YOGA POSE + FOCUS: 02.20 – 02.26

“We either live with intention or exist by default.” –Kristin Armstrong

Weekly Focus: Intention

In the seat of the new moon we find our intention. We have reflected, peeled back the layers + feel prepared to set intentions for the year ahead. We may have formed resolutions in January, but as we look towards the end of Winter, how do you intend to follow-through? How do you intend to expand upon what you started? Make every moment count + step-through with intention. So often in Winter we are looking ahead to the future, dreaming of a time when we can escape. Living with intention means being in the present + thoughtfully considering every action we take, every word we speak. What intentions are you setting for the month ahead?

Active Pose of the Week: Ashta Chandrasana (High Crescent Lunge)

Lead with your intention + offer it out from a crescent lunge. It can be easy to bear all of our weight on the front leg in this position. A consideration to try balancing your weight more evenly between the front + back legs. While bending your front knee towards 90 degrees, find a very soft bend in your back knee and lift the heel of the foot high, keeping your weight centered. This will activate your back leg more and take some pressure off of the front knee. Lift the heart + perhaps even bring a small back bend into the upper back if you like, looking out beyond yourself!

Passive Pose of the Week: Sukhasana with Forward Fold (Easy Seat)

Find yourself, quite literally, in a seat of intention. Sukhasana can also be known as “criss-cross applesauce,” but the legs can look a little different for each of us depending on what feels comfortable. This should be a position we can find with relative ease. For some, we may place one shin in front of the other; others of us may prefer folding + crossing the legs into each other; still some may gently rest one foot over the other shin. Make this pose your own, make it sustainable. A blanket right under the sit bones , or even a block can help to elevate the hips and help you find more ease in the hips.