November Yoga:

Hidden Treasures of Uttanasana

Yoga at home in November is a journey with Courtney in Uttanasana. Of all the forward bends, Uttanasana is a good place to begin because it of the depth of strength is demands.

You might think of cues like "hinge at your hips." That involves a deep internal hip rotation met by a steady external rotation. It's from there you create a secure focal point at the base of the pelvis.

Next we gain therapeutic traction from the sacrum to the solar plexus. Uttanasana stimulates the solar plexus by giving the hips a direction of force - down from the hips to the solar plexus.

You can think of the solar plexus as the "x that marks the spot."

Once you start to inhabit Uttanasana, you’ll also notice a deep calmness through the body and mind. That is because the solar plexus, in addition to being the largest bundle of nerves in the sympathetic nervous system, also has branches from the vagus nerve which helps the body exit fight or flight to rest and digest.

Finally, experiencing the full body and mind benefits of this mild inversion is the final treasure.