Build the power with the Empower Flow
By Nancy B. Loughlin
Published in News Press on December 22, 2015
Thanks to Heather Holland of Ruby and Pearl’s Yoga Studio for demonstrating the poses.
The New Year is an apropos metaphor for new beginnings. Let 2016 be the year for action.
The 2016 Empower Flow
This is a contemplative moving meditation. The Empower Flow includes inversions to offer new-year flips in perspective, core and third chakra activation to fire your will and upper-body conditioning to build necessary strength.
Work it. Then, you can act.
- Begin in Tabletop. Curl the toes under, and lift your tail to the sky in Downward- Facing Dog.
Tip: In Downward-Facing Dog, roll the shoulders away from the neck and drive your shoulder blades toward your hips.
2. Shift forward into High Plank.
Tip: Spread your upper back, pull your arms out of your shoulders, and push the floor away from you. Activate your core and feel the side body lifting your torso parallel to the floor.
3. Step your hands forward, and lower to your forearms for Dolphin Plank.
Tip: Spread your shoulder blades and push your forearms into the floor. Feel your core cradling your body.
4. Push into full Dolphin by lifting your tail to the sky, forearms remaining on the floor.
Tip: As you take Dolphin, step both feet forward with deliberate intention to create a 90-degree angle with your hips. Feel the architecture of the pose.
5. Push into your hands to simultaneously straighten your arms, returning to Downward-Facing Dog.
Hold each pose for one breath cycle, and repeat the sequence for five rounds. As you build will and power, hold each pose for at least ten breaths, and extend the flow for a twenty-minute morning meditation.
