My new achievement!!!

Well, this one was a pose I would look at but I`ve never tried it, simply because it looks awesomely impossible :P But I did it - for the first time on Sunday, with like 5 blocks under me to start off, and once you get a feeling of it, it will became a really nice showing off posture :P :) I am so happy I can do it!!!!
I think I tried it because I  corrected my arms and hands in Crow, I did the Crow on Friday slightly different than usual and I could stay in it forever, I just knew my balance it perfect. I could do it for few second before, but not as balanced and perfect as now :)


So now I can start with more difficult postures, my yoga experience is growing each day, it doesn`t matter how many hours you practise, there is always so much to learn!

A bit more info about my new most favourite pose: Firefly Pose - Tittibhasana
Want to fly? Fire up your core. Firefly pose is an arm balance pose that requires more core strength than arm strength.

• Squat with your feet a little less than shoulder distance apart. Tilt your pelvis forward and bring your trunk between your legs. Keeping your trunk low, straighten your legs enough to lift your pelvis to about knee height
• Bring your left upper arm and shoulder as far as possible underneath the back of your left thigh just above the knee and place your left hand on the floor at the outside edge of your foot, fingers pointing forward. Repeat these actions on the other side.
• Lift yourself off the floor by carefully shifting your center of gravity. Press your hands into the floor and slowly begin to rock your weight back, off your feet and onto your hands. Keep your inner thighs as high on your arms as possible.
• With an inhalation, stretch your legs out to the sides as straight as you can, keeping your pelvis high to make your legs parallel to the floor.
• Press through the bases of your big toes but pull your toes back toward your torso and spread them apart. The inner edges of your feet should be angled slightly forward, the outer edges slightly back.
• Straighten your arms as much as possible. Hollow your chest as you widen your shoulder blades as much as possible; this will round your upper back, which will lift your torso higher.
• Without tensing your neck, lift your head and gaze forward. Breathe slowly and hold the pose for 15 seconds or longer, then release your feet to the floor with an exhale.

Beginner's Tip

You can approximate this pose by sitting on the floor, legs spread to a ninety-degree angle, elevating each heel on a block, and pressing your palms into the floor between your legs.

Benefits

• Stretches the inner groins and back torso
• Strengthens the arms and wrists
• Tones the belly
• Improves sense of balance

Getting to a Headstand step-by-step pic guide

Chin balance

My big achievement today - I've seen the pose yesterday in a YouTube video and I almost broke my neck trying it for the first time, but today I DID IT!!! My chin hurts, but I feel soooo pleased with myself 

I love Yoga!

Be prepared to get bendy! Chin balance requires a majorly open back, which means open hips and open shoulders too. Basically this pose is all about opening—a great thing to practice in the colder, less-light-filled months when we tend to close off.

Take it slow with this one. Chin balance is a major deep backbend, and there is no rush to get into any “final” pose. Be where you are—it is a great place to be!

Moon Sequence

                                                                                                                                                                          

 We always do sun salutations in classes, so I decided that in next Hatha Yoga classes we will do a moon sequence, starting from tomorrow :) can´t wait to try it out!! 

Let's Twist

Twisting Poses will help restore your spine's natural range of motion, cleanse your organs, and stimulate circulation. 

Try asking some nonyogis what they think happens in a yoga class, and at least one will answer that people get "all twisted up like a pretzel." In fact, we yogis do twist a lot in a well-rounded yoga practice: We twist while sitting, standing, and standing on our heads. Because there is such an intriguing variety of twists, you might guess that twists provide an abundance of benefits. And they do. There are physiological benefits to the circulatory system and internal organs, structural benefits to the musculoskeletal system, and focusing benefits to your consciousness.

Indian yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar describes twists as a "squeeze-and-soak" action: The organs are compressed during a twist, pushing out blood filled with metabolic by-products and toxins. When we release the twist, fresh blood flows in, carrying oxygen and the building blocks for tissue healing. So from the physiological standpoint, twists stimulate circulation and have a cleansing and refreshing effect on the torso organs and associated glands. 

Yoga twists involve the spine, as well as several major joints, including the hips and shoulders. In fact, full range of motion in spinal rotation is essential to many yoga poses. Unfortunately, many people lose full spinal rotation in the course of living a sedentary lifestyle. Some losses can occur if joints fuse due to trauma, surgery, or arthritis, but most range of motion loss comes from the shortening of soft tissues. If you don't lengthen the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia (connective tissues) to their full length at least a few times a week, they will gradually shorten and limit the nearby joint's mobility. In the case of twisting, the limitation is usually in soft tissues around the spine, abdomen, rib cage, and hips. If you regularly practice yoga twists, there are some clear benefits to these same joints and soft tissues. Not only do you maintain the normal length and resilience of the soft tissues, but you also help to maintain the health of the discs and facet joints (the small pair of joints on the back of the spine where each two vertebrae overlap).

How Tree Pose Can Make You A Better Runner

Running is a one-legged sport. Unless we run or do yoga, we’re not standing on one leg for any length of time as an adult. Which is a shame, because there is no better way to cultivate functional balance skills. Tree pose not only builds balance — it also sharpens our mind and its ability to focus.

 

Tree Pose Basics

As with running technique, stay with form to cultivate a strong tree pose that can withstand the most challenging attacks on the mind 

1. Start in mountain pose, placing your heels under your sitting bones. Keep the outer edges of your feet as parallel as the yellow lines in the middle of a street.

2. Shift your weight to your right foot, then bend the left knee and raise it to the height of your hip. Turn your left knee out to the side while keeping your hip points even with each other. Place the bottom of your left foot either above or below your right knee (not on the inner knee). On your exhale, draw the back of the navel toward the spine and fix your gaze at one point in front of you.

3. Hold for five breaths, then release your left foot to the floor with control and repeat on the other side. 

If you fall out of the pose, get right back into it. Otherwise, you’re sending a message to your brain that it is a-okay to quit when things are hard for you. Those little messages add up over time to create an ethos and a pathos — tree is a great place to challenge that on a daily basis. 

  Important Benefits Of Tree Pose

 

1. Strengthens the muscles of the standing leg’s foot, ankle, and hip.

2. Teaches us to resist gravity by drawing the chest skyward while pushing our standing leg’s foot downward.

3. Builds functional balance skills by challenging our center of balance.

4. Teaches us to stand on one leg with confidence.

5. Builds mental focus when we can’t control a situation. When we practice tree, we have no idea if we’re going to fall or not. It’s like running — we can train and train, but we can’t control the weather on race day. We just have to go with it. 

Try adding tree pose to your cross training 3 times each week for a month and note how your balance (both in your mind and on your feet) shifts from a steady practice of being unsteady. 

Side plank variation

Yesterday's achievement - I am really impressed how everyone did this side plank variation - I am sooo happy I've got such a brilliant class

Parsva Bakasana - Side Crow

Crow pose - which is also known as crane pose or Bakasana - is usually the first arm balance learned by yoga students. Crow pose strengthens the arms, wrists and abdominal muscles in addition to stretching the upper back and opening the groins. It can be a little tricky at first (and you will probably fall on your face at least once!) but once you master it, crow pose is a fun position which helps to build confidence and self-awareness. Here's how you can achieve a perfect crow pose.

Sit straight and tall on your heels - lift the chest

Raise the arm that is further from the mat

Place the hand down to the mat - elbow is close to the knee

Place the other hand down - leave plenty of space between the hands

Walk your feet forward so they will be in the line with your hands

Slowly lean forward - don´t jump your feet up, they will come up  as you lean

Don´t fall ;)

Sun is out, is it spring already? ;)