In March, blooming crocuses foretell the celebration. By early April, daffodils have their day. Then come the yellow tulips, quickly followed by a succession of reds, oranges, whites, pinks and purples. All the while, the tightly wound tree buds are unfurling into full-blown leaves. By mid-month windows, too, begin to open so that the April’s breezes, so full of life, can reinvigorate the winter-weary indoor air.

April’s name comes from the Latin word “aperire,” meaning “to open.” Named for nature’s annual “opening” of blooms and buds, April is the perfect time to let our own bodies blossom as well, not only through the irresistible urge to be outdoors, but also in our yoga practice. Hasta Panghustasana (Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose) is the perfect pose to express April’s joyous opening.

Hasta Padanghustasana is one of a category of poses my students have named “flying poses.” Flying poses are poses that express expansion. In flying poses, the root of the pose (whatever’s on the ground) extends deep into the ground, while the rest of the body expands outward and upward, away from the earth. The opening comes from stability.

To practice Hasta Padanghustasana, begin standing on a thin yoga mat or directly on the floor. (A mat isn’t necessary for this pose.) Place your feet hips-width apart. Close your eyes and become aware of your feet. Feel how the feet constantly make micro-adjustments in order to keep you upright. This is the nature of balance—constant, dynamic adaptation. So balance is not about reaching some “perfect” position and holding onto it; it’s about trusting your body’s own proprioceptive awareness to make the adjustments needed to keep you dynamically upright.

This is true not only in yogic balance poses, but in the rest of life as well. Balance, then, is about being mindful—and open—to the constant changes inherent in our bodies and in our lives, and responding to these changes with creative ease.

Let your weight rest in your feet. Then shift your body to the right, letting the weight settle into your right foot. Bend your left knee and pick your foot off the floor. Find equilibrium here. When you feel balanced, bend your left knee further until you can take hold of your left foot with your left hand. You may either hold the outside of the foot or curl your index and middle fingers around the inside of your big toe. Place your right hand on your hip and again, find stability, feeling how your right foot is constantly shifting to keep your body in balance. (If balance eludes you, you may do this pose standing with your back to a wall and let your buttocks rest against the wall for additional stability.)

Now, simultaneously, begin to unfurl the right arm and left leg out to their respective sides so that they open gradually like a blossoming flower, until they reach full extension. Extend the arm and leg with equal intention, so that they balance each other. Continue to feed your body’s weight into your standing leg.

If your hamstrings and inner thigh muscles are tight enough that holding your left foot and straightening your leg is currently impossible, place a strap or belt around your left foot and hold the belt with your left hand. As you unfurl your right arm and left leg, let your hand slide on the strap so that you can fully straighten your leg, while holding your foot with the strap.

In all balance poses, our minds tend to find the body parts that are moving to be most compelling. (In the above case, these would be the right arm and left leg.) The stable, standing leg is arguably more important, so as you extend the right arm and left leg, keep at least half your awareness in the standing leg. This will help you maintain stability.

When you feel stable in the pose, continue to ground your standing leg and begin to explore expansion through all the limbs, including both arms and legs, the head and the tailbone. Continue expanding as you breathe. Take five to ten slow, deep breaths, directing the breath as if you can extend it out into all your limbs, including your head and tailbone. Then release your hold on the left leg, letting your left foot return to the floor. Return to standing equally on both feet and let your arms rest at your sides. Close your eyes and feel what happened in the pose. How has your body/mind changed? Then repeat the pose on the other side.

Remember that expansion comes from stability. Every blossoming tree and flower expands from its roots. So do our bodies. Hasta padanghustasana teaches us about the dynamic relationship between stability and openness. Explore this relationship in your yoga practice, and watch how it expands into the rest of your life.

The only time I’ve ever injured myself in 28 years of practicing yoga happened when a teacher told me my headstand was incorrect because I was putting more weight on my arms than on my head. I was a novice student, only four years into my yoga practice, and despite the fact that I knew my neck was not very strong due to a previous injury, I decided to trust the teacher instead of my own intuition. I equalized the weight between my head and arms for about five minutes, and for six months after, I experienced constant headaches, stabbing on the inside of my left scapula and neck pain. After lots of acupuncture, chiropractic and deep tissue treatments—and six months of not doing ANY headstands—things got back to normal.

Perhaps the teacher could have worded her comment differently, less judgmentally. But the truth is, it is my reaction to her comment that caused the injury. Being a novice yogi, I was still very much concerned with accomplishing poses, and doing them “right.” As a teacher, I learned from this experience that the most important thing I can do is to empower my students to trust themselves. I teach mindful practice, so that the truth of each person’s yoga will be evident to them in each moment.

What are your experiences with trusting your gut—or not trusting your gut—in your yoga practice?

Having practiced yoga for more than half my 54 years, I’ve watched a gradual evolution in the focus and spirit of my practice. When I began in my 20s, even though I knew that yoga was not supposed to be about competition, my practice was nonetheless about achieving “advanced” poses. Over the years I’ve watched my passion shift to the more subtle pleasures of practice, in particular pranayama and meditation along with an emphasis on staying in poses for long periods. I still do active, strengthening practice; I just don’t flit from one pose to the next, and I no longer feel the need to do extreme poses, even though my body is willing. My practice is much simpler now. I practice fewer poses in a session, and I give each pose time to unfold and transform. How has your practice changed over time?

Spring is a time of rejuvenation. Take a walk around your block. You’ll likely see spring bulbs pushing up through the ground and tightly wound buds forming on the ends of tree branches. Maybe crocuses are in full swing, or perhaps where you live, they’ve already come and gone. We use the expression, “spring is in the air.” It’s palpable! Spring yoga practice is different from a winter yoga practice. Where winter is about turning inward, spring is about coming out—blossoming, if you will. I love standing poses in spring. Think about their form—stable and expanded. I like to play with moving into them like an unfurling bloom, starting from an inward, forward folding pose and gradually opening out from my center and letting my fingers and toes extend last. What poses feel good for you right now?

March heralds the return of spring, the season of new beginnings. In the early Roman calendar, March was the first month of the year. And for a civilization with empire ambitions, the start of a new year seemed like an opportune time to start a military campaign. So the Romans named March for Mars, the god of war.

March’s boisterous beginning weeks earn the month its name. But by the end of the month, the warrior calms. March’s balance of bluster and peace make it the perfect metaphor for yoga asana, the physical practice described in the yoga sutras as being “steady and comfortable,“ or “firm and soft.” The foundation of the Eight Limbs of Yoga is ahimsa (non-violence), or as Alistair Shearer translates it, “dynamic peacefulness.” So in yoga the warrior is peaceful—dynamic, resolute and steady, but with a core of calm.

So too, is this month’s pose, Warrior I, a perfect balance of dynamic grounding and buoyant ease. In Warrior I (also known as Virabhadrasana I in Sanskrit), the lower body roots strongly into the ground, while the upper body rises up to the sky. This dynamic combination grounds and stabilizes as it generates an uprising energy that nourishes the spine and clears what I call mental “cobwebs.”

Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart at one end of a nonskid mat with most of the mat extending back behind you. Feel how your feet connect with the floor. Do you feel even weight across the feet—from right to left, from inside to outside, from the balls of the feet to the heels? Assess your energy: What are you bringing to the pose? Do you feel heavy or light in the body? Do you feel an upward or downward flow of energy? Is your energy agitated or calm?

Step your right leg straight back about a leg length (three feet or so). Make sure your right foot is facing mostly forward, so that your toes are only slightly angled to the right. It’s okay if your right heel doesn’t reach the floor—let it lift, but keep the right knee straight and extend strongly back through the leg. Now let your kidneys soften back into the low back so that the bottom ribs move back and your low back expands. As your lumbar area releases back, extend your right heel down a bit more.

With your hands on your hips, press down into your hipbones, encouraging the legs to feed into the feet, and the feet to ground into the floor. Root strongly through the legs as you reach your arms up toward the sky, taking care not to jut your lower ribs forward as you raise your arms. Bend your left knee into a square, keeping the knee aligned over the lower leg so that it doesn’t roll either in or out. Keep bending your knee until it is directly over your heel.

Make your lower body—from your pelvis to your feet—very heavy and grounded, and from that grounding, let the upper body—from the waist up to the fingertips—rise up and reach for the sky. Take five to ten deep, relaxed breaths. Then press the feet into the floor to straighten the left knee. Step your right leg forward and return to standing with your feet hip-width apart. As you stand, note what has changed in your body as a result of practicing the pose. Then repeat the process on the other side.

With its combination or grounded strength and lightness, Warrior I is the perfect pose to help you ease into change—the blustery, unpredictable days of March, or the inevitable, constant change that marks all our lives. Practice Warrior I when you feel tired, sluggish or nervous. And don’t forget to breathe slowly and deeply in the pose, so that the warrior you become in the pose is a peaceful one.

Yoga Blocks to Support Your Evolving Yoga Practice

Whether you’re a lifelong yoga practitioner or just starting out, your yoga blocks must provide the strength, stability and grounding needed to allow you to feel steady and comfortable in your poses. This can only come from the highest quality equipment. When you’re confident with your yoga props, you can focus on finding your center and embracing the pure stillness and peace that resides within you. Hugger Mugger’s collection of premium yoga blocks is designed to keep you safe and secure so that you can relax body, mind and soul during your ever-evolving yoga practice.

Suitable for all types of yoga practice in the studio or at home, Hugger Mugger yoga blocks can be used to support your hips, hands and heels in a wide variety of poses. The blocks are sturdy, stable, easy to transport and designed with your comfort in mind. This is what they all have in common, yet there are important features that make them unique.

Foam Blocks & Recycled Foam Blocks

Comfort and lightweight portability have made our Foam Blocks extremely popular with teachers and students worldwide. A highly versatile yoga tool, our Foam block comes in purple, blue and green. All our Foam Blocks are considerably firmer and more stable than less expensive brands. Beveled edges make these blocks comfortable for use in supported poses. Use the four-inch block when you need ultimate stability; use our three-inch block when you need a thinner dimension.

Our Recycled Foam Block is the newest in our growing line of sustainable products. Made from 50 percent recycled polyethylene from the agricultural industry and 50 percent EVA, is slightly heavier than our standard Foam Blocks, but lighter than our Cork, Bamboo and Wood Blocks. Like our standard Foam Blocks, these blocks are both stable and comfortable.

Cork Blocks

If supporting the use of sustainable materials is important to you then our Cork Block is an ideal choice. The natural texture provides excellent traction and the heavier weight gives you the sturdy, stable support and confidence you need to extend fully. Rounded edges make it comfortable for supported poses.

Wood Blocks

Made from Baltic Birch plywood, our Wood Block is hollow to making it considerably lighter than traditional wood blocks. This beautiful block is hand-rubbed with environmentally friendly beeswax for a silky soft finish. Our Bamboo Block, made from the world’s most sustainable wood, is an eco-friendly choice. Like our Wood Block, the Bamboo Block is hollow for lightweight portability. Like a piece of fine furniture, these wood blocks will never need to be replaced.

Big Blue Block

If our standard blocks do not provide the size and stability you need then try the Big Blue Block. Perfect for the bigger, taller or less flexible yoga practitioner who needs more height and width, the Big Blue Block is 50 percent larger than our standard blocks and helps you avoid the precarious scenario of stacking two blocks to achieve the height and width you need.

Now, breathe deeply, quiet your mind and then select the Hugger Mugger block best suited to your yoga practice.

Purify:  Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

For most of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, February is a month of grey. By the time February rolls around, we who dwell along the Wasatch Front have likely inhaled a fair—and unhealthy—amount of particulate-laden air. By the month’s end, grey begins to give way to subtle signs of the new season about to begin. So, it’s not too soon to start shaking off winter’s greys (and particulate matter) to make room for spring’s joyful palette.

The Romans had detox in mind when they added February to their calendar in about 700 BCE. February was named after the Latin word, februum, which means “purification,” after the Roman purification ritual that took place each year on February 15th.

Purification is central to the yogic path. The second chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras begins with this aphorism (translated by Alistair Shearer):  “Purification, refinement, surrender. These are the practical steps on the path of yoga.” Over the millennia, Hatha Yoga has developed many purification tools, including breathing practices and neti nasal washing. Paired with certain asanas these methods are powerful ways of releasing toxins.

We often focus on perspiration as the path to purification. The skin is the body’s largest eliminative organ, and sweating naturally detoxifies your tissues. Hatha Yoga’s methods of purification, however, are less about perspiration than about restoration.

While studying in India with Geeta and B.K.S. Iyengar, I learned one of yoga’s most powerful purifying poses. When any in our group of yogis succumbed to the almost inevitable intestinal upsets, or suffered respiratory distress from breathing noxious air (there were no air-quality standards in Pune), we were assigned Setu Bandha Sarvangasana.

Also known as “Bridge Pose,” Setu Bandha soaks the lymph glands in the neck and throat with blood. Plus, it suppresses the “fight or flight” (sympathetic) side of your autonomic nervous system, restoring energy and supporting healing. (When your head is below your heart and your neck is flexed, the “baro reflex” is activated. This sets off a chain of events that suppresses the sympathetic nervous system.)

Setu Bandha can be practiced either actively or passively. The active version generates energy through spinal extension. The passive version restores energy by allowing the practitioner to receive the benefits of backbending without spending energy.

Both versions expand the front body, helping dispel the effects of daily forward bending over computers, counters and steering wheels. They also stretch the back of your neck and strengthen your legs and hips. (Note:  Because your hips are the highest point in the body in Setu Bandha, it is best not to practice this pose when you’re on your menstrual period. It can reverse the natural flow and might interrupt your period.)

Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet resting on the floor. Lengthen your arms alongside your torso and turn your palms up. Take time to let your body and breath settle. Feel the contact points between your back body and the floor softening and expanding as you breathe. Feel the breath moving your ribcage, abdomen and pelvis. Relax here for several breaths, enjoying the support of the floor beneath you.

When you feel completely relaxed, turn your palms down and press your feet and arms into the floor, rolling the entire spine up off the floor, lifting the buttocks so that your back is arched. Clasp your hands underneath you and rock side to side on your shoulders until you come to rest on the tops of your shoulders. Now press your arms into the floor and allow your chest to expand toward your chin. Simultaneously, lengthen your throat to move the chin away from your chest. Take care not to allow your legs to splay out wider than hip width; keep your thighs parallel. Be aware of how the weight is distributed across your feet, making sure that the weight is equal on these four points:  inside and outside balls of your feet, and insides and outsides of your heels. Ground your arms and feet, letting the rest of the body rise up. Take five to ten deep breaths.

When you are ready to let the pose go, release the clasp of your hands and extend your arms out overhead along the floor. Stretch through your arms as you lower your spine slowly to the floor, one vertebra at a time. Simultaneously stretch out through your tailbone so that your spine lengthens as it lowers. Here you can return your arms to your sides or allow them to continue extending overhead. Relax and check in with your body/mind. What has changed since you first lay down on the floor? Repeat the entire process at least two more times. This is active Bridge.

To practice passive Bridge, follow the above instructions to move into the pose. Once your spine and hips are off the ground, place a block either upright or on its side (so that it’s lower) under your pelvis. Clasp your hands under you as in the active version, or allow your arms to rest on the floor beside your body with your palms facing up. Breathe slowly and restfully; relax completely. Do nothing. Stay as long as you like—five to ten minutes or more. When you are ready to release the pose, lift your hips slightly, remove the block, and follow the instructions in the previous paragraph to return to lying down. You may want to draw your knees gently toward your chest and breathe into your back body.

Weave Setu Bandha into your regular yoga practice, or practice it on its own. Practice it for purification, restoration of energy, or just because it feels good. And its heart-expanding properties will prepare you for another of February’s iconic days—St. Valentine’s.

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At different times in 27 years of practice, I’ve had affinities for different poses or types of poses. Early on, backbends were my passion. I still love them, but since then I’ve delved into standing poses (originally NOT my favorite poses), spinal rotations, and long inversions, among others. One pose has been a constant favorite for me from the beginning:  shoulderstand. When I roll up into shoulderstand, my body immediately says, “Ahhhh.” I love the feeling of weightlessness, and I think that going upside down changes my perceptions, not just in the moment, but throughout the day.

What are your favorite poses? What is it about them that you enjoy? What have you learned from them?