By Karen Watson Reeves
While wandering our city this month’s photo location has taken me away from the National Park/downtown area. Part of the fun of this article for me, along with help and inspiration from my trusty photographer Fred Padilla, is finding the right place and pose to feature each month.
So why am I doing Goddess Pose in front of the horse and jockey statue at Oaklawn? Like many of the yoga poses, as pointed out in previous articles, there are several names for this one as well, including Temple, Horse (thus the location for the photo), and if literally translated from the Sanskrit, Utkata Konasana, we would call it Fierce Angle Pose.
Most commonly called Goddess Pose, a feminine name, it isn’t just for women. Because of its stretching, strengthening and balancing aspects, it can help men and women alike connect to their energy center. It is a squat that is accessible to even the most beginner yogi and can be adapted to any fitness level by taking it deeper and varying the arm positions. It can become a twist or a side stretch with modifications.
Goddess Pose opens and stretches the hips, groin, shoulders, and chest. It strengthens the quadriceps, inner thigh muscles and core. It lengthens the spine, improves posture and creates an openness in the pelvis by lengthening and relaxing muscles.
It is said that much of the body’s stress is held in the hips, close to the psoas muscles. With a regular practice of Goddess Pose, the opening of the glutes, flexing of the hips, and contraction of the psoas muscles can help to reduce stress. As the adductors (the inner thigh muscles) are stretched in this pose, the sciatic nerve is also stretched, which can help prevent sciatic pain.
As the spine is lengthened proper posture is a benefit, as well as a maximum use of the diaphragm muscles. Breathing properly is essential to maintain balance (on and off the mat) and it is easier to breathe deeply with the shoulders and arms opened up. This is a pose that strengthens and stretches both the upper and lower body.
It makes the practitioner feel super strong, so whatever you prefer to call this pose, practice it regularly. Step your feet apart with your toes turned outward, bend your knees into a squat, practice proper posture as you strengthen your shoulders, breathe deeply, and imagine a horseback ride through the National Park.
Karen Watson Reeves was born and raised in Mount Holly and has called Hot Springs home since 2006. She became a registered yoga teacher in 2011 and has travelled Arkansas teaching her passion. She owns The Yoga Place, is on the Hot Springs YMCA teaching staff, is an adjunct instructor at National Park College, as well as teaching in several other fabulous venues. When not on the mat, Karen enjoys the beautiful outdoors of the National Park, especially from her bicycle.
