All Day Energy

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In Today's Email:

• What Is Ashtanga Yoga: Understanding the Methods

• Are you an empath? The signs…

• All-day energy: By combining stretches, core activation, and deep breathing, this sequence will release tension so you start your day feeling refreshed.

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What is Ashtanga Yoga:

Ashtanga yoga, also known as power yoga, is quickly gaining popularity among practitioners. So what is Ashtanga yoga? It is the form of yoga most used by athletes and those interested in quickly increasing strength and stamina. Because of that, Ashtanga yoga postures have a higher degree of difficulty than those in other styles. Additionally, they are done as part of a series.

Usually, students doing Ashtanga yoga postures will move quickly from one to the other to maintain that focus on strength. That is in opposition to many other forms of yoga where the emphasis is on breathing, relaxation, and flexibility.

Who Should Practice Ashtanga Yoga?

Ashtanga yoga poses are for most anyone who is in decent shape. If you are new to exercise, this is probably not the form of yoga with which you should start. Even the very easiest of Ashtanga poses are very demanding on the body, especially since you will even start with a body warming routine that is designed to activate your muscles. Overall, Ashtanga yoga can provide you with a build-up of strength, stamina, and even some flexibility which explains its popularity among those involved in athletics.

If you decide to give Ashtanga a try, you should expect things to progress quickly. You will likely start right off with a sequence of yoga poses. Those will be practiced until the teacher feels you have mastered it fairly well and have a complete understanding of its fundamentals. Then, you will move on to another series and a higher level of difficulty. Overall, it is a very fast-moving form of yoga.

Ashtanga Poses

As for the Ashtanga yoga poses, they range widely in terms of positioning. You will find yourself moving from standing, backbent, inverted, balancing, seated, and even twisting poses. In power yoga, the sun salutation sequence of poses is very popular as well, so you will often use standing forward bend, upward dog, downward dog, and many other poses sprinkled in as well.

Though much of the focus in Ashtanga yoga poses is on the development of stamina and strength, you will also, as with any yoga, be focusing. You will be asked to focus your eyes on a point as you move through the poses given out by your instructor. In order to get the full effect and benefit of Ashtanga, you should make sure that your muscles and perhaps even the rooms are very warm. This ensures maximum flexibility and minimal injury as you work through the demanding postures.

If you are into athletics, exercise, or just want a new physical challenge, perhaps you should consider giving Ashtanga yoga a try. The clear choice of athletes and an increasingly popular form in general, it is perfect for those that are in decent shape and want to increase their strength, stamina, and flexibility. Power yoga is a series of poses taken in a quick and free-flowing sequence. Even the classes move quickly with teachers adding more difficult sequences every time one is fairly well mastered. So if you learn fast, like to work hard, and think you are up to the challenge of power yoga, then you may benefit greatly from Ashtanga yoga poses.

Are you an empath?

While many of us are affected by emotional contagion, some people feel others’ emotions to the nth degree. If this sounds familiar, you might be an empath, and your wonderful qualities, when left unchecked, can compromise your health. Here are four telltale characteristics of empaths:

•  It’s tough to know where you leave off and others begin, or which emotional experiences are yours, and which come from others.

• You’re often not in your body. For empaths, all that “feeling into” the experiences of others can mean that you dissociate.

• You’re prone to nervous system overdrive. It doesn’t take much—sometimes just a crowded, loud party sends your nervous system into alarm.

• You have trouble with intimacy. Your relationships are filled with intense interactions. You get so entangled that making a clean break from someone is often the only way to get the space you need.

All Day Energy...

By combining stretches, core activation, and deep breathing, this sequence will release tension so you start your day feeling refreshed.

AS YOU PRACTICE Allow yourself to pause and explore these heart- and hip-opening stretches as you build-up to the peak pose, an exciting variation of Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose). This will help connect you to your core and root you down so you can expand outward with stability and strength. Meanwhile, breathe deeply throughout the sequence to further awaken your sense of vitality and inner purpose.

1. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (ThreeLegged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Begin with hands shoulder-width apart and feet hipwidth apart. Actively reach your heels down as you lift your sitting bones up and elongate the spine. On a deep inhale, lift your right leg. Keep your shoulders squared.

2. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Step your right foot forward, and place your back knee down behind your hips. Place your hands onto your front knee, and sink your hips, drawing your belly away from your front thigh and pressing your shoulders back. Gently rock forward and back.

3. Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose) Turn to your left, pivoting your back shin. Place your left hand alongside your sacrum and your right hand on your front knee. Engage your core to lift your sternum, and elongate the inseam of your right leg.

4. Ardha Hanumanasana (Half Monkey God Pose) Turn toward your front leg, and straighten it. Lengthen your spine over your leg, with your fingertips on the floor. Bend your elbows (not your neck), and hinge from the hips to fold deeper. Keep your hips square.

5. Cat-Cow Pose Bring your right knee back in line with the left, coming to all fours. Inhale and lift your sternum, sitting bones, and chin. Exhale and tuck your chin, round your spine, and tuck your sitting bones. Breathe, and explore your fullest range of motion.

6. Tabletop, variation Extend your right arm forward and your left leg back. Keep your hips square to the mat by dialing your outer left hip down and your inner left thigh up. Engage your core, and elongate from fingertips to the sole of your foot. Hug your muscles toward the midline.

Meme

Namaste ❤️

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