Tag: yoga

The number 108 has a lot of significance

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Have you ever seen the number 108 around a yoga studio? Or maybe you’ve seen it somewhere else and wondered, “what the…?”

The significance of the number 108 is open to interpretation. Over time, there has been much spiritual and scientific relevance given to the number.  For many, the number 108 is a sacred number.

Here are some spiritual and scientific meanings and facts attributed to the number 108:

The wholeness of existence – Renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as the number of the wholeness of existence.  Astronomically, there are 27 constellations in our galaxy and each has 4 directions. 27 x 4 = 108.  In other words, the number 108 covers the whole galaxy.

The distance between the Earth and the Sun is roughly 108 times the diameter of the Sun.

The distance between the Earth and Moon is roughly 108 times the diameter of the Moon.

The diameter of the Sun is roughly 108 times the diameter of the Earth.

A mala* comes as a string of 108 beads plus one guru or guiding bead.

The Chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra.

In Yoga, 108 Sun Salutations are often practiced to honour change such as at the beginning of a new season.

Tibetans have 108 sacred holy books.

Many Hindu and Buddhist temples have 108 steps.

There is a lot to consider here and taking all of this into account, with a simplistic viewpoint, you could say that the auspicious number 108 connects science with the human mind, body and spirit.

Is there a particular meaning or fact that you like the most? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

* If you’re not sure what a mala is, check my blog post dated Feb., 20, 2017.

How to make the most of your home yoga practice

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Whether by choice or COVID restrictions, you may find yourself rolling out your yoga mat at home these days. It can be challenging but not impossible to move, stretch and strengthen while at home.

You only need to clear enough space as your mat takes up. If you have yoga props such as blocks, strap or bolster, make sure to round them up before you start. If you don’t have these props, get creative, even a dog leash works as a yoga strap in a pinch.

Sit down and explain to the people you live with, how important it is for you to be able to carve out the space and alone time to practice. Have all your points well thought out before hand. If you need yoga to help your mental health, stress that to your loved ones, and that when you’re in a better place life is better for them too. Maybe make a deal to exchange alone time; they protect your time so you can get a session in and you give them alone time to pursue their interest or hobby.

Maybe your home practice could include your partner or kids or the whole family. Know your intention for your practice. Is it to be alone? Could you use some “date” time with your partner? Do you need to connect as a family? Does your family need to move their bodies more? There’s also something to be said about an accountability buddy. You might even commit to a virtual practice with a friend.

Put it into your schedule just as if you were leaving the house and going to a public class. Change into that same outfit you’d wear and fill “that” water bottle so you feel your best.

Check in with your body and what kind of practice it needs. A more vigorous style perhaps vinyasa or a strength building, or, maybe you need a quieter practice of yin or restorative yoga.

Think of the five senses when setting up your practice space. What do you want to be looking at? Can you set up in front of a window? Is there an inspirational photo, quote or object you could have within view? Would you like to light a scented candle, incense, turn on a diffuser or rub some essential oils on your wrists? Would dimming the lights help set the scene? You might like some quiet music or maybe noise cancelling is what you’re after. Depending on the time of day you practice, you may like to bring your morning brew or a breakfast juice, later in the day some lemon water or chamomile tea. Wearing comfortable clothes is a given but you might bring a blanket and pillow for relaxation. Leave your phone in another room and anything else that may distract you.

Don’t think all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be a 90 minute practice seven days a week. Do you have five minutes one day, 20 minutes another day? Consistency is more important than anything. Once a week, five times a week? Make sure it aligns with your schedule.

Remember why you started and have reasonable expectations for your home practice. If you set the bar too high and then are disappointed, you may give up and I would never want that 🙂

I can help with your at-home practice. Michelle Anderson Fitness & Yoga Online Studio is an on-demand platform with a low monthly membership fee, no contracts. Head over to www.michelleyoga.net to get started today.

April is Foot Health Awareness Month

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Your feet are your foundation, like roots into the earth. Your basic interaction with your environment is determined by the way they stand on the ground. Your feet are quite literally the foundation of every physical action where weight bears down on your feet.

When we’re young, our feet feel fine; we take them for granted and we hardly think about them. We’re never taught what a healthy foot is and how important it is to keep them healthy. Well-developed foot muscles and strong arches are essential.

Just as you do for the rest of your body, you can strengthen and tone your feet and increase their range of motion. The feet  are one of the first places in the body where the muscles begin to contract and restrict us as we age, and this affects how the rest of our body moves.

You have muscles in your feet that should enable each toe to move by itself. Watch for my tips this month or better yet, join me on the mat at one of my weekly classes. Check www.michelleyoga.net for my teaching calendar.

Sunday, March 21, International Day of Forests

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“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” This quote from John Muir may sum up the benefits of forest bathing.

Forest bathing or shinrin-yoku in Japanese, has scientific and anecdotal evidence to improve your health. Shinrin in Japanese means forest and yoku means bath.

Why do we feel so much better when we are in nature? Why is it that we feel less stressed and have more energy just by walking in the forest?

American biologist E.O. Wilson believed that because we evolved in nature, we have a biological need to connect with it. And this affinity for the natural world is fundamental to our health. When we are in harmony with the natural world we can begin to heal. Our nervous system can reset itself. We are refreshed and restored.

Research in Japan on elderly people has found that people live longer when their homes are within walking distance of a park or green space.

Korean scientists have been tracking older women as they walk through forests and urban areas. When the women were walking in the forest, their blood pressure, their lung capacity, and the elasticity of their arteries improved, whereas an excursion into town showed none of these changes.

Take in the forest through your senses. When you connect to nature through all five of your senses, you begin to draw on the vast array of benefits including; reduced blood pressure, lower stress and increased relaxation, improved cardiovascular and metabolic health, lower blood-sugar levels, improved concentration and memory, lifted depression, anxiety and anger, improved pain thresholds, improved sleep, improved energy, boosted immune system, and, weight loss.

To engage your five senses; listen to the birds and breeze rustling in the trees, look at the different greens and the sunlight, smell the fragrance of the forest and breathe in the natural aromatherapy, taste the freshness of the air, touch the trunk of a tree or dip your fingers or toes in a stream or lie on the ground.

There’s more in the air of forests than just smells; negative ions. Ions are charged particles in the air. They are said to have energizing and refreshing effects, and to help increase mental clarity and our sense of well-being. Trees exist within a bioelectrical field which follows a rhythmical pattern. The voltage is lowest in the early morning and at its highest at noon. The seasons also affect the voltage.

The good news is that even a small amount of time in nature can have an impact on our health; take a picnic, take your shoes off – outdoors and indoors. You can listen to the sounds of the forest. A view of nature from your window or a picture of nature and green vegetation even on your computer or phone screen. It may be no coincidence that Buddha became enlightened while sitting under a bodhi tree. Try practicing yoga under a tree. Even practicing yogic breathing. Spending time in nature can boost problem-solving ability and creativity by 50 per cent. 

On the list of cities in the world which have the most green space, two of those spots go to Canada, Toronto and Vancouver are 6th and 2nd respectively.

With files from The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, Tree Yoga: A Workbook by Satya Singh and Fred Hageneder and Forest Bathing by Dr. Qing Li.

The Hip Connection

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Have you ever heard a yoga teacher say “We hold emotions in the hips?” There is actually a remarkable connection between your hips and emotions.

When you feel angry you unconsciously clench your jaw, and this same action of clenching happens in your hips when you feel threatened, which is the fight or flight response. Our natural response to stress is to use our hips to take flight. Or in fight mode, we bend forward and raise our knees up into a fetal position to protect our core.

These actions use the hips and when these muscles have been clenched tightly they shorten and the full tension is never fully released. It not only traps muscular tension, but also deep cognitive emotion felt at that time.

This unconscious tension can be held and stretching hip muscles causes a release and allows emotions to escape.

When we let go of things that no longer serve us (i.e. habits, relationships, jobs, muscular tension), we make room for other things to come into our life.

After exploring hip openers and “letting go” in our practice, we start adding in – introducing strengtheners of the supporting muscles.  January is a good time to “let go” of the previous year and be ready to receive what the New Year has to offer. But adding hip openers and strengtheners will always help serve a balanced practice.

Yawning is our body’s way of saying 20 per cent battery remaining

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A student yawning in a yoga class recently reminded me of my early days on the mat where I would yawn uncontrollably. Another student I had would yawn audibly over and over again potentially disturbing other practitioners.

Yawning is an energetic purge and something that happens when the body relaxes. In a yoga class we can start to detach from our day and focus on our bodies and energy through moments of relaxation. So it’s completely normal, and a very logical thing to do in a yoga class. It doesn’t mean we’re bored or even tired.

It usually starts at the beginning, in Pranayama breathing. The brain is getting stimulated with more oxygen due to deep conscious yogic breath.

When we yawn our bodies are doing yoga involuntarily. A good yawn can be refreshing, flushing the skull with fresh, oxygen rich blood, and heightening our mental focus and clarity.

Studies reveal that yawning is an involuntary mechanism that assures that the body will become more alert. Yawning is literally waking up the brain with cool air. The cooler air seems to stimulate the brain cells into working more efficiently, keeping us more awake and alert.

Oxygen, is our most basic need. It fuels our body. Every cell in our bodies, especially the brain, craves oxygen. Yogis speak of “prana,” which means many things, but on the most mundane level, it means “oxygen.” The yogic science of Pranayama is a system used for maximizing the body’s efficient absorption and utilization of oxygen. In many cases people breathe very quickly and do not inhale all the way. This is called shallow breathing. Many people find themselves yawning while they are doing yoga because of a lack of oxygen.

As well, many people in the modern world experience great stress and their “flight or fight” response is working overtime. Since stress hormones are very stimulating, many people may not notice how tired they really are until they get into a situation like yoga; in which they start to relax. Some yogic breathing practices can also very quickly lead to relaxation and rest, which then leads to yawning. We so often neglect to think about the way we breathe because it is something we do naturally. However, correct breathing is important to enhance your yoga practice but also to improve your physical and emotional well being.

Yawning also seems to be contagious for what ever reason; once one person starts, it can spread like wildfire. As with students who fall asleep in Savasana (Corpse Pose), yawning may signal a sleep deficit.

Has all this reading about yawning made you yawn? Next time you’re in class and feel a yawn come on, don’t suppress it, let it out.

The meaning behind the symbol Om and why we say it in class

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Om or Aum is a sacred sound and a spiritual symbol in Indian religions. It signifies the essence of the ultimate reality, consciousness or Atman. More broadly, it is a syllable that is chanted either independently or before a spiritual recitation.
In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual symbols. It refers to Atman (soul, self within) and Brahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge).
It’s a sacred syllable that is considered to be the greatest of all the mantras, or sacred formulas. The syllable om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u coalesce to become o). Thus, om mystically embodies the essence of the entire universe. It is uttered at the beginning and end of Hindu prayers, chants, and meditation and is also freely used in Buddhist and Jain ritual. From the 6th century, the written symbol designating the sound has been used to mark the beginning of a text in a manuscript or an inscription.
Om is like the Zamboni for the mind. It’s a mental reset with scientific backing. A study published in the International Journal of Yoga found that chanting Om reduced activity in the limbic system, the part of the brain associated with stress and emotions. Studies show that silent repetition does have an effect. The power of Om is greater than the aural sound.

There are three different sounds of Om (A-U-M) .
The bottom left curve represents the sound of A (aahh) and the first or waking state of consciousness. This is our conscious mind and where we experience the world through the five senses. The bottom right curve represents the sound of U (oohh) and the second or dreaming state of consciousness. We experience this beyond our physical bodies in our active unconsciousness and energetic realms. The top left curve represents the sound of M (mmm) and the third or deep sleeping state of consciousness. Represents the spiritual forces of the universe and the connectivity it provides. The dot located at the top represents the silence after chanting Aum and the fourth or samadhi state of pure consciousness. This is the highest state of consciousness where you experience absolute stillness and oneness with all creation.
Om is a very simple sound with a complex meaning. It is the whole universe coalesced into a single word, representing the union of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of yoga.
The sound of om is said to contain the entire universe. It is the first sound from the beginning of time, and it also encompasses the present and the future. As such, its importance and power are difficult to overstate. In a yoga setting, the chanting of om at the beginning of class ushers practitioners into the time and space that is about to be spent on the mat or in meditation. Likewise, an om at the end of class signifies that your physical practice has ended and it is time to re-enter society.
Chanting with a group of people also serves to unify the group and create a sense of community. As you feel the vibration of the chant and lose the sound of your own voice among those of your classmates, it’s possible to feel at one with other people and even with the universe.
The sound Om, when chanted, vibrates at the frequency of 432 Hz, which is the same vibrational frequency found throughout everything in nature. As such, AUM is the basic sound of the universe, so by chanting it, we are symbolically and physically acknowledging our connection to nature and all other living beings.

Sharpen your focus on and off the mat

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Notice if your experience in your practice is different using these drishti points.

You may have heard me use the word drishti during a yoga class. Drishti is the Sanskrit word that means gaze. Each yoga pose has a drishti point, they are; tip of nose, third eye, navel, thumbs, hands, big toes, far to the right, far to the left, and, up to the sky.

If your gaze is steady and focused, your mind will be too. Wandering eyes equal a wandering mind; focused eyes equal a focused mind.

Our practice is grounded through drishti. Our eyes set on a physical, fixed point and we hold our gaze steady. It is essential for stability.

This focus sends soothing messages to the nervous system and brings the mind from distraction to direction. With drishti you are focusing your consciousness. Drishti allows you to to slow your mind and engage more deeply in your practice. Relax your eyes and set them on a fixed point. Your eyes should be soft and tender. Hold your gaze steadily for the duration of the pose. Drishti is key to all balancing poses. Balance comes from a calm, non-reactive mind. We set our mind, beginning with our eyes. If our gaze is steady and focused, our mind will be, too.

Of course we are practicing on our mat to take our yoga off the mat. We need focus in our life. If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. We need to narrow our focus and find balance in our daily lives.

The following are some examples of poses and the drishti points.

In seated twists take your gaze to the side. Do not strain your eyes, keep the muscles around the eyes relaxed and gaze soft.

In seated forward folds and boat pose, the gaze is to the toes.

In standing forward fold, the gaze is to the tip of the nose. And in half standing forward fold, the gaze is to the third eye.

In downward facing dog the gaze is to the navel. And in upward facing dog the gaze is to the tip of nose.

In Warrior I the gaze is to the thumbs; in Warrior II gaze out over the front hand, in reverse warrior the gaze is to the third eye.

In extended side angle the gaze is upwards, in triangle the gaze is to the hand, in balancing half moon the gaze is upwards.

In fish pose the gaze is to the third eye.

When you hold your gaze on something steady, your body will have an easier time finding steadiness as well.

Has the West ruined yoga?

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I recently heard the term “yoga industrial complex”. While it might not be new to you, it was to me and it piqued my curiosity. What did this mean? My research led me to question my role as a yoga teacher and practitioner.

The western yoga industrial complex is the web of relationships between studio systems, yoga celebrities, certifying agencies and large yoga businesses or industry, including yoga product companies like Lululemon as well as cultural producers like the Yoga Journal.Those who are part of the yoga industrial complex engage in activities that
construct yoga as a professional field as well as produce conceptions of the practice of yoga and representations of who is an “authentic” yogi.

While this yoga industrial complex often claims yoga is “for all bodies,” accessible to all ages and abilities, and welcoming to all individuals, the field continues to be characterized by inequality and exclusion. While demographic information is sparse, data shows yoga users are disproportionately female, white, well-educated, wealthy and young, indicating certain populations are excluded from the practice. Issues of racial and class exclusion are exacerbated by the heavy concentration of yoga studios in wealthy white neighbourhoods, meaning many lower income or non white communities have less access to yoga spaces

Is it still yoga if there is a whole industry based around the practice? Are we actually practicing yoga? The yoga industry in the west consists of expensive clothing, extravagant lifestyles of gurus, and increasingly expensive classes. Are we merely yoga consumers? Uninformed Westerners may stray away from the whole purpose of yoga: inner peace and happiness.

Shreena Gandhi a religious studies professor at Michigan State and Lillie Wolff, co-wrote an article titled, Yoga and the Roots of Cultural Appropriation. They state that Americans who practice yoga are contributing to white supremacy and promote the “yoga industrial complex.”

“Most yoga teachers in America do not learn about Hindu tradition or Indian cultural history. Generally in the United States, people practice the physical aspect of yoga, the postures or asanas, which comprise only one-eighth of the practice as a whole. The physical practice does help many people decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. However, when “Western” yoga teachers train other practitioners to relate to yoga only on a physical level, without exploring the history, roots, complexity, and philosophy, they are perpetuating the re-colonization of it by diluting its true depth and meaning.

Herein lies the invitation for white yoga practitioners to go beyond an unaccountable surface level relationship with yoga to a deeper, more transformative place of practice, awareness, contemplation, and engagement.

The result of this reality is that Western yoga is often represented and marketed in mainstream culture by thin, white, upper middle-class, cisgender, able-bodied women. Another layer to this reality is that white dominant cultural values, such as competitive individualism and either/or binary thinking, further distort and dilute the ancient teachings. Many people compete for the attention, time, and praise of their teachers, who are often treated as celebrities; and many teachers (and practitioners) strive to promote their style or brand of yoga as the best or most superior form of yoga. All of this conspires to create a culture of elitism and is antithetical to the true roots of yoga, which are all about yoking the mind, body, and spirit in order to remember our innate oneness and connection with universal consciousness.”

Yoga was not a practice aimed at physical mastery for its own sake. Nor was it a practice aimed at “stress-reduction” so people can function as better producers and consumers in a capitalist society. We are simply actors within the yoga industrial complex.

Yoga was originally intended to prepare the body as a foundation for unity with the spirit. The limb of asana, aims at strengthening the body. Asana, along with dhyana or meditation, aim to harmonize body with breath in order to attain deeper and deeper states of meditative awareness or samadhi. The purpose of this kind of meditative awareness is to experience, practice, and live oneness of mind, body and soul with the divine. This kind of freedom is called samadhi or liberation.

We need to address the current cultural context where there is a billion-dollar industry profiting off taking yoga out of context, branding and repackaging it for monetary gain.

There wasn’t an author named but the following is from an online article titled, Healing from White Yoga. The writer claimed to have been a former yoga teacher and quit with the following changes (note: I feel this may be too extreme).

“In an attempt to make amends, I have; stopped practicing and teaching this inauthentic western yoga, stopped supporting the western yoga industrial complex financially or otherwise, made (and will continue to make) financial payments to organizations serving Indian and Hindu people, work to educate other western yoga students and teachers, social justice activists, my communities, and the general population about the cultural appropriation of yoga.

I will pay back all the yoga classes, workshops, conferences that I ever attended; all money paid for yoga clothes, mats, accessories, yoga publications etc.; cost of my 200hr and 500hr teacher trainings, cost of a yoga trip to Mexico; Yoga Alliance/IAYT fees; profit from yoga related publications; and, profit from teaching yoga classes, workshops and private sessions. What I stole is what I owe with interest.”

The author went on to list places to make, and not make, financial restitution.

I think it’s great we live in a time where we can be exposed to and experience different cultures. And if other cultures want to explore Western clothes, food, etc. great too. But I have felt for some time that Westerners were bastardizing yoga. Taking a 5,000 year beautiful, proven system and making it a watered-down, competitive show. And we can’t forget that Osho and Bikram came to the west to monetize on their brand of yoga.

Shutting down an industry is impossible. I feel I must practice inwardly and focus on personal improvement while recognizing the core ideals of yoga and meditation; attaining peace. Moving forward I will more consciously and regularly include other aspects of yoga (all limbs, philosophy, history, Sanskrit, etc.) in my teaching and practice. And maybe even look for under-serviced groups. While my conclusion may not be perfect, I feel it’s a start and every change begins with a conversation.

Om Canada: An Intimate Glimpse at Yoga’s Firsts: Book Review

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Om Canada: An Intimate Glimpse at Yoga’s Firsts, by Valery Petrich, highlights sixty of Canada’s early yoga teachers, “…passionate souls who ushered in the practice of yoga in a post-war era, when contemporaries still perceived them as loners and loons.”

I, of course, had to purchase it because it included my teacher and mentor Gerda Krebs. She is included in Part 1 titled Survivors. At 89-years-old she is still going strong, regularly teaching public classes, workshops and teacher trainings.

Gerda grew up in Hitler’s Germany where she lost her mother at a young age. She immigrated to Canada with her husband in 1952. She began her yoga journey in 1967 and took her teacher training in 1970. Anyone who has done yoga in Sherwood Park knows Gerda. Many having taken classes with her in her own home. She was one of the founding members of the Yoga Association of Alberta but she may be best know for her television series Yoga Fits In, which she began in 1975 and ran for 25 years.

I was initially frightened to take classes with Gerda, her impressive history and German accent made me nervous but I soon learned she was one of the most sensitive individuals and caring teachers. She knows all her students intimately and teaches them from a place of almost maternal love. “Yoga is a philosophy. It will make you a better Christian. Yoga philosophy teaches us to do good deeds.”

It was time the pioneers in the Canadian yoga scene were recognized. What is as common as little black stretchy pants now was once frowned upon and even looked at as a weird, mystical religion. It took courage to stand out and offer something new to the public.

If you’re looking for more such history, you can head over to the website: Yoga Studio College of Canada Teacher Training program. Petrich founded the program in 1996 which has more data about the roots of yoga in Canada.

Get excited about your life again by balancing this chakra

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It’s day 77 of being shut in for the most part; more or less because of COVID-19. Have you taken inventory of how you are feeling? Physically, mentally, emotionally?

Has your energy felt off in one or more areas of your life? Are you specifically finding it hard to even get excited about being excited? Are you trying to remember how to get going again? If you find yourself in these situations then it may be time to take a look at your sacral chakra, the second chakra, and getting it back in line so you can enjoy the full beauty and benefits of life and all it has to offer. And there is still so much life has to offer.
The second chakra, the sacral chakra, is in the lower abdomen (couple inches below the navel) and it’s main focus is allowing the individual to discover what they enjoy; to form hobbies. It is in this chakra that we design the life we want. It is the sensation of being physically alive and creating the life you desire. This chakra is all about having the power to realize and utilize your talent to express the life you want to lead. It symbolizes our creative potential. Passion is the fuel of creative energy. Everything you create (a poem, a drawing, or a website), originates from the energy of second chakra.

A balanced second chakra has the ability to take risks and have the resilience to recover when things go wrong. Remember that nobody is perfect, all human beings are beautifully flawed.

Imbalance in the sacral chakra can manifest into low confidence, lack of motivation, inability to create intimate connections with others, lack of interest in self expression or artistic abilities. An under-active sacral chakra can show up as fear of pleasure, lack of creativity, feeling fatigued, lack of desire, not authentic to yourself, insecurity and detachment.

One of the most positive things about balancing sacral chakra is that all it really requires is for you to do more of what makes you happy. It’s doing all the simple things, dance and sing like no one’s watching or do simple exercises regularly like yoga or just go for a run.

You can balance your sacral chakra by keeping a journal to help let go of any negative emotions and know that only you can create the life and loving relationships that you want.

You could also try meditation and visualize the colour orange (which is the sacral chakra’s colour), and most importantly, let go. Learning to let go of unhealthy emotions, people, and memories is crucial as you are letting go of your negative emotional baggage and making space and energy for better opportunities in life.

Mantras are very powerful. You might resonate with any of the following or come up with one of your own:
• “I know I can embrace change and make the best of my future.”
• “Every day, I experience more and more joy and satisfaction.”
• “I am full of inspiration and the potential for creation.”

You can connect with water. The sacral chakra is highly influenced by the element of water. A warm bath or shower can also help aid in balancing your sacral chakra. Aromatherapy can be a powerful and simple tool for opening and balancing your sacral chakra. You could combine these two with this simple recipe for a sugar scrub.

Sugar scrub

You will need:
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• glass bowl
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 12-15 drops of essential orange oil (I use 15 drops of my favourite oil – doTerra Wild Orange)
• mason jar or other glass jar

Melt the coconut oil in a glass bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds and let it cool briefly. Stir in the sugar and essential oil until combined. Package in airtight glass jar.

To use, gently massage a small amount into your skin in the shower. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Store the sugar scrub in a cool, dry place for up to six months.

So if months of social isolation has stifled your creativity or taken the joy out of life, try the above suggestions until you find your joie de vivre again!

Salute the moon with this yoga sequence

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You’re probably familiar with Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) but are you familiar with the soothing sister sequence – Moon salutations?

Chandra Namaskar pronounced SHAHN-drah nah-muh-SKAR-uh harnesses the calming, cooling lunar energy. In Sanskrit “Chandra” means moon, and moon salutations give thanks to the moon and channels the calming energy she emanates.

This sequence of yoga poses is the yin to the sun salutation yang and are cooling and quiet because they channel feminine energy from the moon; whereas Sun Salutations are active and warming because they channel masculine energy from the sun.

You can flow through the Moon Salutation sequence as many times as you like. It stretches the spine, hamstrings, and backs of legs; strengthens leg, arm, back, and stomach muscles. It calms the mind and draws your awareness inward.

Perhaps Chandra Namaskar isn’t as well known as Surya Namaskar because it hasn’t been around as long. In all likelihood, it’s an invention of the late 20th century. The Bihar School, which is a yoga school in India founded in the 1960s, first published the sequence in asana pranayama Mudra Bandha in 1969.

Pay special attention to the quality of each movement. Instead of moving quickly, jumping into and out of poses as you would in Sun Salutations, move slowly, as though you were moving through water. This means that you don’t have to sync each movement to an inhalation or an exhalation the way you do with Sun Salutations.

The practice of Surya Namaskar is done facing the short end of the mat while the Chandra Namaskar is done facing the long end of the mat. The general practice of Surya Namaskar is done at the beginning of the yoga practice to warm and awaken the body, while to cool the body Chandra Namaskar is done at the end of the yoga practice.