Great Yoga Ab Routine

With the weather warming you may be thinking more about abs then you have during the winter. While getting ripped abs shouldn't be the focus of your asana practice the practice is a good way to tone the body. A strong and flexible core makes for easier breathing, improved posture and digestion. So even if a bikini isn't in your future plans focusing on your abs has benefits.

This clip is from Mark Blanchard's ultimate core strengthening DVD. Filmed at the base of an energy vortex in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, The Core is an unsurpassed yoga workout for those looking to strengthen and tone your abs, inner and outer thighs, buttocks, hips, and back muscles. -

Tree Pose- A Beautiful Way to Transition Into Spring

Spring has taken it's sweet time this year and I for one can't wait for it to start. It has been a long hard winter for many and the transition into spring, the season of new life, is always one that is celebrated on my end. I think tree pose (Virksasna) signifies the upward growth that refreshes both body and mind.

The following was Adapted from The Yoga Year by Celia Toler (Storey Books, 2001)

A tree stays upright by its network of roots that spreads out and pulls downward. Similarly, the body must develop a feeling of being pulled down into the ground. The tree grows upward toward the sky, and the body, too, relies on a two-way movement at the back of the waist to maintain balance, lengthening the spine upward with the breath as the weight drops toward the feet.

In Tree Pose, everything below the waist sinks down, while the upper body lengthens up with the exhalation.

We recommend doing this pose barefoot. Feel free to use a chair to help yourself balance: directions for doing the pose this way are included.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your weight evenly in both feet. Now take your weight onto your left leg. Exhale and bend your right knee up, rotating your hip and placing the right foot on the upper thigh of the left leg with the heel close to the crotch and the toes pointing down. To get the foot higher, hold the ankle with your right hand and move the foot up. Allow the bent knee to press the heel in against the thigh, while the thigh is strong in return against the foot. Inhale as needed.

2. Keep the standing ankle tall and straight. The foot stays quiet, expanding against the ground, weight in the heel. When balancing, feel the vertical action of gravity drawing you straighter over your supporting leg. If the balance is difficult, place your hand on the back of a chair. Fold the knee in nearest the chair as this improves straightness and balance over the supporting leg.

3. Drop your weight down through your tailbone while lengthening your spine up to the crown of your head with each exhale.

3. Exhale and place the palms of your hands together in the prayer position a few inches from your chest. If you feel ready, raise your arms above your head. You may want to spread your hands apart and visualize them as branches. Don’t be afraid to sway a little: trees sway. Let the in-breath come easily.

4. After holding the pose for a few moments, lower your arms and foot and repeat the pose standing on the right leg.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/simple-spring-yoga-tree-pose.html#ixzz1GzEdmACw

Basic Sun Salutation- Perfect for a Mid-Week Pick Me Up

I love a good Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar). A Salutation is the perfect way to warm the muscles and prepare them for deeper stretching and strengthening. A sun salutation can be pretty bares bones with just a few poses or fairly lengthy with several poses or poses that are held for longer periods of time. This week we will work on a pretty basic one that will be sure to lift your spirits as we head to the middle of the week.

Basic Salutation-

1. Mountain
Begin by standing in Mountain pose, feet about hip width apart or closer, hands either by your sides, shoulders back and down. Take several deep breaths.

2. Hands up and Swan Dive
On your next inhale, in one sweeping movement, raise your arms up overhead and gently arch back as far as feels comfortable and safe.

3.Forward Fold
As you exhale, bend forward, bending the knees if necessary, and bring your hands to rest beside your feet, dangle besides the legs or to your legs for support. Inhale half way up hands on shins or thighs, flat back. Exhale forward fold.

4.Low Lunge
Inhale and step the right leg back

5. Plank
Exhale and step the left leg back into plank position. Hold the position and inhale.

6. Lower down either all the way with elbows touching ribs or coming down into Four Limbed Staff Pose. Which is exhaling and lowering yourself as if coming down from a pushup. Only your hands and feet should touch the floor.

7. Upward Dog (or cobra or sphinx)
Inhale and stretch forward and up, bending at the waist. Use your arms to lift your torso, but only bend back as far as feels comfortable and safe. As you lift the chest through the arms roll the thighs out. No compression in your lower back. Shoulders back and down. Push the top of the feet into the floor (shoelaces). As you become more comfortable you can work to lifting your legs up so that only the tops of your feet and your hands touch the floor.

OPTION TIME-

8.Extended Child's pose
Hips back towards heels, knees as wide as mat, chest heavy between thighs and arms stay extended.

or

8. Downward dog
Exhale, lift from the hips and push back and up.

9.Low Lunge
Inhale and step the right foot forward.

10.Exhale, bring the left foot forward and step into forward fold at the top of the mat. Inhale half way up into half forward fold and exhale back into forward fold.

11. Inhale Reverse Swan Dive. Hands up

12. Exhale hands together hands to heart center. Repeat 1-12 times a day. :)

Weekly Pose Spotlight- Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

As we start March this week I wanted to put the spotlight on one of the poses I love to teach - Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge.) The reason I love teaching this pose is because as you work on your alignment throughout the body here you can feel the pose working deeper into typically tight areas all at once. The shoulders, the hips, the thighs, the groin. Low Lunge requires you to focus on alignment and breath in a dynamic way. And students find great opening and release when they work on this pose. Follow these instructions borrowed from yogajournal.com to create a powerful Low Lunge.

Step by Step-

From Downward-Facing Dog, exhale and step your right foot forward between your hands, aligning the right knee over the heel. Then lower your left knee to the floor and, keeping the right knee fixed in place, slide the left back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the left front thigh and groin. Turn the top of your left foot to the floor.

Inhale and lift your torso to upright. As you do, sweep your arms out to the sides and up, perpendicular to the floor. Draw the tailbone down toward the floor and lift your pubic bone toward your navel. Lift your chest from the firmness of your shoulder blades against the back torso.

Take your head back and look up, being careful not to jam the back of your neck. Reach your pinkies toward the ceiling. Hold for a minute, exhale your torso back to the right thigh and your hands to the floor, and turn your back toes under. With another exhale, lift your left knee off the floor and step back to Downdog. Repeat with the left foot forward for the same length of time.

HEY PILATES FOLKS

So I decided to create a blog seperately for my Pilates fans. Check out-

nicolespilates.blogspot.com

Same idea just for pilates.

Stay Tuned

I have ignored the blog for awhile but as I get ready to leave Michigan and head to NY I decided to breath some life back into this blog.

If you check back soon I am hoping to add some tips, poses and once I get settled videos. Be patient with me but stick around and I hope to make it worth your while.

I will be doing pilates on here as well until I start another page for that.

Thank you so much. I truly appreciate what you all have given to me. It's been an amazing journey that I hope continues with the blog. Leave messages any time you want with questions, comments or just to say hi!