April Theme of the Month

last two months we had explored the philosophy themes of the yamas and niyamas which are the first two limbs or steps in the Eight Limbs of Yoga or The Eightfold Path. They serve as the ten ethical guidelines to take into our practice and our life of restraints and observances. They basically represent the right way of living.

You may have connected to some more easily than the others and even found some ways that you can incorporate them into how you move through the ebb and flow of daily life. They are good to keep coming back to and reminding yourself of them too, especially when you come to your yoga mat as they can allow our practice to feel more deeper.

For the month of March we move into The Third Limb of Yoga which is Asana and this word actually means seat or posture. Traditionally in yoga Asana would mean a seat or posture that is comfortable and steady, but nowadays it means much more. Even though yoga is more than just shapes and poses, keeping our body strong, healthy and flexible is equally as important.

If we want to be able to sit comfortably in practices such as breathing and meditation we need to prepare our body. Mentally if we have a lot of tension, stiffness, tightness and aches in our body, that affects greatly how we feel and our mindset. Modern day life now often involves a lot of sitting, lack of movement, rounding over in the body and feeling stressed which affects us both mentally and physically.

Physical poses are an excellent way to be able to increase our range of movement and flexibility while becoming stronger in different areas which is really important for helping our body for when we get older.

This month we will focus on finding some strength around the core. March is a good time to feel the world coming alive through the plants, blossom and flowers and that it is a great opportunity move the body a bit more too! We can often get so caught up with releasing and becoming flexible that we forgot how important it is to strengthen the body too.

To prepare the body to sit for longer periods and maintain a good posture in meditation, strength is a great practice to work with. A good focus is on strengthening key muscle groups that support your spine, pelvis, and lower body. Each week we will focus on around the abdominal muscles to start, strengthening around the rest of the body and then releasing and creating space. If you have a job or a hobby that involves sitting for long periods of time this will help to strengthen our body to help with that.

We will think about the balance between effort and ease in yoga poses, the balance between strengthening and releasing, taking time to not rush in and out of poses, becoming more aware of physical sensations and the breath. Be aware of places that you feel tight or tense and allow a gentle softening to create more space within the body.As you connect to curiously and openness with your body, feeling where your edge is you deepen your connection to yourself. As you develop steadiness and ease in poses you then prepare the body and mind to move into the deeper practices of yoga inviting a deeper sense of peace and balance.

The Five Niyamas

Week 1 – Strengthen Your Abdominals
Strengthening the abdominal muscles is an effective way of helping to stabilise the spine and to maintain an upright position. It helps to reduce strain on the back muscles. When your core is engaged you are less likely to slouch which often adds to feeling fatigue while sitting for longer periods of time.

Week 2 – Strengthen Your Glutes
The glute muscles in the buttocks are very important for pelvic stability and preventing lower back pain. When the glutes have become weak and inactive this can often lead to pain and discomfort in the body and this is the for term dead butt syndrome.

Week 3 – Strengthen Your Back
strengthening muscles in the lower and upper back can help to improve the posture and reduces strain on the spine. Weak back muscles can lead to poor spinal alignment, lower back pain, tight shoulders, and discomfort in the neck.

Week 4 – Balance and Stability
Not only do balance poses help us to strengthen our focus and concentration they also help to build strength and stability in the body especially the core, legs, back and hips.

Week 5 – Upper Back, Chest and Shoulders
keeping the upper back, chest and shoulders open is important for keeping a good posture and helping to sit up tall for longer periods of time. Keeping these areas open improve how we sit but also how we stand and move.

Related Videos

Surrender Your Shoulders
Yoga To Improve The Posture
Release Tension in the Upper Back
Steady & Strong Foundation
Release Neck & Shoulder Tension
Strength In Yoga
Strength & Flexibilty

This Month’s Music

Here’s a selection of the music that Vicky has been enjoying this month.