Legs Up The Wall
Well this pose doesn’t necessarily have a name … or not that I know of … can’t say I’ve seen it in books …
But its an incredible tool for revitalizing at the end of a busy work-day … that time between the day and the evening … just before you eat … when you feel the need of something and if you don’t STOP and take a breathe … you can so easily take yourself into a completely different direction to the one you wanted …
A Tricky Time of Day
This is the time when we need to take a moment and re-charge the batteries. So to the process:
- Start by lying on your back
- Have your bottom right next to a skirting board in the room
- Which means the legs have no place to go, but up the wall
- The legs can fall apart as far as is comfortable, as they rest against the wall
- Its important for the bottom to be snugly up against the wall with as little space between them, to create a right angle
- The feet need to be flat out, away from the wall, meaning they should not just slump but instead be themselves at a right angle
- The arms fall to the side and can relax out from the sides of the body, as feels comfortable
- Close the eyes and relax
- Rest there for as long as feels comfortable
- This provides a great rejuvenation
Perpendicular Creatures
The benefits are manifold, in the main because the legs carry so much of the body’s debris. As we are perpendicular creatures, spending most of our time either standing upright or sitting down, gravity takes it toll and rubbish collects and sinks into the leg and ankle area. This pose provides an ‘antidote’ to gravity and allows waste, etc, to galvanize and make its way back up the body.
Iyengar
Gary Carter (my teacher on an Anatomy and Physiology course for Yoga Teachers) stated that Iyengar once said that the diaphragm was another muscle, but he wouldn’t want the west to know it because they would use it as such. Wat he meant was that
- The west overuse and abuse the muscular system
- That the diaphragm has a connection with the leg muscles
- That the breathe can be used to make that connection
- Then a realignment can be made to re-balance the imbalance that gravity causes
- In other words if we just go about life and don’t re-adjust this then the waste materials will continue to collect in the calves and ankes in particular
- Realignment is imjportant and that broad calves indicate a lack of movement which indicates a dis-function in the system
And Relax
Once the Rejuvenation is complete, you can get on with the rest of the day … Have you got any other suggestions along similar lines? Do get in touch and share … would love to hear from your ideas.
Jane
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