One of my favorite parts about summers in Ithaca is being able to teach yoga in the park. Even more specifically, my favorite pose to do outside is Downward Facing Dog. In Downward Dog, I feel steady and solid, but am still upside down, and therefore get an awesome new perspective on my world.
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| From MightyYoga.com |
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On rainy Ithaca days (and, oh, they are plentiful... the amazing lushness of this place I love doesn't come for free!) I practice yoga in my living room. As opposed to being constrained to the four corners of a mat, sometimes I prefer to practice in yoga socks with grips on the bottom. I recently received some
Kushyfoot socks in the mail and was immediately attracted to their Yoga Socks: toe-less socks with grip. I also got samples of their athletic socks and socks that would be great for Barre classes, but yoga socks will always be first and foremost in that special place in my heart reserved for socks (what? you don't have one of those?).
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| Dem be my toesies |
They are super-ridiculously affordable at $4.99, but full disclosure is that I got mine for free. Again, thank you gods of internet schwag!
Here's a sequence with lots of standing poses to put that sock-grip to the test and Downward Dogs to help flip your perspective upside-down!
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Come into meditation here.
- Standing Forward Fold, bend knees a lot to be gentle on the back
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
- Vrksasana (Tree Pose). Repeat other side.
- Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
- Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- High Lunge on Right
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- High Lunge on Left
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog). Flow between Downward Dog and lunges on both sides, moving with the breath and building heat.
- Plank Pose
- Vasisthasana (Side Plank)
- Plank Pose
- Chaturanga Dandasana
- Urdva Mukha Savasana (Upward Facing Dog)
- Adho Mukha Savasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
- Utthita Parsvotanasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)
- Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
- Repeat step 18 to 21 on opposite side
- Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose). Repeat other side.
- Salabasana (Locust Pose)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
- Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
- Balasana (Child's Pose)
- Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby)
- Savasana