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Saturday


Legs up the Wall Pose for Sanity & Serenity!
(I'm going to be doing this pose a lot through the stressful holidays & I cannot recommend it enough).

I love my life, I love my family, I love my snowflake earrings (but already lost one), and my smashing new nail color (gunmetal grey), and my bills are paid (sort of), but somehow stress seems to always creep into the picture this time of year. I thought I could bypass it by getting gifts early and writing holiday
cards in November, but the universe still ushered in heaps of chaos and
stress. William James said the most profound thing he ever learned is that if you change your outlook, then you can change your world. So, I am determined to do Legs up the Wall Pose for at least 20 minutes a day until January 2010 and this will transform my stress into serenity.

I need this pose now more than ever, holiday stress coupled with pitch black darkness by 5pm and frost on the end of my nose beckons fatigue, anxiety, and sadness all of which will be alleviated with this simple pose. Exhausted? Freaked? Sad? Overwhelmed? Go upside-down I say and melt this stuff away!

This pose has such profound restorative qualities that it has gained the nickname "fountain of youth" and few poses actually have the dual magical effects of soothing and energizing like this pose does.

Use a bolster or several folded blankets on top of a sticky mat for this pose (your derriere should hang off the support a tiny bit, but if you have any tension in your tummy or lower back you are hanging off the support too much). The sticky mat is key because you can tuck your shoulders a little underneath your back and relax without them sliding out of position—this action will help open your chest which is key to diminishing depression.

It helps to strap a belt around your thighs just above your knees before getting into the pose—this allows you to surrender more fully into the pose and relax more completely rather than focusing on keeping your legs together.

While in this pose:
  • Eyes closed.
  • Release any tension in your face.
  • Release any tension in your body.
  • Lengthen your spine.
  • Sink into the floor.
  • Calm and even breathing.
  • Point heels toward the sky.
  • Let go of anger and worry.
  • Only loving, kind thoughts.
May your holidays be full of laughter and joy and Legs up the Wall posing!
(Illustrations from my new iPhone app, YogaBeauty...coming soon)