Tasks. How many do you do in a day? Countless, right? How do you feel about doing them? Perhaps tired and discouraged, feeling that your tasks don't really have a greater purpose? Or maybe you feel energized and encouraged by some of the things you do in a day? The English dictionary definition of a task is "a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; a duty."
Chances are you don't have these words below on your to-do list. I know I don't. This week, we return to the Yoga in Sanskrit. Let's explore upward facing dog, or Urdvha Mukha Svanasana (erd-vah moo-kah shvah-nah-sah-nah) and its cousin, Bhujangasana (boo-jahn-gah-sah-nah), or cobra pose.
Upward facing dog usually follows low push-up in the sun salutation sequences. It is a backbend and chest opener which invigorates and energizes the core of the body, encourages extension through the neck and chest, while warming the arms and grounding the hands. A heavy topic today, but an important one.
For those with terminal illnesses and their families, or those that have lost loved ones suddenly or at a young age, talking about death is not easy. Saying the words, "death... dying... died... will die" is hard. Death is final. We miss our loved ones when they are gone. We worry that we may die before we do all the earthly things we were meant to. Imagine yourself here on the edge of this lake. You have all day to spend here and you are trying to decide what to do next. How do you know whether you want to stay here at the edge, take a swim, or go to the other side? If you want to go to the other side, how do you get there? Do you go straight across, or go around the edge? If you want to take a swim, how long do you stay and what comes next when you're done?
Have you ever wondered why people with addictions can't just stop what they're doing? Have you ever been addicted to something that was hurting you but kept doing it anyway?
This week we move on to downward facing dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana (pronounced Aw-do Mew-hah Shf-vah-nah-sah- nah... wow that's tricky).
Happy Wednesday, all! Here's your pose for the week, Utkatasana (Ewt-kah-tah-sah-nah), or chair pose. It's a staple of most yoga practices. As the name implies, the action is sitting down into an imaginary chair. Chairs, of course, are a symbol of comfort, rest, relaxation, and ease. And in this pose, we learn to balance ease with effort.
Last week, we learned about Tadasana, or standing mountain pose. This week, we'll move on to Uttanasana, or standing forward bend. Uttanasana (pronounced ew-tawn-ah-sah-nah) is often the pose we practice following Tadasana in our sun salutation sequence.
Over the years as a practicing yogi, I've learned lots of poses, or asanas. I've learned both how to shape my body into them, how to teach others these shapes, and what these shapes are called but mostly in English. My yoga teacher training program encouraged the use of English names only in order to make the poses more accessible to Americans. Many teachers do use Sanskrit names, so I am going to write a little each week about a new pose, tell you the Sanskrit and English names, and describe the physical shape and the mental benefits.
Why take on this task? It may seem archaic or unnecessary. But there is value in acknowledging the origins of things.. Using Sanskrit honors the antiquity and wisdom of the practice. Honoring the practice is an important way to keep ourselves balanced within it. I've been hearing a lot about stress and anxiety from clients lately. So I decided to record a guided meditation today with a little intro on the basics of meditation. Enjoy! Please let me know if it's helpful/not helpful, etc. I'd love to hear feedback.
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AuthorKambria Kennedy-Dominguez, LPC-S |