It's officially the last week of cycle two of The Ultimate Yogi, and I am feeling amazing! My flexibility, balance and arm strength have improved so much over the past few weeks and I'm having fun trying out new poses. For the first time, I was able to hold a Forearm Balance (Pincha Mayurasana) for a couple of seconds, but not long enough to snap a picture. I continue to work on it every single day because I am determined to master this pose. This weeks schedule is slightly different than the past few.
1. Balance
2. Strength
3. Flexibility
4. Detox
6. Gentle
7. Yin
Next week, I will let you know how the 72 Sun Salutations go. I am very nervous but excited at the same time. Repeating the 36 Sun Salutations at the end of cycle one wasn't that bad, but doing double will definitely be a challenge. This class is a celebration of how far I've come, and each Sun Salutation represents one of the 72 days we have completed thus far.
After yet another great week of yoga, I decided to take it outdoors to the nature walk again. This has become one of my new favorite places; especially when the sun is setting. I love coming here with Gio at the end of the week. It's very relaxing, and we happened to spot some turtles, squirrels and gators which was pretty cool.
This is a variation of a Supported Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana) that I've been playing around with. During Week 8 I went in depth about the benefits of this pose. This variation adds a deep lower back stretch and each time I practice this, I am able to arch my back and bring my leg lower and lower.
This pose is an intense lower back bend for me. Two-Legged Inverted Staff pose, also known as Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, increases flexibility of the lower back and spine, soothes and relaxes the brain, massages and strengthens the heart, increases lung capacity and stimulates the pineal, thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands.
I've recently tried Mermaid Pose for the first time, and I love it. For me, it's an easier version of One-Legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) which I am unable to do right now, so I'm hoping this pose will help me get there. Mermaid Pose opens the heart, chest and shoulders, strengthens the core and pelvic floor, stimulates the organs of the torso, stretches the lower back, hip flexors, quad muscles, groins, chest and shoulders, challenges balance and improves mobility in the spine and hips.
Supported Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana) improves digestion, tones the legs and booty, stimulates the thyroid glands and abdominal organs, reduces fatigue, stretches the neck and shoulders and helps relieve stress and calm the brain.
Here is Monkey Pose (Hanumanasana), AKA the splits. I have improved a lot in this pose which I last discussed during Week 7. I'm so close I can taste it! This pose stretches the hamstrings, thighs and groins and also stimulates the abdominal organs.
Lastly, is a Seated Forward Bend, also known as Paschimottanasana. The last time I posted a picture of myself in this post was Week 4, and I can definitely see the improvement. Instead of grabbing my feet, I now use my yoga block to get a deeper stretch, and am slowly working my way towards a flatter back. This pose provides many benefits. It stimulates the liver and kidneys, soothes headaches, anxiety and fatigue, improves digestion, stretches the hamstrings, spine and shoulders while also calming the brain and helping to relieve stress.
This program has helped me view life in another light by introducing me to such a beautiful practice. I have become so much happier and stress free through yoga and have had such a fun time throughout cycle two, venturing further and further into this yoga journey. Next week, I will sum up cycle two, talk about how the 72 Sun Salutations
went and give you a peak into what cycle three holds.
~ "When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful."~
Yogi Bhajan
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