True Nature Travels Blog

A Yoga Practice for the New Year

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new year

As the New Year approaches, we may find ourselves writing out or thinking about our New Year’s resolutions, intentions, or goals for 2019. With this sometimes comes the feeling of failure as we reflect on our lofty 2018 resolutions and how, perhaps, we did not achieve them. I offer this yoga practice as a way to release the emotions that may come with meditating on our intentions for 2019. I chose a hip opener sequence for the New Year as hips are very interesting in that they store many emotions from fear to sadness to anxiety. One explanation for this is the positions we retreat to for safety when we respond to fear or sadness. A common response is protecting ourselves by pulling our knees to our chest or through fetal position. As we move through the following hip opener sequence I encourage you to take deep breaths and be aware that you may start feeling emotional as your hips begin to release.

Let’s begin

We’ll begin in Downward Dog, walking out the feet, switching the weight and perhaps leaning into one hip and then the other. After five deep breaths move through a Vinyasa. As we meet back inyoga-new-year-1
Downward Dog, we’ll lift our right leg to the sky circling it Clockwise for two breaths and then Counter Clockwise for two more breaths. Repeat with your left leg as we start to warm up our hips. As we meet back in Downward Dog, we’ll lift our right leg and bring it through to the front of our mat for Warrior II. Your right foot is turned out so your toes are pointing to the front of the mat, while your left foot is slightly pivoted inwards. Your arms are strong and stretching in both directions as your hips stay in one line and you breathe into the expansiveness. After five breaths here cartwheel your hands to frame your right leg and slowly bring your right foot back to meet your left in plank. On your next exhale move back to Downward Dog and lift your left leg, bringing it forward to Warrior II.

After five breaths

Pivot your left leg forward so both feet are parallel in a wide-legged stance. Clasp your hands behind your back and hinge forward into a wide-legged forward bend. You can remain still here or move back and forth bending each leg, whatever you need to continue to feel the hips open. On your fifth breath slowly rise and take a breath while standing as you turn your feet our slowly. We’ll move into Malasana or Garland Pose, squatting and keeping the heels on the ground as your palms touch in prayer and your elbows press slightly against your inner knees encouraging them to open. Stay here for five breaths and then we’ll meet back in Downward Dog. Walk out your feet once again.

On your next inhale

Raise your right leg and bring it forward for Pigeon Pose. The right knee is forward on the floor with the shin diagonal while the left leg is straight behind, rolling inward. A block under your right hip bone could help facilitate keeping your hips square. Slowly then bend forward, extending your arms while breathing and trying to relax into this intense stretch. Stay here breathing deeply for two minutes. When you are ready, slowly rise up and move to Downward Dog. You may lift your right leg, drawing circles and then feel the difference as you take a breath in Downward Dog. Lift your left leg and bring it forward to Pigeon, noticing that this hip could be different than the previous and making the correct modifications with a block to keep the hips square.

Maintain-Gratitude-holidaysWe’ll end this hip opener sequence laying on your back in Supta Baddha Konasana, Press the soles of your feet together, bend your knees and draw them towards your pelvis as your knees drop open. Relax here, and take deep breaths as you meditate on how you feel after this yoga practice.

This year I encourage you to create New Year’s resolutions that are attainable. For example, instead of practicing yoga every day, practice once a week. Or maybe you can’t make it to a class so you practice this sequence at home or in the park when you have the time. Or perhaps you allocate one week in the year to dive into a magical yoga retreat. However it may look into your life, I hope you enjoy this hip opener sequence as a small way to begin starting fresh this New Year. May we all have a happy and healthy 2019!

 

 

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A Yoga Sequence for Earth Day – Gratitude for Mother Earth

As we enter into Spring, we hear the birds singing more vibrantly, we see the trees blooming, and the Earth becoming more colorful again. Perhaps you are also experiencing this feeling of waking up and connecting back to the Earth as Winter has left and the Earth seems to become more alive. The beautiful cycle. Earth Day is fast approaching us, a day when we are reminded to give thanks to the Earth by supporting environmental protection. The yoga sequence I offer below is intended to ground you and connect you to the Earth. I encourage you to find a quiet space outside before beginning.

Standing in Mountain pose, hands to heart’s center, feeling your feet on the Earth. Begin by moving your toes, feeling all aspects of the Earth, the cycles of energy. Start feeling that energy radiate up through your feet, throughout your body, your palms, your third eye. Breathe deeply.

Continue breathing, focusing in on all the energy you feel throughout your body. Now hear the sounds around you, the birds, the wind. And feel the air touching your skin. Perhaps it’s cold and crisp, perhaps it’s warm and sunny. Breathe deeply.

Inhaling, lift your arms to the sky, looking up at your hands. With your hands clasped together above your head, slowly side bend to the left. Instead of crunching the left side of your body, feel like you are moving up and over the full moon, keeping both the left and right side body long. Breathe deeply here. Slowly return back and repeat by bending over to the right side.

Breathe, and on your on time, bring your hands back to heart’s center. On your next inhale, raise your arms up to the sky and clasp your hands together. Slowly bend back allowing your throat to open and your upper back to slowly arc up and over. Feel your chest open and allow the flowing energy of the Earth and the sky to seep into your heart. On your own time slowly return to mountain pose.

On your next inhale, raise your arms to sky and then move through one sun salutation on your own breath. As you arrive in Downward Dog, feel your palms and feet simultaneously supported by the Earth’s surface. The Earth supports us every day in more ways than we are constantly aware. The Earth supplies us with water, nourishing fruits and vegetables, physical support, wood for our homes, emotional support through nature, the list goes on and on. As you pedal out your feet in this Downward Dog, I encourage you to think about all the ways in which Mother Earth served you today.

Slowly lift your right leg in three-legged dog, and bring it through to Warrior II. Feel the energy in your grounded feet, and allow that energy to escape back out through your finger tips. While you feel the power and strength you have in Warrior II, focus in on how you can restore what you allow Mother Earth to provide you with each day. Windmill your hands back down to the Earth, and take a some breaths in downward dog.

Repeat with your left leg, raising your left leg in downward dog and bringing it through to Warrior II. Focusing now on how you can think about Earth Day each and every day. The energy extending from your fingertips is the small things you do each day to thank Mother Earth for what she does for you. Perhaps it is eliminating plastic, perhaps conserving water, driving less, eating a more plant-based diet, recycling and composting. The possibilities are endless in how we can continuously care for the Earth.

Windmill your hands back down to the Earth and step your left leg back to Downward Dog. When you are ready, slowly walk your feet to your hands and roll up, bringing your hand’s to heart’s center. As your palms press against each other, breathe and focus in on how your body and mind feel after spending this time in nature, moving your body and sharing gratitude for Mother Earth. Focus in on an intention for how every day can be Earth Day. Namaste.

 

About the Author

Alexandra is thrilled to be working with True Nature! As a Yoga Teacher and Artist with a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health, work experience at the Environmental Protection Agency, and a passion for travel, her life’s path weaves into the mission and values of True Nature Travels. Since first traveling to Costa Rica at the age of fourteen to study ecology at remote biological field stations, she saw the power that experiential travel abroad has on one’s growth. Since then, she has worked the organic fields of a spiritual and intentional community and continued to travel, immersing herself in the local cultures.

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An Autumn Sun Salutation of Gratitude

Fall brings beautiful colors, crisp air, and inspiring energies. During this season, we may become more aware of our surroundings, more aware of how alive Mother Earth is, and more aware of what we may take for granted each and every day. Celebrate autumn by following this Sun Salutation of Gratitude and tune into awareness. From this awareness, we can cultivate a sense of gratitude.

Sun Salutation of Gratitude

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We’ll begin in mountain pose, hands to prayer tuning into the energies around and within us.

From Mountain Pose, we take a breath in, lift our arms overhead to the sky, palms open, gathering gratitude and bringing it back to heart center. We inhale and raise our arms to the sky again. As we exhale, we swan dive, bowing to the earth, giving respect and gratitude for all she gives us. We breathe into standing forward fold, feet

As we exhale, we swan dive, bowing to the earth, giving respect and gratitude for all she gives us. We breathe into standing forward fold, feet hip-width apart, knees bent as needed. The crown of the head faces the floor and we relax our neck, visualizing the tranquil leaves blowing in the wind.Inhale into

Inhale into half-way lift, bending the knees to straighten the spine, shoulders away from your ears making space to encourage gratitude to seep in. On the next exhale, we step back into high plank, shoulders over the wrists moving back and away from the ears, lower abdomen in and up while pressing your heels back. In plank, we tune into our strength and resilience, and our ability to repair the environment a little every day through our choices and actions.

On your next exhale, moving through Chattaranga or dropping your knees to the floor, focus on hugging the elbows in at your side. Inhale into Cobra or Upward Facing Dog, focusing your eyes on a new detail in your current environment.

As your shoulder blades or wings move towards your spine, we begin thinking about all the birds that migrate throughout the world. We give gratitude for when we are able to witness one of these beautiful creatures in different regions of our Earth.

We exhale back into downward facing dog pressing our hands and heels into the Earth, focusing on creating space between our ears and shoulders and lengthening our spine.

We are grounded, we are resilient, we are full of wisdom and creativity to act how we want to move through this world. May

May the space we create through our lengthened spine in this physical practice of yoga symbolize the space we create for gratitude and for experiences to learn and grow. We walk our feet to our hands, hanging in forward-fold, envisioning all the space we are creating. Perhaps this space allows for the gratitude we bring in through travel, through experiencing other cultures, other ecosystems, and environments, other possible ways of life.sun salutations

We slowly rise up raising our arms once again up to the sky, this time sensing how the energy we’re gathering may have changed through our practice. As we bring our hands to heart center, we breathe, tuning into our energy and radiating our inner light out to all other beings.

As you watch the falling leaves, hear the changing sounds of wildlife, and feel the crisp air and shorter days, I encourage you to focus on appreciating the beauty and details of the diverse ecosystems you routinely pass by.

Sometimes travel can help us expand our horizons and experience gratitude from a different angle. And travel incorporating yoga and service… that practice opens up spaces within our emotional and physical body we did not even realize we could access. May you shine your light out to all beings.

Namaste.

We would love for you to join us on one of our many retreats. Please see our calendar here.

 

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