yoga related
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