Bring “May Flowers” to Your Yoga!

person doing yoga next to flower painting

“April Showers Bring May Flowers” is a common saying, and we are settling into those rains that begin to bloom the Spring flowers around us. In yoga, our practice helps us plant seeds of growth that may bloom at any time! A very iconic pose resembling the symbolic and auspicious lotus flower, Padmasana, along with a looser version that Geeta Iyengar named Kamalasana are important to look at in stages and in relation to other postures within our yoga practice.

“May Flowers” – Four Monday Specials from 6:30-7:45pm CST – Online and In-Person options – will explore more deeply our practice of Padmasana and its related positions.

Padmasana is one of those poses that students see and say “I will never do that” or “I will do that by any means possible” – neither of which are ever good approaches to any yoga pose. Yoga is a process of investigation and experimentation. It is an individual process that we all have to navigate within our own body, however it comes on whatever day or year. The concept, meaning and use of Padmasana and its stages and approaches cannot be underestimated!

The lotus flower is a beautiful bloom that arises from the depth of the muck and mud that sits at the bottom of a typically murky pond. Making its way through darkness, the bloom itself finally sits peacefully at the surface of the water with steadiness and ease. This is symbolic to yogis as we look at the struggle in life to find any way to continue to grow toward light, despite obstacle, instead of sitting in darkness never to bloom. Yoga practice provides all the steps to grow our way into our own true Self more completely. Like the flower itself, the study and practice toward Kamalasana, and ultimately Padmasana, provides us with tools and sequences to work through our own muck and ultimately bloom into a steady and fulfilling seat, perfect for meditation or breathing practices.

Join Jennie for the first four Mondays in May to sink in some roots and explore the movement of the hips to possibly catch a glimpse of your bloom toward Padmasana. Knee issues will be specifically addressed in more detail in many of the seated positions that lead up to the Padmasana pose itself. There will be a lot of moving through the “muck” we may carry in our hips, but in general we will work to find more mobility and freedom in all the joints of the lower body. Even if you easily “throw” your legs into this iconic position, do you know HOW you do it? That is also a process of growth and understanding.

SIGN UP HERE! For either ZOOM ONLINE or IN-PERSON attendance : May Mondays at 6:30pm CST

Jennie Williford CIYT

Jennie Williford (CIYT Level 3) is a transplant to LaCrosse via Montana, Illinois, and originally Texas. Throughout her life moves and 5 trips to India, Jennie has acquired a well-rounded and multi-faceted approach to Iyengar Yoga since her start in 1998. Jennie loves the experimental and explorative nature of yoga in accessing deeper knowledge of the Self on every level. The practice of yoga can be intense and introspective, however as practitioners we can be light-hearted and open-minded in our discipline. Jennie is intrigued by the philosophy of yoga and hopes to share this depth of subject while teaching the physical and mental benefits that come from the practice of posture.