Friday, November 19, 2010

Virabhadrasana III: Myself

PICTURES UP SOON.

There's some sort of... for lack of a better word, spa-ish kind of room. There's screen windows and it's right next to a river that runs through the house. I can hear nature in the room and it's a nice and calming room with a cool exterior.

I chose to practice there because it seems more natural room without being outside. It's a relaxing room, plus there's a mirror so I can check myself as I preform the pose.

I don't have a disc or anything, so I used my laptop to play music I found on Youtube.

Here are the songs I switched around as I practiced...


Forest Hymn by Deep Forest (Check out their songs. They're pretty relaxing and some are energizing.)
With a hint of energetics, this song is relaxing at the same time. That's why I chose this.


Divine Moments Of Truth by Shpongle
I admit, this song is a bit strange, but it's pretty captivating. I could just stand around listening to this. All 10 minutes. It's quite relaxing and hypnotic. Especially with earphones.

Since links don't seem to want to appear...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZiAXUGE1cU
Forest Hymn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qt2WbfotkU
Divine Moments of Truth

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Virabhadrasana III

ACE 7:30, EKOBAYASHI


Virabhadra is sankrit for warrior. So this translates to Warrior 3. Virabhadra is actually the name of a warrior that was an incarnation of Shiva. He had a thousand heads, feet and eyes. He also wielded a thousand clubs while wearing tiger fur.



A key point, as it is in many poses, is balance. Even in the starting position, tadasana, you must make sure that you're weight is balanced evenly. Your thighs should be firm, upper body straight and your big toes should be touching.


In order to do this pose, you shouldn't just jump right into the stance. You lessen the experience by doing so and you'll probably do it wrong. There are several steps taken so that you ease yourself into the pose. And by previous steps, I don't mean stand in your lazy, zombie version of Tadasana for 5 seconds.

Once you have a good Tadasana stance, exhale and step your left foot back into a lunge position. Your right leg should be parallel to the floor. This pose is the base for the Virabhadrasana adasanas.

Now from the lunge position, stretch your arms forward, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other, palms facing each other. Slowly lift the back leg off the ground and slowly try to make a T-shape pose while balancing on one leg. Try to push with you hands in front of you while pulling back on the lifted leg. Tighten your core and keep the hips flat, not raised on one side. Focus on firming up the quadriceps on the one leg being balanced on. Keep that leg like you're still standing in tadasana.

Keep this pose for 30 seconds to a minute and then slowly go back to the previous lunging stance and then tadasana.


You shouldn't start Virabhadrasana III by lunging the torso forward. This tends to shift the body weight onto the ball of the front foot and unbalance the position. Don't allow the torso to swing forward as you move into position; instead, as you straighten the front knee, think of pressing the head of the thighbone back. This centers the femur in the hip joint, grounds the heel into the floor, and stabilizes the position.
You should also hold your head up so you're facing forward, but don't strain your neck. It should be relaxed and aligned with the spine.


The variation is to start by leaning your arms against the wall and to use the wall to help you balance your upper body.
This pose focuses on your
•Spine
•Shoulders
•Hips
•Ankles
•Calves
•Hamstrings
•Thighs



By practicing this pose you
•Strengthen the ankles and legs
•Strengthen the shoulders and muscles of the back
•Tone the abdomen
•Improve balance and posture


By doing this pose you should
•Feel your foot become firm and steady against the floor. Sense of balance.
•Feel your neck and head extend from the spine
•Feel your abdomen and back stretch and relax


::REFERENCES::


Since links don't seem to appear...
http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/warrior3.htm
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/941

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

What is Virabhadrasana III?

Virabhadrasana III translates to "Warrior Pose 3". To make a brief description; Virabhadrasana III involves one balancing on one leg, while learning their entire upper torso forward while holding the other leg back and up. Hands should be forward, past the head. The body should make a 'T' shape.



This is the pose.


Though the professional stance has a flat back, some people may only be able to go this far and not 180 degrees.

The variation is to do this pose with your hands against the wall.