Sunday Stretch for Sewists #11...Something's Fishy

...because it is not Sunday today! I totally forgot to do the last Sunday of the month stretch post, and well, we were gone all day Sunday anyhow.

I volunteered to test one of Lorna's patterns, and picked Kissy Fishy, thinking most people would go for the animals...bzzzt! Lorna said this was the most popular pattern! It was fun.

In the pattern, her orange fish is the thinner one, and her blue fish the chunkier one; I reversed it (setting myself up for a 'leedle' confusion in this already fog-brain of mine? Sigh...) It all worked out.  Rather splendidly, IMHO.  I wanted to do scrappy fish: hot pink and orange and turquoise and green.  All fabrics are scraps, outside of the clamshell Michael Miller print that was in a fat quarter bundle I bought from Craftsy.  The results were very pleasing. An unplanned pleasant surprise was the polka dot lower fin picking up on some dots in that coral print I used for the face. I did hope the orange Kaffe fabric left over from my Three Quarter Patch Tote would have a good eye effect, and it did.  Not sure, but think I may make these into a cushion cover, or two wallhangings, maybe for Florida.

Fish Pose aka Matsyasana
This isn't a Yin pose; it's used as a counterpose to Yin long held, deep forward bends like Snail, aka Plough, aka Halasana.  It is a good stimulation for the thyroid, and a lovely stretch for the ligaments in the front of the neck after long hours hunched over your sewing machine.

To get into it, lie down on your back and place your hands, palms down, under your butt cheeks, trying to keep your arms parallel.  Press into your palms and forearms, arching your back as you lift your heart to the ceiling, letting the back or top of your head rest on the floor.  Note that there is minimal weight on your head.  Take 5 slow steady breaths here, or if you are familiar and comfortable with the pose, stay a little longer.

Nod to the Detroit Lions for Dayna; she bought me these yoga pants. She took her dad to an open practice Monday afternoon...and so the excitement (and disappointment?) begins for another season...

If your back is more flexible, then arch it more deeply, pushing into your forearms to rise up a bit more, letting your head come up off the floor.  Stay 5 breaths or longer, as you feel is right for you.

Traditionally, Fish Pose is done with the legs in Lotus or Padmasana. You may want to work toward that, as it brings a lovely tug into the hip joints.  First try it with loosely crossed legs:

working on getting the crossed legs in tighter.  Eventually, one day, maybe next month, next year, or next lifetime, grin, full Lotus, either with hands beneath your sacrum, or reach down and grasp your feet. Don't do this unless you can sit comfortably in Lotus. Note that the knees stay down.

To come out, simply lower back down, the same way you went into the pose, removing your arms and hands from underneath you once you are flat.  Lie still and pay attention to the sensations and energies moving around inside your body.  Turn to one side, and pause there before sitting back up.

The benefits are many.  Here is a very good list, but from the photos here, you can see how this corrects rounded shoulders (guilty), and expands and opens the chest, which is so good for the lungs and breathing, and can help asthma sufferers.  As well as this, it creates space in your spinal cord, as you arch away from your pelvis.

Out-take:

One of his humans on the floor brings him right over to check things out, "Are you okay? You are? Here's a kiss to make sure! ... Or could we play? Huh? Huh?!"

We went around one entire block today! 1 km is what we've been doing this week.

As you can see by the burnt to a crisp lawn under the black walnut tree, and the yellowed grass in Lakeside Park on the other side of the street, we are very very dry here.  And it continues to be very very hot.  Which is fine by me.

He pulls and sniffs and pees on various spots until we start to head back home, and then he never fails to look at me with this, "Seriously? That's IT?" look and then PLODS along, in a very resigned, little grump, way. I do think his leg aches for the last quarter of the walk, but he'd never admit to that.

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