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Vikasita Kamalasana

4/7/2025

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We'll be exploring a non-traditional pose this month. It’s got a springy vibe, it’s doable for most, and it’s fun to say!

Vikasitakamalasana (or Vikasita Kamalasana) isn't a traditional or widely recognized pose, so you may find that different studios or teachers are using this pose name to describe different poses. For our purposes, we are referring to the version pictured in the graphic, above.

Vikasita = flowering or blossoming
Kamala = one of the names for lotus flower
Asana = pose
Vikasita Kamalasana = Flowering or Blossoming Lotus Pose
Pronounce: Vee-KAH-see-tah Kah-MAH-lah-sah-nah

Understanding the Concept of "Flowering Lotus"
  • Opening and Expansion: The term "flowering" suggests a deeper opening of the hips and a lifting of the chest, similar to a lotus flower blooming.
  • Progression from Lotus: It often implies a step beyond the basic seated Lotus Pose, potentially involving a balancing element. We’ll be exploring a variation progressing from bound angle pose.
  • Metaphorical Meaning: The lotus flower in yoga symbolizes spiritual awakening, purity, and resilience. The "flowering" aspect can represent the unfolding of one's potential or a spiritual awakening.
Instructions:
  1. Start in Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose): Sit with the soles of your feet together and knees falling open to the sides. Hold onto your big toes with your “peace fingers,” clasp hands together under your feet, or hold your ankles.
  2. Lift the Feet: Lift both feet off the floor, keeping your heels pressed together and lifting the inner heels upward until you are balancing on your sit bones.
  3. Thread the Arms: Thread both arms under your knees.
  4. Find Balance: Join your thumb and forefinger together (Jnana Mudra). Open your chest, lift your heart, and focus your gaze on a drishti. Continue to balance on your sit bones.
  5. Hold and Breathe: Maintain a steady breath for a comfortable duration.
Variation:
​Utthita Vikasitakamalasana (Extended Blossoming Lotus Pose Variation):
From the balanced position, you might extend your legs forward while still holding onto your big toes with your "peace-sign" fingers (index and middle finger). Lift your chest and gaze up.


Notes:
  • Warm-up: Always warm up your hips, knees, and ankles thoroughly before attempting Lotus or its variations. Hip openers like Baddha Konasana, Malasana (Garland Pose), and hip rotations are beneficial.
  • Listen to Your Body: Never force your legs into position. If you feel any pain, back off immediately.
  • Spinal Alignment: Maintain a tall and straight spine throughout the pose.
  • Breath: Breathe deeply and evenly throughout the practice.
  • Mindfulness: Focus on the sensations in your body and the flow of your breath.
  • Guidance: It's highly recommended to learn these poses from an experienced yoga instructor who can provide personalized guidance and ensure proper alignment.
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Ayurvedic Tips for Spring

3/20/2023

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Happy Spring! Spring is not my favorite season, but I still can’t help but get excited about an end to the long CNY winter. I know Mother Nature is likely to send us a few more reminders of her power, and I know that I can’t pack away the boots or down coat for another couple of months, but there’s a sense of transition in the air nonetheless. The season of renewal is upon us.

Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda (literally, “the science of life”), is all about living in harmony with nature. So when the seasons shift, there are some shifts we can make, too, to help us adjust. There are only three seasons in Ayurveda, and they coordinate with the three doshas: Vata (made up of air and ether), Pitta (made up of fire and water), and Kapha (made up of earth and water). In the Northern Hemisphere, the cold, wet late winter and spring are considered Kapha season. As the snow melts into the earth, we have lots of water and earth; in other words, mud. It’s a heavy, cold, muddy season.

A basic Ayurvedic principle is that like increases like, and opposites balance. We are always seeking a balanced state of health without an excess of any of the qualities known as gunas.

How we approach balance varies from person to person, because we each have different levels of the three doshas, but this post is to offer some basic Ayurvedic advice that will apply to most people during Kapha season (late winter and spring).


  • Eat more food that is light, dry, and warm to balance the heavy, wet, cold season. Consider things like steamed vegetables and light soups.
  • Eat less heavy and cold foods such as fried foods, dairy, and sweets.
  • In general, favor foods that are pungent and spicy, bitter, and astringent as well as light, dry and warm, and avoid or reduce foods that are sweet, sour, salty, heavy, cold, and oily.
  • Consider adding more play and activity into your lifestyle. The introspective hibernating of winter is ending, and it’s time to become more active. Try a new exercise class or get outside for some walks, bike riding, or hikes.
  • Your yoga can change, too. You may find that your yoga teacher is slowly adding more flow and picking up the pace in your yoga class. If you usually practice yin or restorative, consider a multi-level or flow class.
  • Cooler spring days are ideal for relaxing in the sauna to sweat out any excess moisture and release toxins.
1 Comment

    Dena D. Beratta

    Honored to teach, but always a student.

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