Yoga Poses for Wellness

If there is one thing I love to do as both a hobby and a mental health booster, it’s yoga. Maybe

you can relate to your job being sedentary, and if it is, you know the feeling of stiff neck, tight

muscles, and achy knees. Yoga gives us the opportunity to move our body in a playful, sensual,

and dynamic way. Breathing into the nooks and crannies and stretching in ways you didn’t know

could offer a sense of relief. This ancient practice enables us to get in touch with and surrender to

our inner world. For the duration of my practice, I can finally quiet the distractions and focus on

my breath and body. As I take a moment on my mat to reconnect and recenter, I come back

home to myself.

If you find yourself intimidated by yoga, I get it. It was for me as well. It is a vulnerable practice

for many reasons. You might have a hard time getting comfortable being with yourself in a quiet

space, or have a challenging relationship with your body, maybe wiggling your toes and

shimmying your hips makes you feel silly. Maybe you think you’re not flexible enough

(common misconception!!). All of these are valid reactions to new movement. Our body keeps

the score, and sometimes moving in certain ways can unlock emotions, memories, feelings, etc.

The beauty of yoga is that it is what you want it to be. Yoga in its essence is a practice to control

your senses and the mind. Adding asana, the physical movement of yoga, is just the cherry on

top. How we achieve that ease and equanimity IS yoga. So, if you lay on your mat, you’re

practicing yoga. If you stand on your mat, you’re practicing yoga. If you sit cross-legged, you’re

practicing yoga. If you can do a headstand, you’re practicing yoga. Yoga is what you make of it.

It is customizable and accommodating, and it is not exclusive to a certain size, person, ethnicity,

gender, class, status. I invite you to try finding what feels good for you, in whatever form and

shape that may come in.

Today I wanted to offer three of my personal favorite traditional shapes that make me feel open,

soft, fluid, creative and strong; like I am shedding and realigning.

First on the list is good ol’ cat-cow (Bitilasana Marjaryasana). Yum!! This heart-opener is a two-

in-one. Not only are you opening your chest and throat, but you are also loosening all your back

muscles. This is a great pose to practice alignment, bringing your shoulders above your wrists

and your hips above your knees. As you undulate your spine, up and down, in a fluid and gentle

motion your back gets the relief it needs from keeping us upright all day. A bonus is going off

the train tracks, try moving your hips from side to side, and rotating your neck. Get wiggly with

it!

Bālāsana or child’s pose is another great pose that can often be used as a counter pose to a heart-

opener, like cobra, camel, or bow pose. After opening a part of your body, having a pose to

neutralize you can help to restore balance. This is a great pose to showcase how yoga can be

customizable. Whether your knees are closed together or open, you can decide if you’d like a hip

opener. Another option is to bring your arms above your head versus at your side to open and

stretch your shoulders. When I am in this reverend bow, I take time to come back to an intention

if I’ve set one at the beginning of the session or reconnect with my breathe. Take a moment to

hangout in your little love cave!

The last pose I want to share is warrior two or Virabhadrasana II. If you need an immediate boost

of confidence all while helping you feel grounded, this is the pose for you. This pose always

reminds me of my inner and outer strength. Though this pose is often labeled a beginner pose, it

can be a challenge for me as my muscles and mind begin to active. Thoughts trickle in that tell

me the story that I can’t do it, that I should hurry up and move onto the next pose. These

challenging poses can make my mind chatty. What happens if I stop resisting my discomfort? Is

there a way for me to soothe myself through this? We have a choice here, to breathe through our

discomfort and allow ourselves to settle into the pose or continue to resist it. Of course, you

know your body best, and I encourage you to do what feels right for you. However, when you

find yourself working hard in a pose, notice where your mind goes. Notice if the story it is telling

you is familiar. There lies an opening for deeper discovery.

Throughout your practice, you might notice new muscles turn on. You might feel a fire grow in

your legs, shoulders, back, and chest muscles. Your mind might begin to wander into new and

old territory. Allow yourself to come alive. The interesting paradox in an asana practice is how

we can stimulate both our sympathetic (fight-or-flight response) and parasympathetic (rest-and-

digest) nervous systems. In this way, we can learn to soothe the discomfort we have ignited,

whether that be in our body or mind. We become the observer of our thoughts, feelings, and

sensations versus identifying with them. And as we do that, we find our power.