Hatha Yoga @ the Lake

The OM Tree is proud to offer Hatha Yoga @ the Lake, 9:30 to 11:00am Wednesday Mornings. 

Hatha Yoga provides the means for people of any age get in and stay in shape as well as develop balance, coordination, and a sense of centeredness. Yoga in general is known to renew, invigorate, and heal the body. It also provides a great means to stretching and toning the muscles, joints, and spine and directing blood and oxygen to the internal organs (including the glands and nerves).

As part of the class we focus on:

• centering practices
• warm up
• sun salutations variations
• standing and/or balancing asanas
• cool down
• 10-15 guided relaxation

Classes ongoing so you can join anytime.  First class is complimentary!

Adkho Mukha Savasana (AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna), otherwise known as Downward Facing Dog. This pose is done frequently during most yoga classes. It’s a transitional pose, a resting pose and a great strengthener and may be one of the first poses you encounter when you begin yoga. Downward dog also one of the most famous poses that even people who have never done yoga have probably heard of it!

Level: All

Benefits:

• Calms the brain, helps relieve stress & mild depression
• Energizes the body
• Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, & hands
• Strengthens the arms & legs
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
• Helps prevent osteoporosis
• Improves digestion
• Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, & fatigue
• Therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, & sinusitis

How to:

1. On all 4’s, with wrists under the shoulders & knees under hips. curl the toes under and push the hips up & straighten the legs.
2. Spread the fingers nice and wide, and ground the palms as you rotate the upper arms broadening the collarbones.
3. Completely let the head hang, move the shoulder blades away from the ears towards the hips.  Engage the quadriceps strongly to take the weight off the arms, making this a resting pose.
4. Rotate the thighs inward, keep the tail high and sink your heels towards the floor.
5. To check the space between the hands and feet is to come into a plank position and then life the seat up without moving the hands or feet. Avoid stepping the feet closer to the hands to get the heels to the floor. This will happen eventually as the muscles lengthen.

Variation: Dophin Pose :  Same form and benefits as downward facing dog, except on the elbows.

Tadasana (tah-DAHS-anna), otherwise known as Mountain Pose is a posture that is the basic template for all standing poses.

Level: All

Benefits: Improves alignment and posture; strengthens thighs, knees and ankles; firms abdomen and buttocks; relieves sciatica; reduces flat feet; enhances body and breath awareness; grounding; centering; and balance.

How to: Stand with the basis of your big toes touching, heels slightly apart.  Spread the toes nice and wide, rock back and forth on the feet and settle into a nice spot where your weight is evenly distributed in the center of your foot and shared between both feet. Contract the thighs and tuck down the tailbone.  Arms are relaxed by your sides with shoulder blades reaching towards each other.  Lengthen the spine and the crown towards the sky.

Variations: Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute/Tall Mountain) Interlock the fingers and raise arms overhead.  Consciously tuck the tailbone down to avoid overarching the back. In addition to the benefits of above, this variation also stretches the belly thus improving digestion, and stretches the shoulders & underarms.

Sukhasana (sook HAS-anna), otherwise known in English as “Easy Pose” is a posture that is closely resembles a seated cross-legged position that we often visited as a child, but not so much as an adult.  As we age our lower back and thigh muscles get shorter and tighter from sitting in chairs and results in a shift of our body alignment.  Easy pose helps to combat these effects.

Level:  All

Benefits: Opens the hips, stretches the thighs, lengthens the spine and strengthens the lower back.

How to: Seated on the floor, fold the legs in toward your body, separating the knees, crossing the shins, and slipping each foot beneath the opposite knee.  Over time transition the knees out as the feet begin to align one above the other on the floor to relieve the compression of the ankles and open the hips further.