Star Pose (Utthita Tadasana)
With the shortest day of the year behind us, we now look forward to the return of the light! And while we anticipate it, this year more than ever i’ve developed a deep acceptance of and maybe even love for these dark days. My son helped grow this appreciation as we have been operating mostly in low light in our house for about a month, at his insistence. What began with frustration has actually grown to appreciation as I embrace the natural way of winter life a little more. Although, let me say last night I was told we were ‘completely fine’ to do a 60 piece puzzle in the dark - that was where I drew the line!
Benefits
Star pose is expansive as we aim to take up as much space as we can. The benefits of star pose include: energizing, lengthening, and opening of the whole body, stretching the chest, strengthening the arms, and realigning the spine. It also helps improve circulation, promotes better breathing, and gets us out of that hunched winter position!
Do it!
Star is simple to do, making it a favourite amoung even the littlest yogis. Simply stand with your legs wide apart and arms out at shoulder height. You can play with the expanse of your star by lifting your arms and finding how far you can reach. How much space you can take up?
Have Fun!
From star, jump up as high as you can in the air! Now you’re a shooting star gleaming across the night sky! My yogis also love to be a ‘starburst’ or ‘exploding star’ by sitting down, pulling in knees to chest, and making their bodies as small as they can. It’s fun to count down in this ball, and then pop all your limbs out wide while rolling back and laying down on your back in star! Next, pretend you’re a starfish on the bottom of the ocean floating past a colourful coral reef. Taking the shape of star with your whole family creates a beautiful starry night sky or even a galaxy - your imagination is the limit!
If there’s another creative expression of star pose you love, please share it with me!
Here's to starry winter nights, snuggling by the fireplace, and getting back into routine (again),
Happy Winter!
Megan