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Hi there! It's beetee. Did you know that a cold morning shower is soooo beneficial for your health, including waking you up, increasing blood circulation, calming itchy skin, reducing muscle soreness post-workout, AND potentially boosting weight loss (really?)? I have been taking morning baths every day in the ocean here in Norway, just 3 hours south of Oslo, which feels amazing! The air temperature in the morning is usually around 17-18 degrees Celsius, and the water's around 18-20 degrees. I think I might have gotten addicted to the sense of achievement and conquest it provides...
This week's quick dive: Revolved Triangle Pose, Three-Part Breathing and A Yummy & Healthy Scandinavian Recipe.
Yoga Pose of the Week: Revolved Triangle Pose
The pose we talk about this week is literally just one step further from last week, with a little twist.
But first, remember triangle pose? We talked about it in my Yoga Quick Dive #16 in a series of hip external rotation's poses, along with Warrior 2, Extended Side Angle and Tree Pose. Well, revolved triangle pose is just triangle pose... revolved, i.e. turned around to the other side. And because we turn to the other side, it's a hip internal rotation.
Why all these jargons, what's external and internal anyway? Why do we have to do all these? Sometimes, it's so easy to get lost in the myriad of acrobatic, esthetically appealing yoga poses that you forget the functional purpose of doing them. In this case, we are trying to get your hips to move in all ranges of motion, so that you stay mobile - and not tight - even when you age.
In addition to the hamstring stretch, which we talked about two weeks ago, revolved triangle pose also introduces a nice rotation in the spine with simultaneously a forward bend and a twist. This twist requires you to stay in the moment, which is a valuable antidote for a wandering mind.
In Revolved Triangle, it's very important not to overtwist the neck and the back leg's knee. Focus on the finding mobility in the thoracic spine (upper and middle back), and if the back leg's heel lifts off the floor, so be it. Use blocks under your bottom hand if you need to, and enjoy the lower back stretch.
Want to know how to flow with this pose? Drop me a note! I'll make sure it is in your next class ;)
Breathing Time: Three-Part Breathing
This is my favourite self-practice breathing technique. You probably have heard of the three-part breathing before. Also called yogic breathing in yoga, the technique incorporates the abdominal breath, the thoracic breath and the clavicle breath into one full cycle of breath.
Abdominal breathing: breathing through the belly, or more exactly, the lower lungs. Your diaphragm moves significantly downward, your abdominal organs pushed down and your belly expands to make space. This is the part that first feels the least natural as we rarely use the lower lungs, which we should!
Thoracic breathing: breathing using the chest or the middle lungs. Your rib cage widens to the sides to make room for the lungs to inflate. When we don't consciously breathe, thoracic breathing is what we do.
Clavicle breathing: your clavicle bones rise slightly as you take it the last sip of air you could and fill up your upper lungs. By the time you get here, your whole lungs and chest are full.
Sounds simple? A little easier said than done, as this breathing technique requires a little bit more work from your lung muscles than you normally would breathe. The reward is ample though: more capable lungs and a calmed mind thanks to an increase in oxygen supply. It took me a couple of months of practice to really feel comfortable with this breath, and I will be happy to guide you! In the next Yoga Quick Dive, I'll show you how to take this breathing technique one small step further with a video and some soothing rhythm 🎵
Anything above the Earth and below the Sun is Life. Hopefully something useful to you, or at least something that will bring a smile to your face. 😊
A Yummy & Healthy Scandinavian Recipe
While in Scandinavia, discover Scandinavian food! We talked about Norwegian salmons in the last Yoga Quick Dive, and we all know what salmon does to your body (Victoria Beckham apparently have been eating only it for the past several decades)!
Support bone health
Maintain healthy vision
Can improve mental health
Protect brain health
Benefit weight management
This week, let's male Gravlaks (or cured salmon), a typical Scandinavian dish. Nobody knows where it came from originally, the Sweds say it's theirs, the Norsks say it's Norsk. Either way, salmons are more well known to come from Norway, and the recipe I'm about to give you was given to me by my Norsk man ❤️
Ingredients
Sashimi-grade salmon with skin, bones removed. The better the quality of the fish, the more delicious your cured salmon will be
Salt and sugar
Strong alcohol (aquavit, vodka, rum, gin or whisky)
Dill
Preparation
Here's the recipe from the Norwegian boyfriend: "Half half salt and sugar (lots) rub on two meat sides of salmon. Add chopped dill and pour a few chugs of strong alcohol(Rum,Gin,whiskey etc) place meat against meat on a plate&clingwrap under some pressure(wine bottkes etc) for 2-3 days, turn the fish once per day".
(me rolling eyes) Zero precision! Thanks! Now, there's something called Google if you want a tad more details, here.
Serving
Sweet mustard sauce is a must! The main ingredients for the sauce is obviously Dijon mustard, but feel free to add lots of brown sugar, some cider vinegar, honey, dill and even an egg yolk in the mayonnaise way. Taste as you mix and adjust. Serve with some dark rye bread, or a creamy potato salad. I'm literally drooling right now. If you try, let me know how you go xx
Thanks for reading! But don't leave just yet!
Ask me TWO questions or leave me TWO comments below. I'd love to hear from you.
Until then, take a deep breath and keep your worries away!
Love,
beetee
Yoga Quick Dive is a series of bimonthly newsletters that should take no more than 5 minutes of your reading time. Let's deep dive quickly into 3 topics: Body, Mind and Life.
You can also listen to the Yoga Quick Dive on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.