Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana) is also called Dead Bug Pose and looks exactly like its name, whichever you want to use. It is a fantastic hip opener. Mobility in the hip joint is vital to healthy knee and back function. The freedom of movement classic in infants can be maintained throughout life with open hips. The hip joint is the meeting place of the upper and lower body. A healthy hip joint will be able to absorb the shock of walking or running and provide a steady base for the spine and internal organs. Hip openers also aid with digestion and circulation as you gently compress and massage the internal organs.
Happy Baby – Ananda Balasana
happy baby pose
Sit, grasping the inside of your feet with your hands
Roll onto your back, feet to the sky
Alternatively start lying on your back and bend your knees into your belly, then grasp the feet
You can stretch one leg straight keeping the thigh close to the floor while bending the other, alternating sides
Coo, giggle, and make happy baby noises, then roll back to sitting
If imitating a dead bug be sure to use appropriate facial expressions without the baby noises
Benefits: opens the hips, gently stretches the groins and lower back, calms the brain, relieves fatigue and stress
Here is a laughing baby video to bring a smile to your face and lighten your day.
As a member of the Namate Book Club I’ve been reading a wonderful little book entitled Downward Dogs & Warriors: Wisdom Tales for Modern Yogisby Zo Newell . The premise of the book is to educate the reader about the powerful stories from which Indian culture and yoga has come. It is “about using asana and related images for reflection, self-examination, and healing” in order to deepen “your yoga practice through observation of your body, your mind, and your emotions.”
The first story in the book is that of Shiva as Destroyer: Warrior Poses. In a nutshell, Shiva’s wife, Sati, threw herself into a fire becoming the sacrifice her father refused to provide during a ritual party where he was simply flaunting his power and prestige. Upon hearing of his wife’s demise, Shiva, overcome with grief and fury, ripped his hair from his head and threw it on the ground where it became a Warrior, the embodiment of his emotions.“This is Virabhadra, the personification of righteous anger and the noble impulse to defend the innocent.”
This pose and its story took on very personal meaning over the past week as an innocent child became the victim of molestation. Suddenly each time I do Warrior pose, I am Virabhadra filled with anger and anguish at the injustices of life. What was once a sometimes demanding physical pose now encompasses an entire range of strong emotions.
Newell encourages yogis to:
Reflect and journal on a time when you came to the defence of a righteous cause or an innocent person. Invite the emotional qualities of that experience into your practice of the warrior poses. Keep the experience in mind while practicing with softness in the eyes and openness in the heart.
It may be a too soon for me to practice “with softness in the eyes and openness in the heart” as I am still in protect and safety mode. However, knowing the story behind the pose has given me hope to work through the pain to the point where my heart is open and calm as I move into action.
There are far too many children who are victims of abuse. Please do everything within your power to protect and fight for their innocence. Be the Warriors for those who cannot protect themselves.
Sesame Street revolutionized children’s television back in 1969 combining education with entertainment. Today it is the longest running children’s program on television and is well known for its lovable Muppets (Big Bird, Oscar, Kermit, Grover, Elmo, etc) and timeless songs (I Love Trash, Bein’ Green, Rubber Duckie, C is for Cookie, among others).
I love Sesame Street and so was thrilled when YogaDork posted this video and have been singing “Doing the (coo, coo) pigeon” all day. So press play and enjoy doing Pigeon pose with Bert. He now joins the ranks with Kermit as a true yogi. Can’t wait for Oscar the Grouch to find his bliss while doing Warrior pose.
I would love to have a pose-able Grover to take to classes. Already have a Babar which I have to wrestle away from my children, but I think Grover would be super flexible and lots of fun. Which childhood character would you like to see doing yoga and what would be their favourite pose?
Dancer Pose (technically Lord of the Dance Pose) is a balance pose combined with a back bend and chest opener. As with all balance poses, Dancer Pose develops concentration and focus while improving posture. This beautiful pose brings to mind the grace, flexibility, and freedom of movement inherant in dance. This pose opens the heart and gaze to the heavens and allows the body and mind to delight in expression. Dance is an integral part of ceremony, ritual, celebration and entertainment and helps to convey emotions and stories. Delight your inner dancer with this wonderful pose.
Dancer Pose – Natarajasana
dancer pose
Stand, feet hip distance apart
Bending the right knee, grasp the inside of the right foot with the right hand
Raise the left hand overhead
Lift the right foot behind and up, allow the torso to move forward, opening the chest, balancing on one foot
Repeat on the opposite side
Benefits: improves balance, stretches the chest, shoulders, thighs and abdomen, strengthens the legs and ankles
Partner Variation
Stand facing your partner a few feet apart, too close and you will bonk heads. Both partners raise their left arms to touch each other above their heads. Grasp the inside of the right foot with the right hand and begin to hinge forward, kicking the right foot behind you. Smile at one another and keep your balance. Release and repeat on the other side. (Warning: Often causes laughter & giggling)
“With Valentine’s Day around the corner I’ve been attempting to soften my heart, to open it to the richness and wonder of the world, to increase my ability to connect in a meaningful way to those with whom I come in contact. And so I’ve been contemplating my heart…
As one diagnosed with a heart murmur as a child, I learned early on the mechanics of the heart. Scientifically, it is a muscular organ with four chambers which pumps blood throughout the body by means of rhythmic contractions. However, it is also symbolically the center of our emotional and spiritual life.”
The article also inspired a poem, Yoga of the Heart by Bob Weisenberg of Yoga Demystified, who encourages us to contemplate the infinite wonder of the heart. I am deeply honored, Bob.
Trees are beautiful, nourishing, strong, flexible, and provide many of our basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, medicines and tools. Trees also purify the air we breathe via photosynthesis and are essential to life on earth. Tree pose is a basic balancing posture which is deceptively difficult. Young children especially will have challenges with this pose until they develop their ability to balance on one foot (usually around age 5). Tree pose teaches awareness of the mid-line of the body – the vertical axis that runs straight down your body from the crown of your head, bisecting your face & neck, through the center of your core, to the mid point between your feet on the ground. It also teaches basic physics as the arm positions alter the center of gravity.
Tree Pose – Vrksasana
tree pose
Stand, feet together; find something on the floor two feet in front of you to focus on
Extend your arms at shoulder height out to the side (wide center of gravity makes this the easiest arm position for balancing)
Lift the right foot, turning the knee out; place the right foot above or below the knee
Imagine your toes are the roots grounding into the earth, your standing leg is the trunk strong and tall, your arms & bent leg are branches reaching outward and upward toward the sun
To test your balance:
Bring your arms to Prayer position in front of your heart (narrow center of gravity)
Raise your arms overhead (narrow and long centre of gravity)
Look up to your hands (changing the focal point increases the difficulty)
Often when teaching Tree pose I encourage each participant to become whatever tree they want to be: oak, apple, palm, Christmas, weeping willow. The entire body dynamics change respectively and children are allowed to express their creativity and emotions. You could take this a step further and discuss the symbolism of each tree then have students become physically whatever tree they relate to that day.
Oak: strength & courage
Maple: balance, promise & practicality
Apple: magic, youth, happiness
Cedar: healing & protection
Aspen: determination, overcoming fear & doubt
Fir: springtime & immortality
Palm: peace & opportunity
Willow: magic, inner vision, dreams
Tree Pose Partner & Group Variations
Once you have practiced tree pose individually you may want to try these variations.
Partner: Stand facing one another a few feet apart. Both partners lift their right leg and give it to their partner to hold in their left hand. You will make the shape of an H. Balance and then lift the right hand up overhead. You can add a twist at this point by looking over the left shoulder or reaching for your partners right hand and pulling your torso around. Repeat on the other side.
Group: Making a Forest – Have everyone stand in a circle facing inward. Everyone lifts their right foot and gives it to the person to their right to hold. See if you can succeed in linking the entire circle into a forest before someone loses their balance. Repeat with the left leg. This usually results in lots of giggles and then a tumble or two as we lose our balance but is a great way to build unity and cooperation.
A fantastic resource for teachers and parents interested in exploring trees is Tree World, also available in French.
by Zo Newell . The premise of the book is to educate the reader about the powerful stories from which Indian culture and yoga has come. It is “about using asana and related images for reflection, self-examination, and healing” in order to deepen “your yoga practice through observation of your body, your mind, and your emotions.”
