Anna

Welcome to the world
of The Riviera Woman

Hello. My name is Anna Fill and I welcome you to my website. If you’re a woman living or working on the Riviera or if you are just visiting, this is the place for you. My site is full of inspirational people and interesting articles, so keep coming back and let us help you live your Riviera life to the full!



PS Men: don’t feel left out; you are very welcome here too!


Read all my newsletters here...

twitter Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on Facebook

 

Health and Beauty

Yoga Posture of the Month: URDHVA DHANURASANA - The Wheel

ASTRO YOGA - Posture of the Month for August
by Anette Shine

Urdhva Dhanurasana – translates from sanskrit as “the upward facing bow”, also known as  “the wheel” which sollicitates the physical areas that relate to LEO: The back & the heart.


Leo

This posture boosts the qualities of the Lion: It creates a feeling of vitality and lightness, strengthens your will power and increases your capacity to handle stress.

How to do it:

Lie on your back on the floor and bend your knees with the heals under your knees, keeping your thighs and feet parallel to the mat. Bend your albows and bring them over your head. Place your palms on the floor on either side of your head with your fingers pointing towards your shoulders (as seen on photo A)

Then press your feet and palms into the floor as you lift your hips and back off the floor on an exhalation (as seen on photo B) and make sure you keep your albows shoulder-width apart.

In the final preparation pose (photo C) push your hands firmly into the ground as you lift yourself up on the crown on your head, (stimulating the 7th chakra at the same time) Now focus on your breath, while you shift the weight from your palms into the front of your feet. When you feel ready: Push up your torso in one single movement: on a decisive, sharp exhalation into the full posture: URDHVA DHANURASANA. Then adjust so your weight is evenly on your hands and on your feet.

WHAT TO FOCUS ON:

Spread your fingers and straighten your arms as much as you, try to lock your elbows. Come up as high as possible and hold for 5-10 seconds. If you can, push your chest forward to intensify the stretch. Be a little playful here, try to lift one leg off...once you become familiar with the pose...

HOW TO COME OUT OF IT AND A COUNTER POSE:

Begin to bend your albows slowly and lower your back smoothly down onto the floor, tucking the chin to chest to protect your neck & head. Bring your knees up to your chest to recover. You can also lift your head off while you squeeze the legs towards you. Rock a bit from side to side to massage your back. Then come into savasana “corpse pose” and relax as you integrate the effects of the pose. Observe your breath...

BENEFITS OF URDHVA DHANURASANA:

It keeps your body supple and tones the spine. It prevents the arteries of the heart from thickening and ensures healthy blood circulation throughout the body. It stimulates the adrenal, thyroid, pineal and pituitary glands.

To work on your strength you can go up and down between preparation pose C on your head, and then up onto your hands/feet. (full pose) However this requires guidance from an experienced teacher, so you can learn the breathing technique correctly.

CAUTIONS – HOW TO MODIFY IT:

Do not practise this asana (pose) if your blood pressure is too low or too high. Avoid it if you are too tired. Practise it when you need to be energized and feel ready. Don’t do it if you have a head-ache or migraine attack or suffer from constipation/diarrhoea. You can modify it in a relaxed way by using a swiss ball as seen on the photo below:


SIMBHASANA = LION'S POSE

Contact:  Anette Shine – sunshine@yogamontecarlo.com * Sunshine Yoga:  +377 97 777801 *  Website: www.yogamontecarlo.com

Publicity by Anna Fill: anna@therivierawoman.com

Thursday, 1 August 2013    Section: Health and Beauty    Author: Anette Shine
Share this article on Facebook