The Ultimate Relaxation Pose...

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Water relaxation pose, Legs Up the Wall, or Viparita Karani. 

Relaxation Pose.jpg

Basically, Legs Up the Wall posture is exactly as it sounds! You lie on your back with your sit-bones as close to the wall as possible. From here, extend your legs up the wall, so that the backs of your legs are resting comfortably against it. Now hang out and RELAX!!!

For the most benefit, you'll want to hang out at least 10 to 15 minutes, but even just hanging out for a few minutes will help create change.

Some of the many benefits include:

  • reduces edema in the legs and feet

  • relieves tired or cramped legs and feet

  • gives you all the benefits of inversion, without the effort (gives your heart a break, helps your lymphatic system)

  • calms the nervous system

  • gently stretches the back legs, front torso, and the back of the neck

  • relieves mild backache

  • quiets the mind

May also help with the following conditions/symptoms:

  • Anxiety

  • Arthritis

  • Digestive problems

  • Headache

  • High and low blood pressure

  • Insomnia

  • Migraine

  • Mild depression

  • Respiratory ailments

  • Urinary disorders

  • Varicose veins

  • Menstrual cramps

  • Premenstrual syndrome

  • Menopause

Chinese Medicine: Water symbolizes both life and death: it is the womb from which all life emerges and the abyss to which it returns. As the universal oneness that exists beyond and within all individuals, water is similar to the Tao itself. Though separate lives coalesce out of its unity, they are like drops of water temporarily distinct from the sea; it is only a matter of time before they rejoin their eternal whole. #woodbecomeswater#chinesemedicineineverydaylife#playaroleinyourhealing

In the cycle of a day, Water governs night and sleep. At night, most people lie dormant, restoring their energies for the new day. At this time our tissues, cells, and organs rest in a state of reduced activity that engenders repair. Water is the source of creativity governing the formlessness out of which ideas cohere. It is a space without boundaries, and thus the haven where imagination thrives. 98% of our bodily substance is composed of water, which also hangs in the air we breathe and vitalizes the food we eat. Water is so much a part of life that life cannot long exist without it.