Balance Challenge: Mar 2015

The Balance Challenge will be our monthly challenge for March 2015 – specifically we will focus on standing balance poses. Each week will present a new series of poses along with tips and pointers for your practice.

About: This challenge is not about duration and holding the poses for a very long time; rather, our aim will be quality. We want to achieve a true state of balance – where we feel at ease and veritably still in the pose. In contrast, often we may be in a standing balance pose and our bodies are waving, weaving, and leaning side to side, i.e. we are in a perpetual state of compensation and adjustment. And sometimes, to the outside eye, we really do look balanced – yet in reality internally we are engaging in minute adjustments, imperceptibly shifting our weight side to side. Then there are times, when we are really, truly balanced. We feel light, free, magically suspended, and almost weightless. This is what we are after in this challenge: Pure balance.

Here is the challenge for week #1: Mar 1 – Mar 8.

(1) Tree pose (Vrksasana)
(2) Dancer Pose (Natarajasana)
(3) Standing Hand to Knee / Big Toe Pose (Hasta Padanguasthasana).

For each of the poses there are numerous variations presented – begin with the ones that best suit you and grow into more difficult options.

(1) Tree Pose

(Note: In all of the below poses the hands may be at the heart, raised upwards, or at and angle, or any variation you choose.)

Entry: Have your left foot flat on the floor, and bring your right foot across the left, placing the ball of the right foot on the ground and keeping the heel up off the ground. Close your eyes. Practice both sides.

Standard: Stand on your left foot and hook the right foot behind he left calf, or flush to the calf, or place the sole of the right foot flush to the inner thigh. Practice both sides.

Challenge: Stand on your left foot and place the right high up on the inner left thigh, or bring your right ankle to the front side of the inner left thigh (as in a half-lotus pose). For added challenge look upwards to the sky or try closing the eyes. Practice both sides.

Here below we have our dear friend Tina (Tues, Thurs, Fri mornings) doing tree tree pose on the beach in Florida last summer…

(2) Dancer Pose

Entry: Stand on your right leg and catch your left ankle with your left hand. Raise your right arm to the sky. Try passing the left ankle to the right hand and then raising the left arm. Return back to the initial side. Practice on both legs.

Standard: Stand on your right leg and catch your left ankle with your left hand. Then begin to tilt the torso forward and extend the left leg back. As you gain facility in the pose deepen it by leaning further forward and kicking the back leg higher to the sky. Do both legs.

Challenge: Try closing the eyes.

Here is our dear friend Jennifer whom we miss very much as she has since move to California.

(3) Standing Hand to Knee or Big Toe:

Entry: Stand on your right leg. Lift your left knee as high as you can and clasp both hands around the left shin. Squeeze the thigh to your torso.

Standard: Stand on your right leg. Lift your left knee as high as you can and place your left hand on the inside of the left knee. Then draw the left knee around to the left side and lift as high as you can. Your right arm can extend to a diagonal up to the right as a counter-balance. Your vision can be forward or for a challenge look to your right.

Here is another nice variation to try: Revolved hand to knee.

Above image courtesy of Gaiam TV

Challenge: Stand on your right leg. Lift your left knee as high as you can a grab your left toe with the left hand. Then extend the left leg out to the left side so your leg is in the same plane as your torso. As an alternative you may extend your left leg forward.

 Above image courtesy of Yoga by Candace 

General Balance Tips:

Engage your core

Stand Tall with shoulders broad

Look at at one point on the horizon (note: some prefer to look down)

Keep bottom foot spread with toes relaxed, not gripped to the earth

Squeeze the bottom leg without locking the knee

Tell us your tips…

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