Position of the Week: Salamba Matsyasana (Supported Fish Pose)

Benefits: This psoe will stretch and stimulate the muscles in your neck and belly.  It will improv your posture, and strengthen your back.  Oh, and you will feel so relaxed in it!

There is nothing I love more than going into a pose and feeling the warmth of it flow through my body.  The rush I feel when I know my muscles are all working in unison reminds me that I am alive.  It is absolutley invigorating.  Sometimes I find myself holding a pose that I wouldn't have thought possible to do to begin with- the realization of this feels great.  But lets not forget another wonderful feeling we can share with yoga: the feeling that encompasses your body and mind when in a restorative yoga pose.  Doing restorative yoga allows you to tap into your head, reminding yourself to check in every once and a while.  You feel so present, and you feel utterly and unmistakably relaxed.  You really savor every moment of restorative poses.  It's almost as though time stops, and you can finally have the convenience to take advantage of every second.

I recently treated myself- I bought my very first bolster.  It's beautiful, really!  I am slowly building my own collection of yoga props, and a bolster was the final piece to my puzzle.  I have begun experimenting with it in various positions in my living room.  Restorative Fish Pose in one asana in particular that always resonates through my entire body.  I feel like I could stay in that pose for hours.  Having your heart open up wide towards the sky allows you to feel as though all the positive energy in your surrounding is dipping in through your chest, while the positive energy inside of you is being shared on the outside.  It's like a beautiful rotational cycle of prosperous vitality.  Every breath you take in feels like you are breathing in a fistful of happy.  You can really create a lot of movement in your chest, opening up the airways and feeling like you are learning to breathe all over again.  The arch you create in your back feels so wonderful, especially if you are prone to back pain.  The comfort of the bolster beneath you lets you feel safe and supported.  Sometimes I like to envision myself surrounded by water- like (as the pose may suggest) a fish.  It's like floating in the ocean, and if you incorporate the ocean sounding breath (breathe in and out with a subtle muscular contraction at the back of your throat and it creates an ocean-like sound) well then you have just created your own paradise away from paradise.  If you don't have a bolster, you could likely try using a similar prop like a sturdy collection of pillows if you do not have access to a bolster.  Trust me, if you have the means to try this asana, please do!  You will be glad you did.  You will open your eyes after several minutes, and even they will be smiling.

Namaste,
Lady Lotus