Day 21 – 1/20/16
Timer on…
I did the 20-minute version today…which…the only difference was that I did half the amount of warm-up…
It was good, but seemed too fast…but it’s nice to know that I have an hour version and a 30-minute version…for when the semester gets busy…
Alright, back to finish on the vagus nerve…my gut is worked out, and (maybe) when I’m having “gut” feelings, I should practice this position and then meditate…maybe…
So…the other thing I didn’t understand was the peristalsis thing-y… According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia:
“Peristalsis is a series of wave-like muscle contractions that move food to different processing stations in the digestive tract. The process of peristalsis begins in the esophagus when a bolus of food is swallowed…”
So…apparently, this helps me digest things faster? Maybe, it is something that will help with acid reflux…I guess I will have to look further into that…
The next pose to be discussed is Chandrasana – “The Crescent Moon”.
The benefits according to YogaBasics.com are:
From THE YOGA HANDBOOK:
There is nothing really that helps me to understand why this was considered good for Love/Acceptance…except that it is in the Anahata/Heart Chakra section…
Anyway, that’s all for today…
Day 22 – 1/21/16
Timer: on; red pants that say ‘love’: adorned; floor: cleaned; new yoga mat: broken in…
Today I went ahead and did the full practice; it’s been a couple of days since the last time I’ve done the whole thing. It is nicer and more fulfilling in its fullest form. More reflection and serenity is mustered up with time.
So…Chandrasana “The Crescent Moon” was yesterday, and it is considered a preparation pose along with Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (The Pigeon) for Hanumanasana (The Splits). Thus, the benefits for the next two poses in the series are the same as Chandrasana “The Crescent Moon”:
From THE YOGA HANDBOOK:
I have already written about Eka Pada Rajakaotasana and Hanumanasana, but, I think it’s good to know that the pose I discussed yesterday is connected to those two. They build up to the metaphorical leap to love…and…acceptance…or…a ritual towards taking the final leap into matrimony…
The next pose has already been discussed, as well: Utthita Trikonasan (The Extended Triangle). I don’t think I wrote the benefits according to THE YOGA HANDBOOK, however, so, here they are now:
The pose after that is the “Full Triangle” or Utthita Parsvakonasana (The Extended Sideways Triangle). The benefits for this pose, according to THE YOGA JOURNAL:
The very next pose is Parivritta Trikonasana (The Revolving/Reversed Triangle), which has these benefits, according to THE YOGA JOURNAL:
So…again all of these have the “Anahata/Heart” Chakra in addition to the Muladhara (base chakra). These poses allow the heart to join its “base”, and it’s important, I think, to practice poses that play with that antithesis from one part of the body to the other.
One of my favorite acting instructors that I had in grad school, Paul Rudd (not the guy you’re all thinking of, but the one that made Henry V famous in Central Park during the Vietnam War), said that his main acting “method” was antithesis; that the actor should really search for the opposite of the feeling that the script calls for, to truly find presence in the moment. I always loved that. For a long time, I thought that his “method” seemed too simplistic, but…it’s true…if I do the opposite of what the script calls for in my physicality or my emotion…I am, generally, already where I need to be… I suppose he had been alive longer and had performed enough parts in his lifetime to have found a “shortcut”, but…maybe practicing Triangle in all its manifestations can be a “shortcut” to warming up the body and preparing it for all that it needs to do in the day-to-day life of a human.
Timer on…
I did the 20-minute version today…which…the only difference was that I did half the amount of warm-up…
It was good, but seemed too fast…but it’s nice to know that I have an hour version and a 30-minute version…for when the semester gets busy…
Alright, back to finish on the vagus nerve…my gut is worked out, and (maybe) when I’m having “gut” feelings, I should practice this position and then meditate…maybe…
So…the other thing I didn’t understand was the peristalsis thing-y… According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia:
“Peristalsis is a series of wave-like muscle contractions that move food to different processing stations in the digestive tract. The process of peristalsis begins in the esophagus when a bolus of food is swallowed…”
So…apparently, this helps me digest things faster? Maybe, it is something that will help with acid reflux…I guess I will have to look further into that…
The next pose to be discussed is Chandrasana – “The Crescent Moon”.
The benefits according to YogaBasics.com are:
- Deeply stretches and opens the sides of the body.
- Improves core body strength.
- Improves balance and concentration.
- Strengthens the ankles and knees.
- Improves circulation.
- Energizes the entire body.
From THE YOGA HANDBOOK:
- Stretches, limbers, and tones the legs and hips.
- Relaxes the adductor (inner thigh) muscles.
- Increases the blood supply to the pelvic area.
- Gives a gentle squeeze to the colon on the side where the leg is forward. This helps peristalsis and elimination.
- Can prevent and relieve sciatica.
There is nothing really that helps me to understand why this was considered good for Love/Acceptance…except that it is in the Anahata/Heart Chakra section…
Anyway, that’s all for today…
Day 22 – 1/21/16
Timer: on; red pants that say ‘love’: adorned; floor: cleaned; new yoga mat: broken in…
Today I went ahead and did the full practice; it’s been a couple of days since the last time I’ve done the whole thing. It is nicer and more fulfilling in its fullest form. More reflection and serenity is mustered up with time.
So…Chandrasana “The Crescent Moon” was yesterday, and it is considered a preparation pose along with Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (The Pigeon) for Hanumanasana (The Splits). Thus, the benefits for the next two poses in the series are the same as Chandrasana “The Crescent Moon”:
From THE YOGA HANDBOOK:
- Stretches, limbers, and tones the legs and hips.
- Relaxes the adductor (inner thigh) muscles.
- Increases the blood supply to the pelvic area.
- Gives a gentle squeeze to the colon on the side where the leg is forward. This helps peristalsis and elimination.
- Can prevent and relieve sciatica.
I have already written about Eka Pada Rajakaotasana and Hanumanasana, but, I think it’s good to know that the pose I discussed yesterday is connected to those two. They build up to the metaphorical leap to love…and…acceptance…or…a ritual towards taking the final leap into matrimony…
The next pose has already been discussed, as well: Utthita Trikonasan (The Extended Triangle). I don’t think I wrote the benefits according to THE YOGA HANDBOOK, however, so, here they are now:
- Gives a lateral stretch to the spine.
- Increases hip, shoulder, and leg flexibility.
- Helps to firm and tone the leg muscles.
- Helps to remove fat from the waistline.
- When bending to the left, it gives a gentle squeeze to the organs on that side of the abdominal cavity, such as the spleen. When bending to the right, it gives a gentle squeeze to the liver.
- Expands the chest by opening up the rib cage on the side of the raised arm. This posture benefits the Anahata Chakra (the heart energy center).
- Tones the nerves around the spine by stretching out the spine.
The pose after that is the “Full Triangle” or Utthita Parsvakonasana (The Extended Sideways Triangle). The benefits for this pose, according to THE YOGA JOURNAL:
- Benefits as for Utthita Trikonasana, with less emphasis on stretching the hamstrings and more emphasis on the lateral bend of the spine and the massage to the abdominal organs.
- Nourishes the spinal column and spinal nerves with a fresh blood supply.
- Expands the chest.
- Increases strength and flexibility in the legs, hips, waist, and shoulders.
- Helps tone and trim the waistline.
The very next pose is Parivritta Trikonasana (The Revolving/Reversed Triangle), which has these benefits, according to THE YOGA JOURNAL:
- Benefits as for Utthita Trikonasana.
- Tones and strengthens the leg muscles, particularly the thigh, calf, and hamstring muscles, as well as the hips.
- Increases the blood supply to the back and spinal nerves through the twisting action.
- Relieves backache and strengthens the back muscles.
- Further expands the chest on the side worked on in Trikonasana when bending to the right.
- Benefits the Anahata chakra (heart center).
- Gives a gentle squeeze to the abdominal organs and helps to align the spine.
So…again all of these have the “Anahata/Heart” Chakra in addition to the Muladhara (base chakra). These poses allow the heart to join its “base”, and it’s important, I think, to practice poses that play with that antithesis from one part of the body to the other.
One of my favorite acting instructors that I had in grad school, Paul Rudd (not the guy you’re all thinking of, but the one that made Henry V famous in Central Park during the Vietnam War), said that his main acting “method” was antithesis; that the actor should really search for the opposite of the feeling that the script calls for, to truly find presence in the moment. I always loved that. For a long time, I thought that his “method” seemed too simplistic, but…it’s true…if I do the opposite of what the script calls for in my physicality or my emotion…I am, generally, already where I need to be… I suppose he had been alive longer and had performed enough parts in his lifetime to have found a “shortcut”, but…maybe practicing Triangle in all its manifestations can be a “shortcut” to warming up the body and preparing it for all that it needs to do in the day-to-day life of a human.
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