Karen Watson Reeves demonstrates Sunbird Pose which is easily modified to be accessible to almost everyone. Photography – Fred Padilla
By Karen Watson Reeves
This pose must be one of my favorites, because I don’t teach many classes without working it into the sequence. And one reason I work it into the sequence is because it is accessible (barring knee or wrist injuries) to almost everyone.
It is easily modified to be more challenging by bending the extended leg and reaching the extended arm behind to hold the foot or ankle, thus creating a balancing back bend from table top position. For a beginner, one can extend just the leg for a few breaths and then change by extending just the arm.
I tell my students that Sunbird pose has it all! The three major benefits of yoga are strength building, becoming more flexible, and better balanced. Sunbird (also called Balancing Table) strengthens the abdominals, arms, wrists, shoulders, back, and glutes.
The legs, arms, and spine become more flexible as the practitioner is stretching these body parts as the pose is held. Balance is improved, and focus is required to bring the center of the body to stillness while extending opposite arm and leg. Balance is also cultivated between focused attention and relaxed awareness.
The setting for my Sunbird Pose is a special room in the Historic District where I have been teaching (so many) virtual classes recently. I call it “my yoga room,” but the astute observer will notice all the Tai Chi objects and décor.
And you really can’t miss that I am surrounded by crystals. There is a lot of good energy in this Tai Chi/crystal/yoga room, and I am grateful to Fred Padilla for not only being an amazing photographer, but also for sharing his space. It makes centering easier because there are many objects to focus on. And as I practice Sunbird, fatigue, stress, and tension are relieved, perhaps the best of all the benefits!
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. She became a registered yoga teacher and a registered children’s yoga teacher in 2011. She has taught children and family yoga in many settings and would welcome an opportunity to help your family stay physically active during this time of quarantine. 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. www.TheYogaPlaceHS.com.
