My husband and I were house-hunting a few years ago and found one that we both fell in love with. Lofty ceilings, lots of light, open, airy spaces yet warm and enveloping. Just the right rooms. An instant heartbeat connection. Right away we saw ourselves living there. However, as we looked a little closer we noticed that the foundation was crumbling and unfinished, and we saw the tell-tale cracks on the walls. We knew that there would be major problems with this house in the future. So with heavy hearts, we had to move on.
The experience made me think about the importance of foundations.
A house needs a solid foundation. A strong and solid base made of the right materials, and well maintained, will support the walls, the floors and the roof for a decades. An incorrectly prepared foundation will cause the house to crack, wobble, buckle, leak or lean - potentially leading to collapse. An unsafe house.
A healthy and balanced life needs solid foundations: a loving and secure family environment, good friends and relationships, education and experiences. A life foundation can be consolidated along the way through the experiences we go through, the good and the bad, the people we meet, the things we learn.
It’s the same in yoga. A good, safe yoga pose needs a solid foundation.
From a practical perspective, a solid foundation for any yoga pose starts with being firmly rooted on your mat. Whichever parts of your body are in contact with the ground become the foundation of your pose. Pressing evenly into the floor through all parts of your foundation will give you a sensation of solid rootedness. Once you've found your foundation, you can then consolidate it to be strong and safely grounded in the pose.
Practicing each pose with mindfulness is the best way to build solid yoga foundations, and to practice safely. Being intentional with your movements. Noticing all the details and the sensations as you create your foundation.
PRACTICE TIPS TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR FOUNDATION
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Find your foundation: Mountain Pose is a great place to experience finding your foundation. As you stand with your feet about hip width apart and parallel, feel your feet rooting down into the earth. Yoga teachers sometimes say "plant all 4 corners of your feet firmly into the ground" - it’s a visualization that means balance your weight between the base of your little toe, the base of you big toe, the inside of your heel and the outside of your heel.
Shift your weight from one foot to the other, to feel how easy it can be to lose the sense of foundation. Try lifting all of your toes off the mat, spreading them wide, and then firmly planting them back down on the mat, and see how that feels.
Consolidate: Lift your knee caps to engage your thigh muscles and gently pull your abdominal muscles in towards your spine. From this solid foundation, you can allow your shoulders to relax and drop away from your ears. Your spine should be tall and straight, as though an invisible thread is attached to the crown of your head pulling gently skyward, creating a sensation of spaciousness in your spine.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Find your foundation: As you settle into the wide stance of Triangle Pose, with the front foot pointing forward and the back foot turned at about a 45 degree angle, you can really be aware of your foundation. And feel the benefit of “grounding evenly into all four corners of both feet”. I always need to be conscious of the outer edge of my back foot to make sure it is firmly on the ground and that my ankle is not leaning inward.
Consolidate: In any standing pose, once the feet are solid, the rest of the body can engage and strengthen the foundation: engaging the quad muscles pulls up and protects the knees; pulling the abdomen in and back towards the spine protects the lower back and holds us steady; tucking the bottom ribs in, pulling up tall, shoulders away from the ears and back. Now you are ready for the pose.
Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Find your foundation: Your hands and feet will be your foundation for this pose. Start on hands and knees. With hands shoulder width apart, align your index fingers parallel and pointing straight forward, all fingers spread evenly. Press down evenly through your knuckles and fingertips, rooting into the floor (make sure to keep from placing too much pressure in the base of your palms to protect your wrists). Lift your hips up and then shift them back towards your feet and into the pose. Feel free to allow some movement as you find your foundation; peddle your feet, shift from side to side. Then straighten your legs and press your heels down towards the floor (they don’t have to get there!)
Consolidate: Keep your arms straight and strong, keep your shoulders away from your ears. Engage your leg muscles as you straighten the knees and press feet into the floor. Tuck your lower ribs into your body, and breathe into your back and sides. Stay rooting your awareness to your foundation.
Easy Pose (Sukhasana) and Seated Meditation
Find your foundation: Bring awareness to all parts of your body that are in contact with the floor, your foundation. Imagine it is like the triangular base of a pyramid, solid and grounded. Always in relationship with gravity. Try to press into the floor evenly through all parts of your foundation. Receive the steadiness and the support that your foundation offers.
Consolidate:Sit a little taller, as though you are being drawn up towards the sky bringing spaciousness into your spine, allowing you to appreciate the lightness of your upper body. Notice how tiny adjustments to your posture can change your breath. Notice the contrast and the completeness of this lightness in your torso and the stability of your foundation.
Click here for some Tips to Get Comfortable for Meditation.
Get the right mat
A high quality yoga mat can really help you to create a solid foundation. Try a downward facing dog on your own mat and see if your hands and feet slip, or if your mat tends to stretch when you push into the floor. Slipping means you might not have the best mat for your practice. My favourite mat - and the only one I carry at HUM - is the Original ecoYoga mat. Its unparalleled no-slip grip will allow your soul to soar while your body stays solidly grounded. And it’s a foundation for your practice that you and the earth will feel good about! Made in the U.K. from durable, sustainable, 100% natural rubber & jute, the Original ecoYoga mat is bio-degradable, recyclable, free from chemicals and harmful toxins.
GOING BEYOND THE POSE AND CONSOLIDATING YOUR YOGA FOUNDATIONS
Yoga is not just about the poses, it’s so much more. It’s a philosophy, a series of practices, an ethic, a lifestyle.
Building my yoga foundation every day means continuously adding various blocks and stones to consolidate it. This includes continually deepening my understanding of yoga, including the the history and the philosophy, the various types of yoga, the multiple facets of a yoga life including meditation, mindfulness, living a healthy lifestyle and making ethical and environmentally consciousness choices. Building the foundation every day includes strengthening my body and increasing my flexibility. It also means opening my mind and heart to know myself better and to find the best person I can be, for myself and for others.
I invite you to stay curious and open to new experiences and new learnings about “yoga” and all it encompasses. It will transform your life. Check out my list of 20 Helpful Books for some inspiration. Download your copy now.
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