Excess Baggage

Whether it's the woman behind the bakery counter who copped an attitude or the guy that flipped you the bird on your way to work today... when you hold on to negative emotions, they go straight to your hips just like brownies.  The excess baggage that you carry around can manifest itself into other problems.    This hip opener series can not only help to release such feelings as guilt, sadness and fear (we tend to hold these emotions in our pelvis) - it will also improve flexibility and may even ease back and knee pain and perhaps even improve circulation. Take your time with the next series and don't get discouraged.  Hip openers take time to master.  The ligaments in your hips are dense and hard to soften.  During this practice, stay with your breath.  On every exhalation, imagine your body softening allowing you to go deeper and deeper into the stretch. Remember not to work beyond your "edge."  These asanas (postures) should hurt but should not cause severe pain. If at anytime during this practice you feel sharp shooting pain, please stop.    

Gomukhasana or Cow Face Pose: Start by crossing your right leg over your left leg. Try to drop your knees to the ground. If you can't get your knees to the ground, don't worry! Take a block or a blanket and place it under your knee so the pose becomes accessible to you. You should feel this stretch through your sits bones.  To intensify the stretch, inhale your arms up over head. Exhale your arms forward, press your palms into the floor and and sit back on your sits bones. Hold for five breaths and repeat on the other side. Notice how each side feels a little different.  For me, the right side is tighter.

Bhujangasana - Cobra Pose: Start by laying on your stomach.  Press your palms into  the floor just in front of your shoulders. As you lift your torso, press your hips into the floor.  Roll your shoulders back and down.  Hug your elbows into your body. Press the tops of your feet into the floor.  Take five inhalations and exhalations.  Release and repeat.

Adho Mukha Svanasana - Downward Facing Dog: Begin in Tadasana or Mountain Pose.  To do this, Stand with your feet together or hip distance apart.  Spread your toes wide. Ground down through your feet, tuck your tailbone and extend through the sides of your waist.  Inhale your arms up, exhale swan dive into standing forward bend.  Bring your naval to your spine so that your back releases and you are able to fold a little deeper.  On the next inhale, jump or step your feet back.  With your feet hip width apart, press your palms into the floor.  Extend through your arms.  Lift your sits bones to the ceiling. Push your top thighs back to the wall behind you and stretch your heels down toward the floor.

One Legged Downward Facing Dog: From downward facing dog, press into the floor with your palms. As you send energy up your arms inhale and lift your right foot to the sky. Try your hardest to keep both hips level. Flex the foot of your extended leg as you descend the opposite heel toward the floor.  Breath five good long breaths.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana - Pigeon Pose: Bring your raised leg to the front of your mat. Bend your leg at the knee.  The knee can angle slightly to the right, outside the line of the hip. Take a moment and look behind you to make sure the extended leg is straight.  Press into the floor with top of your back foot.   Square off your hips.  If you are having trouble keeping your hips level, place a blanket underneath the hip that keeps popping up. 

Exhale and surrender your upper body over your bent leg.  Stretch your arms forward.  Take five breaths here.  Then slide your hands back just beneath your shoulders.  Press into the floor with your palms as you lift your torso. Roll your shoulder blades back and down. Press back into downward facing dog.  Lift the other leg and repeat Pigeon Pose on the opposite side. I like to maintain this pose for five minutes. It feels soooo good.

One Legged Chair Pose: Once again begin in Tadasana (Mountain Pose).  Bring your right foot just above your left knee.  Do not place your foot on top of your knee as crushing your knee cap is not ideal. Bend your left knee and sit back into a squatting position.  If you have trouble balancing on one leg, hold onto the wall or some nearby furniture.  Make sure your left knee does not go past your big toe.  If it does you need to sit back further into the stretch.  Take five breaths here.

"May the long time sun shine upon you and the pure light with in you guide your way on."

Namaste!