i had THE BEST time in Del Mar this weekend with my DogTown Crossfit homies, cheering on our coach Keston Mendoza at The Crossfit Games West Regionals 2018. the athletes were amazing; the workouts were hard as hell; the emcees were on point; and the crowd was toooootally into and cheering crazy loud.
but watching other people workout is tough on a bod. So. Much. Sitting!!! my booty was actually sore from pro-longed sitting on the metal benches. plus, we drove down & back both days … oof!
this week’s #chillasanahhh is a nice little trick to combat the effects of long-term sittin’: standing camel pose (aka ustrasana, standing variation). first, ya gotta stand. and secondly, you have to roll your shoulders down your back, opening your chest and giving the front of your hip a gentle stretch!
sound good? hellz yah it does. let’s do it —>
—> start with a very firm tadasanahhh (see below). yeah, i know, it *looks* like i’m just standing but tadasana (aka mountain pose) is a foundational pose to all yoga movement. we’ll get into it in a future #chillasanahhh; so for now, do your best to root firmly through both feet, firm your legs, lengthen your tailbone to the floor, roll your shoulders down your back, lift through the top of your head, knit your front ribs in and relax your face.
—> next, place your palms on your lower back. if i want a great stretch in my forearms and shoulders, i rotate my hands so that my fingers are facing up (middle picture). you can also do a more casual stretch and keep your fingers facing toward the floor.
—> push into your palms on your lower back so that your chest begins to open up and back. bring your shoulder blades toward each other so that the tops of your shoulders stay away from your ears. keep the bend in the upper thoracic region. as your chest opens, let your gaze float up (but avoid clunking your head back and straining your neck or tightening your throat).
—> as always, breathe. float your chest open with your in-breath. knit your front ribs in as you exhale. this expansion will improve respiration. the stretch on your hip flexors and abdomen helps with digestion, elimination and endocrine system function.
—> to come out of the pose, just roll up as you exhale. remove your hands and shake out your arms and legs.
and that’s really it … so simple, but feels divine! plus, you can do it any ol’ wheres. here’s a pic of DogTowners, showing their spines some love last weekend.
want more gentle, bod-lovin’ #chillasanahhh? soooooo easy, just click here
book online / kenya@kenyabonvivant.com
