I was reaching my arms overhead in urdhva hastasana and – I thought – doing a pretty good job.  I was straightening the arms, lifting through the sides of the waist, and (for once) not sticking my ribs at.  Ah-ha, I thought, I’m DOING it!  My teacher comes by and purses her lips at me.  “Relax here, stop working so hard.  Your collarbones are all tight.”  She wiggles my fingers until my collarbones have space to breathe.

Hmmmm, now I seem to be doing much less.  And it feels…better.

How many times [read more...]]]> I realized last week that trying too hard to lift my arms.

I was reaching my arms overhead in urdhva hastasana and – I thought – doing a pretty good job.  I was straightening the arms, lifting through the sides of the waist, and (for once) not sticking my ribs at.  Ah-ha, I thought, I’m DOING it!  My teacher comes by and purses her lips at me.  “Relax here, stop working so hard.  Your collarbones are all tight.”  She wiggles my fingers until my collarbones have space to breathe.

Hmmmm, now I seem to be doing much less.  And it feels…better.

How many times have we been struggling with a pose only to realize that the next step involves letting something go rather than adding on more effort?  “Sthira Sukham Asanam” as it says in the yoga sutras, which means “asana is a steady, comfortable seat.”  But somehow we find it much easier to focus on the “steady” part of the equation than the “comfort.”  When we go to yoga class, we are usually trying to be good students.  We want to “do it” right.  And it’s usually easier to “do” something than to “let go” of something.  So we do, do, and do… and hope that we’re on the right path.

It’s time to focus on the other side of the equation.  The comfort side.  The undoing side.  Can we simplify our practice so that we’re doing what we need to?  No more, no less.  Yoga then becomes a process of stripping away, rather than layering on.  We come down to the essential elements of the poses, rather than bogging them down in layers of tension.  Un-do. Simplify.  Do what is necessary, not more.

As a delightful challenge to the process of simplification, this week’s pose is parivrtta ardha chandrasana (revolved half moon).  A profoundly challenging balancing pose, we are asked to basically revolve our Virabhadrasana III (warrior III).  Even here, search for the sukha.  Do what is necessary, not more.

Component Parts:

Neutral legs: The back leg is certainly going to want to externally rotate.  Strongly lift the inner thigh of the extended back leg to the ceiling as you reach through the back heel.  The standing leg hip will want to rotate forward.  Draw the standing leg hip back and firm the inner thighs towards each other.   Find this adductor (inner thigh) action in earlier, more accessible poses like lunges, Virabhadrasana I, Parvottanasana, and Virabhadrasana III.

Thoracic Spine/Twist: For this twist, the thoracic spine must draw strongly into the body.  Keep the upper body open, use the bottom tips of the shoulder blades to dig into the chest and lift the chest open.  Broaden the collarbones.  Good places to find this: cobra, updog, open twists, parivrtta parsvakonasana, parivrtta trikonasana

Core: A strong connection from the inner legs into the center is essential.  The flexies among us will be tempted to twist by collapsing in the lower back.  Instead, lengthen the tailbone to the extended heel and lift the sides of the waist to the ceiling.  From this strength and foundation, then open the chest.  Find this core work in navasana (try it with straight legs, coming from dandasana – just like picking up your right angle and shifting it into another perspective.  It’s a whole new pose!).  A great way to workshop navasana is on your back.  This helps keep the spine long and the lower back drawing into the body (rather than collapsing away and rounding the spine – thanks to our quadratus lumborum for the support!).  Lay on your back about two feet from the wall and bring your heels onto the wall, legs together, like tadasasana.  Lift your chest without hyper extending the lower back.  With legs straight, make your heels light then gently lift them away from the wall until your legs are at ninety degrees.  Then slowly (slowly) lower the heels back to the wall, keeping the chest open, lower back long.  Once we’ve got that, we can try to come into navasana from dandasana with the legs straight.  Lift through the chest, tip back, zip your legs together, and lift your legs.  Keep the chest open and the lower back drawing up and in.  Guaranteed to warm you up.

Hamstrings: Oh yes, the hamstrings must be warmed up.  Uttanasana, parsvottanasana (pyramid), prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward fold), virabhadrasana III (warrior III).

Sequencing ideas:

Virasana/Meditation to start.  Teach the neutral legs.  Touch on the lengthening of the side waist, lift of the chest.

Extended cat/cow: neutral legs, reach through heels.  Opening chest without collapsing waist.

Make your way into Surya A’s as a general warm up, with lunges and an open twist

Warrior II to warm up hamstrings

Prasarita Padottanasana (with strap behind to encourage opening of thoracic), hamstrings, neutral

Surya B for neutral alignment in legs – add in parivrtta parsvakonasana with focus on lengthening both sides, rather than C-curve

Parsvottanasana (with strap behind, open chest)

To the wall:

Navasana core exercise (see above.  On back, then from dandasana.  Also an interesting option here to do jathara parivartanasana.)

Supta Hasta Padangustasana with extended foot on wall and using strap (to find alignment in non-weight bearing position)

Utkatastana at wall (to give hamstrings a break)

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana at wall (leg neutral)

Virabhadrasana III with extended leg at wall.  Use blocks under hands.  The openness and lift of the chest is a potent counterbalance to the extended leg.

Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana with extended leg at wall – TADA!  I love using the wall here, as it encourages length and an accuracy in alignment that is freeing.

Cool down should include some bent leg hip openers to soothe the outer hips and give hamstrings a rest.  Baddha konasana, Ankle to knee, a forward fold in sukhasana would feel great.

Eka Pada Koundinyasana #1 (there are two versions of this pose) is not only an arm balance, it’s also a deep twist.  To warm up the body effectively, [read more...]]]> Eka Pada Koundinyasana.  It’s one of those poses that you see on the cover of yoga journal, performed by someone smiling peacefully (and seemingly in no state of stress or panic) that makes you go, “Huh?  Riiiiiiiiiight.”  As my boyfriend said with alarm upon seeing this picture to the left, “Jesus!  That is not good!”  (Photo courtesy of Yoga Journal.)  But despite it’s daunting appearance, there are accessible roads into this seemingly impossible position.

Eka Pada Koundinyasana #1 (there are two versions of this pose) is not only an arm balance, it’s also a deep twist.  To warm up the body effectively, we must first imprint our body (especially our upper body) with the alignment necessary to support the pose.

Common misalignments

In a word: hunching.  Coming into this arm balance from a deep twist, we tend to slouch our shoulders forward and collapse in our chests.  In fact, we tend to do this even in more accessible twists.  For example, bring to mind parivrtta parvakonasana (revolved side angle).  (See right, thanks again, yoga journal!)  Usually in order to get our arm to the outside of our leg, we make a big ‘ol C curve in the spine – anything to get that (in this case, left) elbow over there.  Our head and pelvis are no longer lined up, and we shorten the upper side of our torso.  This causes the left shoulder to droop forward, which means that we can’t get that left shoulder blade down and INTO our back to facilitate the twist. We get stuck.

To protect the shoulder joints and create maximum length in the body, we instead need set up for this pose by maintaining even alignment in both sides of the spine.  As we lengthen the spine, the keep the shoulder blades ON the back, so that they act like little shovels  and lift our thoracic spine up and INTO our body.  We maintain a virtual backbend in our upper back.  Our chests lift and our collarbones stay wide.

Then we need to keep this openness through the upper body AS we move into a twist and balance on our hands.  No biggie, right?

Component parts

Upper back/Thoracic: As discussed, this is essential for the pose and for the happiness of the shoulder joint.

Shoulderblade Position: On your back. This goes with upper back.  Upper arms gather in.

Core: Yep, you gotta find a some core stability here  – even while you keep the chest open.  That means we need to engage the deep core muscles like the transverse abdominis rather than the rectus abdominis (those six-pack, or “crunching” muscles).

Legs: Work those legs.  If you want to get airborne, stretch through the legs and feet with great enthusiasm.

And actually, that’s kind of it.  No hamstrings, no great flexibility needed here. Just a brave, open heart and some core engagement.

Sequencing:

This week, I’m sequencing this pose with an intent to work on maintaining the lift and openness of the spine during the twist.

To get everyone imprinted with the right body in the action, I start everyone at the wall with a block.  Standing in tadasana a little aways from the wall, place the block on your shoulderblades so that the block is giving encouragement for the thoracic to draw in and up.  You may have to play with your distance. You want to be far enough away that you don’t have to lean forward, but close enough in that you are upright and getting the feeling of the block lifting your spine up and in.

Then do the same thing, this time with the block in the middle of your buttocks (so the tailbone is lengthening down to your heels).  Imagine the block moving up and into your chest.

Tadasana into Urdhva Hastasana with a block between your hands.  Imagine the other two blocks now: one into your upper back, the other pressing your tailbone down to the floor.  Straighten your arms, stretch your legs, and reach, baby, reach!

Then, use the recall of the two block positions all through class to encourage chest open, long lower back.  Here are some highlighted poses I’ll hit:

Dandasana (seated on block – length and evenness of spine)

Maricyasana III, both sides.  No bind – remember, we want to avoid the rounding of the spine and sliding off of the shoulder blades.  Focus on keeping skull atop pelvis, even length through both sides of waist, and lift in the thoracic.

Sun salutations – again, weaving the focus of the upper back lift throughout.

Low lunge (back knee up)

Low lunge with twist)

Trikonasana (triangle) to focus on even length of both sides of waist

Twisting chair (no C-curve)

Parivrtta Parsvakonsasna – less is more.  Have them keep length in both sides of waist rather than end gaining and getting elbow across at all costs.

Getting into it:

To actually get into the pose, I like YJ’s description below, with a couple of modification possiblities.

As a modification of the pose, Ardha Mastyendrasa with the bottom leg extended.  Work on keeping the lift and openness in spine – all the same actions we’ve been doing all class.

As a variation, put the sitbone of the crossed over leg on top of a block (not everyone can sit on their heels).  Work the twist from there, but don’t bring your hands to the floor.  Instead stay upright.  Explore the constraint of the legs as you lift, open, and twist.

Here’s the YJ exerpt with my notes in blue:

Step by Step

Come into it from a standing position. First bend your knees as if to squat, then take your left knee to the floor. Turn your left foot so it points to the right and sit on the heel. Cross your right foot over your left thigh and place it, sole down, beside your left knee. Your right knee should point toward the ceiling.  (Okay, here’s where I say, place a block underneath your right butt if you can’t sit back on your left heel.  Work the lift and twist from there and be happy.)

To twist, bring your left waist, side ribs, and shoulder around to the right. Place your left upper arm across your right thigh and slide your left outer armpit down the outside of the thigh. Use movements similar to those you used in Parsva Bakasana to maximize your twist and make good contact between your left upper arm and right outer thigh.  (Okay, you may need to do a little rounding here, but as soon as you find the connect, work the same actions you have been.  Get your shoulderblades back on your back, lengthen your chest forward.) Maintaining this contact high on the arm and far to the outside of the thigh is the secret to the pose.

To place your hands on the floor, first straighten your left elbow and put your left palm down (you may need to lean to the right to bring your hand all the way down). To place your right hand, carefully lift both hips without losing the left-arm-to-right-thigh placement, lean even more to the right, and put your right hand on the floor. Your hands should be shoulder width apart, with your middle fingers parallel to each other. Most of your weight will still be on your knees and feet.

Without losing contact between your left arm and your right outer thigh, lift your hips so you can flip your left foot and stand on the ball of the foot, heel up. Next, lift your left knee off the floor so most of your weight is on your feet. Lift your hips a little higher and start shifting your weight to bring your whole torso above and between your hands with its midline parallel to your middle fingers. Leaning your weight slightly forward, bend your left elbow a little, then tilt your head and shoulders a bit toward the floor. This should leverage your right foot up in the air. When your right foot is up, lean your weight farther forward until your left foot becomes light, then lifts up with an exhale. (Keep your shoulderblades ON your back, reach your sternum forward.  No droopy shoulders!)

To finish the pose, straighten both knees simultaneously with an inhale. Lift the left leg until it’s parallel to the floor. Bending your left elbow more, lift your right foot higher, and reach out through the balls of both feet. Adjust the height of your right shoulder so it’s the same as the left. Lift your chest to bring your torso parallel to the floor. Breathing smoothly, hold the pose for 20 seconds or longer (Um, whatever?  Be happy with whatever you do, even if you just get an inkling of taking the weight off your feet), then release both feet to the floor with an exhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time.

Have fun, see you in class!

This week’s pose is halasana (plow). By turning ourselves upside down and folding over, we are literally looking into ourselves. The pose helps us to pull our energy in and become more contained and centered. As in inversion, halasana encourages us to challenge our point of view and get out of sticky patterns. Its (literally!) navel-gazing properties can help [read more...]]]> During the holidays, it’s more important than ever to have some quiet time. With all of the distractions – parties, relatives, drama, presents, planning, joy, baggage – it’s easy to get swept away on a holiday rollercoaster!

This week’s pose is halasana (plow). By turning ourselves upside down and folding over, we are literally looking into ourselves. The pose helps us to pull our energy in and become more contained and centered. As in inversion, halasana encourages us to challenge our point of view and get out of sticky patterns. Its (literally!) navel-gazing properties can help us become less reactive and more grounded. How do we want to greet the new year?

Halasana is rather like dandasana – on its head. While many of us do a “soft” halasana that resembles a forward fold, the full expression of the pose more closely resembles a backbend, with the shoulder blades drawing strongly into the back, the hips reaching up into the sky, and the spine perpendicular to the floor rather than rounded.

Component parts:

Arms: extension, external rotation.

Thoracic: drawing in strongly.

Hamstrings: must be warmed up to approach the pose

Neck: cervical spine in flexion

Hips: reaching into the air

Poses for preparation:

Downward Dog: teach the reaching of the hips up toward the ceiling, lifting away from the floor.  Also, this pose will start to warm up the hamstrings, warm up the shoulders (albeit in flexion), and actually looks like halasana – in a different orientation

Backbends with the shoulders in extension: salabhasana, bridge, baby cobra, dhanurasana.  These will start to teach both the essential drawing in of the thoracic spine as well as warm up the extension of the arm at the shoulder.

Forward folds to open the hamstrings: Uttansanasa, Parsvottanasana (with arms in reverse namaste you will also treat extension of the arm), Prasarita Padottanasana B and C (wide-legged forward fold with the hands at the waist or fingers interlaced behind you).

Jalandhara Bandha (chin to chest): practice this in dandasana.  With jalandhara bandha,  you must continue to strongly lift the chest up.  Do not compromise the pose by drooping in the thoracic spine.

Teaching the pose:

I like to teach this pose with the shoulders stacked on foam blocks or on 2-3 neatly folded, thick (Mexican style) blankets.  Just as in shoulderstand, lifting the shoulders onto a support will enable you to lift more strongly through the thoracic spine, as well as protect the cervical spine from flattening. Use more support rather than less when you’re starting.

Try placing the blankets about a leg’s distance away from the wall, with the folded edges toward the center of the room.  Come onto the blankets with your head TOWARD the wall and your shoulders on the blankets/supports.  First press your upper arms down firmly into the support and tuck your shoulder blades underneath you.  Press the outer arms and palms down as you swing your legs over your head and bring them onto the wall at the same height as your hips.  (You may have to play with the distance you are from the wall until you find the right position.)  You will make an L-shape with your body.  Roll your upper arms more deeply underneath your body to facilitate the lifting of the thoracic spine.  Bring your hands to your back, as close to the floor as possible to lift the thoracic spine up and in. Press your arms down to lift the chest up.  Reach your hips straight up to the ceiling.  Press your feet into the wall and your quads to the ceiling in order to lift the hips up higher.  To the extent that is accessible, you may walk your feet down the wall towards the baseboard as far as you can without compromising the vertical lift of the hips.

Smooth out your breath.  Keep pressing your arms down in order to lift your chest and hips up.  Press the back of your head down gently to maintain the gentle curve of the cervical spine.  Breath, and turn your attention inwards.  Embrace the quiet.

To come out, keep pressing your arms down firmly as you bring your hands back to the floor and slowly begin to roll out.  Let your knees bend when your hips hit the floor.

Counterpose:

Move yourself toward the wall until your shoulders are on the floor, giving you a slight backbend.  Take a gentle spinal twist to each side.  Downdog to release the back of the neck.

Variations:

In case of neck injury or high/low blood pressure issues, you can do a modified version by doing viparita karani (legs up the wall) with a block underneath the hips.  Tuck the shoulderblades under you and lift the thoracic spine up and reach through the heels (legs together).  Another alternative is dandasana, or a restorative backbend with a bolster underneath the back and the legs extended out straight.

“You want me to put my knees where and balance on my what?” we think with dismay.

But with just a few steps, you two can begin to find the effortless flight that characterizes this arm balance. And the key lies in finding your core. The gateway to the core? Your inner thighs. Very simply, by using your adductors (the muscles that allow you to squeeze your legs together), you begin to activate your core – namely your transverse abdominis. Once this engagement starts, [read more...]]]> Bakasana is one of those asani that looks impossible until you actually do it.

“You want me to put my knees where and balance on my what?” we think with dismay.

But with just a few steps, you two can begin to find the effortless flight that characterizes this arm balance. And the key lies in finding your core. The gateway to the core? Your inner thighs. Very simply, by using your adductors (the muscles that allow you to squeeze your legs together), you begin to activate your core – namely your transverse abdominis. Once this engagement starts, you are on your way to flight.

Finding the Adductors

To find the adductors, try “scissoring” your legs together in poses such as lunge, virabhadrasana I, parsvottanasana, and other neutral-legged postures. This scissoring action will help “square” your hips, create a sense of buoyancy through the pelvic floor, and add stability to your posture. Another great way to find the adductors is to bring a block between your feet or your inner thighs and squeeze – presto! Instant adductor action.

Here’s a good sequence to help you find your core:

-Place a block on medium width between your thighs and stand in tadasana (it’s okay, your feet will be under your hips)

-Inhale arms up into urdhva hastasana (squeeze the block)

-Exhale uttanasana (squeeze the block)

-Inhale halfway (squeeze the block)

-Exhale uttanasana (squeeze the block)

-Inhale urdhva hastasana/ arms up (squeeze the block)

-Exhale tadasasna (squeeze the block)

You get the idea? You can do a whole sun salutation with the block by jumping (with your knees bent) into down dog and moving through the vinyasa from there. Holding plank or forearm plank with the block between the upper thighs can change the dynamic of the posture by encouraging the activation of the legs and the core. When the legs start working for you, the pose becomes easier on the arms and the wrists.

It’s All in the Shape

The shape of the back in bakasana is similar to that in an arching cat. When many of us start to come into bakasana, we flatten out the spine, which actually makes is more difficult to engage the abdominals. Also, instead of trying to balance the knees in the armpit, instead, clamp the knees onto the outer upper arms. This clamping action allows you to find the inner thighs, which has a trickle up effect to the pelvic floor and abdominals, giving you lift.

Poses to find the rounding of the back aren’t common in yoga, as we tend to work toward a straight spine. However, here are a few that can help:

-The cat part of cat/cow

-Garudasana (Eagle), if you hinge from hips and round the back

-Arching cat in downward dog. To do this, come into downward dog. Extend one leg back. Shift your shoulders over your wrists (a la plank). Draw your knee to your nose, press into your hands, and round your spine toward the ceiling. Stretch the leg back into three-legged dog and repeat a few times.

Doing the Pose

My favorite way of doing bakasana is to start with the feet together on a block.

-Place your feet on the block and widen your knees.

-Place your hands on the floor shoulder distance apart and spread your fingers wide. Claw the fingers into the floor so that you are distributing your weight through the whole hand and not just bearing down through the wrist

-Hunker down and clamp your knees onto your arms as high up as you can. Squeeze. Feel your adductors fire up.

-Look forward

-Begin to shift your weight forward off the block and into your hands

-As you shift, keep your tailbone reaching down so that you your spine is round and not flat, scooping your abdominals up

-Bring one foot off the block, maybe both. If you have both, then squeeze the sides of your feet together, lift your addominals up, and straighten your arms

-Come down by bringing one foot to the block and then the other.

If you felt your adductors firing and your back rounding, then you are on the right path!

Possible Sequence

Bakasana is a great pose for the wintery months, when we feel as if our inner furnace is a bit dimmed.

Cat/Cow (focus on rounding of spine)

Cat/Cow – add leg extension and knee to nose

Extended child’s pose

Downward Dog

Cat/Cow in Downward Dog (students have option to return to easier version on their knees if necessary)

Low lunge (scissor legs and fire adductors)

Forearm plank (do forearm plank rather than plank to preserve the wrists for later)

Repeat on other side

Sun Salutation with block between inner thighs or feet 3-5 times

Utkatasana

Eagle with forward fold to round spine

Surya B (focus on adductors) 1-3 times

Surya B to downward dog, step into lunge, parivrtta parsvakonasana (revolved side angle) – Both sides

Parsvottanasna (Pyramid pose)

Malasana (squat) – squeeze inner thighs in

Navasana (Boat)

Bakasana (as described above)

Table or purvottanasana to release front of body

Upavista Konasana (wide-legged forward fold) to release inner thighs

Baddha Konasana (cobbler’s pose)

Maricyasana C (seated twist)

Pascimottanasna (seated forward fold)

onto back: Reclined Ankle to Knee

Savasana

Headstand is an elegant inversion, insisting on patience, presence, and control to be done properly. For many of us, headstand is an opportunity to brush against our fear. Fear of the unknown, of falling, of not being in control. As such, the practice of headstand become an opportunity to practice intimacy with this fear. When we move slowly and with awareness, we can breathe through our fear reflex and assess where we really are. Rather than getting caught up in a fear narrative, we practice slowing down and observing our response. Whether [read more...]]]> Moving with our fear.

Headstand is an elegant inversion, insisting on patience, presence, and control to be done properly. For many of us, headstand is an opportunity to brush against our fear. Fear of the unknown, of falling, of not being in control. As such, the practice of headstand become an opportunity to practice intimacy with this fear. When we move slowly and with awareness, we can breathe through our fear reflex and assess where we really are. Rather than getting caught up in a fear narrative, we practice slowing down and observing our response. Whether we actually go upside down or not is actually irrelevant! More interesting is developing our capacity for self-observation and spaciousness.

Iyengar writes, “Regular and precise practice of Sirsasana develops the body, disciplines the mind and widens the horizons of the spirit. One becomes balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, shame and fame, and defeat and victory.” -Light on Yoga

Risk factors:
The neck. When we practice sirsasana, it is important that we work gradually to put weight on the head. When we are starting, place very little weight on the head and instead work to support the body through the work and stability of the shoulder girdle. This will prevent the delicate cervical spine from being overloaded.

The lower back: It is easy to “banana” in the lower back and crunch the lumbar spine. We must work to open the shoulders and engage to core to prevent collapse in the low back.

High/low blood pressure: Since we are increasing cranial pressure, it is prudent for students with blood pressure issues to proceed with caution or ask their doctor. Also, students with similar pressure issues such as glaucoma or hiatal hernia should seek advice from their physician before working on headstand.

Component Parts:

The upper arm and lower arm are both in flexion.  The upper arm will be working towards external rotation.  Investigate poses such as Utthita Hastasana (arms raised in tadasana), Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog), Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), Vrksasana (Tree with arms raised), and Gomukhasana Arms (cow-faced pose, the top arm).  Dolphin and Forearm Stand Prep are great preps.

Thoracic Spine.  Even though we’re not backbending in sirsasana, the action of the upper back feels like backbending as we draw the shoulderblades deeper into the body.  Backbends and twists are great way to access this action in the upper back.

Core.  To support our body weight and keep the lower back long.  Poses such as plank, forearm plank, Vasisthasana (side plank) are all great educators for the core.

Neutral legs.  Find the connection of the adductors and the neutral position of the legs in lunges, Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I), Utkatasana (fierce/chair pose), and parsovttanasana (pyramid pose)

Warmed-up hamstrings.  To get into headstand requires walking the legs in to the body, which is facilitated by long hamstrings.  Warm up the hamstrings in uttanasana (forward fold), prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged forward fold), parsvottanasana (pyramid pose)

Variations:

Do at wall or in corner.  I highly recommend practicing this pose at the wall until confidence in one’s balance is developed.

Dolphin – prep only (head off floor, legs in Adho Mukha Svanasana).  Raise one leg at a time

Prep (head on or off floor, but feet stay on floor), with block at wall, pressing into shoulderblades to encourage thoracic action (need a friend to help with this one!)

Possible Sequence:

Virasana on a block (neutral legs)

Add utthita hastasana, fingers interlaced (flexion in upper arms) x 2, right and left interlace

Extended child’s pose (arms in flexion).  Work action of thoracic spine

Plank, forearm plank variations (core)

Adho Mukha Svanasana (flexion, hamstrings, neutral)

Lunges (neutral legs)

Lunge with open twist (thoracic)

Surya A (hamstrings, neutral legs, arms in flexion, core) x 5

- last time add parivrtta parsvakonasana (thoracic)

Uttanasana – held (hamstrings)

Trikonasana (hamstrings, possible flexion arm variation)

Vrksasana (balance and arms in flexion)

Utkatasana, holding block (arms flexion)

Parvsottanasana (R/L), with straight back (hamstrings, work thoracic)

Parivrtta Trikonasana (thoracic, hamstrings)

Tadasana with Gomukhasana Arms

–To Wall–

Virabhadrasana III with hands at wall (core, neutral legs, hamstrings)

Virabhadrasana III with back foot on wall (core, neutral legs, hamstrings)

Dolphin (Sirsasana prep)

Sirsasana

Child’s pose

Adho Mukha Svanasana (to release neck)

Variation of Salamba Sarvanghasana (shoulderstand) with block under pelvis and legs in air

Twist

Reclined Ankle to Knee

Savasana

For the student who is beyond tired, do a very gentle asana practice to help the mind settle down and to facilitate the transition [read more...]]]> “Two of the biggest causes for not being able to sleep at night are over-exhaustion and over-stimulation. You must clarify which of these scenarios is true for you or for your students. Are you or your students totally exhausted and beyond sleep because of working all day, or is the mind racing and the body too tense to relax? There are two different asana remedies for these conditions which make for a perfect evening practice before bed.

For the student who is beyond tired, do a very gentle asana practice to help the mind settle down and to facilitate the transition into sleep. A suggested practice includes: Morning Series, Hip Series, Marjarasana and restorative poses (i.e. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana with bolsters end to end at the wall, Pranayama Posture, Viparita Karani or Sarvangasana on a chair, and Supta Baddha Konasana on a bolster). Prior to Shavasana, encourage the student to do the meditation snacks, specifically centering the mind and pelvic energies, opening the heart chakra and surrounding the body with light. Focus on the light bathing the mind and soothing the nervous system.

For a student who has a lot of pent up energy and is wired from being busy all day, the asana should be a little more active to help process and discharge all the pent up energy. Do poses which move the spine in all directions–inversions, forward bends, back bends and twists. A suggested asana series is the Morning Series and Hip Series for one breath each, a gentle classicval Surya Namaskar, hanging in Adho Mukha Shvanasana on a wall rope system for several breaths, Adho Mukha Svanasana to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, back and forth 3-9 times, Shirshasana, Sarvangasana, gentle Bhujangasana, Adho Mukha Shvanasana, and finally moving into the restorative poses (same as above). This practice will help move stuck energy that prevents sleep.

As a teacher, it is also important to suggest that the student remove caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, refined sugar and other nervous-system-stimulants (such as kola nut) from his or her diet. Sweet dreams!”

-Aadil Palkivala

Pincha Mayurasana Variation

We’re all adept at seeing certain truths.  For some of us, it’s easy to accept that we’re pretty, attractive, talented, loved, or successful.  (And sadly, for some of us, it’s easier to accept a truth that we’re unattractive, unsuccessful, unloved, or untalented!)  But these are simply ideas that we’re comfortable with,  stuff that is easy to swallow.  These are the truths that we’ve gotten used to and repeated to ourselves – or had it told to us – many times.

However, the truths that will really set us free are the ones that [read more...]]]> “The truth will set you free. ”

Pincha Mayurasana Variation

We’re all adept at seeing certain truths.  For some of us, it’s easy to accept that we’re pretty, attractive, talented, loved, or successful.  (And sadly, for some of us, it’s easier to accept a truth that we’re unattractive, unsuccessful, unloved, or untalented!)  But these are simply ideas that we’re comfortable with,  stuff that is easy to swallow.  These are the truths that we’ve gotten used to and repeated to ourselves – or had it told to us – many times.

However, the truths that will really set us free are the ones that resist our attention.  They are the shadowy impressions that we turn away from because we’re afraid of change, pain, or hurting someone else.

However, if we have the bravery to take a good look (as terrifying as it can be), we will discover that the truth is never as frightening as we thought.  It’s like when we were kids and we turned on the light in the closet.  Instead of discovering a terrifying demon, we find our laundry basket and some stuffed animals.  When we trust in our truth and accept responsibility for our feelings, we will actually be relieved.  No longer do we have to lie to ourselves about how we feel or think.  Once we embrace our truth, we can become whole and begin to heal.

Sometimes there are painful consequences to the finally embracing our truth.  Relationships or jobs may end.  Friendships may change or priorities shift.  In yoga class, we may realize that we have to radically change our practice.  But frequently, the acknowledgment of truth creates a launching point for change.  When we arrive fully in ourselves and are able to see a situation more clearly, we create the space to take positive action.  Even if we don’t quite like where we’ve landed, we can now take authentic steps to transform our circumstances, rather than paddling around in the dark.

Halloween is the perfect time of year to welcome the shadows into light.  We can get quiet, look inside, and open ourselves to our own personal truth.  What truths have we been hiding in the closet?  Can we risk opening the doors and letting in the light?

Pincha Mayurasa (forearm stand) is a pose that demands truth and patience.  There are no shortcuts.  A challenging inversion and backbend, pincha Mayurasana requires us to get quiet and be present.  By working on the pose at the appropriate level, we can set up the correct pathways to open the pose in the future. If we try to ego-jump to the end point, we will topple or risk injury.

This week, we will use Pincha Mayurasana to teach us to embrace our truths.  Working step-by-step, we unpeel the ego and explore one of the great heart openers.  The journey is not about completing the pose; all we need to do is show up and authentically participate in the process.

Risks:

Like all backbends, the lower back is at risk for collapse.

Component Parts:

Shoulders: (arm flexed at the shoulder, external rotation of arm, forearm flexed at elbow, forearm pronated)

Warm up with poses that use this arm position: Utthita hastasana, Gomukhasana Arms, Forearm Prep (dolphin), Virabhadrasana I, Virabhadrasana III)

Hamstrings: Warm up with Uttanasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, Parvottanasana, Trikonasasna, Parivrtta Trikonasana

Thoracic backbend Warm up by opening upper back while working to lengthen the lower back.  Baby Cobra, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Sphinx (nice because it mimics forearms parallel).  Teach the backbend into the upper back only, so to avoid crunching the lumbar.

Core: Plank and forearm plank and abdominal variations.

Legs neutral/Adductors: Work on poses that teach neutral rotation of the legs, like three-legged dog, extended cat/cow, Virabhadrasana III, parvottanasana, lunges.

Possible Sequence (feel free to comment/question):

Child’s pose

Cat/cow, add leg extension (check that leg is neutral in hip)

Forearm cat, raise back leg (lengthen lower back, reach sternum forward, leg neutral)

Forearm plank

Plank pulses (inhale: lift sides of waist up, exhale: back to forearm plank)

Surya C with lunges (first time low lunge, second time open twist, third time high lunge, 4th time high lunge with twist) Vary the backbends: low back, sphinx, cobra/UMS

Trikonasana, working to lengthen sides of waist

Prasarita Padottanasana with twist, opening upper back

Utkatasana with block between thighs and between hands

Vira I with gomukhasana arms

Garudasana (eagle) with Gomukhasana arms into Virabhadrasana III, release arms, standing split, Uttanasana, Tadasana (R/L)

Vinyasa to Parivrtta Parsvakonasana – straighten front leg to long Parsvottanasana

Parivrtta Trikonasana

To wall:  Urdhva Mukha Svanasana at wall (toes on floor, heels up wall, body on floor, hands under elbows. Legs straight and in line with hips. Lift chest forward and up to UMS. Focus on upper back, press heels into wall.)

Virabhadrasana III at wall (hands on wall, hip height)

-add with sphinx arms, strap above elbow

Pincha Mayurasana prep with strap and block

Pincha Mayurasana

Child’s pose

Upavista Konasana

Baddha Konasana

Janu Sirsasana

Ardha Mastyendrasana

Pascimottanasana

Savasana

Risk factors: Falling, low back.

What to warm up:

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).  Low lunge, high lunge, and Virabhadrasana I are great poses for opening the front of the thighs.  Hanumanasana with a [read more...]]]> Natarajasana, Pose of the Lord of the Dance, is a complex pose that is deep backbend with the added fun of balance.  As with any backbend, is it essential to fully warm up the thoracic spine and hip flexors as well as integrate core stability for the safety of the lower back.  A myriad of arm variations possible in this pose also allow for shoulder and chest opening.

Risk factors: Falling, low back.

What to warm up:

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).  Low lunge, high lunge, and Virabhadrasana I are great poses for opening the front of the thighs.  Hanumanasana with a bolster and a focus on a sagittally neutral pelvis in order to access the BACK leg.  Instead of treating Hanumanasana as a stretch, instead use it to access and tone the adductors, make the legs neutral, and then open the hip flexors of the back leg.  Ardha Bhekasana can also be used to stretch the quads, particularly when we focus on anchoring the pubic bone as we draw the shin in.

The thoracic (upper back).  Work to open the front of the heart by broadening the collarbones, lifting the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  It’s a little bit of a conundrum, but this is exactly the paradoxical work that backbends require.  Poses such as sphinx, bhujangasana (baby cobra), dhanuarsana (bow), and salabhasana (locust) can refine this work.

The core. To maintain a long lower back, we must use strength through the front of the body to contain the area between the front hip points (the ASIS) and the lower ribcage. Poses such as plank, forearm plank, and navasana (as well as other non-yoga varieties that might be in your repertoire) can bring awareness to this area.

The inner thighs/neutral legs.  The adductors link to the core and help keep our legs neutral when they would otherwise flare into external rotation.  Prepare the legs to remain neutral through engaging the adductors in lunges, Virabhadrasana I and Virabhadrasana III.   By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to squeegie the buttocks flesh down the thighs.

The shoulders. Classical Natarajasana has the standing leg arm reaching forward, while the bent leg arm reaches over the head in external rotation and flexion to grasp the foot or big toes.  (Like the upper arm in Gomukhasana.)  While this is quite a feat for most of us dealing with tight shoulders and hip flexors, we can approximate the actions of this pose by using a strap around our bent knee ankle.  Make a Grecian sandal with your strap by wrapping it around your ankle and threading the two ends between the big toes.  Presto, you’ve made your leg longer!  Work the actions of the pose here: draw the inner things to each other, tailbone to the floor, lower back long, upper chest opening.  Breathe and then climb your hand down the strap as the opportunity avails. To prepare for the classical variation, use poses such as Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog), Utthita Hastasana (hands up in tadasana), Gomukhasana (cow-face pose, arms only), and inversions to open the shoulders.

A great variationof Natarajasana is to reach back with both hands and clasp the foot (like your clasping your hands around the top of the foot).  In this variation, the shoulders are in extension, which creates a delicious opportunity for opening the chest.  Use Prasarita Padottanasana C (wide-legged forward bend with hands clasped behind), Purvottanasana,  Setu Bandha (bridge), and Dhanurasana (bow) to prepare the shoulders for this variation.

Props:  Use a strap as a Grecian sandal to assist in the classical variation (see above).  Use the wall to assist in balancing.

Variation: At Wall.  Start in Virabhadrasana III at the wall, hands at the wall, with one foot under the hip and the other reaching back into the center of the room.  Keeping the lower back long, begin to move into a backbending variation by walking the hands up the wall.  Alternatively, strap the arms above the elbows and bring the forearms on the wall parallel, fingers pointing up.  Option to bend the lifted knee , keeping the thigh open and neutral.  Natarajasana at the wall!

Energetics: Natarajasana is a pose about opening into fear.  We are asked to open our hearts on uncertain ground (on one leg).  Before you begin, relax.  Smooth out the breath.  Grounding the energy and stabilizing the standing leg are crucial pillars.  Once the base has been established, then slowly open the upper back into a backbend.  Less is more at first.  From a stable base, let the breath open the pose from the inside.

Our practice is just that: practice [read more...]]]> Frequently when we leave yoga class, we’re feeling pretty good. We’re stretched, we’re stronger, our minds are a bit more settled. After all, feeling good in our own bodies is a crucial first step on our hatha yoga path. And if that’s what gets us to the mat, so much the better. But at some point in our practice, we begin to have the terrible inkling that our yoga practice is actually happening all the time. It’s just a little more obvious when we’re in our lulu’s and on our mats.

Our practice is just that: practice for our lives. The point of our practice isn’t to have the perfect downward facing dog – although greater physical health is certainly a side effect of yoga. The real juice of our practice is revealed in very practical and everyday situations. Our practice means having a little extra space to respond when someone pushes our buttons or cuts us off in traffic. It’s having the space to feel upset without lashing back. Or it’s using that feel good energy from our class to give back to our families and friends a bit more fully. While improving urdhva dhanurasana is fun, the real potency of our yoga practice is actually experienced off the mat and in our lives.

In honor of Gratitude Week, I’m inviting everyone to “Give their Gratitude Legs”. Take that gorgeous, expansive generosity that begins to flow in class and deliberately manifest it as something tangible in your life. Bring the energy from your heart chakra and manifest it into your legs and your hands — and take action.

Devote just one hour this week to manifest your gratitude. Spend the extra hour with your kids, research a charity to donate to, or listen to a friend that needs some healing.

After all, if we don’t pay it forward, then who will?

Pose of the Week: Ustrasana

In honor of giving gratitude legs, this week’s pose is Ustrasana. Camel pose requires a deep connection to our core, to our legs, to the earth. Out of this deep strength and connection into our roots, we can open our hearts into gravity and radiate.  The interplay between opening up and grounding down makes ustrasana the perfect pose for manifesting gratitude.

Ustrasana - courtesy of Yoga Journal

Risk factors:

Because ustrasana is a backbend with gravity (as opposed to backbends where we lift up INTO gravity), it is vitally important to maintain the strength and connection of the front of the body to avoid over compressing the lower back.  What makes ustrasana so invigorating and challenging is the play between opening and strengthening the front body. Another risk factor is the neck, as we’re often tempted to drop the head back and cut of the long line of energy up the spine.  Dropping the head back should only be done when the chest is fully opened, and even then should only be done if it comfortable to the student.  I keep my chin tucked into my chest as long as possible and often do not drop my head back at all.

What to warm up:

The thoracic (upper back).  Coil open the upper back back by broadening the collarbones, reaching forward with the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  Imagine drawing the sides of the waistline to the back body as you lengthen the sides and lift the chest.

The core: The stability of our core is essential in controlling the opening our spine in ustrasana.  While the core is important in all backbends, its role is crucial in ustrasana because we are resisting gravity.  Engaging the inner thigh line (the adductors) will help to engage the core and support the backbend.  As we move into backbends, we can grip the buttocks, which can cause external rotation in the thighs and squash the sacrum.  By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to reach the sitbones away from the back.  Practicing plank and forearm plank can also teach the front body to engage without shortening.

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).    Prepare the hip flexors for ustrasana through lunges and Virabhadrasana I.  To particularly access the quads, use a runner’s stretch or King Arthur’s Pose (low lunge with the lower leg vertical up the wall).

The shoulders in extension (arms reaching back). Warm up the shoulders in extension through garudasana arms (lower arm), salabhasana or  bridge.  I also like using a strap during uttanasana or prasarita padottanasana to encourage arm extension.  Choose your leg variation, then hold the strap behind you with the palms forward, just wider than your hips.  Draw the heads of the upper arms back (no slouching).  Keep lifting the strap to the ceiling (rather than over the head) as you fold.  Lift the shoulderheads up.

Props:  The wall.  I almost always do ustrasana with my hip points glued to the wall.  I can clearly draw my inner thighs back into the room and lengthen my sitting bones to the floor.  Keeping your hip points at the wall will ensure that you keep your hips and knees lined up and that you continue to use your legs and abdominals to support your weight.   Use a bolster across the back of the shins to bring the floor up to you.  Blocks on either side of the ankles do the same thing.  You can place a block between the thighs to engage the adductors.  An important note in ustrasana is to continually lift up as you go back.  As if you’re lifting your upper back over a limbo bar.  When  your hands find purchase (on the bolster, blocks, or feet), lift up out of the arms and radiate your chest up to the sky.  Finding and nurturing a sense of strength and containment as you drop back in ustrasana will help prepare the body for more rigorous drop backs from standing.

Urdhva Dhanurasana, aka Upward Bow  – don’t call it Wheel, that’s a different pose .  One of the ultimate yoga stretches for the front of the body, Urdhva Dhanurasana challenges us to maintain our strength though the core as we radiate through our upper chest and heart and stretch our hip flexors and shoulders.  Any restriction in the shoulders or hips will immediately translate into a crunched lower back, so Upward Bow requires a great deal of warming up and opening in order to be happily explored.

Risk factors: The low back.  This is priority number one.  [read more...]]]>

Rachel, photo by SBK

Urdhva Dhanurasana, aka Upward Bow  – don’t call it Wheel, that’s a different pose .  One of the ultimate yoga stretches for the front of the body, Urdhva Dhanurasana challenges us to maintain our strength though the core as we radiate through our upper chest and heart and stretch our hip flexors and shoulders.  Any restriction in the shoulders or hips will immediately translate into a crunched lower back, so Upward Bow requires a great deal of warming up and opening in order to be happily explored.

Risk factors: The low back.  This is priority number one.  In order to keep our low back long and strong, we much engage the rectus abdominus and create containment through the front of our body.  Opening the shoulders and hip flexors will help us to find an even arch through the spine and take pressure off the lower back to do all the bending.

What to warm up:

The shoulders in flexion (reaching forward and up). Whenever we have the arms over our head, our upper arms must in in external rotation.  This means that poses like adho mukha svanasana (down dog), urdhva hastasana (arms over the head in tadasana – I love this when squeezing a block between the wrists, arms straight, front ribs in), and handstand (urdhva hastasana upside down) will be great warm ups for the shoulders.  You should be able to straighten the arms above the head without bending the elbows or bowing the spine.  If this isn’t possible yet, then keep working on the shoulders and wait before trying Upward Bow.  With time, it will come.

The hip flexors (front of the thighs).  Low lunge, high lunge, and Virabhadrasana I are great poses for opening the front of the thighs.  We are particularly interested in the psoas rather than the quads, as the knees in Urdhva Dhanurasana aren’t really that bent.

The thoracic (upper back).  Work to open the front of the heart by broadening the collarbones, lifting the sternum, and drawing the shoulders deeply into the body.  Can you work to isolate the drawing in of the upper back while you keep your lower back long?  It’s a little bit of a conundrum, but this is exactly the paradoxical work that backbends require.  Poses such as sphinx, bhujanghasana (baby cobra), urdhva mukha svanasana (up dog), and salabhasana (locust) can refine this work.  Twists such as parivrtta parsvakonasana and parivrtta trikonasana are excellent at teaching the body to open the upper spine while engaging the abdominals and lengthening.

The core. To maintain a long lower back, we must use strength through the front of the body to contain the area between the front hip points (the ASIS) and the lower ribcage. Poses such as plank, forearm plank, and navasana (as well as other non-yoga varieties that might be in your repertoire) can bring awareness to this area.  Doing a mild camel with your frontal hip points stuck to the wall and focusing on lifting up an out of the hips can be an effective way to bring attention to the work of the abdominals.

The inner thighs.  The adductors link to the core.  Also, as we press into backbends, the tendency is to grip the buttocks, which can cause external rotation in the thighs and squash the sacrum.  By engaging the inner thighs and rolling them slightly to the back body, we widen the sacrum, create length through the back and more room to reach the sitbones away from the back.  The adductors can be accessed in almost every pose, but are particularly obvious in neutral lunges when we can “scissor” the inner thighs towards each other.  Putting a block between the upper thighs or the inner feet immediately creates and adductor-engaged imprint in the body.

Props:  Use a strap shoulder-width above the elbows to prevent flailing out in the arms and loss of external rotation.  Strap the upper thighs at hip distance apart to keep the legs parallel the hips (and inner thighs down, and sacrum wide).  A block between the upper thighs cues the inner thighs to engage and roll to the floor.  A block between the feet or a strap around the big toes helps to keep the feet parallel and tracking (keeping the thighs neutral rather than externally rotating).  Blocks tilted at the wall can take the pressure out of the wrists by decreasing the angle at which they need to bear weight.

Energetics: Urdhva Dhanurasana is one of the great heart openers.  But we cannot move to opening unless there we have strength through the core of the body.  We need a solid foundation through the legs, pelvis and lower core (energetically we need stability in chakras 1-3) in order to radiate and expand through the upper chest (chakra 4, the heart chakra).  In a recent workshop, Anodea Judith invited us to open our hearts while staying in our core.  In relationships – the purview of chakra 4 – we often find ourselves either hardening and retreating or becoming too malleable and floppy.  We are either defensive, or we let too much in.  Urdhva Dhanurasana invites into the great balance; the more strength and grounding that we can find in our center, the more open and receptive that we can safely become.

Backbending thoughts from Aadil Palkivala:
Physically speaking, backbends move the spine into the body, creating strength in the back of the body and length through the groins, abdominal cavity, rib cage, throat, and frontal shoulders. Backbends charge the kidneys by drawing them into the body, rejuvenating the adrenals and drawing the life force given by the kidneys back into the body. Backbends generally open up three major areas of the body – the pelvis, heart and throat. Therefore, they can open the hips, free the chest from congestion, and bring back a healthy curve to the neck. Most of our daily habits (sitting, driving, working at a desk) cause a collapse in the front of our bodies and push the spine backwards. This is why you will often feel bony lumps on the spine of older people. Backbends bring healthy alignment and mobility back into the spine, moving the vertebrae forwards.

Psychologically speaking, backbends move us toward our future and away from our past, since the back of the body represents the past and the front of our body represents our future. Backbends quieten the hyper-analytical activity of the front brain, and because of the extension produced, trigger a feeling of openness in the limbic system (the emotional center of the brain). In contrast, when we are in a state of fear or anger, we curl up and go into a position of flexion (protection). Thus, psychologically speaking, backbends move us from fear to power.

Energetically speaking, backbends move the spine toward the Pillar of Light in the body. They open up congested and stagnant pelvic energy. This allows the energy to move upward in an expression of aspiration for growth, where it can be transformed by the wisdom of the Heart Chakra. Backbends open up the Heart Chakra, expanding the feeling of love and joy. They also open the throat, allowing the Heart Chakra to express words of beauty and love. This opening also allows the mental energy to move more easily down to the Heart Chakra.

However, a caveat: All the above happens in backbends only if there is the intention for this to happen as you practice. Otherwise you will simply become more flexible!