Nichol's TIPs: Eight Crooks Pose, the aesthetic mindset, and the power of hooks & levers
WELCOME to Nichol's TIPs - a weekly newsletter where I share a TUTORIAL, some INSPIRATION, and a PRACTICE.
This week, we'll explore Eight Crooks Pose (Astavakrasana), the aesthetic mindset, and the power of hooks & levers.
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ASTAVAKRASANA (Eight Crooks Pose) TUTORIAL
***click here to watch tutorial video
STEP 1.
LIFT UP away from the floor.
"Place your hands on blocks, bend your knees, cross your shins, lift your hips up, and then lift your feet up."
STEP 2.
HOOK leg over arm &
HOOK feet together.
"Hook your leg over your arm like a backpack strap. Then, hook your bottom foot over the top of the lifted foot."
STEP 3.
LEAN FORWARD & STRAIGHTEN your legs.
"Lift your hips up and lean your chest forward. Then straighten your legs."
AND FINALLY, PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!
QUOTE and a QUESTION for INSPIRATION
QUOTE.
by Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross. Susan Magsamen is the founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Ivy Ross is the Vice President of Design for hardware product area at Google:
"Being in the aesthetic mindset.....is about being present in your life. You're feeling and sensing all of the things that make you feel alive, grounded, and connected. When you tap into the arts to foster a meditative state, the places in your brain responsible for judgment and personal criticism are quieted in your prefrontal cortex, and you can access a more generous, perspective-taking point of view."
- Source: Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross
QUESTION.
Can you remember the last time you were doing something artistic and felt alive, grounded and connected? What activity was it? How might you arrange your life to do more of this?
Power of Hooks & Levers PRACTICE
Here is a LINK to a short practice that features eight crooks pose (about 40min in) and uses the power of hooks and levers to achieve liftoff.
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Until next week,
Nichol Chase