August 20, 2015

It is hot here in Montreal, and I love the summer weather and the impact it has on my body and mind. It is always interesting to see how the warmth lives in my body. A friend described coming from back Chile in February and then was in a weekend workshop. People at the workshop commented on how she must have been practicing a lot in Chile, and she said no, she just had a “summer body.” The summer body is already warmed up and ready to go with asana practice.

At the same time, in asana, we have to balance out this heat. That means a cooling practice that prevents overheating – especially overheating the mind which can lead to frustration and irritation. Backbends are generally speaking heating poses. However, some are more cooling and certainly practicing supported backbends are much more cooling.

Here is my recent backbend practice. Enjoy it.

·       Virasana (hero pose) centering – 5 minutes

·       Adho Mukha Ardha Padamasana (forward bend half-lotus) – 2 minutes / side

·       Adho Mukha Padmasana (forward bend lotus) – 2 minutes / side

·       Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose) – upright and forward bend for a total of 2 minutes

·       Psoas work on a bolster – from Kevin Gardiner workshop

·       Jathara Parivartanasana – hips on the bolster

·       Matsyasana (fish pose)

•  Lying back on bolster along spine
•    Lying over bolster with bolster in lumbar spine – hold elbows and take forearms to the floor. Be on back of top of the head.

·       Paryankasana – supported over two blocks at shoulder blades, head unsupported

·       Paryankasana – full pose

·       Matsyasana – full pose

·       Sirsasana drop-overs to Viparita Dandasana 3X

·       Kapotasana 2X – dropping back from kneeling

** These last two poses (above) are not cooling and yet in combination with the previous work, but mind stayed calm and my body was very ready for theses poses. The pressing of the shoulder blades into the upper back required to support the neck arch / head position in both Paryankasana and Matyasana worked very well to prepare for the work needed in Sirsasana drop-overs and Kapotasana.

·       Sarvangasana

·       Supported Ardha Halasana – legs on a chair

·       Savasana