How To: Kapotasana

Kapotasana, Full Camel

 Prep Poses

• Upward facing Dog, Cobra, Bow, Bridge, Wheel, Fixed Firm pose, pretty much any yummy feeling backbend

Tips & Tricks

•  Do not attempt this pose out of the blue- this is a super deep back bend so warm up thoroughly before busting this out.

• Start with a big inhale to lift your chest & upper spine up & over

• To make sure you are not collapsing in your lower spine, keep hips forward & focus on bending  the whole spine evenly

• In step 3, you can push against your feet to lift your chest up. This feels super good on your shoulders and chest too... (I learned this trick while taking Advanced from Aiko & Troy at Bikram Yoga Pleasanton) They are an AMAZING team so recommended visiting their studio in Nor Cal if you are in the area. They have so much knowledge to share & do a superb job at it!

• In the final expression, bring your elbows as close as you can together, eventually to touch.

• Do not forget to breathe! This back bend is very intense so keep the oxygen flowing & when you are ready to come out, do so SLOWLY. Sometimes I get a rush or headache when I come out of this & that usually tells me I am either dehydrated or haven't been back bending as often as usual. This pose is very revealing! Pay close attention to how you feel during & after the pose. Your body might be trying to tell you something...

Follow up poses: 

Savasana, Child's Pose, a twist, Downward facing Dog, Rabbit- maybe this should be next weeks challenge pose?! Stay tuned...

Benefits:

• Hip opener, heart opener
• Stretches front of the body, chest, neck, shoulders
• Stretches thighs & back
• Improves blood circulation
• Helps in releasing tension in the hip and shoulder area

Monday Mantra: Fresh start

new year 7(1)

Every day is a new day to change what you want to improve.  It's easy to want to wait for a new month, a new week, or a new year to be able to start fresh, but every new day is a fresh start to what could be a "new" you.  Be the change you want; accept and thrive in each new breaking day.  Start the day with a smile, genuinely say hello to a stranger, send positive thoughts and energy into the universe. Tomorrow, you will be thankful you started today, and the day after that. Sometimes we fall into a procrastinating rut, especially when it comes to working out or dieting. "Oh well, I'll start tomorrow", "I'll start next week". If you didn't work out or eat right, it's not too late to start fresh again. Don't wait for tomorrow or next week, or a new year's resolution, you have the chance to seize in the now!  Look at this way, if your phone falls on the ground and the screen crack a little, you don't say "Oh well, might as well keep stomping it since it already fell and cracked" or "Oh, I'll pick it up tomorrow."