Nichol's TIPs: Vasisthasana, facing fear, and keys to planking
WELCOME to Nichol's TIPs - a weekly newsletter where I share a TUTORIAL, some INSPIRATION, and a PRACTICE.
This week, we'll explore Vasisthasana (Side Plank), facing fear, and keys to planking.
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VASISTHASANA (Side Plank) TUTORIAL
***click here to watch tutorial video
STEP 1.
Build a STRONG FOUNDATION.
"Point your index fingers straight forward and spread your other fingers out evenly. Press down into the floor with your fingertips like your're releasing claws."
STEP 2.
Find a STRONG PLANK.
"Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels. Draw your belly button toward your spine. Bring your heels, hips and shoulders into one straight line."
STEP 3.
Find the muscle activation for STABLE SHOULDERS.
"Hug the inner edge of your shoulderblades toward one another slightly. Slide your shoulderblades down your back. Knit the front of your ribcage in and back, and bring your upper back closer to your shoulder blades (it will feel like your're filling the space between your shoulder blades)."
AND FINALLY, PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!
QUOTE and a QUESTION for INSPIRATION
QUOTE.
by Sonya Renee Taylor, who is an author, poet, spoken word artist, speaker, humanitarian and social justice activist and educator:
"To be fear-facing is to learn the distinction between fear and danger. It is to look directly at the source of the fear and assess if we are truly in peril or if we are simply afraid of the unknown."
- Source: The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
QUESTION.
When is the last time you looked directly at the source of your fear? What did you discover? Were you truly in peril or afraid of the unknown?
Keys to Planking PRACTICE
Here is a LINK to a short practice that features side plank and side plank variations. You will learn the keys to planking and how to hold onto this strength with some leg variations.
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Until next week,
Nichol Chase