Ease Into Joy

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WEEKEND YOGAPEDIA Yoga Flow: Ease Into Joy 

Lighten your heart and build self-awareness and self-confidence with this back-bending sequence.

AS YOU PRACTICE First, establish the basic form of your backbend: Widen the inner thighs and pelvic bones as you root your tailbone down to keep your lower back spacious and prevent compression as you arch up and back. As you move through the sequence, pause at the beginning of each pose to feel your breath and to settle into the foundation of the pose. Hold each pose for five breaths, moving your breath into the back of your body.

Reflection: Make your practice playful and childlike. See what it feels like to practice with no expectations.

Additional benefits: Extends the front of the spine; opens the chest and hips; stimulates the thyroid.

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) After several rounds of Cat-Cow Pose, come onto all fours, with your wrist creases parallel to the front of the mat. Claw the ground with your fingers so that the muscles on the underside of the forearms tone and lift. Breathe into your back, feeling it broaden with every inhalation. On an exhalation, release your heart toward the ground, softening between your shoulder blades without collapsing in your lower back or armpits. With strong arms and a soft heart, lift your hips and straighten your legs for five breaths.

2. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (One-Legged DownwardFacing Dog), variation On an inhalation, lift your left leg toward the sky. Bend your left knee and turn your hips so your kneecap points to the left. Stay here for five breaths. Then straighten your leg and rotate the thigh so that the kneecap faces the ground. On an exhalation, lower the foot to the floor and do the other side before returning to Downward-Facing Dog.

3. Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose) From Downward Dog, step or hop forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), and inhale as you come up to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). From there stand sideways on your mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in. Bend your right knee and place your right arm on your thigh or bring the fingertips to the floor or a block outside your right foot. Press the top of your left thighbone back and scoop the right buttock under, as you open your torso to the left. Extend your left arm alongside your ear and stay for five breaths. On an inhalation come up to standing, and then repeat on the other side.

4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation Return to your wide stance. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in until your pelvis squares toward the front foot. On an exhalation, slide the left hand down your back leg as you curl your torso into a backbend. Rest your left hand on your hamstring or upper calf as you continue to bend back, extending the right arm alongside your ear. After five breaths, inhale and bring your torso upright. Exhale as you switch sides.

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CRYSTAL OF THE DAY

THE WEEKEND POSITIVE NEWS ROUNDUP

1. Good news for green energy...

A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) claims that fossil fuels are being left in the dust by renewable energy sources. According to the forecast, green energy investments would reach $1.7 trillion (£1.37 trillion) this year, far surpassing the estimated $1 trillion (£810 billion) for oil, gas, and coal. Five years ago, the ratio was one-to-one.

According to the IEA, concerns about the affordability and volatility of fossil fuels as well as the conflict in Ukraine are "strengthening the momentum behind more sustainable options."

Faster than many people realize, according to IEA executive director Fatih Birol, "clean energy is moving fast." The investment trends show that clean technologies are overtaking fossil fuels in importance.

2. Clean air travel...

Could a relic from aviation’s history be the low-carbon future of air travel? The burgeoning airship industry, which is rushing to launch passenger blimps this decade, is banking on that.

The companies leading the charge assert that their zephyr-style aircraft provide a greener, more enjoyable method of air travel by utilizing already-available technology.

3.  More coral reefs to be protected...

A new discovery of a pristine deep-sea coral reef in the Galapagos Marine Reserve off the coast of Ecuador is reaffirming the importance of establishing marine protected areas and providing an important research opportunity for scientists.

LEARN SANSKRITYantra (yahn -thrah)

A mystical diagram known as a yantra is used for worship in Indian religions and philosophy. It is used for meditation assistance and the alleged occult advantages based on Tantric texts and Hindu astrology. It is a particular kind of mandala, a religious image that symbolizes the cosmos. The word "yantra" means "instrument," "apparatus," or "contrivance" in classical Sanskrit. The word's come from, yam, has the meaning "to sustain the essence of an object or concept" or "to support an object or concept."

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