03-10-2022 17.00u-18.30u
What has your Tadasana done for you lately?
Reveals compensations
Anatomical neutral, maintains and imprints the natural curves of the spine
Educates the body on cultivating optimal alignment
Provides an energetic and physical “home base”
Grounding, centering, stabilizing, and neutralizing
The natural spinal curves allow for optimal flow of the vayus/winds of the body
Sthira sukham asanam, balance between effort and ease
For a sustainable yoga-asana practice, we use Tadasana pose as a blueprint for each asana to reveal compensations (the path of least resistance) and maintain optimal alignment in the body. Remember the book 'Where's Waldo'? Tadasana is the Waldo in each of the poses. We recreate the balanced action of Tadasana in every asana using 4 Dual Actions to create optimal balance between Space/Sukha and Stability/Sthiram in the Major Girdles (Pelvis and Shoulder) and Minor Girdles (Feet/Ankles and Head/Neck).
Dual Actions are a set of actions that bring a balance between space and stability to the major and minor girdles of the body, they come in pairs and work together with one muscular engagement opposing the other to create Balanced Action.
The order in which you perform each action is of the utmost importance, first you must perform the 'space' action (otherwise, there is nothing to stabilize) followed by the 'stabilizing' action to hold and maintain the space you just created. It doesn't work in the opposite order. And, if only one of the dual actions is done, the student would be left out of balance. The 4 Dual Actions that create a balance between Space/Sukha and Stability/Sthiram in the Major Girdles (Pelvis and Shoulder) and Minor Girdles (Feet/Ankles and Head/Neck) are:
Foot/Ankle: Lift your inner arches up as you hug your outer ankles in.
Pelvis: Press your upper inner thighs back as you lengthen your sitting bones/Coccyx down.
Shoulder: Draw your front ribs in while you lift your back ribs up. Keep the fullness in your back ribs as you broaden your collarbones and glide your shoulder blades onto your back
Head/Neck: Lift your chin slightly as you lengthen the back of your neck When cuing Dual Actions, use linking language to keep or maintain the first cue as you add the second part of the dual action. Examples of linking language; as you, and, keep that and….