Week of the forward folds

Bound Angle/Baddha Konasana

Pyramid pose/Parsvottanasa

Downward Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana

This week, we will be working on forward bends.  

Forward folds require our full attention.  Usually consisting of a deep stretch of our muscles, forward folds allow us to take a quiet moment to feel.  Those with tight hamstrings or hips may find forward folds very challenging, for the mind chatters as you try to go into the pose while "fighting" the tightness of the muscles. But the key is not to fight. it is to listen. By listening to the body, going deeper into the pose with each exhale, and maintaining the foundation of the pose, one can effectively combine the experience of the pose and transform it into a quiet moment in which the mind can breathe.  

This week, in order to help us prepare for meditation, we will carefully explore these sweet "forward folding" moments. By shifting the awareness further in from the physical sensations, perhaps we can all tap into a deeper dimension, the energy of the pose.  If we can stay inside our bodies during these folds, we will quiet the mind.  

With love,

P 

P.S.  Photos are from the yoga journal website link on forward bends.