"If you practice yoga, you know that it's not so much about the poses as it is about how you feel in the poses. I'd take it a step further and say that how you feel in between the poses-positioning your arms in Warrior 2, lifting your hips into Downward Dog, and rolling from Savasana into fetal position-is what produces so much of the feel-good, sparkly, inner sensations of ahhh that make coming to the mat feel like the best decision you've ever made."
"Windshield Wipers isn't technically a yoga pose, although it's so commonly cued in classes you might think it is. You're on your back, after Bridge or drawing your knees to your chest, and a teacher guides you to place your feet flat on the mat and rock your knees side to side so your thighs quite literally resemble the stretch's namesake."
"There's something about the whimsical swaying motion that takes my lower back muscles off guard so they soften-juuust enough that the pressure of the floor through the mat feels like a mini massage amid yoga class. The best part about Windshield Wipers, like any yoga pose, is that there's no picture-perfect way to practice. Even subtly swiping my knees side to side is a release of physical tension and sufficient to shake up my mood and get me out of my head."
Yoga practice emphasizes how one feels within poses and during transitions between poses. Mindful transitions like shaking out the legs, rocking side to side, and Windshield Wipers can generate restorative, sparkly sensations of release. Windshield Wipers involve lying on the back, feet flat, and rocking the knees side to side to massage the lower back and hips. Small, slow movements can signal introspection and a need to warm up, while quick, wide sweeps indicate energy and readiness. Long pauses in lateral positions deepen hip release. There is no single correct way to perform these transitions; subtle movement often suffices to shift mood and reduce tension.
Read at Yoga Journal
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]