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Rock Climbing Yogi
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    Ann SEibert

    is a rock climber and passionate yoga enthusiast. Her classes are intended to help athletes of all types avoid injuries caused by strong tight muscles and to increase performance through improved range of motion.

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    NOTE: You should consult a medical practitioner before starting any new exercise regime. This is particularly important if you are overweight, pregnant, nursing, regularly taking medications, or have any existing medical conditions. Content shown on this website may not be tailored to your current physical and mental health. Please consult a medical professional before attempting any of the poses listed here.
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Story Behind the Pose: Garudasana

7/26/2017

 
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Garudasana
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(Eagle Pose) 
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Known as the “eagle pose” in English, garudasana is actually named after a mythical bird. This divine creature, Garuda, has a white face, an eagle's beak, huge red wings and golden man's body. 
He is the king of birds and the enemy of snakes. He is also a friend to man and there are many tales of Garuda helping in battles and rescues, fighting against injustice and terror. His cousin, Jatayu, is also a garuda and is sometimes described as a vulture. However, like Garuda is more than an eagle, Jatayu is much more than a literal vulture. Both Garuda and Jatayu represent a state of sustained attention to their purpose (dharma) which is of self-sacrifice and service to protect creation. Their enemy is ego, personified by Ravana in one of the tales below,

When ego (attachment to stuff, people, status, achievement, etc.) threatens to disrupt your yoga practice, try tapping into Garuda­-energy to protect it!

When in Garudasana Contemplate Perseverance
​As a vehicle of Vishnu, Garuda represents the aspect of divinity which sustains and protects the universe and creation. When assuming the pose of Garudasana, think of what it means to persevere and sustain. What qualities do you need to maintain the pose? How should you breathe? How do your muscles and bones feel? What is your energy level? Be acutely aware of every part of your body, breath, and senses. Be present. When your attention wavers, renew your commitment. How does the pose feel now?

Sample Sequence with Garuda

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For more ideas, check out: Sequence Ideas or  Garuda (Eagle) categories of my RCY blog. 

A few stories about Garuda and Jatayu

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Jatayu's Fight Against Ego
In the epic tale of the Ramayana, (whose main character Rama is the reincarnation of the Lord God Vishu) Rama's wife, Sita, is kidnapped by a demon (Ravana) in a flying machine called a vimana. Jatayu heard Sita's screams and saw Ravana flying off. In an effort to save Sita, Jatayu flew up and hit the vimana, knocking it to the ground.

​Jatayu fiercely attacked Ravana with his sharp teeth and claws, but he was no match for the demon king. Ravan has ten heads and twenty arms and for every head or limb Jatayu cut off, another would grow back into its place before the severed part would hit the ground. Jatayu fought ferociously, but was loosing the battle. Ravana sliced of Jatayu's wings and escaped with Sita, leaving Jatayu mortally wounded.

Soon after the battle, Rama and his brother (Lakshmana) came upon Jatayu. They were also trying to save Sita. Jatayu whispered in broken breath, “Sita, Ravana, headed south....Rama, please, kill me. It is a blessing to die at the Lord's hands and in his presence.” Honoring Jatayu's request for a quick death, Rama shot one swift arrow through Jatayu's brave heart. Then he and Lakshmana gathered wood, built a pyre, and performed Jatayu's funeral rites with as much care as they would for a member of their own family.
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Garuda's Protects Creation
Another story in the Ramayana describes how Garuda saved Rama (the reincarnation of the Lord God Vishu) from the warrior, Meghnad,

Meghnad was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, He spent many years praying to him. This pleased Shiva who bestowed on Meghnad many magical weapons. One was called the nagapaash. This armament unleashed supernatural arrows that when it hit its target became a large coiled snake, constricting the enemy. 

During the epic civil war described in the Ramayana, Meghnad shot these arrows at Rama and Lakshmana, trapping the men, making it hard to move and impossible to fight. 

In this moment of great despair, Garuda appeared in the sky. Thunder roared and lighting blazed, winds blew loudly. The mountains shook and ocean waves rose high. Rama's army watch in awe as Garuda approached the battlefield. As he flapped his enormous red wings, Meghnad's warriors fled.

​Garuda tore at the snakes constricting Rama and Lakshmana. The snakes released  their grip of the unconscious Rama and Lakshmana. Garuda leaned over the two gently fanning them with his wings restoring them back to life with his magical powers.
Icons edited and created from source artwork made by Roundicons from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY
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Wednesday Workout: Fledgling Flow

7/19/2017

 
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utthita hasta padangusthasana
(extended hand-to-foot)
​This sequence...is perfect for beginner level yogis. If you've practiced yoga in the past and are looking for a progression to help motivate you after a long hiatus away from your practice, this may be exactly what you're looking to use.

Fledgling Flow works on opening up hips, hip flexors, hamstrings, shoulders, and back. It aims to help strengthen the core and to improve your overall balance. In general, it should be an easy flowing sequence to help you work all areas of the body.
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So, if you want to work on this sequence at home, I've worked up this cheat sheet for you to bookmark, save or download. Enjoy yogis!
           Namaste.
​                     - Ann

Fledgling Flow

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Icons edited and created from source artwork made by Roundicons from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY
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Wednesday Workout: Hanuman-Style

7/12/2017

 
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Increase the difficulty of Hanumanasana by sitting up straight, arms overhead and gazing up with your drishti (focus) to improve balance and concentration.
This week we focused on opening up a variety of muscle groups including: the hip flexors, hamstrings, gluteal, and calf in order to work into Hanumanasana, also known as the monkey pose or more commonly as the splits, The great thing about hanumanasana is that in addition to improving flexibility, it helps increase blood circulation in the hips and legs, which helps improve overall health, recovery and energy in the lower extremities. Plus, if you lift your arms overhead, you strengthen the muscles in the spine, arm, and core.

This entire flow sequence is designed to help prepare our bodies for hanumanasana. 
So, if your goal is to achieve this pose with ease, try working on this sequence at home, Enjoy yogis!
           Namaste.
​                     - Ann

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CAUTION: Avoid this asana if you suffer from a slipped disc, sciatica, hernia, and/or dislocation of the hip joint.

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​Warm Up​
  • Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Butterfly)
  • Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby)
  • Supta Padangustasana (Reclined Hand-to-Bigtoe A, B, C)
  • Virasana (Hero)
  • Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero)
  • Paschimottanasana (Forward Fold)
  • Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee)
  • Upavistha Konasana (Seated wide-legged fold)
  • Agnistambhasana (Firelog)
Key Prepping Poses​​
  • Trikonasana (Triangle)
  • Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle)
  • Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
  • Parsvottanasana (Pyramid)
  • Prasarita Padottanasana (Standing Wide Leg Fold)
  • Anjaneyasana  (Low lunge)
  • Utthan Pristhasana (Lizard)
  • Ardha Kapotasana (Half Pigeon)
  • Ardha Hanumanasana (Half Split)

Other Resources
Did you know? Hanumanasana also strengthens two chakras: Muladhara and Svadisthana. ​
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​The Muladhara Cakra, also know as the root chakra, is located at the base of the spine. It is the first cakra and deals with our foundational needs for survival: food, security and shelter. Hanumanasana grounds us, bringing us closer to Mother Earth.
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The Svadisthana, or second/sacral chakra, is located at the lower belly and inner pelvis. It is associated with water, flow, flexibility, and fun. Hanumanasana cultivates the relationship between yourself and others, allowing you to build healthy relationships and release repressed emotions.
Want to know more of the science behind the pose? Check out this article at The Daily Bandha about Hanumanasana.

Icons edited and created from source artwork made by Roundicons from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY
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Story Behind The Pose: Hanumanasana

7/5/2017

 
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Hanuman the Monkey God

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Most poses have relatable names. We understand the logic behind the name. For example, maybe it's literal, representing something we do like extended hand to bigtoe (utthita hasta padangustasana). Or, maybe an animal or item it might look like such as a tree pose (vrksasana) or a cat pose (marjariasana). However, the splits pose is named after Hanuman, the monkey god. Really?! Yep. However, once you hear the story about Hanuman maybe the name of Hanumanasana will make more sense to you.

Who is Hanuman?

Hanuman was born ½ god and ½ human. His mother was Anjana, who desperately wanted to be a mother. To make her dream come true, she prayed and prayed to the wind god, Vayu. Hearing her pleas, he decided to bless a few grains of rice. He sent them down to Anjana who immediately ate them. She became pregnant and soon gave birth to a little boy, called Anjaneya, which means son of Anjana. (Note: Anjaneyasana, the lunge pose, is also named after this guy.)

As a child, Anjaneya was extremely mischievous. One day, while looking up at the sky, Anjaneya thought the sun looked like a delicious mango. So he leapt up and tried to take a bite. This annoyed Surya, the Sun god, who struck him in the jaw (hanuh in Sanskrit) him with a lightning bolt. When Vayu (the wind god) heard his son had been hurt, he took a deep breath and sucked up all the air from the earth. Soon animals and people were suffocating. Yet, Vayu refused to release the air. To find a solution, the gods called an emergency meeting. They decided Anjaneya would be sent away from his mother to live with monkeys. There he got renamed Hanuman. However, to avoid future mischief, the gods cursed Hanuman with short-term memory, so he would never remember the true extent of his power.

When Hanuman got older her became friends with King Ram and his beautiful wife, Sita. In the Ramayana, an epic poem of India, the lovely Sita was kidnapped by an evil rival of Ram. Out of pure love for Ram and Sita, Hanuman went searching for Sita. He came to the edge of the ocean and knelt down to pray, in a pose similar to a kneeling lunge (Anjaneyasana). When he got up, out of pure faith and love, he gathered the courage to leap across the ocean. As he jumped, he reached out one foot toward the island where Sita was being held and the other reached back toward the land where he left Ram. Ah Ha! Now can you see the splits? This is what inspired the name of Hanumanasana for this pose!

Want to read more stories about yoga? Check out this book: ​Myths of the Asanas.
Icons edited and created from source artwork made by Roundicons from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY
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Flagstaff Climbing
205 S. San Francisco St.
FLAGSTAFF, AZ, 86001

(928) 556-9909
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Flagstaff Athletic Club
1500 N Country Club Rd 
FLAGSTAFF, AZ 86004

(928) 526-8652
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