Pose of the week: Tortoise

Here is a breakdown of the new pose we introduced in class this week!

Pose name: Tortoise
Sanskrit name

Getting into the pose


Holding the pose

Moidification

Advanced

Hard to find a picture of this one! So weird pic but it shows the idea

Benefits: Strengthens abdominals. Stretches the hip adductors, hamstrings, upper back and shoulders.: Wiggle feet towards each other in front of the head until they touch. Wrap hands around the low back until they are clasped.: Keep the knees bent and chest open and moving forward.: Inhale and lengthen. Exhale and sink the chest to the floor. Allow complete release at the hip, low back and legs. The release in the legs will encourage the body deep into the pose. Continue moving the heart toward the floor with deep sinking breaths.: From a seated straddle, bend the knees up to create room for the arms to reach under the legs. Spider walk the fingers out so the arms stretch out under the legs in opposite directions. Inhale to open the chest and lengthen the spine, exhale to release the legs onto the arms as the body folds forward toward the floor. Take care to make sure that your upper arm bones are under the legs, not the elebows.: Kurmasana

Pumkin...it's not just for pies

Pumpkin is a great way to add fall flavors to your dishes and is a nutrition powerhouse. It’s not just for pies anymore. Add chopped pumpkin to your next batch of roasted veggies or add pumkin puree to muffins or smoothies. The flavor and appealing color aren’t the only benefits it will impart to your dish, pumpkin provides vitamin C, iron, zinc, vitamin K and is one of the best sources of vitamin A. So whether choosing a fresh, small sugar pumpkin or opt for the easy route and use 100% pure pumpkin puree in the can you really can’t go wrong.

Post-work out pumpkin smoothie:

This recipe was inspired from one I read on the Lululemon blog.I’ve made a few changes and come up with something that tastes better than the original recipe

½ cup pumpkin puree

1 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop of ground flax seeds

1 cup of ice

Dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

The new nutrition guidelines recommend 5-6 servings a week of red or orange vegetables for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory and heart health benefits. So find a tasty way to incorporate some pumpkin into your diet this week.