Here Maddie Demonstrates King Arthur, or a variation on Crescent Lunge. Try this yoga pose for one minute every day this month and you will quickly notice improved balance, leg strength and hip flexibility.
See how her front knee is stacked right over her ankle and her back is nice and long? Place a towel under your back knee if this is painful.
And the front view. She has space between her shoulders and ears plus a big smile on her face. Go Maddie!
Here Lindsey demonstrates one of your October Five, Eagle Pose. Strengthen your legs, stretch your shoulders and improve your balance with this Yoga pose.
Plus it’s Halloween this week and there is this sort of spooky headless horseman thing going on when you really hide your head behind your arms… At any rate…
Lindsey is showing the most advanced version of this move. See how low she sits into her squat? This allows her legs to twist.
If your shoulders or hips do not allow for this (remember you should not feel pain in your joints – ESPECIALLY your knees while doing any of these moves), start with a modified version.
Below Dan demonstrates several options:
Option 1: Sit into a low chair pose or parallel squat with hips, knees and feet aligned. Extend your arms out in front to help with your balance (or try holding a medicine ball or small weight).
Option 2: Sit into a low squat (Chair pose) and bring your arms and legs together.
Again, Dan demonstrates some serious flexibility and strength by being able to sit this low while keeping his alignment. If your modified Eagle does not look like this please do not be discouraged. Do what you can, moving at your own pace. I am happy to take you through any of your October Five if you have questions. Call or email me or pop in to a class. See you soon!
~Anne
Anne McCranie owner of Fluid Movement + Massage is a Portland Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. To schedule your movement + massage session contact Anne 503-705-4762 Anne@FluidPortland.com
My buddy Laura and I headed out for a lunch time hike at the Hoyt Arboretum last week. Here are some shots of the fall color…
Can you see Mt. St. Helens?
Yup she’s in a tank top in October!
It looks like today (Thursday) is our best bet for sun this week. What are your favorite in town hiking spots? Could you get out for a quick walk at lunch or after work? Call me if you would like motivation or a walking buddy.
Here is Rick Demonstrating Plank Rows, one of the October Five Exercises. With this move you strengthen your upper body, core, back, legs, just about everything!
Notice how he stabilizes his back and hips while lifting one hand.
This is the most challenging variation of this move (believe me – he is making it look easy).
You can also do this sans weights. Start in a plank position with knees down. Make sure your ear, shoulder, hip and knee make one line (look in a mirror if you need to). Now slowly lift one hand and lower it back down. Now try this with a 5 or 8 lb weight. In the photos Rick is holding the weights the whole time. If this bothers your hands or wrists place your hands flat on the ground instead and pick up one weight at a time.
I ordered some more foam rollers and they arrived this week. Contact me if you would like one of your very own. I use mine daily to keep my back and core strong. You can also roll on it to alleviate tight muscles. My favorite low back stabilization program includes toe dips, bicycle legs, leg circles and dead bug. If you suffer from low back pain, this is one tool you definitely need in your toolbox.
Not sure what a foam roller is or what to do with it? Check out this video of yours truly demonstrating Pilates stabilization exercises.