For thousands of years, yoga has been one of the best activities we can do for our minds and bodies. But we sometimes forget that it's kind of a complex practice – even the beginner classes. And, without proper alignment, you could be doing more harm than good. Everything about the Gurugrid is designed to help correct common mistakes and contribute to the goal of improved strength, flexibility, stability, balance, confidence, focus, and most importantly, safety. Read on for the number one reason to use your Gurugrid and approach yoga with more knowledge and confidence than you did yesterday. PROPER "SHOULDER-WIDTH" POSITION Relevant poses: Chaturanga, Plank, Up Dog, Down Dog, Crow (Firefly, Pendulum, etc.), Headstand, Handstand, Pincha (Forearm Stand, etc.), Wheel, Cat/Cow, Candle, Cobra Common Mistakes: Hands are placed too wide apart or too close together on the mat.  Hand placement is the position that requires the most accuracy in yoga and is the one that is done incorrectly most often. You can see in the photos above, how much of an impact misplaced hands has on the alignment of the entire body. Short-Term Problems:
The Fix: Determine the proper shoulder-width for your body, find the points on your Gurugrid, and use this exact positioning for all poses that require shoulder-width placement. Now, when your teacher asks you to place your hands "shoulder-with apart", you know exactly where to put them. Click here to learn how to find your proper shoulder width.
Originally posted on Gurugrid.
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You may have seen mala necklaces and bracelets, or even have some. Beyond their beautiful look, these accessories can embody the properties of the stones / beads they are made from and also work as a tool for meditation. Our friends at Divine East define mala's as "Mala beads are a strand of 108 beads used for keeping count during mantra meditations, also known as japa mala meditation. They can be made of semi-precious gemstones, all of which hold a different metaphysical healing property, or rudraksha seeds, used traditionally as a tactile aid." Mala's can be in the form of a necklace, with 108 beads, or a bracelet.
Once you've chosen your mala, you can wear it as well as use it for meditation. Some days I choose to wear a necklace or bracelet based upon what I need more of. If I want to deliver a great yoga class and need an extra boost of creativity, I'll choose a mala for that. If I'm sitting down for some quiet meditation time, I'll choose a necklace as I can use that to aid in my meditation. Some of my favourite affirmations to say as I make my way through all 108 beads are:
Looking for the perfect mala? Check out our friends at www.divineeast.com and use the promotional code LLY15 to save 15% off your first purchase! About Divine East: After purchasing our first mala from a family in Rishikesh, our passion naturally flourished into Divine East. To this day, we support, create and continue to visit the same family we first purchased our malas from in Rishikesh, and went on to work with women we met while living in Bali. We create custom malas for yoga retreats, teacher trainings and wellness events internationally. Our intention with this is to provide ethical and fair paying work to locals we have met along our travels through creating intentional and unique keepsakes for our communities. Written by: Christine Noonan
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AUTHORSLiberty Life Yoga teachers, students & partners sharing on #livingthelibertylife ARCHIVES
March 2020
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