Commentary by Anne Johnson
Namaste! We all need some extra energy during the holidays. As the jolly, busy, bustling season approaches, I’m proud to feature November’s energizing yoga pose. Yoga helps us build energy through breath, movement and concentration. Continued practice helps us improve balance both inside and out. Now let me introduce crab pose.
Crabs are also known as decapods because they have 10 legs. Just imagine how much you could get done with eight extra legs! Their first pair of legs doesn’t resemble legs, though. They have been modified by nature into claws. True crabs can walk slowly in any direction, but when they need to hurry, they usually move sideways. Crabs often work together to get food and to protect their families.
To become a crab, sit on your bottom and place your hands and feet on the ground. Lift your bottom off the ground and press your tummy to the sky. Walk and skitter like a crab. Move forward, backward, sideways, in circles or even try to lift one leg at a time to balance. In which direction of movement are you the quickest?
Crab pose is a shoulder stretch and arm strengthener in one pose. It works your coordination as you crab walk from side to side and front to back. For extra energy, try a crab walk race with your friends!
Join me next month to learn about another yoga pose, its benefits, and even give it a try yourself. The energy in me honors the contagious energy in you.
Contributor Anne Johnson teaches kids, tots, expectant and new mothers yoga at Simply Yoga in Zionsville. As a 200 RYT registered yoga teacher, engineer, and children’s book author, Anne enjoys writing and sharing “adult ideas” in a way that makes them accessible to children.
