Half Moon Pose, Onzie
- May 29, 2020
- by Melissa Lawrence
Hi there, mamas and papas from the beaches of Santa Monica a good while back. Seems like a lifetime ago as I sit here from our apartment in Barcelona, quarantined with the five kiddos and wondering what summer and the future will bring.
During this period of confinement, one thing that has kept me centered and happy has been yoga. Despite the gorgeous beach and sky you see below, yoga is not about what you see outside of you. It’s about what you can find inside: your strength, your patience, and yes, your endurance, something every mama worldwide has needed these past few months. I’ve been blessed to be dialing in several times a week to OM Yoga Retreats classes via the WiX app. One of my favorite teachers from New York, Julia Stephens, gives the power yoga classes virtually. For these precious hours, I breathe, stretch, and regain my calm. Seeing some buddies popping up in the zoom boxes during the class gives me a much-needed sense of community, too.
Back to today’s post. It’s not easy to accomplish yoga poses in the sand since your feet need flat and solid ground. But here you see me trying out Bikram’s half moon yoga pose. The half moon yoga pose asks you to stand straight and tall with your arms uplifted and placed back along your ears. Squeeze your butt and gently shift your arms to one side. Keep shifting, pushing out your hands as wide and low as you can, while continuing to squeeze your butt and inner thighs and to suck in your abs. This pose strengthens your abs, spine, quads, butt, arms, and a very important part of a woman’s body, your middle!
How to Get Rid of Muffin Top
This leads me to my next point. Along with the belly, one of our most challenging areas as women and mamas is the good old middle. Many healthy exercises, like cycling, walking, swimming, and hiking, although great for cardio and your legs, don’t take you far when it comes to how to get rid of a muffin top. For this area to stay toned and strong, you need to find a way to isolate it and make it work – hard!
Ardha Chandrasana or half moon pose, also knows as standing side stretch, is terrific for this area. Traditional vinyasa’s half moon pose and open triangle pose are also terrific as they ask our body to stay upright by employing those middle muscles. Amen!
Enough about toning and strength — let’s get to the fun part. One way to stay motivated about exercise is to get some funky outfits that you feel great in. Yoga outfits offer us the opportunity to sample colors and patterns that the more neutral among us might eschew when it comes to daily dress. I fell in love with this cool, 60’s pattern from my loyal sponsor, Onzie. I love the large floral pattern, the gold, red and pink combo, and the high waisted fit. On top, Onzie’s Black Warrior Bra, with a halter neck, wide chest band, and super soft fabric. And a simple JCrew tank top.
Even though you’re focused on building up the inside when you practice yoga, take time to look at those vast horizons and to dream of pretty skies.
Thanks so much for reading!
Melissa
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