Funky Focus | Bridge, Wheel Pose & Nature Meditations

Blossoming with Backbends;

Finding Stability & Mobility with our physical and mental practices

Written by LJ

We joyously inverted our practice through the spring, let’s blossom into backbends! Backbends, especially Bridge, share a lot of the same restorative benefits that we’ve experienced with Inversions. This month at Funky Buddha Yoga, our focus is on the transformative power of Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) and Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana). We are also shifting our Focus for the quarter! January-June was all about Repetition & Consistency (the keys to learning) and Novelty & Play (which keeps the learning fun and fresh!). For July – December, we’ll focus on Stability & Mobility. 

We’re often more prone to hunch forward than we are to bend backwards, creating non-optimal posture and the adverse effects that come with slouching/prolonged sitting. Back bends of all forms can support mobility, balancing the daily movements and sedentary positions that may cause tension or pain. Known for its ability to support spinal flexibility and alignment, Bridge Pose can alleviate tension in the back and promote enhanced posture. With many points of contact to the ground, Bridge upholds our quarterly theme of stability! It’s a great precursor to poses with less ground-contact (requiring more mobility) like One-Legged Bridge or Wheel. 

Bridge Pose can be a gateway to deeper backbends, offering a gentle yet effective way to open the chest, spine, and hips. With heart-opening, front-body stretching combined with back, glute, and hamstring strengthening- Bridge can be tailored to your body’s desires at any time; offering restorative release by placing a block under hips, engaging strength with a block between knees (oof that glute burn is real!) or creating space with a block beneath feet. This Asana may also be a symbolic bridge between groundedness and elevation, stability and transformation. As we root our feet to the earth, or our yoga mats, and lift our hips to the sky, we might consider all that we learn about balance- the wonderful harmony of effort and ease. 

Wheel Pose’s full body engagement is energetic and powerful! This deep backbend offers full front-body lengthening; stretching your chest, core container, hip flexors, and quadriceps, while opening your heart too. This deep stretching is a wonderful way to counterbalance the postures of our daily lives and allow more space in our chests to support the respiratory system. On the flip side, Wheel is an incredible strengthener, targeting our back muscles, hamstrings, and glutes (oh my!).  

Funky Tip! Find support in your glute and hamstring activation by placing a strap around your upper legs to keep your knees in line with hips; this allows you to focus more on the upward motion in your hips. PLUS! Draw your hip points back down toward your low ribs once you are in Bridge, giving your low back more spaciousness, and your core more stability. As always, no matter how physically demanding a posture is, we invite you to listen to your body as you explore Asanas in your practice.  

Wheel Pose is more than just a physical challenge; it’s a pose that encourages you to break through mental barriers, fostering a sense of empowerment and resilience. In this pose, we are encouraged to open ourselves completely, stretching the boundaries of our physical and mental capabilities. 

The lessons from Bridge and Wheel Pose extend beyond the mat, teaching us about balance, resilience, and openness in our life’s practices. You may recall Funky Buddha’s annual theme being Sadhana (devoted practice) and Seva (selfless service.) Seva, or selfless service, is considered the purest form of lovingkindness, to give with no expectation of reciprocity. Sadhana is the act of forming ritual connection to your practices, devoting time to connect with your innermost self. When we look at melding the two in our practice, we can interpret and apply them in so many ways. Practicing Seva toward yourself may look like offering rest, added support, or choosing a posture that better suits your body’s desires- sometimes choosing not to take Wheel is just as powerful as the posture itself!  

Additionally, by opening our hearts and grounding ourselves, we connect more deeply with our inner selves, enhancing our ability to serve others in the same way. When we look at applying Sadhana to our lives, devoting intentional time to building habits that support our daily lives and longevity. We invite you to approach these Asanas, this practice, with mindfulness that respects your body’s wisdom; warm-up, use props, and take rest to enhance your physical and mental yoga practice. In brief, show up, play, then rest and repeat! 

Here are a few resources to support this Funky Focus!

Bridge Support For Larger Bodies – Video Tutorial

Wrist Stretches For Healthy Hands!

Nature Meditations;

Rooting into Nature to find Presence

This month at Funky Buddha, we’re blossoming our focus to nature-based meditations. In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, finding moments of peace and clarity can feel like a challenge. Yet, there is a powerful, accessible resource available both within and around all of us: nature. Nature meditation is a practice that blends mindfulness with the natural world, offering a serene escape into being carried back to presence by something as simple as noticing leaves fluttering with the wind.  

This month we’ll practice with each of the four elements:  

🌊 Water, like the sound of a steam 

🔥 Fire, like the warmth of the sun 

🌎 Earth, like the sensation of cool ground beneath your feet 

🍃 Air, like the scent of freshly cut grass 

We’ll also remind ourselves, continuously, that we are nature, too; the wind is moving through us with the gifts of each breath. 

Nature meditation teaches us to see the world with fresh eyes and an open heart. Nature becomes a mirror, reflecting our own inner landscapes and offering insights into our lives; the cycles of growth, decay, and renewal observed in nature teach us about resilience, patience, and the interconnectedness of all life. The practices that we’ll work with invite us to slow down and appreciate the simple, yet profound, wonders of the natural world; it reminds us that we are not separate from nature, but an integral part of it. They are invitations to embrace the beauty and wisdom of all natural beings, so that we may find presence and appreciation for ourselves as nature, too. 

“Does the sun ask itself, ‘Am I good? Am I worthwhile? Is there enough of me?’ No, it burns and shines. Does the sun ask itself, ‘What does the moon think of me? How does Mars feel about me today?’ No, it burns and shines. Does the sun ask itself ‘Am I as big as other suns in other galaxies?’ No, it burns and shines.” 

Andrea Dworkin 

If you’d like to dive deeper, we invite you to join us for our monthly meditation circle and check out these resources:

Ten Love Letters To Mother Earth – Tich Naht Hahn

Opening Our Hearts to the Natural World – Meditation by Mark Coleman

                  See too: A Field Guide to Nature Meditations by Mark Coleman – Book

Check out our Youtube for an overview of these concepts or a meditation practice to try them on <3

As always, we hope that you join us M-F at 7:30am for Funky Buddha Yoga’s free, live, virtual meditation to learn how to speak the language your body is communicating with you <3