Summah-Time Yoga

I really should be on my way to the studio right now, but my kids are like this:




I am not one for "fighting" to get to a yoga class and will consider my children's vacation from school as a sign I need to get a little more serious about my personal practice. Oh, but how I love to socialize with my favorite people at Blue Anjou, the best yoga studio in the history of ever (as my good friend Leila likes to say).

Here we are: (Kent Pilkington Photography)




With all of my boot camping, running, and biking I've been doing this summer, my quads are feeling pretty rock solid and my hip flexors feel shorter.

Anatomy Lesson? Ok.



While a nice, slow, Vinyasa Flow class is sounding quite loverly right now, it is a gentle, Yin Yoga class my body needs. The beauty of a personal practice is that I can do exactly what my body needs and then afterward I will be forced to socialize with myself and that's not such a bad thing is it?

My Plan:

Because Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissues of the body, we must hold these asanas for several minutes. Originally there were only 14 Yin poses, but naturally, we (meaning the masses who teach yoga and think they know better)have created more, so I have plenty of options to choose from. A Yin practice is perfect for athletes and teaches us about the softer side of ourselves. Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissues of the hips & also aids in regulating the flow of Qi through the Meridian system. There is so much more I could scribe here, but so little time and I still need to go practice!

My Theme is inspired by Rumi. "So let the body speak for you now without you saying a word, like the student walking behind the teacher says this one knows better than I the way."

I'm listening to my body and I am feeling I need this:
*The following links are from YinYoga.com. I love this site because it offers contraindications and I am a safety girl!

A couple of rounds of gentle Suryanamaskar to warm the muscles (though it's 1,000 degrees in Texas right now, so I could just step outside for 30 seconds)
Anahatasana
Sphinx
Some Dragons
Camel
Saddle
Half Butterfly
Reclining Twists
Savasana

Then I will meditate on how great it is to be all by myself with the kids banging on my door.