5 Grounding Yoga Poses For Life Transitions
Transitions can be challenging for people of all ages. With summer slowly winding down, change feels like it’s around the corner. The temperatures are still warm outside but for most Americans, September means kids go back to school, vacations come to a halt, and Fall foliage is upon us! There is no better time than now to be practice yoga!
Yoga forces us to drop into the present moment, connect to our breath, and experience various yoga poses that move energy and emotions in the body, and allows us to open up to experiencing all the new possibilities life has in store for us. When we are in the present moment, we can experience all of these changes and connect to life more fully.
During any transition time, our heads start spinning in a million directions and our to-do lists run rampant. The best way to stay centered is to practice some grounding yoga poses that will connect your mind and body and in turn make you more relaxed, grounded, engaged, and ready for any changes during this transition time.
Here Are 5 Grounding Yoga Poses For Life Transitions:
1. Sukhasana With Nadi Shodhana (Easy Pose with Alternate Nostril Breathing)
- Take a comfortable crossed legged seat on the floor or on a block/pillow.
- Begin to take a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth
- Continue to breathe and find a natural rhythm in your breath, as you breathe in through the nose, and out through the nose.
- Rest your left hand on your lap. Close your right nostril with your thumb, and inhale through your left nostril.
- Close your left nostril with your right ring finger and exhale through the right.
- Inhale through the right and exhale through the left using your thumb and index finger to go back and forth.
- Lengthen the inhale and the exhale as well as the pause between each. Use this pause to cultivate a sense of self-soothing and trust. Knowing that the next inhale is just a breath away reminds us that this time of change shall pass. (YogaJournal)
Check Out This Video For Further Guidance: https://www.yogajournal.com/videos/nadi-shodhana
2. Warrior II
Pro Tip: Feel your feet grounded into the floor, engage your lower abdominal muscles, lift your chest, relax your shoulders, soften your gaze over the front hand, and relax the jaw.
Hold for 5-10 breaths then switch sides.
3. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Pro Tip: Ground down through the feet, pressing firmly through the big toe, lift knee caps, engage quad muscles, lengthen through both sides of the body, and continue to rotate the chest up towards the sky. Relax both shoulders away from your ears, while keeping your gaze to the side or upwards if you can rotate the neck. Relax face and jaw.
Hold for 5-10 breaths then switch sides.
4. Malasana (Squat Pose)
Pro Tip: Keep feet wider than hip width apart. Use the elbows to gently press knees outward to the side. Try to maintain a lift in the chest and lengthen spine and top of head up to the sky.
Hold for 8-10 breaths, then come to sit back and gently wind shield wiper knees from side to side.
5. Child’s Pose
Pro Tip: For a deeper stretch in the hips and release in the shoulders, widen knees mat width and extend arms out in front of you. Relax shoulders and hips and let go as much as you can here.
Hold for 8-10 breaths.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.” -Socrates