Exercise of the Week

Cross-referencing the body’s frame in a yoga pose causes one to consciously establish, and continuously reestablish, center. The mind if forced to survey the situation to find the body’s center of gravity. The upper and lower body are challenged to work with one another to stay balanced as the right and left sides are no longer reference points for the brain because it cannot decide which body part is on the right and which is on the left.

As a result, just by crossing our legs in sun salutations, our structure becomes dynamic. The brain becomes a self-correcting, constantly reconnecting machine. It is forced to make a moving mental map of the body in order to continue to move and balance the structure of the body as it moves through space. The sun salutations become a challenging series of movements which force the body into finding more stability and organization in order to be successful.

Follow these videos as I guide you through the right and left sides of a cross-legged sun salutation. Throw these into your daily warmup or add the to your yoga practice whenever you want a challenge. Have fun!

Click here to view Cross-Legged Sun Salutation Right

Click here to view Cross-Legged Sun Salutation Left