Yoga practice at home - Part 4

This month we are entering the penultimate stage of our home practice. We are looking at balancing poses and I wanted to take a moment to talk about this often challenging group of poses before we select a few to add to our home practice.

In yoga philosophy there is the concept of sthira and sukha. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he gives us the principle of “sthira-sukham-asanam”, which is most commonly translated as “asana (postures) should be stable {sthira} and comfortable {sukha}.” Finding this balance between being stable and comfortable, between effort and ease, between strength and softness can be applied both on and off our yoga mat.

But let’s stick to on the mat, and talk about balance poses. When I’m planning a class I might pop the odd balance into a general flow, but more often than not if I’m thinking about balancing poses I will plan an entire class around them. If I announce at the start of the class that we’re focussing on balance there are very often several groans - this can be a tricky group of poses and they require us to leave our ego to one side and not judge ourselves if we wobble or fall. Ego and self-judgement is something that many of us struggle with, however, which is why these poses are often not enjoyed as much as some others! There will be times where your balance is completely off and you can’t stand on one leg for love nor money, but there are many things that affect our balance; injury, some medical conditions, hormones and the biggest culprit - the mind! If we’ve got a lot going on in our lives and our thoughts are super busy, or you’re preoccupied with something, worried, stressed or anxious, all of these things will affect your balance. The key here is acceptance - it really doesn’t matter if you wobble, or need to use a wall for support, or just can’t get into Tree pose - try again next time! 

Balance poses - whether these are poses we do on our feet, arms, hands or our head - offer us both physical and mental benefits. Physically, we strengthen our muscles, get to know our centre of gravity and how to align ourselves, improve our equilibrium and learn the principle of rooting down. Mentally, this group of poses teach us how to focus our attention, switch off from external stimulation, how to stay steady in one place and start to tune into our calm inner centre. All of these things are important qualities both on and off the mat so rather than avoid the balancing poses, why not give them a go?

To begin, give yourself a few minutes to settle and check in with yourself before going through the movement meditation at least 5 times and then parts two and three of the home practice series, ending in Mountain Pose.

Tree Pose
Starting in Mountain pose, find a still point in the room to gaze at - on the floor or on the wall in front of you. Your hands might be on your hips or in prayer at your hearts centre. Take the weight into your right foot. Maybe just rest your left toes on the mat to test your balance to begin with and then open your knee out to the side. You then have several options of what to do with your left foot; you could keep your toes on the mat and have your heel resting on the right ankle; bring the sole of the foot to the inner calf, or to your inner thigh; or cross your ankle over the thigh in half lotus. Keep rooting down through your right foot, lifting your kneecap up into your thigh to engage those muscles and keep the standing leg strong and press the sole of your foot and the right leg into one another. If you’re well balanced here you could raise the prayer above your head and maybe even close your eyes. Repeat on the left side.

Eagle Pose
Start as above taking the weight into your right foot, then bend into your right knee a little and cross your left leg high over the right. Your left toes might then rest on the mat next to the right foot, rest next the calf, or wrap all the way around the back of the right calf. The more you bend into your standing leg, the deeper you may be able to wrap your left leg around. Your hands could be on your hips or in prayer, or you could try Eagle arms here - stretch your arms out in front of you at shoulder height, cross your right arm over your left, bend at the elbows and bring your palms to touch in line with your face. It’s a bit of a tied-up-in-knots looking balance but a fun one! Repeat on the left side. 

Dancer Pose
Again, start as above and then bend your left knee and bring the heel towards the bottom. Reach back for your foot with your left hand (I prefer to take hold of the big toe side of the foot as this keeps the shoulder open and helps with the heart opening aspect of this pose). Raise your right arm and start to bring your weight forward, whilst keeping the chest lifted, as you lift up through your left leg, kicking the foot into the hand. This balance not only strengthens the standing leg but also gives us the benefits of a backbend and heart opener. Repeat on the left side.

Next month we conclude our home practice series with our closing sequence and relaxation.