REMINDER: This Wed (9 May) head to Chick-fil-a in East Chase, Montgomery from 5-7PM and support HBHL. 20% of the night's profits will go straight back to our organization!! Don't miss this great opportunity to support us!
Also - a reminder about HBHL's Community Wellness Day on May 19th from 4-7PM at Metro Fitness in E. Montgomery. Hope you all can make it! CLICK HERE for local HBHL - AL info
CLEANSE: For any of you interested in a healthy eating week - we will be putting together a week's worth of recipes for meals/snacks along with a shopping list for the week of 14-20 May. More details to follow!
Powerbodyz- This week's PBz workout is posted. Check it out: Powerbodyz Workout
Wellness Lesson: Continuing our yoga pose series...
Thanks again to Jessica Turner for her inputs this week!
Warrior II Pose
Virabhadrasana
II
Sources:
Light on Yoga by B.K.S Iyengar
Continuing
our series of standing yoga poses, this week we will look closer at Warrior
II. We take Warrior II often during our
strength and endurance sequences of class not only because this pose
strengthens the legs, but also because it increases stamina. Along with several other standing poses, it
is also therapeutic for sciatica pain.
Remember to breathe deeply!
To find your Warrior II Pose, start
with your feet 3 ½ to 4 feet apart, turning one foot out to a 90 degree angle
(left shown), just like Utthita Trikonasana (see 8 April 2012 blog). The heel of this front foot should line up
with the arch of the back foot (note that beginners can line the front heel
with the back heel instead of the arch).
Lift your arms parallel to the floor, palms down. Keeping your hips and shoulders stacked; bend
your front knee until you have a 90 degree angle between your thigh and
calf. Always ensure that your knee never
crosses your ankle when lunging. Keep
your arms strong and turn to look over your front arm.
Never
allow your bent knee to cave inward, work on opening it out toward your pinky
toe. You should be able to see your big
toe on your front foot. If you have neck
issues and it bothers you to look over your front hand, turn your head to look
straight ahead instead.
One
of the most common errors in this pose is incorrect alignment of the upper
body. Check yourself in the mirror and
stack your shoulder directly over your hips, so it does not appear that you are
reaching forward in front of your body.
Similar to Utthita Trikonasana and Ardha Chandrasana (see 22 April 2012 blog), you can check your form in this pose against a wall. You may find that you need to curl your
tailbone under to help lift your upper body.
Additional
benefits of this pose:
- Strengthens and
stretches the legs and ankles
- Stretches the
groins, chest, lungs, and shoulders
- Stimulates
abdominal organs
- Increases
stamina
- Relieves
backaches, especially through second trimester of pregnancy
- Therapeutic for carpal tunnel syndrome, flat feet, infertility, osteoporosis, and sciatica
Counter-Indications:
- Diarrhea
- High blood
pressure
- Neck problems:
Don't turn your head to look over the front hand; continue to look
straight ahead with both sides of the neck lengthened evenly
Hope you enjoyed this review of Warrior II! Please
feel free to ask any questions you may have.
If you need any assistance or would like an adjustment in this pose, I
am always available after class, hope to see you there!
This week's Facebook question:
How do you sneak extra fruits/veggies into your daily meals?
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Be Educated. Be Balanced. Be Fit. Be Healthy.
Namaste,
Jannell
Jannell MacAulay, BS Biology, MS Kinesiology
Certified Yoga, Powerbodyz, Piyo and Fitness Instructor
AFAA Certified Personal Trainer
HBHL ~ Learn. Change. Grow.
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