Pose-of-the-Month: A Happy Yoga Pose

We’re excited to announce a new monthly feature on One Wig Stand by Diana Ross, E-RYT500 and founder of Breast Cancer Yoga (who we also interviewed recently here if you’re curious to learn more about her). For September 2012, Diana has generously shared the following healing yoga pose for all our readers and survivors to try out:

Happy Baby Flow is a real “happy” yoga pose to experience, AND this pose really delivers great health benefits for recovery from breast cancer. Why is it so much fun? Well it will bring you back to being playful. It will allow you to be present: to let go of what may drag you down. Yes, this yoga pose is that special and fun to do.

It isn’t easy to go through the cancer experience but there are things that can help bring some joy back, and if only for the moment we are experiencing it. It is most important to find time to be happy, release stress and anxiety, and to remind ourselves that this is life, our life to boot and we are responsible for our own experiences.

Benefits:

It stimulates and circulates lymph fluid, repairs post-surgical adhesions and scar tissue, stretches the inner arms and rhomboids, opens and softens groin and hips, stretches hamstrings and gluteus muscles, reduces excessive lumbar curvature, helps to relax sacrum/lumbar, nourishes big leg muscles with increased blood flow, stretches thighs and psoas muscle, overall is energizing and stimulating.

Instructions:

Begin on your back with KNEES   TO CHEST. Place a folded blanket or small pillow underneath the head. INHALE, brings arms to the outside of bent legs and hold onto feet, ankles or wrap arms around the knees. Begin to lift right leg up and left leg down, then left leg up and right down, now continue to flow legs up and down.  Be playful with this pose. Use additional an pillow underneath the head if needed for comfort. As you continue to flow, the legs will begin to lengthen and lower more. EXHALE, bring both KNEES TO  CHEST and roll from side to side when finished. Then extend legs straight out to rest.  Close your eyes, tune into your breath and enjoy any inner sensations.

I leave you with this thought “Try it, you just might end up laughing at yourself and having a bit of fun.” Let me know what you think, or feel. I would love to hear back.

The content and images shared in this feature are copyright of Diana Ross and Breast Cancer Yoga. For more information, visit the Breast Cancer Yoga website.