Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignment: Review Time

In August there was the first ever Anusara Instagram Challenge called #weareanusara. It lasted 5 days and focused on one universal principle of alignment (UPA) a day. I had a lot of fun coming up with my caption describing how I practice each UPA on and off my mat. Here they are, I hope they can help deepen your understanding of these vast and wonderful principles. 
#weareanusara! Day 1- Open to Grace.
Elements of Open to Grace:
Breath Foundation Side Bodies Long Inner Body Bright- Outer Body Soft

Opening to Grace, is not just something we should do at the beginning of our practice but is the foundation that we should carry throughout our practice and into all areas of our life. This principle asks us to soften, become more sensitive, feel and connect to our breath, body/ mind/ heart and the world around us with awareness and openness. It's from this place that we can respond optimally. We have the opportunity to begin our practice, and each new day humble, open, willing and hopefully excited!

Lately in my practice I have been thinking of Open to Grace as being Open to a Revelation. To opening myself up to an ah-ha moment that can remind me more deeply of my true essence and in that opening release limiting beliefs that hold me back. Opening up to the to truth that darkness is not a bad thing, challenges are not a bad thing. When I Open to Grace I am reminded that it’s the dark that nurtures growth and helps the light shine more brightly.

Open to Grace and see the light that surrounds you and that is you!!!



The second universal principle of alignment in the Anusara method= Muscle Energy.
Muscular Energy literally pulls us into our center. It creates security, firmness and power.
On the mat creating this integration steadies us and sets us up to do refinements (inner spiral/ outer spiral) and then extend our (organic energy).

My favorite place to practice muscle energy is off my mat. Can I draw into myself, get steady in my intention? That is muscle energy the drawing in! This helps me make refinements if needed before extending out. It's my tendency on and off the mat to skip the getting steady part and go straight for the freedom of extending for example into a pose or into a conversation.

However I have found that more freedom and joy comes when I slow down, draw in and reconnect (muscle energy). The steadiness of muscle energy leads to much more freedom in organic energy.

On the mat there are three ways we can engage our muscles:
1. From the skin to the bone.
2. To the midline
3. From the periphery—hands, feet and head—along the core lines to the Focal Point.

The third universal principle of alignment in the Anusara method is Inner Spiral. This is a refinement principle that comes AFTER Opening to Grace (1st principle) and Muscle Energy (2nd principle).

Inner Spiral is an expanding energy that runs from the feet through the pelvis into the waistline area to rotate the legs IN, move the thighs BACK and WIDENS the pelvis.

Inner Spiral in the arms draws the head of the arm bones in to the shoulder sockets, back and widens the scapula's. (Inner spiral in the arms can be confusing because the rotation changes depending on what plane the arms are in but the expanding results in the scapula's is the aim).

Practicing inner spiral off the mat just like on the mat comes after I open myself up, then I draw IN, and BACK into myself to see what is going on inside. Looking to see what is working well, what isn’t working, if my actions are in alignment with my intention (attitude). I can NOT figure this out if I don’t deeply look within. For me this often includes journaling.

After this I can anchor down (outer spiral) and extend out (organic energy) from a more clear and aligned space.

The fourth UPA in the Anusara method is Outer Spiral. Like inner spiral, outer spiral is a refining principle that comes after opening to Grace and setting the foundation (1st UPA), engaging the muscles (2nd UPA), creating space (3rd UPA).

When you create space in the pelvis with inner spiral there is often a collapse in either the low back, knees, ankles or a combination of those. Outer Spiral starts above the back of the pelvis and travels down to the feet. This engages the glutes, lessens or stabilizes the lumbar curve, narrows the sit bones, widens the knees, and draws the shins in. (There is also outer spiral in the upper body that narrows the scapula tips together just like the sit bones of the pelvis. Balance inner spiral and outer spiral of the upper body also help to align the wrists and elbows).

Inner spiral and outer spiral go together and everyone will have a different amount of each spiral to help them move from a place of too much, or not enough and into a place of JUST RIGHT (sattva). It is from this just right place that we will extend our from with the next UPA, Organic Energy.

Off the mat for me outer spiral comes after I open, reconnect to my center and draw deep into myself and get clear on what actions I should take to move me in the direction of my intention.
Outer spiral is the fire that fuels the commitment to take these actions to grow my intention.

Organic Energy the 5th UPA!
To review:
1st principle Open to Grace- connect to your breath, ground into your foundation, expand your inner body
2nd principle Muscle Energy- Engage you muscles and feel stable
3rd principle Inner Spiral- create spaciousness, align the heads of the femurs in the hip sockets create an in and up lordotic curve above the scrum
4th principle Outer Spiral- engage the glutes hold or lesson your lordotic curve align the knees towards the 2-3 toe
And now 5th principle!
After all the refining of bringing the bones and the muscles into a place better function ability and healthy it’s time to extend out! Physically, you keep the integration of Muscular Energy, and then extend and stretch out from that place of feeling really plugged in along with the refinements of inner and outer spiral. The brightness of the inner body expands out in every direction with joy, playfulness, freedom and the full expression of the pose is honored.

3 kinds of Organic Energy:
1 away from the focal point
2 away from the midline
3 away from the core and out through the skin

I think one of the most magical things about a yoga practice is it can change the way we extend our Self out to the world.
When I practice yoga (on or off the mat). I am a more kind, more patient and more helpful human. When I interact with people from a centered place it creates a positive ripple into the world. This is organic energy it’s being intentional with the way you extend out.
Organic energy for me can look like smiling at a stranger, spontaneously dancing with my kids, taking a deep breath and expanding when I see the sunset, or being able to articulate my feelings in a kind way during a challenging conversation.
The universal principles of alignment help me to co participate in life and set my intention, choose optimal alignment to lead to my intention and a way of taking action from that place of alignment.
Anusara Yoga and the UPA’s have changed my Asana practice and my life!

Our Inner Critic

Are you aware of the inner critic voice within your mind that whispers or yells horrible things to yourself through out the day? 
For example:
“You suck” “your stupid” “nobody likes you” “your fat”

Now I want you to imagine a young child you love or maybe your child is grown but imagine them when they were young. Imagine that sweet sweet beautiful kind magical baby and ask... would you say the things that you are about to say to yourself to that child?

If the answer is no, do NOT say those words to yourself!!!!

The truth is we each have a little child within ourself. 
Speak to yourself, to the child within you with the same thoughtful kindness you would use when speaking to that child you love. .
“Stop trying to ‘fix’ yourself; you’re not broken! You are perfectly imperfect and powerful beyond measure.” ~Steve Maraboli

Wherever You Are...

Wherever you find yourself... riding a life high or low 🌊let it be an opportunity. An opportunity to soften the hard exterior we hold to protect ourself. However in this attempt to protect ourself we lessen our ability to love and be loved. And LOVE is Magic. It connects us and heals us. 🌈💗

How can you move through your current situation in a way that will help you love more and receive love more? 

One of my current situations is a sinus infection😤. Instead of just complaining about it (which I admit I do). I am also practicing responding to life with kindness even though I am in pain. (This is not my tendency.) And letting myself feel love that other people have for me and let that give me some comfort even though I am in pain. 

What situation are you facing?

A letter to my body

A love note to my body: 
First of all,
I want to say
THANK YOU!

For the heart you keep beating,
The lungs you keep breathing. .
For being a playground for my children. .
For carrying my babies through pregnancy,
For bringing my babies earth side 
For my the ability to care and nourish my children. .
For all of the adventures we have experienced. .
For healing me when I have been sick and broken. .
For loving me back
Even when I didn’t know how to love you.

For never giving up on me. .
I promise I will continue to learn how to treat you better. .

Sankulpa

This is the sankulpa mudra (hand position). Sankalpa means "wish" and "intention".

This is the practice of joining mind, heart and body to create a resolve that is in alignment with your deepest core. It is the most heartfelt desire within that takes form as one's own dharma, divine life purpose. 

Sankalpa is a calling to the highest remembrance of Self and the solid ground from which you fly. . 
A seed must first root to blossom, just as the human soul must root to fly. Sankalpa is the internal vow we make to support our highest purpose in life and the creative unfolding of our soul journey to serve the greater whole. 

To create a deep, heartfelt intention or sankalpa, sit quietly and reflect:

quiet your mind and ask, what do you most deeply desire?

What is your sankulpa?

Use this intention to inspire your practice, teaching, and the whole of your life!

Mine is to never stop healing and growing into my best Self and helping others overcome their personal obstacles. 

"I deeply wish to grow no matter what. The essence of this effort lies in the ability to focus our attention in our hearts without becoming tense or contracted. Whatever words you use, it is not something that you think but rather something that emanates from your heart." ~ Swami Chetanananda

I have a theory on Teflon and Velcro.

I have a theory on Teflon and Velcro. 

Have you ever gotten a negative critique? What about a positive comment? 

Where do you put these two kinds on comments? on mental Teflon, letting it slide off of you, or on mental Velcro, sticking it in place for years to come back and reflect on it? 

For me it’s very obvious. I get told many kind things about my teaching almost daily. I soak these in for a moment and then quickly forget about them. On the other hand I can list of the negative comments I have received about my teaching over the last 14 years. 

One of my current practices when I receive a positive comment is to mentally place it on the Velcro and purposely choose to recall that comment. When I receive a negative comment I question if it is coming from a reliable source, if I need to learn + grow from this comment and if so I work to make those refinements. Then I mentally put it on the Teflon. I watch it slide off. The next time my mind wants to recall it I remind myself it’s on the Teflon.. it’s gone. 

This is true for parenting too, more challenging moments I stick to the Velcro and the bliss filled moments slide away on the Teflon. 

I use the same technique. Mentally placing the good moments on the Velcro, like this loving sibling play time post swimming, and the hard moments I work to let slide away. 

As with most mindfulness practices it’s easier said then done but with intention and repetition I see a huge difference in my self esteem and happiness levels. 

April, turn in with inner spiral

April Alignment Focus: Inner Sprial, the third principle of alignment. This is to be done after Opening to Grace and setting the foundation (1st principle) and engaging the muscles with muscle energy (2nd principle).
Inner Spiral is an expanding energy that runs from the feet through the pelvis into the waistline area to rotate the legs inward, move the thighs backward and widen the pelvis. Inner Spiral in the arms draws the head of the arm bones into the shoulder sockets and widens the scapula's on the back. 

Inner spiral can be summed up in three words:

1. In
2. Back
3. Wide

As we move into April a time of rain and nourishment for the blossoms to come we can be reminded to draw IN to our self, move deep BACK into ourself, see what areas of our self need tending to so we can grow more optimally (think pulling weeds and fertilizing the soil of your soul) through these inward practices we WIDEN and expand our possibilities.