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Strengthen Your Center With Half Moon Pose and Follow Your Heart With Wide-Angle Forward Bends

written by Emily Garrettfor Venus Rising Magazine

Leo 08 Issue

In hatha yoga, our physical center is located just below the navel. This physical center correlates with the third chakra, manipura. Ruled by the element of fire, manipura is a storehouse of inner power. Leo women are naturally awake in the third chakra. Like manipura, they are also ruled by fire. They posess strength, confidence and an innate sense of self that allows them to shine forth in the world. Playful and creative, Leos enjoy life. 

Physically, when we engage the muscles just below and behind the navel we create core support for our bodies. This core strength is crucial as we start to bend and twist the body in different directions. It protects us from injury and provides the strength necessary to hold challenging poses. Strengthening our core increases our confidence and provides a strong base from which we can reach out.

BALANCED

Balancing requires a strong center and the ability to extend out from that strong center. It is symbolic of how we radiate out into the world and yet stay aware of where we come from. Without the strong center, we fall over. However, with a strong center we can reach out to have adventures and play in the world. It’s a fear of falling (both physically and mentally) that prevents us from taking the risks necessary to follow our deepest desires. Unencumbered by this fear, Leos are a great example of our potential to follow our hearts and in so doing, live a more joyful life.

ARDHA CHANDRASANA (Half Moon Pose)

Begin in a wide legged stance with the feet parallel. Extend out through your arms and lift your upper chest toward the sky. Take a deep breath. Rotate your feet to the right, lining up your right heel with your left inner arch. Bend your right knee and plant your right hand on the floor about a foot in front of your right foot, your thumb lined up with your pinky toe. Shift the weight forward into your right foot and begin to unweight your left leg. Extend out through the sole of your left foot and keep your navel drawn in towards your spine as you lift the leg. Imagine a long line from your navel center out through your left foot. Breathe. Press your right foot into the floor and engage your right leg. Engage your lower abdomen and open your top left hip towards the ceiling. Extend your left arm up towards the ceiling, stacking the wrists one above the other. You are balanced on your right hand and your left foot. Keep opening your top hip as you press out through the soles of your feet and reach through your fingertips. You are a star. Shine out from your center. If you fall over, take a deep breath and try again. To help with balance, you can walk your right hand farther out to the right, creating a wider base. You can also begin with both hands on the floor. Over time you will be able to walk your right hand closer in and lift your bottom hand off the floor. There is no rush. You have all the time in the world. To begin with the gaze is towards the floor. As you feel more comfortable, you can look first toward the wall in front of you and then up toward your top hand. 

A Leo’s center is so strong that at times it can be overpowering. She becomes the point around which everything else rotates and is unable to see things from others’ points of view. When unbalanced, Leos become self-centered and egotistical. Their strength beomes overbearing and their relationships one-sided. Caught up in the needs of the ego, they have a distorted perspective of reality. 

UNBALANCED 

To balance a Leo’s tendency towards self-centeredness I recommend a yoga practice that contains and calms the ego. A Karma yoga practice of volunteering or serving others is a good way to balance the ego. It takes the focus off of ourselves and moves it onto helping others. A Hatha practice that includes prasarita padottanasna can help to bring awareness inward and calm the mind. It is a dramatic stretch for the legs and hips and having the head bowed below the heart cultivates humility. It calms the fire and gives us room to play with the relationship between the upper and lower body.

PRASARITA PADOTTANASANA (Wide-Angle Standing Forward Bend)

Begin in a wide stance with your legs about four feet apart, your feet parallel and your arms outstretched. Pivot your toes inward so that they are slightly pigeon-toed, with your heels wider than your toes. Bring your hands to your hips. Bend your knees slightly and reach your sitting bones back toward the wall behind you creating a forward tilt of the pelvis. It will feel like you are sticking your bum out. Inhale and grow spacious through the front of the body. Exhale and fold forward from the hip creases.  Imagine reaching your navel toward the floor. Continue to reach your sitting bones back as you fold forward. Once you have folded all the way forward, place your hands on the floor in between the feet and once again, lift your sitting bones up toward the ceiling.  The knees can be slightly bent here. With each inhale continue to lengthen through the front of the body and with each exhale deepen the forward fold. Once you feel like you have reached your maximum extension in the pose, roll the inner thighs back towards the wall behind you and allow this action to straighten the legs. Continue to roll your inner thighs back as you bring the weight forward toward your toes. Breathe and imagine the crown of your head reaching toward the floor. Hold for 5-7 breaths. To come out, press into the soles of the feet and rise up with a flat back. 

Avoid injury! When practicing yoga, listen to your body and take responsibility for your safety. Always move gently into poses, and do not push too hard.

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