Venus Rising

Yoga for LivingIssue: cancer 07

Balance Duality With Low Lunge and Goddess

Both mother and daughter, Cancer represents the archetypal feminine. Ruled by the moon, she embodies the complexity woven into the mother/daughter relationship. She can be incredibly loving and nurturing or needy and clingy as she switches between the roles of mother and daughter. In either role, however, a Cancer woman creates deep bonds with others. Due to her need to nest and create a safe and secure home for herself, she is not incredibly social. However, when she bonds with someone, it is lasting and true. Cancers make very loyal friends.  

Grounded and comfortable at home, Cancers are masters at creating a cozy spot in which they feel comfortable. This home feeds them emotionally, creating a safe place from which they can love deeply and have time alone to digest the world  Because Cancers are sensitive beings, the world can seem a bit large and frightening at times. 

Both nurtured and nurturer, the energy of cancer reflects the low lunge pose in yoga. The arc-like shape of the pose mirrors the roundness of the moon and the curvature of the feminine. It is a grounded pose, where a stable base is absolutely necessary in order to extend outward into the world. This typifies the grounding nature of home and a Cancer’s ability to extend outward when home feels stable. A wonderful stretch for the stomach, low lunge also requires strength. It is soft and fierce at the same time, just like a Cancer woman. Low lunge also opens the lungs and the diaphragm, which nurtures self, and opens our hearts to the world, which nurtures others.   

LOW LUNGE/ANJANIASANA 

Begin from downward facing dog pose. Place your right foot forward between your hands and lower your left knee to the floor. Lift your torso and extend your arms overhead. Press evenly into the triangle of your right foot. The triangle includes the ball mounds of the big and little toe as well as the center of the heel. It’s this connection through our feet that helps us to feel grounded and stable. Isometrically draw your right foot and left knee toward each other, beginning to lift your pelvis and engage your lower abdominals. Keeping the strength of the foundation, reach through your fingertips, and with your palms facing each other, bring your inner arms back toward your ears. Lift the top of your sternum toward the sky and allow the tips of your shoulder blades to move down your back. Continue to play with connecting through your feet and legs and reaching up through your upper body. Allow this play to create the pose from the inside. Breathe and enjoy the sensation. After about 5-7 breaths, or longer if you like, step back to downward facing dog pose and then step the left leg forward to do the other side.