Prop you up with Anne Goldstraw
Anne Goldstraw did us proud again delivering a fun and detailed yoga lesson entitled “Prop you up”. Using bricks and/or blocks, a belt and a chair she showed us creative and interesting ways to work on and achieve stretches and yoga postures. Initially we propped up our heads and upper back using 2 blocks to enable us to practise slowing down the breath, while opening up our chest area. Other warm-ups used a block held between the hands repeatedly transferred to between the ankles to fully stretch out the body, followed by squeezing a block between the thighs. A strap held around ankles enhanced the bridge posture and then wrapped around the raised leg in thread the needle it worked our hips.
Sitting on one block and using another as a support to practise a forward bend, a seated squat, janusirasana, seated spinal twist and side stretches allowed us to stretch to our personal edge. A slightly stronger stretch -sprinter’s pose – was well taught, helping us to ease into the full posture gradually with hands resting on two blocks or bricks. Tadasana was followed by tree pose enhanced and made fun by the option of balancing a block on our heads. Transferring to a long strap some of us had more fun trying to create a shoulder brace which really helps to open the chest and rotate stiff shoulders. Anne did warn us not to tie it off too tight though! We then practised further stretches for stiff shoulders using the long strap or as Anne suggested we could use two dressing gown belts tied together.
Next, holding on to a chair back, we strengthened our legs; calf stretches with block under heels and then also opened up the hips with high leg swings forward/back and to the side followed by repeated squats. Sitting on the seat we were encouraged to dip off it repeatedly to strengthen the triceps and then hang a buttock slightly off the seat to stretch the quads and the knees, heel to buttock, with options of 3 progressively stronger leg positions. A tip to help people with painful wrists was shared using 2 blocks to rest hands on, fingers dangling, while doing cat/cow postures. Our final stretches were sphinx with neck exercises and lying on our fronts threading arms to stretch out alternate shoulders.
Anne rounded off her wonderful class with a beautiful butterfly visualisation and relaxation, with the option of using our chair seat to fully support raised bent legs for savavasana. As she quoted: “Everything good, everything magical, happens between the months of June and August”. Indeed it did. Many thanks Anne. You really are a star!
Author: Judith Lynch