yoga

Tripod Headstand

Benefits:

Strengthens arms and legs.

Calms the brain and helps relive stress.

Tones abdominal organs.

Can also improve digestion.

Foundation & General Alignment:

Start on hands and knees, place head on ground, put hands on ground, arms are bent at an 90 degree angle. Come up off knees and walk feet towards arms, rest knees on elbows. 

Hands are pressing into the ground.

Back is as straight as possible.

Shoulders are away from ears.

Basmati’s mission is to help inform our community’s decisions for its healthiest, most aligned lifestyle. So, we’ve started a new series called five questions with a practitioner!  Each month, we'll feature answers from a few different practitioners, helping you get to know each of them a little bit more, along with healing modalities they swear by. Enjoy!

KristaLove Louise Hagman 

Describe yourself in three words:

Playful, adventurous, nurturing

Legs Up The Wall/ Viparita Karani  

Benefits:

Can help with back alignment.

Can release pain in feet and legs.

Gently stretches entire body.

Foundation & General Alignment:

Start laying on back with legs up against wall.

Legs are straight.

Bones in butt are pushed against wall for added support.

There is a natural curve in back, it does not have to be pressed flat on ground.

Shoulders are back and pressing into ground.

Gate Pose/Parighasana

Benefits:

Stretches spine and sides of body.

Opens shoulders.

Stretches legs.

Foundation & General Alignment:

Start sitting up on knees. Pull one leg out, point foot outward and place hand on same side and lean into the leg. Other arm comes up over head and gently leans with the rest of the body. 

Back is not curved and or arched.

Shoulders are back and away from ears.

Happy Baby Pose

Benefits:

Is a gently stretch for legs and back.

Can help relieve stress.

Massages back.

Foundation & General Alignment:

Start lying on back. Bend legs upward and bring them towards chest.

Back is flat on ground.

Arms are on top of knees.

Hands are grabbing bottoms of feet.

Shoulders are back and away from ears.

Common Problems:

Back is curved.

Shoulders are curved forward.

Modifications:

Fire Log Pose/Agnistambhasana

Benefits:

Stretches the hips and legs.

Helps improve posture.

Foundation & General Alignment:

Start sitting in upright position. Legs are bent at knees and foot is resting on top of knee.

Feet are flexed.

Keep legs engaged to prevent damage to knees.

Hips are in a natural position.

Back is straight.

Chest is open.

Shoulders are back and away from ears.

Bharadvaja's Twist

Benefits:

Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips

Relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica

Improves digestion

Massages the abdominal organs

Foundation & General Alignment:

Start sitting with both legs tucked underneath butt. Pull one leg out and bend it over opposite knee, gently twist by grabbing bent knee with opposite hand and using it for leverage.

Base is made up of one hip bone, and top of foot/shin of same leg.

If you practice yoga, you’ve likely heard of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a foundational text of classical yoga philosophy. Maybe you’ve even read it.

Upward Facing Two Foot Staff Pose/Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana

Benefits:

Opens chest.

Stretches shoulders, arms, and front of body.

Improves balance.

Starter pose for Wheel pose.

Foundation & General Alignment:

Can start in wheel or laying flat on back. Bend arms at the elbows and place hands flat on ground.

Legs are straight with feet pointing away.

Arms are shoulders width apart.

Shoulders are engaged, push through armpits for deepest stretch.

Sattva: Balance. Purity. Calmness. Neutrality. Equilibrium. Peace.

Imagine a raging fire consuming a forest of ancient trees, the charred branches left after the fact, the newly fertile soil, and then the regrowth of the shrubs, bushes and trees over time to again reveal a pristine woodland of animal life and nature. After the burn and regrow, there is a space and time of balance that is achieved and seems to be maintained over time, during which you can hang a hammock in the trees and fall peacefully asleep while crickets sing and water flows down the mountain.