Supported two-leg forward fold is a great yoga pose to practice when you want to go inside yourself.
Our Western culture is extremely yang.
We are encouraged to go outwards, to seek information outside ourselves, to test the water of public opinion, to be a human doing.
This incessant yang activity can be extremely draining.
To balance this, we can practice going inside ourselves:
- Seeking our own guidance
- Tuning in to what we really think and feel
- Processing what has already happened
- Practicing the art of allowing
One of the simplest ways to put yourself into this receptive state is through restorative yoga.
In yoga, there are basically two forms of poses that have different effects on our nervous system:
- Backbends wake up the sympathetic nervous system
- Forward bends activate the parasympathetic nervous system – the part of our nervous system that allows us to relax.
Here’s the caveat:
- You will need to be careful with a seated forward fold if you have any kind of back pain.
- You must sit with ante version of the pelvis – in plain English, you need your hip bones rolled forwards.
- Do not over reach.
Here’s how you practice supported two-leg forward fold with a bolster:
- Sit on a yoga mat or cushy carpet with both legs extended out in front of you.
- Make sure that your hip bones are tilted forwards and your lower back extended.
- Place a yoga bolster on your legs in front of you. Add another bolster or extra blankets. You can prop yourself higher with extra bolsters or blankets until you can totally relax without your vertebrae collapsing.
- Fold your arms on the blanket and bolster in front of you to make a little pillow for your forehead.
- Relax and breathe!
- In this position, you can practice yoga breathing exercises. If you would like directions on how to do that more easily, you can watch my FREE videos at this link.
- This is the third restorative exercise in my series, so when you are done move on to supported child’s pose, which I will write about next.
If you would like to learn more, call 678-612-8816 or email catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com to set up an appointment. I will organize the bolsters and blankets for you so your entire experience is totally luxurious and relaxing.
You can learn more yoga poses by visiting my gallery of photos at this link or watching my videos at this link.
What is healing? Healing happens when we take time to be yin, to go inside ourselves and listen to our guidance and restore ourselves from the inside out.
To learn a sequence of restorative yoga poses, please read my blog at this link.
To join our regular yoga classes or set up an appointment for private instruction, please email catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com or call 678-612-8816. I’ve now taught yoga for 25 years.
Yoga classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday evening, 7:30 to 9 p.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.