The pose of the month for March celebrates the pisces in all of us and awakens the blue chakra of personal expression, spirituality, and transformation.
Matsyasana, fish pose, stimulates the 5th chakra, located in the throat. Associated with the color blue and named for purity in the form of wisdom or Visuddha, the throat chakra is the body's gateway to spirituality, expression, compassion, and will. Too often neglected, this chakra bridges the divide between our inner and outer world. It shapes our circumstances and creates the conditions that manifest in our lives. Caring for the throat chakra promotes clarity, creativity, vitality, and balance, while blockages bring miscommunication, frustration, impatience, and addiction.
Anatomically, the throat chakra encompasses the trachea, larynyx, and thyroid, as well as the cervical and brachial nerves that branch off of the vertebrae at the top of the spine. Ancient yogic texts call fish pose a cure for all diseases. Providing relief for fatigue, constipation, anxiety, congestion, and back pain, fish gently lengthens the spine, opens the throat, and stretches the front body, expanding the abdominal and intercostal muscles while elongating the psoas. Fish is a special gift for anyone who hunches over a computer all day. It energizes the body by stimulating the thyroid and improves posture by strengthening the intercostal muscles and decompressing the vertebrae in the upper spine.
In class, we will enter fish after leaving our inversion. If you are practicing independently, you can find your way to fish anytime, as long as your back and chest muscles are warm. If you are new to the pose, take care to feel for any signs of strain in your neck. If you experience discomfort in your neck or throat, reduce the angle of the extension until you feel at ease. You can also place a rolled blanket under the back of your head. Simply place the blanket in the space where your neck arches away from the floor.
To find your way into fish, lay flat on your back with your arms pressed to your sides. Bend your elbows and draw your arms back, sliding your hands, palms down, under your buttocks as you lift your pelvis just barely off the floor. Your glutes should be resting on the backs of your hands with your elbows supporting your weight and your forearms drawn in under the sides of your torso. When you feel steady here, inhale, draw your shoulder blades down, and lift your chest. Continue pressing into your elbows and forearms to take the weight off of your spine. Use your breath to float the ribs up as you arch back, gently extending your neck as you release the crown of your head to the floor. Engage your thighs and press your toes away to keep the pose active. Follow your breath for several moments and meditate on the throat chakra, opening this gateway to free your voice, speak your truth, and transform your life.
Matsyasana, fish pose, stimulates the 5th chakra, located in the throat. Associated with the color blue and named for purity in the form of wisdom or Visuddha, the throat chakra is the body's gateway to spirituality, expression, compassion, and will. Too often neglected, this chakra bridges the divide between our inner and outer world. It shapes our circumstances and creates the conditions that manifest in our lives. Caring for the throat chakra promotes clarity, creativity, vitality, and balance, while blockages bring miscommunication, frustration, impatience, and addiction.
Anatomically, the throat chakra encompasses the trachea, larynyx, and thyroid, as well as the cervical and brachial nerves that branch off of the vertebrae at the top of the spine. Ancient yogic texts call fish pose a cure for all diseases. Providing relief for fatigue, constipation, anxiety, congestion, and back pain, fish gently lengthens the spine, opens the throat, and stretches the front body, expanding the abdominal and intercostal muscles while elongating the psoas. Fish is a special gift for anyone who hunches over a computer all day. It energizes the body by stimulating the thyroid and improves posture by strengthening the intercostal muscles and decompressing the vertebrae in the upper spine.
In class, we will enter fish after leaving our inversion. If you are practicing independently, you can find your way to fish anytime, as long as your back and chest muscles are warm. If you are new to the pose, take care to feel for any signs of strain in your neck. If you experience discomfort in your neck or throat, reduce the angle of the extension until you feel at ease. You can also place a rolled blanket under the back of your head. Simply place the blanket in the space where your neck arches away from the floor.
To find your way into fish, lay flat on your back with your arms pressed to your sides. Bend your elbows and draw your arms back, sliding your hands, palms down, under your buttocks as you lift your pelvis just barely off the floor. Your glutes should be resting on the backs of your hands with your elbows supporting your weight and your forearms drawn in under the sides of your torso. When you feel steady here, inhale, draw your shoulder blades down, and lift your chest. Continue pressing into your elbows and forearms to take the weight off of your spine. Use your breath to float the ribs up as you arch back, gently extending your neck as you release the crown of your head to the floor. Engage your thighs and press your toes away to keep the pose active. Follow your breath for several moments and meditate on the throat chakra, opening this gateway to free your voice, speak your truth, and transform your life.