The Bird Is The Word: Yoga for Thanksgiving
With all of the turkey and delicious food you will inevitably eat this Thanksgiving, its good to give your body a little stretching and restoring to really maximize your time at the dinner table. A great way to really become one with the whole holiday is to get a little more in tune to what is really the centerpiece of the whole shabang. The bird. Here are a few birdlike yoga poses to inspire the feathered friend in you!
Recently I cornered one of our yoga instructors Nick Aleandro and begged him to get into some avian positions for me. He’s a trooper for putting up with me, and he’s also a super rad instructor. You can check out his classes on Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings at 7pm.
// Crow Pose
The Crow Pose is a wonderful addition to anyones practice if it is already not included. Especially as a climber, I find that adding this to my practice helps to keep some of the pump out of my forearms when pulling real hard on the plastic. It also helps build a lot of wrist strength which is quite difficult to work on, or even add into a regular workout routine. Going into a brief Crow in between some down dogs and up dogs can really make a difference!
// Eagle Pose
The Eagle Pose is a very strong pose with the most distinctive movement being the intertwining of your arms, and also your legs. This pose is a really crafty way to gain some arm strength. Once you fully engage your arms in that twisting motion you will definitely feel it. This is also a great pose for boosting the circulation to all of your joints. Definitely worth adding to your practice, or even before your next redpoint attempt.
// Pigeon Pose
If your tummy isn’t stoked enough for the holidays feasting, then this pose will really get you jazzed on face stuffing. Not a particularly difficult pose, but one with a multitude of benefits. The biggest one being the stimulation of internal organs (where all the turkey and stuffing is going) helping you from stomach aches, all the way to urinary issues. This pose is definitely very helpful after a long day of crushing, or eating. Below is a video of our extremely talented yoga instructor Kristine demonstrating the Pigeon pose.
// Turkey Pose
In this pose Head Coach and Routesetter Sean Wieboldt demonstrates the strength and beauty of the illustrious Turkey pose. This pose is great for feeling like a delicious fowl, and also for testing the weight load of a dinner table. In this image our very own Emmett Huber has the honors of carving the Sean Turkey. Gobble Gobble!
It’s easy to lose sight of your practice with all the static of the holidays buzzing around you. Just take a moment for yourself, and for the time and energy you expend on the world and immerse your mind and body in what it craves. Peace, stability, strength, and focus. Take a look at our fitness calendar and find a yoga session that works for you. Namaste!
