One inspiring cue:
Spread your shoulder blades away from each other as your hands push into the ground.
Why?
The pose requires flexion of the spine and lifting away from the earth. The cue to widen or spread your shoulder blades away from each other will enhance flexion in the spine, while pressing your hands firmly into the earth will assist with the “lift” required for the arm balance.
Note: if you are one of my “healthy bones” students that have osteoporosis – and you like practicing this pose – you will want to make sure you keep your spine as long as possible in this pose.
One inspiring tip:
Do plenty of prep poses that open the inner thighs, like wide-legged standing and seated forward folds before attempting Tittibhasana. You’ll also want to practice half or full binds with your arms to prepare for getting them behind and under your legs.
I love what an author from Yoga International says about this pose. “Tittibhasana is a challenging pose physically, and it can also challenge you mentally. After all, it can be difficult to ‘allow your inner light to shine’ as you make your way into a complex arm balance. But ‘shining’ in the pose doesn’t mean it has to look a certain way at all. Rather, it’s about honoring your process and discovering the beauty of Firefly’s unique form – even if your feet don’t leave the ground.”<
One inspiring song:
One inspiring quote:
Repeat of the Tibetan quote from last week:
“Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength. No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful an experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”
– Dalai Lama
Nutrition nugget:
Add cinnamon to your diet to help control your blood sugar…controlling blood sugar is essential for overall health. Consider using Ceylon cinnamon – click here for an article on why! I will also have the article in my Instagram bio for the next few weeks.
As Mike Sheridan, a nutritionist, strength coach, and author says, “When you think of cinnamon, think ‘blood sugar’. It’s one of the best things you can add to your diet to improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. A review study from the journal Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism looked at cinnamon’s effect on fasting blood glucose in type 2 diabetics and found reductions ranging from 10-29 percent. One easy way to add cinnamon to your diet is to put it in your coffee or tea.
This will easily put you in the 1-3 gram per day range (1-2 teaspoons), where these benefits lie. It’s also a great spice for adding to other foods. The ever-popular sweet potato and cinnamon combo will light up your taste buds without lighting up your blood sugar.”
Some of my tips to easily add cinnamon to your diet:
1) Do what Mike says above =)
2) Slice an apple, put a few walnuts on it, and sprinkle with cinnamon…YUM!
3) Add to a smoothie