I’m so much more present in my life. In the here and now. I don’t want to miss any of this great life I have. So, yoga has helped me to be fully present for my kids.My journey with yoga began after the birth of my first child. I grew up playing soccer and continued to dabble with soccer until my late 20’s. So, naturally running was my go-to. I knew nothing else really. However, after the birth of my first child, I found myself in a whirlwind of change and beginning a new chapter in my life. The same rules no longer applied. I still ran. I still enjoyed running. But, it wasn’t enough anymore. I was searching for something more. I needed a new challenge. I don’t remember what peaked my interest in yoga all those years ago. I didn’t know anybody that practiced or have any prior experience with it myself. In retrospect, I think I’d always had a secret desire to try it. I’d just never had the guts to walk into a class without a clue as to what I was doing. I ended up downloading a yoga app. This app was my first teacher because I could do it at home and it fit into this new lifestyle I’d created for myself. And, it saved me from having to face that fear of actually walking into a studio. So, I was in.
Outdoor Yoga
LIVE Music Vinyasa
Vocalist and guitarist
8:00 AM – 9:15 AM
It was purely for fitness in the beginning. I’d always wanted to be toned like all of those yoga people you see on tv. And, of course, I wanted desperately to lose that baby weight and feel like myself again. So, yes, admittedly, my first intentions with yoga were purely fitness related and actually quite superficial.
However, just as things tend to do once you begin your yoga journey, that began to change. I was itching to take a class. A real power yoga class. But, I was terrified. I never enjoyed gyms in the least and found the ‘world of yoga’ to be very intimidating. I believe it was about 2 years after I began my personal journey with yoga, I finally convinced myself to go to a real studio class. That app just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I was finally ready to really grow in my practice. So, I took the plunge and went to my first studio class. And, wow. That was it. I was hooked. That was when the lightbulb went on and I was awakened to what yoga is truly all about. The combination of the yoga instructor’s positive words, which honestly felt like a sermon of positivity and a call to internally reflect, with the physical practice itself, it was a mental, physical and spiritual awakening like nothing else I’d ever experienced. It made me think. It made me reflect. And I left that room with an internal buzz that I couldn’t explain.
What is this Pose About?
This is a forearm balancing pose. The resulting shape is a deep opening through the arms and wrists. Watch Stacey enter into this asana from Mountain Pose (Tadasana). She will exit the pose and land back in Mountain Pose (Tadasana) as well.
Here are a few things to keep in mind, if you decide to try this pose, or if you have already started to experiment and play around with it.
Tips for Running Man Pose (Eka Pada Koundinyanasana II)
- Start in downward facing dog. Lift your right leg high to a three-legged dog.
- Keeping your hips high, take your right knee towards your right triceps.
- Bend your elbows like you do in chaturanga and shift your body weight forward so that your right knee comes to rest on your right triceps.
- Shift your weight far forward between your hands until you can lift your back leg. Lift strongly until that leg is parallel to the floor; then, keeping the knee extended, press straight back through the ball of your foot.
- Lift your head, keeping your eyes and forehead soft. Breathe evenly. Hold the pose for 3 – 5 breaths, then step back into downward facing dog. Repeat it on the other side for the same length of time.
Benefits
- Strengthens the arms and wrists
- Tones the abdomen and spine
Caution
- Use caution if you have wrist or lower back injury
Have you tried this pose before? What has been your experience?
1 thought on “[VIDEO] How Curiosity About Yoga Changed Me”
Great stuff! I love the repeated phrase”hit my mat”. I relate to that. My mat is like my magic carpet.? Right? I agree that we have found a safe and encouraging space at MBFY. We don’t compete……we evolve into stronger supporters of one another.