Pumpkin pie
The title of this post has nothing to do with yoga, per se. I was just driving to my sister's house, and realized that the color of almost all of the trees right now is very much like pumpkin pie. Walking through the woods is like taking a stroll through the center of one of my favorite treats. Talking about my favorite treats, I heard that a lovely pumpkin pie can be made with sweet potatoes. Talking about sweet potatoes, I know that a lovely way to eat sweet potatoes is with salty peanut butter, honey (local and raw, of course), and cinnamon. Talking about lovely, local honey, ya'll should get on that. Eating local never tasted so good.
Talking about yoga, here you go.
Talking about yoga, here you go.
Pumpkin pie
Maybe I can make some cute link-in here, like this pose is as easy as pie, or something like that. But, I won't. Yoga isn't "easy" for many people. Yin and yang classes alike challenge the body and the mind. Yoga is meditation in motion and goodness knows my meditation practice is like trying to catch a puppy, to work off a Stephen Cope metaphor. So, if this is easy as pie, a blessing on your head. If it isn't, well, a blessing on your head, too.
- Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
- Dirgha (Three Part) and Ujayyi (Ocean Sounding) breath
- Begin any movement of torso and arms that feel natural with this breath
- Come to stillness
- Fold forward in Sukhasana, taking hands and arms out along floor in front of you
- Change cross of legs, repeat
- Taking hands under knees, roll along spine, eventually rolling to standing
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
- Kaliasana (Goddess Pose)
- In Kaliasana, whisper "Pumpkin" and squat deeper, whisper "Pie" and come out slightly
- Pulse between "Pumpkin" and "pie"
- Utthita Tadasana (Five Pointed Star Pose)
- Swing your arms like empty coatsleeves, gently hitting your own back as they move side to side, exhaling "Ha!" as you twist
- 12 Toe Touches, exhaling "Ha!" as you bend over
- Pause arm to opposite toe/shin/leg to twist. Repeat other side
- Walk hands forward to wide leg Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
- Wide-legged Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose)
- Come onto stomach, bend at knees, and windshield-wiper legs side to side
- Dolphin Pose (Forearm Adho Mukha Svanasana)
- Forearm Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose on forearms)
- Move between steps 19 and 20
- Lift one leg in Dolphin Pose. Bend knee for hip circles, try to touch head with toe.
- Repeat other side
- Garbasana (Child's Pose)
- Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose)
- "Thread the needle" in Sasangasana, taking one arm underneath other for gentle twist
- Repeat other side
- Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)
- Come onto back
- 12 Crunches, exhaling deeply on lifting head
- Taking hands under sacrum or beside hips, point legs directly towards ceiling, and lower one inch above ground (moving with breath)
- Repeat 5-15 times
- End with legs pointed directly towards ceiling to hold
- Lower to ground slowly, and release
- Ardha Ananda Balasana (Half Happy Baby). Repeat other side
- Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby), rock gently
- Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist). Repeat other side
- Savasana