ASTRO YOGA - Posture of the month for October
by Anette Shine

The sanskrit word ARDHA means “half” – MATSYENDRA is “the lord of the fish” and ASANA means “pose”  Anatomically the air sign LIBRA corresponds to kidneys, the bladder and the pelvis. Ruled by Venus, the planet of love, beauty & the arts. The colour is pink. Libra, the scale, is always striving for balance.

Libra

The seated half spinal twist has a balancing effect, as it’s both invigorating and calming at the same time. All twists sollicitates the kidneys, which has a detoxing effect. The kidneys are our “batteries” and we need to “recharge them” regularly in order to keep up our energy levels. Make sure you keep both sittingbones on the floor and you don’t sit on your foot, the foot is “free”in front. Apart from twisting, you can “recharge” your kidneys by doing the following poses:

Photo A: THE SFINX  is the easiest, most gentle backbend you can do to get started. Press your albows firmly down to maintain your shoulders down and to lengthen your spine and neck. Imagine you are a sfinx with lion paws, so spread your fingers and keep your hands as big as possible. The kidneys are situated just above the waist and look like 2 coffee beans. Breathe consciously into them and “recharge them” as you hold this pose for a while. Enjoy the beneficial pressure on your bladder.

Photo B: “UP SFINX” or “HIGH SFINX” is the extension of the regular sfinx, suited for people with more flexible backs and kidneys in fairly good shape. All you need to do to try this is to straighten the elbows, without moving your hands. You can immediately feel if this is too much strain. If so, please come back down on your elbows and keep breathing.

Photo C: THE ROYAL COBRA if you are ready for more intensity try this one:
Place your hands on the floor next to the lower ribs and then come up like a snake coming out of a basket until you stretch your arms completely. The difference between the Royal Cobra and the Upward facing Dog (Photo D) is that the Royal Cobra has the knees on the floor, while the Updog has the knees off. Again make sure you really press your hands down so your shoulders remain down. (There is also a Yin Yoga variation called THE SEAL, which is the only pose where the shoulders are supposed to come up)

After all these backbends, you need to do a counter stretch named BALASANA = Childs Pose (Photo E) where you sit back towards your heals and relax.

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

Publicity by Anna Fill: anna@therivierawoman.com