The second time around

Tonight I revisited trikonasana (triangle) and ardha chandrasana (half moon). Actually, I have incorporated these poses into my practice many times since I first commented on them, so it is more appropriate to say that I "refocused" on them. Now that I am used to some of the modifications, I wanted to observe again from a fresh perspective.


In trikonansana, what I notice most now is that having my palm flat on the floor (block) is quite a wrist stretch! I notice it more on the left, which surprises me because I "mouse" with my right hand.


In ardha chandrasana, what I noticed most tonight is how strongly I have to ground through the inner edge of my standing foot when my arm is at my side. i especially miss the counterbalance of having the top arm extended when I open my front body more, then I really have to focus on GROUNDING.


Is anyone surprised to hear that I also need to focus on grounding in my life? I love yoga lessons!!

New (half) moon

I've been working on keeping my palm flat in trikonasana (triangle) and ardha chandrasana (half-moon). I like the palm down half-moon, and I don't need a block to do it. The harder thing for me to get used to is having the top hand flat next to my hip as Iyengar demonstrates (I have always done the pose with the top arm in the air and in line with the bottom arm). I find it more difficult to balance and to keep the front of my body open when I have the palm flat and the hand at my hip. I'm going to experiment for a while with only making one of these adjustments at a time.

Catching up - 3 Poses

Today was one of those days when I hit the mat, melted into child's pose, and didn't make it much further. I love that I have learned to listen to my body's needs in that way. Luckily, I've been exploring a few poses already so I have some comments to share.

I enjoy starting in Tadasana with the arms overhead when I move into standing poses. Bringing the arms down seems to naturally ground my shoulder blades without any additional adjustments. It probably helps me ground overall, something I have been working on for some time now.

Unlike Laura, I have always tended toward a narrower stance in Trikonasana, but still not as narrow as Mr. Iyengar suggests. I liked it, the "dismount" felt softer. It was much easier to come out of the pose without having to focus on engaging my legs.

Still playing with the hand flat on the ground in both Trikonasana & Ardha Chandrasana ...more to come on that.