I love sound and yoga marriage in my yoga class. I know that breathing and moving with the focused mind can create a healing flow that I am not shy to use it. However, the majority of my students are 50+ active adults, I called them my ‘yoga seekers,’ so movements and yoga sequence must be mindfully orchestrated for a gentle stretch flow for the healthy balance. Here is a brief story of mine from my yoga class about how “Goddess Breath Flow” changed all from good to excellent.
BREATH EXERCISING is not new to us, but new awareness came to my students when I introduced – movements, deep breathing and sound sewn all together into Goddess yoga flow. In our classes we start with 15 minutes pranayama, therefore, all are familiar with and anatomy of breath, but this flow was new – something else that came and touched everyone in the class.
Goddess Pose
Here is inspiration from http://www.blueosa.com/yoga-inspiration-goddess-pose/ “Utkata Konasana, also known as Goddess Pose or Fierce Angle Pose – this pose plays to the goddess within. She is serene and strong – the creative feminine force. Her energy is grounded and uplifting. She looks at you openly and says “Here I am”. I am the earth mother, the warrior, the source of all things. My power is limitless; I may smile and play or tease and cavort, but at the end of the day, I am still a powerful Goddess.”
HEALING POWER OF BREATH
Everybody from yoga world knows the significance of breathing practice on a human body and its health benefits, as many controlled studies show.
For example – Ujaji Breathing – Oceanic Breath: This classic pranayama practice, known for its soft, soothing sound similar to breaking ocean waves, can further enhance the relaxation response of slow breathing, says Patricia Gerbarg, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College and co-author of The Healing Power of the Breath. Her theory is that the vibrations in the larynx stimulate sensory receptors that signal the vagus nerve to induce a calming effect.
KRIYA: HEALING POWER OF BREATH AND MOVEMENT
In kundalini yoga, we are using healing kiryas a lot, but in our gentle hatha yoga we are shyer in presenting vigorous sound in a repeating flow. However, my flow was either pure “kriya” or ‘haka”. My Yoga flow intensity was something just between; still strong enough to rock your house and shake it off what is no longer serving you.
GOODNESS BREATH FLOW
How did we do it?
It was spontaneous vigorous flow , but I still remember:
- Start with classic a GODDESS POSE which bring you down to a low squat pose;
- Hold for of 5 breaths – 1- 2 -3 chakras be activated
- Activate flow by lifting alternative heels up first – 3x on each side, deep belly breathing.
- Keep moving and adding “Ha” sound from your lower belly. Add boxing arms movements from your waist, in and out, using “Ha” sound, focus on solar plexus.
- Slowing down with arms flow to connect sky (above the head) and meeting in praying hands in front of your heart, legs in moves up and back down to squat – gentle flow.
- The last stage was guided by energy presented in a room, when we slowly reestablished Goddess Pose in her finest beauty and as an epic came with a Lion Breath + laughter. Then our release was completed.
OUR ‘YOGA HAKA’ WAS CREATED
After class, many students came with their feedback about the Goddess Breath Flow saying “ I feel so alive and strong, ready to fly!” And it was the turning moment when we found out significant flow for our class that we feel the strong connection, like in ancient haka dance, we felt soul togetherness. This flow created the nice passage for us to descent for our quiet yin yoga and savasana.
To my amusement, since that moment — first taste of aliveness of fire element and HEART DEVOTION, my yoga students, no matter age, keep asking for “Goddess Breath Flow” to be PERFORMING in our yoga class.
And what about you? Tell me how did you find your LIFE flow?
If you feel like to become a part of our “yoga haka flow” come to practice with us.
Reference:
https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/importance-breath-yoga#!
Photo credits: http://www.blueosa.com/yoga-inspiration-goddess-pose/
YOGA and TRAVEL 