Intrinsic Yoga with Anita Hartman

Do you remember when your parents or teachers would tell you to stand up tall? They would tell you that standing up tall is a sign of self confidence and good body mechanics.
Did they also tell you that by standing tall you fight the force of gravity which, as we age, continually pulls our upright body down?

Body mechanics is defined as maintaining proper position during movements. Practicing the physical maneuvers of yoga will help you develop proper alignment and a sense of balance to help you resist the force of gravity.

As we start to grow older and bend ourselves in reaction to life. Maintaining a proper position becomes challenging and our posture begins to deteriorate. Our shoulders may become hunched, our necks stiff, or we may sit either slumped or holding our bodies in a rigid upright position. We begin to shrink. Often, this physical contraction typifies a similar decline in cognitive ability and drive.

The only way to combat shrinkage is to stand up to it, literally. Practicing yoga will help to develop the muscles in the back that hold up the spine and keep it lengthened. Proper training of supporting back muscles will keep the bones and joints in correct alignment.
Unless we consciously stand, walk, sit and lie in positions that support our spine we will be pulled down by our old familiar habits.

Are you ready to have good posture? Try incorporating yoga into your lives and you will notice that you not only begin to feel great but you help slow down the aging process. Your body and mind will remain flexible and vigorous.

“A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind.” Morihei Ueshiba

Are you unsure what it feels like to have good postural alignment? Try this exercise: Stand up tall with your heels touching and your toes pointing slightly outward. Clasp your hands behind your back, roll your shoulders back and let them drop away from your ears. Lift your sternum (breast bone), keep your head centered, and your eyes looking straight ahead to ensure proper neck alignment, tilt your pelvis forward slightly, gently pulling your navel towards your spine. Now lift your heels up and position them so that they are in line with your toes and relax your arms. This is correct posture.

Mountain Pose – Tadasana: The Sanskrit word (pronounced tah-dah) means “palm tree”.

This posture is an invitation to stand tall with the majestic steadiness of a mountain. It is a basic standing pose, a foundational pose to start from and return to as we explore the more dynamic aspects of our yoga practice.

Stand with your feet together or apart arms at your sides, palms turned toward the sides of your legs. Close your eyes for a moment, and bring your concentration into the soles of your feet. Rock your body forward gently over the toes and backward over the heels, coming to rest in a place where you feel balanced and centered. Visualize a vertical line connecting the hole in your ear, your shoulder joint, and the side of your hip, knee, and ankle.

Think of spreading your body weight evenly across your feet, heels to toes, and inner edge to outer edge. Now open your eyes and gaze forward to infinity.

Bring your attention to the base of the spine. Move the top of the front thighs back slightly, then balance this movement by tucking the tailbone under slightly to bring the buttocks back into alignment.

Gently lift the chest away from the belly and feel the spine extend upward through the crown of your head. Allow your shoulders to soften and drop away from your ears. Draw the chin slightly toward the throat, allowing the back of the neck to lengthen.

Press your feet firmly into the floor and notice the flow of energy up your spine. Allow yourself to breath deeply through your nose.

Future Yoga Moments will sequentially parallel the practice on my CD to provide you with an in depth description of the postures.

“This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind…let it be something good.”