Snake Pose is an AWESOME shoulder opener. It also opens the heart, expanding the front of the chest. This pose also creates flexibility in the shoulder blades, which is crucial in most upper body yoga poses.
Snake Pose
- Lying on your tummy, slightly press the shoelaces of your feet into the mat with your feet barely apart. Hands will be down by your side, palms up. Breathe here for a few breaths.
- Slightly lift your forehead and the front part of your shoulders off the mat. Firmly root your pelvis into the mat (use a blanket for your hips to prevent bruising). Clasp your hands with ELBOWS BENT right above the tip of your tailbone (sacrum). INHALE - Squeeze the shoulder blades together in the back, as if there was a pencil in your spine, and you were keeping it in place. Bring the elbows in toward each other FIRST before straightening your arms - * use a strap if you struggle with clasping your hands.
- Press the palms together and lift the chest higher off the mat while straightening your elbows. Try lifting the feet or keeping them on the mat.
Yoga is all about creating space with just our breath (our first nutrient). If we want more heart space (life), or open shoulders, wouldn't it require larger lungs?! One sure way to improve our backbends is finding our breath each day, elongating our inhales and exhales while linking movement is crucial.
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