Sunday 16th April, 2017
Pawanmuktasana Part 1 - working on the joints.
This group of asanas is the easiest group of exercises to perform. They are all normally practiced with the student seated in base position (sitting up tall with both legs out in front). Each joint is rotated and moved in all directions very slowly with controlled deep breathing. They are excellent for preventing or improving rheumatism, arthritis and high blood pressure while eliminating energy blockages in the joints and improving coordination and self awareness. Strong flexible joints are essential when practicing yoga as we are constantly asking them to take our weight. For example, when practicing downward facing dog your weight should be evenly distributed by the fingers, wrists, ankles and toes. If there is stiffness or blockages in any of these joints your weight will not be evenly distributed as you will instinctively put more pressure on the good joints and less on the bad joints which in turn can lead to injuries. So with this in mind, why is it we find them the hardest group of asanas to do?
Firstly, it is literally because they are so easy, anyone can do them and everyone can benefit from them. Yet despite this many yoga classes don't teach them and therefore many students are not advised of their importance.
Secondly and probably the reason for my first point is that busy minds can find them boring and not challenging enough to bother with. We are now living in a society that constantly forces us to strive forward. For many of us our bodies are in a permanent state of stress and we are constantly feeling the pressure to progress but in truth progression is never truly sustainable if we don't build a strong foundation. So with this in mind if we think of these exercises as building our foundations we may find it easier to understand and appreciate their importance.
When you truly think about it, if you find these exercises too boring to do then maybe these are exactly what you need to do. Performing them will force you to slow your mind and breath which in turn will relax the entire body having a benefical, de-stressing effect on all the body systems.
All these exercises are taught in my beginners classes and students are encouraged to continue practicing them at home. They don't have to all be practiced together every day but if it's possible to find 5-10 minutes of 'you time' per day to ask yourself how do I feel today? What joints could do with loosening up? And then perform 8-10 rounds of a few of them that are relevant to you that particular day while working with deep controlled breathing, then you will be benefiting your mind, body and practice immensely.
Namaste, Tania x
