While the 2010 Winter Olympics are getting underway in Vancouver, the 2010 U.S. Yoga Asana Championship is also taking place this weekend in sunny Los Angeles. Though many balk at the idea of competitive yoga (including a campaign to include yoga in future Olympic Games), it has a long established history in India. Rajashree Choudhury, the founder and president of USA Yoga (and wife of Bikram) was kind enough to offer the following commentary on the value of yoga competitions:

The purpose of these competitions is to demonstrate and educate the general public as to the life renewing properties of yoga.

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My Yoga Online has posted a wonderful new nutrition article by guest author Carol DiPirro: Why choose Steel-Cut Oats. As we all know, whole grains are vital to a healthy lifestyle. Steel-cut oats offer a nuttier alternative to the rolled oats most people know.

Steel-cut oats are essential grains which are full of nutritional value, rich in B-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in sodium and unsaturated fat. In fact, just one cup of steel-cut oats contains 8g of fiber. Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats, the inner portion of the oat kernel, which have been cut into two or three pieces rather than flattened.

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Utthita Hasta Padgangusthasa (Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose) is about staying connected to the foundation of ease and equanimity that is always within us while we work with the deep strength of our core, the flexibility of our periphery, and the openness of our hearts.  And in being aware of all of these processes, to experience the feelings of solidity and expansion that constantly emanate from a center of balance.  Wow.  That is big.  And the experience of this pose, when entered into fully is big.  You can move into this asana feeling weak or imbalanced, and after a few moments of dedicated practice, you will find your roots, your strength and be able to expand and open more than you realized possible. 
Practice Supta Hasta Padangusthasa first to insinuate the mechanics of the pose into our minds and bodies.  When we first practice the pose on the floor with the pull of gravity working in our favor, we can open the hamstrings and the work with the hip flexion and neutralization of the pelvis in a more easeful way.  In this space we can also begin to feel the rooting of the femur bone into the hip socket and the power that is required in the straightened leg to maintain the stability of the pose.  There are three main variations of this asana as well as its standing counterpart.  The first directs simply the lift and extension of one leg while the other acts to strengthen and stabilize.  The second version abducts and externally rotates the lifted leg, while the final version realigns the lifted leg at the midline then revolves the torso.

The most common limitation in all variations of Hasta Padangusthasana is tight hamstrings.  To extend the leg, we lengthen the hamstrings intensely.  This can be more accessible when done with a strap, but when done by taking hold of the big toe (as the name of the pose suggests) it then involves the muscles of the forearm and the shoulder as well.    In striving for balance in standing Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, it is often common to create imbalance in the hips to compensate for weakness in the standing leg adductors in order to achieve a false sense of center.  In addition, it is common to experience hip flexion as a compensatory expression of the full pose.

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana asks us to dig in deep, rooting into our core, our center, to find balance instead of falling back on the habitual tendencies that can trick us into thinking we’ve got it all figured out.  The more deeply we root both femurs into their hip sockets, them more we ask our standing leg, our spine, our pelvis and our core to support us.  In reaching for the fullest expression in any variation of this pose, we are met with multiple observances of our own weaknesses and an opportunity to gain more and more strength the more we willingly sit with what we uncover.  After all, that is the point of asana, “to sit with” whatever surfaces, even if it doesn’t reflect the parts of ourselves that we hold in high esteem.

When we rely only on our compensatory strategies to move through our lives, we sacrifice a true connection to our center for an external expression of balance.  We might look like we’ve got it all together at work, at home, or on our yoga mats, but then when we are put to the test, we find ourselves flailing, waving our arms madly about trying not to lose the illusion of balance and strength that we’ve worked so hard to create.

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana is an opportunity to hone that authentic center within us, to choose not to put our energy into our superficial or false coping mechanisms, and instead to cultivate the deep inner qualities that can lead to true and authentic balance and strength. In touching this center pu Continue reading…

Now that we have our Yoga Exercise for Everyday Practice and our Daily Meditation for February, it is time to add the pranayama piece for February as planned.  So for our techniques of the month series, where we all practice the given techniques and report any feedback and thoughts, let us include today one of the very best yoga pranayama exercises, the excellent Kapalbhati Pranayama for Health and Weight Loss. 

Daily Yoga Pranayama for February:

Kapalbhati is a terrific pranayama and it has a wide range of excellent benefits.  These range from helping you lose weight, to helping your respiratory system, digestive system and many other aspects of your health and well being.  <

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