Try this pose in honor of the New Moon & Eclipse
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Bhujangasana (boo-khan-GHAS-uh-NIH) is an energizing backbend and an essential posture performed in Sun Salutations.
It gets its name from the Sanskrit word “Bhujang”, which means serpent, and “asana” meaning pose.
It increases flexibility of the spine while opening the upper shoulders and chest. It strengthens the heart, lungs, core body and invigorates the kidneys. Also a potent antidote to sitting as it realigns the spine.
Energetically, it is very nurturing to lie belly down onto the earth, breathing into the navel center. Native American traditions refer to the earth as our “mother.” While practicing we can ask “what needs nurturing in this moment?”
It also strengthens our ability to shed, like a snake, beliefs that that hold us back, keep us stuck in a cycle of pain and disconnected from our source.
While practicing we can ask
“what needs nurturing in this moment?”
If you’d like to try this pose, start by lying face down. Begin by resting your forehead onto the back of your hands. Take a few breaths in and out through your navel center. Then come onto forearms into the variation called “Sphinx pose.” Align elbows under shoulders, extending out through fingertips and bringing feet side by side.
Eyes look softly ahead. Inhale pressing palms and forearms down onto the earth while extending through the tips of the toes, grounding top of feet and front of pubis onto mat. Feel the lumbar spine move into the body, tailbone moving downward.
Exhale through the nose, and imagine that you’re “zipping” from the pubis all the way up to the back of the throat, lifting the skin right below the navel towards the heart. Be sure to draw the shoulder blades in towards one another and onto the back.
Hold the pose for 5 to 8 breaths, avoiding strain. Important to find a balance of effort and ease.
If you move into the lifted variation, take the hands a little wider. Spread fingers and be sure to press through four corners of the hand, bringing the inner arms towards the rib cage. Allow the neck to be an easy extension of the spine. Don’t lift your gaze until you feel the shoulder blades move onto the back.
Rest in child’s pose, folding forward over bent knees as a counter pose. Take a few recovery breaths in and out.
As you take your seat, sit with a strong back open heart. Notice how you feel.
Wishing you each “New Moon and Solar Eclipse” blessings!