Instructions
Stand in Tadasana.
Place the palms together in a sacred prayer position while embracing feeling of devotion.
(Tip! Feel a straight line from the heels to the top of the head.)
Place the feet flat as flat as possible.
Inhale into a backbend.
(Tip! The backbend shown is quite deep. It is healthier to enter a gentle backbend.)
Exhale into a forward bend.
I bend the knees the first few times so that my back muscles stretch in the lower areas better and the legs get a chance to open slowly.
Inhale and step the right leg back.
Remember to look forward as this is a comon mistake when perfoming this pose. It stretches along the chest and abdomin better.
Exhale and straighten the right leg.
Careful not to over stretch the leg as it has a tendency to interrupt the breathing with the shock to the nerves.
Raise the left arm up and gaze at it. If the neck feels strained when you do this twist it less so that it opens but does not pull the muscles.
You may want to inhale and exhale before leaving this pose so that it is felt and embraced a little deeper.
Inhale and bend the leg again.
Exhale back to Downward Dog.
Straighen the legs and push the heels down while raising the tailbone up.
Lengthen from the hands up through the tailbone. This will lift the strain from the hands.
Inhale as you move forward to push up position. If you want to reduce the strain on the wrists take the knees down. Comfort in practice is not cheating and if you want to feel sacred when performing your yoga you may want a more passive approach.
Exhale and place the chin and chest down along with the knees.
Try to place everything down slowly and be careful that the muscles around the shoulders are used evenly. Quite often the anterior (front) shoulder ligamets are pulled too much in this movement.
Inhale into Cobra pose.
A small Cobra if you have a stiff or injured spine. This is always healthier. Often my back hurts because I have aggravated the ligaments from too much Cobra or I have inflamed the discs from old injuries caused y being too forceful in Yoga.
When this happens I raise just a little. I actualy prefer to do this and am 100% certain that this is healthier for your spine. It gets stronger without wear and tear.
Allow the hips or tailbone to lead the way and tuck the navel (belly button) in slightly so that the discs in the lower back are not crushed during his next transition.
Exhale back to Downward Dog.
Inhale forward a little for some momentum. Bend the left knee at the same time.
Be careful on the wrists and perhaps stop before he upper body moves over them. This wil prevent them from straining.
Exhale back into One Leg Downward Dog. Raising the left leg up ad back.
Stretch energy through the toes or ball points of the toes. It is easier to lift this way rather than stretching through the heel.
Inhale step the left leg forward between the arms.
It's a hard inhalation for beginners. Delay your inhalation until the knee passes or is below the belly. This is a great tip but if it still does not feel right and you can't get a good breath in try moving on the exhalation instead.
Exhale and twist stretching the left arm up and diagonally out. Quite often teacher will ask you to tuck yourself in but I like to leave some space around my Belly Chakra when I twist.
Inhale and place the left arm down into a lunge again.
Drop the back knee slightly to create some momentum for entering the spinal twist.
Place the right heel down when you externally rotate the leg during this next transition.
Exhale deepen Reverse Triangle Pose right arm down left arm up.
Keep the left knee slightly bent if your leg flexibility is not good.
Inhale and place the left arm down into a lunge again. The inhalations are done on the lunges but it may be preferable to inhale and exhale in the spinal twists rather than enter them for a short period of time.
Hop forward and place the left arm forward a lttle on the mat for security as you raise the right leg. Raise the left arm up also and look up.
Once again you may want to inhale and exhale in the spinal twist rather than enter them for a short period of time.
Bend the knee on the transition into Chair Pose. Inhale on his transition.
Exhale into Tadasana with the hands in prayer position.
Perform the same sequence on the opposite side.
|
