Yoga Poses for the Autumnal Equinox
One of our teachers, Amy Conn, commented that her 88-year old father-in-law continued to walk barefoot during her last family reunion. He continued to say, “I’m Earthing.”
Other than Yoga Speak, she couldn’t understand his source of information. Then she thought, “Is he taking a Yoga class?” (Her heart did indeed skip a beat) Earthing (also known as grounding) refers to the discovery that bodily contact with the Earth's natural electric charge stabilizes the physiology at the deepest levels, reduces inflammation, pain, and stress, improves blood flow, energy, and sleep, and generates greater well-being.
The season for enjoying the fullness of life - Partaking of the harvest, sharing the harvest with others, and reinvesting and saving portions of the harvest for yet another season of growth.
It seems like just yesterday we were writing to you about the spring equinox and NOW we’re addressing the fall equinox!
Whoa. Time flies!
Here are some grounded and stabilizing yoga poses for the fall equinox. I hope you find them inspiring:
Warrior Series
From Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II), inhale both arms overhead and straighten through the legs to “Flying Warrior,” exhaling back to Warrior II. Repeat and then reverse, staying low in the front thigh and maintaining rootedness through the back foot. Take a leap of faith, and then use the floating fingertips to guide yourself forward, leading with the heart, pressing into the standing foot. Slowly hinge at the waist until the fingertips connect to the earth while extending through the back foot to lift it in line with its hip, flexing through the heel for Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana). Spin the heart skyward and look up, and then step back into Warrior II, landing softly and with precision.
Seated Root Chakra
Come to a cross-legged seat. Draw the outside edge of your foot into the inner elbow of the opposite arm and sit up tall, rocking the pelvis slightly forward to create spinal extension in the lumbar curve. Find the two points of the sit bones and tip the pelvis forward (extension) and then back (flexion), finding equilibrium there. Gently twist the torso side-to-side while pressing into the outside edge of the rooted foot beneath you to maintain your grounding. Rock and roll around carefully and with intention, staying connected to the breath.