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HW: Journey into the Heart (Day 17)
Wheel Pose or Chakrasana
This is not for the faint hearted and, thanks to a tight upper back and shoulders combined with long arms, this is still a challenge for me BUT its a work in progress..as always there is a reason we call it a Yoga ‘Practice’… Nonetheless, I am still invigorated by it…
Starting from laying flat on your back and having done plenty of preparatory back-bends beforehand..(!) Make sure all the joints are in line and bring your arms into a cactus position, to start with, and place the feet on the mat with knees bent, as you would for Bridge pose. Then, place the hands flat next to the ears, with the fingers pointing down towards your shoulders and draw the elbows in toward the midline if possible. Added bonus if you can find hasta bandha while you’re here!
Inhale and push into the hands and feet – imagining you’re being lifted by an imaginary chord from your mid-body could help. Come up on to the crown of your head and rest while you adjust your hands as needed. Then push up the rest of the way into the full expression of the pose. Squeeze the shoulder blades together as you focus on broadening the chest open. If you need a little more space you can try lifting your heels. Ideally the arms are straight and as much as possible, elbows line up with the ears, and roll back to externally rotate the arms.
If someone has longer arms in relation to their body, like me, it will take more work to get the hands back as the bend in the spine will need to be deeper, than for those with relative or shorter arm lengths.
This is a wonderful opening for the whole front body – stay here, ideally for 12 breaths if possible.
To come out, tuck the chin in toward the chest and come down onto the back of the head. Walk the feet away or lift the heels so you can gently lower your body back to the mat. Draw the knees into the chest and hug them, massaging the back, and notice a wonderful rush of energy. 😊💛
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This discussion was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
Katie.
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This discussion was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
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