Welcome to our second week dedicated to living your yoga. Yoga is a way of being, a mind-set, a desire to honor all living beings while finding balance within yourself.
As you know, yoga means union, and we are constantly seeking a state of balanced bliss that is said to be our true nature. According to Patanjali, who wrote the fundamental teachings of yoga, the aim is to quiet the fluctuations of the mind and to create an internal stillness. To assist you along your journey, I’m offering a dose of twists to accompany our series.
Twists are divine and help to keep your spine supple. They wring out your internal organs and are said to flood the body with blood and nutrients with this “squeeze and soak” motion. Twists stimulate circulation, feel yummy and have a refreshing effect on the upper body.
Begin by coming into Tadasana. This is a tall, basic standing pose with shoulders over the hips, tailbone scooped, chest lifted, chin parallel to the earth and equal distribution on all four corners of your feet.
This pose is the perfect example of how you can practice yoga throughout your day — while waiting in line at the bank or waiting for the Metro. Bring your feet together (or keep them hip width apart if this doesn’t feel good).
Now bend your knees and begin to sit into an imaginary chair (Utkatasana — chair pose) to the degree that your shins and torso are in a parallel line. Extend your arms along your ears with the palms facing one another, soften your shoulders, and take a few deep breaths here.
Lower your hands to prayer position in front of your heart and take your left elbow to the outside of your right knee. Press your right hand into your left to help you spin your torso to the right and bring your thumbs to the center of your chest.
Be sure to keep your knees together or in the same plane so that one isn’t jutting forward of the other. Take five deep breaths here. Inhale as you lengthen, exhale as you twist. Inhale and return to Utkatasana in the center and repeat on the other side.
Om work
Remember that yoga and life are not about pain. It is about constantly finding our edge — that point of sensation where we’ve moved beyond the comfort zone so that we are growing and challenging ourselves. However, when you move to a place of pain or extreme sensation, your edge has been pushed to far. Play with this analogy in your daily life and ask yourself, “Did I find my edge today?”
Kimberly Wilson is the founder of Tranquil Space Yoga and Tranquil Space Foundation. Visit kimberlywilson.com for more.
