Real Women Do Yoga.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I did a photo shoot last weekend with a photographer named Sharon Goldberg.  You can find her work at www.iliketotakepictures.com  She is very talented and the photo shoot was as smooth and easy as it gets.  Minimal makeup, natural lighting and one “outfit” – if you can call a leotard an outfit – and in an hour we were done.   You can click on the photos for a larger version.  Here is one of my favorite pictures:

We moved through the shoot, as you can see there were no mirrors. There was no chance for that (sometimes loud!) voice of self doubt to ruin what ended up being an amazing experience.  Here is “two-legged inverted staff pose” (dwi pada viparita dandasana): 

Here is a variation of wheel pose.  This one requires strength in the hips to allow for the extension of the leg:

The final two pictures are similar, in that they are variations on low lunge.  Low lunge, or anjaneyasana, is one of those poses that once the basics are understood, the potential for creativity is limitless.  Here is how I played with it:

In this version I simply reached back with my right hand as if I might grab my left foot while extending my left arm towards the sky.  There is very minimal pressure on my back knee because I am using my left butt muscles to support the stretch in my left hip, rather than sink down to my back knee. I am also using the opposition of my top arm to create lift and stretch from the long line of connective tissue that encases my thigh, hip, torso and chest.  If you are new to this kind of variation, you can try using a blanket or other form of support under your back knee.  Be mindful of the pressure you apply and be sure to lengthen in multiple directions  -up, down, forward and back.

The final photo I will share is another low lunge variation.  In this one I admit, my dance background crept into the room and I felt a softness come over me, as I twisted and gestured, Sharon in her brilliance was able to capture a moment that emanates both stillness and movement:

If you would like to check out the photos on facebook , here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6188238&l=23a40972d7&id=667333321

“It is the truth we ourselves speak rather than the treatment we receive that heals us.” (O. Hobart Mowrer, 1966)

“Things do not change.  We change.”(Henry David Thoreau, Walden)