Yoga Pose Of The Week: Navasana

Basic Instruction:
From lying on the back, roll the body weight onto the front part of the hips bones pointing the tail bone into the ground. Lift both legs and upper body off the ground and balance the weight of the body on the sit bones. Lift arms straight forward parallel to the ground.

Tips:
- Pull in the navel towards the spine to help support the lower back.
- Lift the chest up to broaden the shoulders.
- If applying weight on the sit bones is too painful, place a blanket or two underneath the sit bones.
- If straightening the legs is too strenuous on the lower back, bend the knees so that the shins are parallel to the floor.

Questions To Notice In This Pose:
- Is my face and neck straining to keep my upper body off the ground? Can I relax the muscles in my face and neck?
- Is my belly shaking as I hold the pose? Is it possible to notice the shaking and let it go?
- Is there sensation in my sit bones as I try to balance the weight while keeping my upper body and legs off the ground?
- Are the front sides of my hips gripping as I try to maintain the pose? Can I relax my hip flexors?
- Are my shoulders slumping forward? Is it possible to release them and allow my chest and heart to be broad?

This Pose In My Practice:
This pose is my arch nemesis. In my yoga school application, there was a question about which pose was the most difficult, and I mentioned Navasana.

This pose brings a lot of thoughts and emotions to the surface when I practice it.

Some thoughts:
- I hate this pose.
- This pose is painful.
- I’m not good at this pose.
- Everyone is better at this pose than me.

Some emotions:
- Frustration
- Jealously

While it would be easy to just say that this pose causes too much negativity, and I should stop doing it, it is for the above thought and emotions the reason why this pose is important for me to keep practicing.

The conflict I experience in this pose provides me an excellent opportunity to notice the struggle and learn to let it go. Some days I experience more struggle, and some days I experience less struggle. Either way it reinforces the lessons of patience, persistence, and practice which are all good things in the end.

But this is the practice, and things change day-by-day. So I keep coming back to my mat to see what unfolds.

Loving Thoughts. Loving Words. Loving Heart.