Posture of the month

Posture of the month by Cathy Underwood
Creative director of the award winning YOGA4MUMS


Great Posture

The Economist featured an interesting article this month entitled ‘The power of posture’ drawing on research compiled by the University of Illinois. The piece suggests that how you hold yourself affects how you view yourself.

With over 20 years of experience teaching fitness and yoga techniques my first reaction was ‘well duh!’ To me it seems obvious that to stand tall makes anyone feel better as it brings the body into correct alignment, one can breathe better and it is an active stance that inspires confidence.

The article concludes that ‘those who walk around with their heads held high not only get the respect of others, they seem also to respect themselves’

Inspired by these words our posture of the month has to be:

Samasthiti – the equal pose

Primary function:
• To begin and end the sun salutations, also used for stabilising before and after other postures
Secondary function:
• An opportunity to correct alignment and restore free breathing

Set up:
• Stand tall with feet together
• Spread your body weight evenly across both feet
• Find neutral spine
• Activate core awareness and breathe freely
• Gaze ahead

Performance:
• Energise posture rooting down through the feet, arms, hands and fingers
• Draw awareness to the core/ bandhas
• Imagine energy lifting up through the spine and out through the top of the head

Avoid:
• Fallen arches, locking knees, looking down

Modifications:
• Separate the feet and soften the knees for more stability

Final point:
• Smile, you’re awesome!

For more information about YOGA4MUMS please visit our website www.yoga4mums.com

Posture of the month

Posture of the Month

By Cathy Underwood Radan



Utthita Trikonasana – Extended Triangle Pose

This posture helps to maintain the strength in your legs and ankles. It nourishes the hip joint and releases tension from the pelvis and chest.

Always remember to practise this posture after your sun salutations to ensure you are connected to the breath and the body is warm.

• Standing at the front of your mat, inhale and step out to the right into a wide triangle pose. Arms sweep out parallel with the shoulders. Pause and exhale
• Imagine you have a line running down the centre of your mat and place the insteps over that line
• Inhale, turn in your right foot
• Exhale, soften the right knee and take your right toe with your index and middle finger
• Inhale, straighten the knee pressing the toe down onto the fingers. Lift your left hand up to the sky so that the arms are in along line
• Exhale turn your head to look up towards your thumb, draw the navel in and lengthening the spine away from the hips
• Remain here for five deep thoughtful breaths
• On the exhale look at your right foot bend the knee and as you inhale come back to centre
• Repeat on the other side

Avoid locking your knees in this posture and collapsing in the hips

If you need to modify try resting the hand lightly on your shin or thigh with the knee soft

Om shanti!

Yoga4Mums
Yoga4Mums is an award winning business that inspires mum and her family to get back into regular exercise and back into a social network. The business was created and founded by Cathy Underwood Radan who has recently won the WNF, Business Growth Award. For more information please go to http://www.yoga4mums.com

Yoga posture of the month

Yoga posture of the month - The Deep Seated Warrior Pose
by Cathy Underwood, Creative Director of award winning Yoga4mums




Namaste! Welcome to the first in a series of yoga postures offering tips and ideas to help you live a flexible, tension free life!

So, I’m sitting in front of my computer deciding which posture to offer you and I’m wondering which would be the most practical and useful? Then it dawns on me that we’re probably sitting in exactly the same place, in a chair at a desk? This is great as it perfectly demonstrates the reason I have chosen the Deep Seated Warrior Pose as my posture of the month. A posture to stretch, open and alleviate tension from the hip flexors and help improve postural alignment.

In our modern society, most of us spend a fair amount of time sitting — sitting at the computer, watching television, driving in the car. In the seated position, the muscles of the hip flexor are in a constant state of flexion and this causes the muscles to shorten. When the hip flexors are tight the pelvis tilts forward, limiting the muscles ability to fully extend and causing an imbalance in the hip area which in turn can lead to lower back and postural problems.
The Deep Seated Warrior Pose is just one of many yoga postures that helps stretch and create space about the hip flexors. Try this posture daily to help prevent the many problems that afflict us, from lower back issues to neck and shoulder complaints. Why not stand up and try this one now? There’s no time like the present!
• Stand up and take a couple of deep breaths, stretching the arms up over the head on the inhale and releasing them down to your side on the exhale
• Find a space and come on to all fours aware of the breath and gently zipping up through your core to support the spine
• Place your right foot in the space between your hands, under the chest. Be sure the foot is flat and the knee is sitting directly over the ankle. If the supporting knee is sensitive try placing a blanket underneath it for comfort
• Inhale and lift the body, leading with the heart, gazing forward. Relax your shoulders and gently guide the hips forward a little. Breath freely and noticed the stretch and release about the front of the hip and into the front of the thigh
• Stay in posture for five deep and even breaths. When ready repeat on the other side.
If you experience any pain or discomfort or should you have any hip related injuries please consult your GP before continuing yoga exercise.
Om shanti!
Cathy Underwood is Creative Director of Yoga4Mums an award winning business that won the Barclays Innovative Business of the Year Award 2009 and she is a finalist in the Barclays Trading Places Award 2010. For more information please visit www.yoga4mums.com

Yoga 4 mums

written by Cathy Underwood : Founder and creative director of Yoga4mums
Based in Middlesex, married and mother of two boys.

Cathy Underwood set up her yoga company just over a year ago. Now she’s the proud winner of the Barclays Innovative Business of the Year Award 2009. She is currently developing online service and is a contestant in the Barclays Take One Small Step competition 2010.

cu@yoga4mums.com
+44 (0)870 626 2020
http://www.yoga4mums.com
https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/3592


Yoga4mums is a unique health initiative designed to encourage mums of all ages and fitness levels, back into gentle exercise and back into a social network, using online modules, community based classes and donation packages.

The online and community classes offer mum consistent support for her physical and emotional health during the various stages of her life. Our donation packages invite a larger area of the community to come together, practice yoga and help ‘give back’ to local schools, charities and community projects.

The perfect tool for a busy mum, yoga exercise helps to improve posture, strength and flexibility with breathing and relaxation techniques to soothe emotional stress.

Our goal is to blend yoga exercise with these innovative ideas to enable mums, of all ages and abilities, to be more active and socially connect, bringing families together within the local and global community.

Community packages include:
• Local classes and monthly workshops
• Pre and post natal classes
• “School Run” Yoga
• Mother and baby
• Kids and teens, nurseries and schools
• Charity classes and donation packages
• Mental Health & Learning Disabilities support programmes

Business modules:
• Onsite training and donation classes
• Wellness days and weekends
• Alternative teambuilding events
• ‘Walk Yoga, Talk Yoga’ – an active networking group for working mums

We hope to help the community in the follow way:
• Inspire community health awareness and wellbeing
• Raise valuable funds for schools and charities
• Encourage social interaction
• Offer participants the recommended 30mins exercise per day
• Healthier workforce, better output, calmer working environment
• Calmer, fitter, focused children & young adults
• Improved relations within the family
• Employment

Yoga4mums believe there is a special empathy and synergy between mothers that can benefit, strengthen and nurture a community. Our community classes, “school run” yoga, workshops and events encourage women to come together and increase their awareness of general health and wellbeing. They begin to interact with likeminded people and start to benefit from their shared experiences. The friendships that begin to blossom ripple back into the community and a new network of families support one another.

Yoga exercise has enormous benefits. It is a non-competitive activity and encourages participants to work at their own pace. It is a wonderful tool that helps build great self-esteem as it combines physical and mental health techniques to aid emotional stress and encourage general wellbeing.

Yoga4mums is a conscientious business idea and our donation classes have helped benefit local charities and schools, raising significant funds for them. We currently support and provide classes for TreeHouse, the national charity for autism, Cancer Research UK and The Isobel Hospice, with a growing number of schools running sessions through their parents and teachers association.

Local businesses can benefit using our yoga modules too. We actively encourage local employers and employees to take extra measures to protect their physical and mental wellbeing. Using tailor-made modules, we can offer tools and techniques to help cope with the demands of the workplace. The current, global climate means we are all under pressure to perform well at work but this cannot be to the detriment of our physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga4mums have designed packages to encourage better internal, working relationships, to inspire a stress free workplace.

Health awareness starts within the family and who better to inspire them but mum. From the womb to adulthood mum is generally the driving force and if she is healthy and happy then the family will be too. In an age when online games and social networking distracts from family interaction Yoga4mums want to encourage active, interaction to include the entire family whatever the age or ability. Yoga4mums is a benefit to the community as participants contribute and connect with a strong sense of purpose.

To find out more please contact Cathy Underwood:
+44 (0)870 626 2020
email: cu@yoga4mums.com
Web: http://www.yoga4mums.com

To support this business please view our video pitch:
https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/3592