amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

Akayasmama · 01-27-2003, 01:05 PM

Yoga!!!

I would do several sets of sun salutations...(if you don't know a good rotation, pm me and I will list out the poses) this honors the earth and yourself and helps to get centered. Yoga positions that are seated help to ground and calm.

Specific poses:

Siddhasana-Perfect Pose (this is just like lotus pose but one foot is parrallel with the other in front of you cross-legged) with hands in a mudra- bring pointer/index finger to thumb for mental clarification. This asana purifies the 72,000 channels of the body and aids in concentration and is great for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and blood pressure, plus it is gentle and easy to do.

Padmasana- Lotus pose- helps with the same things as above as well as digestion which will help if it is the culprit (or what you have been eating).

Muktasana- Liberated pose, also called Easy pose- this is basically sitting cross-legged... put your hands into a mudra and breath deeply.

Gaurakshasana- Cowherd Posture- this is sitting with your feet together (sort of like a butterfly) kwim? This pose normalized blood pressure and aids in concentration.

Hasta Padangusthasana- Hand -toe pose. Stand with legs together. Lift left leg gradually to side and hold your toe with your left hand. Gradually stretch the right arm to balance, resting the weight of your body on the right foot. Look straight ahead. Repeat with right leg and use a wall for support if needed.

Ardha-Matsyendrasana- Half Spinal Twist Posture-
Aids and improves digestion ( all twisting poses do this)

All standing poses will also aid in concentration. Most of the poses above are very similiar- sitting in lotus and breathing deeping stimulate chakras which in turn aid in grounding and concentration.

You said that breathing wasn't working for you for very long. Maybe you are not doing the right pranayama??? A good one to use is alternate nostril breathing ( or sun and moon breath), but becareful not to hold it for too long, which can cause blood pressure to rise...Left nostril breathing is moon breath and induces cooling and right is sun breath and induces heat. Women tend to use moon breath more than sun- which can cause an imbalance, you can feel this most in mid-afternoon if your right side is more stuffy or harder to breathe out of - then you need to plug off your left side and breath through right. hold it, then release through right nostril several times. Take a cleasning breath and repeat. Or if you are not plugged up at all, or don't notice it, use alternate- breath in through one side, plug off nose, and then release breath through the opposite nostril, repeat several times alternating which side you start on...

Oh , Shirshasana (standing on your head) is a great pose for improving the brains functioning, boosting the immune system, and stimulating the endocrine glands, but be sure NOT to do this pose when you are in the middle of an anxiety attack where you heart is racing...it can raise blood pressure very easily- which is the opposite of what your body needs to happen during an attack- you want to focus on calming the body and lowering the blood pressure....BUT, it is great and okay to do when you are feeling happy and calm.

HTH!!!

By the way, did you get the Waldorf question answered???