Yoga For You
Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy
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MANOA YOGA CENTER
Wiggy Mitsuda demonstrates the siddhasana pose.
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Siddhasana
The Accomplished Pose
This sitting posture brings the body and spine into a balanced, erect and firm state and is ideal for sitting for meditation and pranayama (breath/ energy regulation).
By keeping the body firm and erect and the mind awake and attentive, the consciousness moves inward and everyday worries lose their potency, nerves are soothed and the mind feels light and fresh. The pose also brings suppleness to hips and ankles.
1. Sit on a folded blanket with the legs straight.
2. Bend your left knee and use your hands to place your foot near your perineum with the sole turned up. Do not force the knee, but turn the leg out as you rotate the thigh in the hip socket. If the knee is stiff, then repeat this action several times until more freedom is felt.
3. Bend the right leg and place the right foot sandwiched between the left calf and thigh. Again repeat the action several times, if necessary, to loosen the joint. After placing the foot, both knees should be on the floor. If the right knee is off the floor, sit on a higher support and learn to release your groins to bring the knee down. Your body weight should be evenly supported by the buttocks and the knees.
4. Touch your index finger and thumb tips together, making a circle, and keep the back of your hands on your knees with your arms straight and other fingers extended.
Sit erect and don't lean forward or back. Lift the chest and keep the chin parallel to the floor. Close your eyes and relax your face. Observe the flow of breath in and out through the nostrils. Keep your body erect and notice the flow of your mind as thoughts and sensations cause your attention to wander. Calmly bring your mind back to your breath. With practice you will increase the amount of time that you can remain aware of your breath's flow without your mind wandering. Hold the pose with ease for up to five minutes, then repeat to the other side.
Ray Madigan and
Shelley Choy are certified Iyengar Yoga teachers and co-direct the Manoa Yoga Center at Manoa Marketplace. Visit
www.manoayoga.com or call 382-3910. Manoa Yoga Center, the authors and the Star-Bulletin take no responsibility for any injury arising from the practice of these yoga postures. Readers should seek a doctor's approval before commencing this yoga practice.