Vasisthasana: Side Plank Pose

The key to avoiding wrist pain in this pose is to continue to lengthen through the shoulder line. Falling into the base of the wrist is all too common and makes this pose miserable when it should feel liberating. Imagine your rooted hand is reaching up overhead as you press the ground away from you, continue to broaden the chest and reach through the top fingertips.

Vasisthasana Side Plank Breakdown

 Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana . Shift onto the outside edge of your left foot, and stack your right foot on top of the left. Now swing your right hand onto your right hip, turn your torso to the right as you do, and support the weight of your body on the outer left foot and left hand.

 Make sure that the supporting hand isn't directly below its shoulder; position the hand slightly in front of its shoulder, so the supporting arm is angled a bit relative to the floor. Straighten the arm by firming the triceps muscle, and press the base of the index finger firmly against the floor.

 Firm the scapulas and sacrum against the back torso. Strengthen the thighs, and press through the heels toward the floor. Align your entire body into one long diagonal line from the heels to the crown.

 If you'd like you can stretch the top arm toward the ceiling, parallel to the line of the shoulders. Keep the head in a neutral position, or turn it to gaze up at the top hand.

 Stay in this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Come back to Adho Mukha Svanasana, take a few breaths, and repeat to the right side for the same length of time. Then return to Adho Mukha Svanasana for a few more breaths, and finally release into Balasana .

Pose breakdown courtesy of Yoga Journal

Warrior II Pose: Virabhadrasana II

The biggest key to success in this pose is keeping the front knee stacked over the front ankle. The tendency is for the knee to want to fall inwards. The upper body should stay perpindicular to the ground, even though it usually wants to tip slightly forward toward the front leg. 

Warrior II Pose Breakdown

 Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.

 Turn your right foot slightly to the right and your left foot out to the left 90 degrees. Align the left heel with the right heel. Firm your thighs and turn your left thigh outward so that the center of the left knee cap is in line with the center of the left ankle.

 Exhale and bend your left knee over the left ankle, so that the shin is perpendicular to the floor. If possible, bring the left thigh parallel to the floor. Anchor this movement of the left knee by strengthening the right leg and pressing the outer right heel firmly to the floor.

 Stretch the arms away from the space between the shoulder blades, parallel to the floor. Don't lean the torso over the left thigh: Keep the sides of the torso equally long and the shoulders directly over the pelvis. Press the tailbone slightly toward the pubis. Turn the head to the left and look out over the fingers.

 Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left.

Step-by-step courtesy of Yoga Journal

Warrior I Pose: Virabhadrasana 1

One of the biggest challenges in this pose is finding the right position for the hips. Ideally, hips will be square to the front of the mat. Most likely though, this will not be the case. Hips will likely be at a slight diagonal away from the front knee. Encourage balance by drawing the back hip forward and hugging the front hip back. 

Warrior I Pose Breakdown

 Stand in Tadasana, With an exhale, step or lightly jump your feet 31/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms perpendicular to the floor (and parallel to each other), and reach actively through the little-finger sides of the hands toward the ceiling. Firm your scapulas against your back and draw them down toward the coccyx.

 Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out 90 degrees to the right. Align the right heel with the left heel. Exhale and rotate your torso to the right, squaring the front of your pelvis as much as possible with the front edge of your mat. As the left hip point turns forward, press the head of the left femur back to ground the heel. Lengthen your coccyx toward the floor, and arch your upper torso back slightly.

 With your left heel firmly anchored to the floor, exhale and bend your right knee over the right ankle so the shin is perpendicular to the floor. More flexible students should align their right thigh parallel to the floor.

 Reach strongly through your arms, lifting the ribcage away from the pelvis. As you ground down through the back foot, feel a lift that runs up the back leg, across the belly and chest, and up into the arms. If possible, bring the palms together. Spread the palms against each other and reach a little higher through the pinky-sides of the hands. Keep your head in a neutral position, gazing forward, or tilt it back and look up at your thumbs.

 Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. To come up, inhale, press the back heel firmly into the floor and reach up through the arms, straightening the right knee. Turn the feet forward and release the arms with an exhalation, or keep them extended upward for more challenge. Take a few breaths, then turn the feet to the left and repeat for the same length. When you're finished return to Tadasana.

Pose breakdown courtesy of Yoga Journal

Spotlight Pose: Mermaid + Yoga Class Sequence

As you may have read in a previous posting, I am in love with Mermaid pose. From the first time I saw it, I knew I had to find my way into it. It took some time, but once I figured out which parts of the body needed more work to get there, it became a bit more simple.

I came up with a sequence that will help warm up the areas of the body that need to be open to get into this lovely pose.

Enjoy & let me know what you think!

• Centering: Begin in supported fish (5 minutes)
• Roll onto side, remove block and roll onto your back. Feet planted on the mat, knees bent and slip block between knees. Squeeze block, press lower back down onto mat and hold for 8 breaths.
• Bring strap under right foot, then straighten leg and flex foot, like you're standing on the ceiling. Hold for 5 breaths then switch.
• Come to seat, extend right leg, bend left knee and grab the back of the knee. Begin to make big counterclockwise circles with the lower portion of the leg, loosening & strengthening the knee joint.
• Seated hip cradle
• Grab bottom of foot in center to release
• Half saddle -> Heron -> Twist
• Deer
• Bound angle
• Cat/Cow -> Puppy
• Surya Namaskar A (3 rounds)
• Surya Namaskar B (2 rounds)
• Sphinx -> Half frog (8 breaths, then switch sides)
• Child's Pose
• Wide Forward Fold, bend into one knee then the other, freeing trapped energy
• Dancer
• Low Lunge -- bend back knee and grab a hold of the ankle (if you're here, you're not far from Mermaid!)
• Pigeon
• Mermaid! Make a loop with your strap first and slip it around your ankle, then from Pigeon, bend the back knee and pulley the foot up. If you don't need the strap, skip it, and see if you can bring that foot to the crook of the elbow. Continue the next 3 steps before you move to the other side.
• Crocodile
• Roll onto side
• Couch press bottom hip down and side of foot for balance -> Quad stretch
• Bridge w/ divers clasp

• Twists

• Peace & Silence

Spotlight Pose: Viparita Karani

I have a running joke with my students that I can talk for HOURS about the benefits of Viparita Karani (Legs up the wall), because I honestly can. I've found myself setting class up into this pose and then caught myself talking for at least 2 minutes straight, then having to force myself to stop.

If a student happens to ask a question about this pose, it's like someone just handed me a gift that I cannot wait to rip open.

Long story short, I freaking LOVE this pose.

I use this pose for meditation, blanket over my feet and pillow under my head.

On the nights where sleep doesn't come easy, I come to this pose and have fallen asleep like this many times, only to be awoke by the gravity of my own knees sinking to my chest.

Before I go too far into this, here's a list of some of the benefits of Viparita Karani via CNY Healing Arts

Benefits of Legs Up the Wall Pose:

• Regulates blood flow
• Alleviates menstrual cramps
• Relieves swollen ankles and varicose veins
• Helps testicular, semen, and ovarian problems in men and women respectively
• Improves digestion
• Restores tired feet or legs
• Stretches the back of the neck, front torso, and back of the legs
• Improves problems of the eyes and ears
• Relieves mild backache
• Provides migraine and headache relief, especially when done with a bandage wrapped tightly around the forehead and back of the skull
• Helps keep you young and vital
• Calms anxiety
• Relieves symptoms of mild depression and insomnia

A few more pointers, then I promise to stop... 

1. The lymphatic system does not have a pump like the heart does, so it does not clean/drain itself. The feet must be above the head for lymphatic draining which keeps you healthy. 

2. Think of all the metals that we ingest on a daily basis: aluminum in anti-perspirant, lining from the cans we drink from, too high of an intake of vitamins, goodness knows what in tap water... the list goes on. The magnetic pull from the Earth brings those metals down into your feet where they get trapped. Bringing the feet up helps to release those from the body. 

3. Helps with bathroom regulation. Plain and simple. If you gotta go but nature is not giving you a helping hand, send the legs up and it will do the trick!

So go find a wall space and invert, what are you waiting for!?

Spotlight Pose: Supported Partridge

This endless Chicago winter has left my midsection feeling pretty crunched, scrunched, stiff and just sad. When fresh air is not an option, we often end up in squishy furniture, cramped in a stiff car seat, or hunched over a screen to occupy our time.

So it only makes sense that we've been working on side bends a lot during our vinyasa classes, and partridge has got to be one of my favorite side stretches -- not to mention the sheer beauty of the pose itself. Side bends help to free the stiffness in the midsection and create more room to breathe. Partridge can be sort of intimidating, but can also be taught to beginners in a very simple way.

Here's one of my favorite ways to introduce beginners to this relieving bird pose:

Come onto the knees, hips stacked just above and tailbone pointing downward. Take the right leg straight out to the side and plant the foot. 

Come into Gate pose by sliding the right hand down the leg and opening up the left side of the body. Left arm can reach overhead unless it causes the front ribs to jut out, in that case bring the forearm to the lower back. Concentrate on creating space between the left hip bone and the lower ribs. 

Come back to center and look down to your left. Bring your left hand down to plant underneath your shoulder while keeping the lower body in the same position. 

In your Supported Side Plank, elongate the right side of the body by reaching the right arm overhead and turning the palm to face down. 

Bring the right hand to the hip and lift the right foot off the mat, heel extending straight out from the hip. 

Now, bend your right knee and bring the heel as close to the booty as possible.

Grab a hold of the foot and begin to lengthen the foot away from the booty. Use the backward pressure to open the right shoulder and chest. 

If Supported Partridge or any of these kneeling poses are tough on your knees, bring a blanket underneath you or try doubling up your mat for extra padding.