Silly Crow

May 13, 2013

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I adore yoga because it is truly limitless. Not only are there many, many traditional poses, but we can build upon those with creative and inspiring variations. One of my favorite variations is the “funky arm” base where one forearm is down and one is like in Chaturanga. We’ve played with these in Funky Headstand and Funky Side Crow and today we’re just going to get silly and do it in Bakasana. I actually discovered this by accident while teaching a workshop where I said it wouldn’t be a pose if you tried to do the funky base, when lo and behold—why not! My dear friend Taylor Harkness chuckled and said he does this all the time!

Not only will this pose relieve some wrist pressure (if you struggle with that), but you’re also giving yourself a bigger base, which means easier balance. And it’s cute, whimsical, and a good reminder that you can play with your practice. Enjoy!

Step 1:

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Begin on hands and knees. Place your right forearm flat onto your mat and drag your left palm back so that it’s shoulder-width apart from your right arm and the fingertips/center of palm is in line with your right elbow. Curl your toes under and straighten your legs to come into a Dolphin Pose. Walk the feet in slightly. You’ll notice that your left elbow is behind your wrist. Don’t panic, this is fine. The shift to elbow-over-wrist will happen in just a moment.

Step 2:

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You have two options in this step and I recommend trying both ways. I’m lifting the same leg as my forearm in this picture, but you can practice entering the pose from either leg. Let’s stick with the photo for now then try a second round on your own with the opposite side. Lift your right leg up into the air. Bend your knee and bring it towardsyour right outer arm as you lean your chest forward.

Step 3:

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Land your right knee onto your right tricep. Allow your right shoulder to lean past your elbow without collapsing. This means you’re still hugging the upper outer right arm in as the shoulderhead descends. Press evenly into all five fingers. As you lean the right shoulder forward, your left elbow will now stack over your base wrist. Don’t lower that shoulder below a 90 degrees! Bend your left knee.

Step 4:

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Keep gazing forward and take a slight hop to get your left knee right above your left elbow onto your arm. Keep the left arm firming in as you would in Chaturanga. Round your upper back and draw the inner edges of your feet together. Smile!

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come on retreat with her in Stowe, Vermont this October for yoga, archery + outdoor beauty via The Travel Yogi.

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Bakasana to Chaturanga

April 29, 2013

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I used to stare at yogis in the Mysore room as they’d gracefully float their legs off of their arms from Bakasana into Chaturanga. I wondered what kind of pixie dust they applied before practice to score such a move. I would then plop myself onto my arms in Crow thinking of every alignment cue I could muster only to realize I had been in the pose for over a minute trying to figure out how the hell to get out of it! It’s funny in retrospect but was extremely frustrating at the time. This is a transition that can be extremely mental for most of us. We get stuck in our heads or tell ourselves that we can’t do it.

So, the first step is to tell yourself you can. The second is to stop thinking so much and be in the moment! The third is to be like the arrow being shot from a bow—if you don’t create plenty of tension in the string by pulling it back to full extension, the arrow will simply fall out of the frame straight to the ground or just fall off to the side. When you create the full amount of tension it shoots straight and true. It’s the same with our shoot back from Crane Pose (or Crow). We have to create so much energy and tension in the legs before we shoot them back to give us that extra oomph. Read the below instructions to help you aim true and hit your mark.

Step 1:

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Jumping back into Chaturanga from Bakasana requires first being really comfortable in the starting pose. Read up on mastering Crow (or Crane Pose), and practice, practice, practice before attempting this transition.

 

Step 2:

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Come into Bakasana starting with your knees wrapped around the outer edges of your arms. Don’t worry about going into the straight arm version of the pose but do start off pressing the ground away to gain some height. Imagine a Thighmaster in between your arms, and squeeze. It’s an isometric action at first. Keep drawing the energy of your inner legs and knees toward each other as if magnetic. Continue this hugging action with so much gusto that your knees can actually start to move. Try to get your knees to slide from the outer edges to the backs of your arms. They may not move much, but anything counts! This is the energy we want to garner to get ready to shoot our legs back off of our arms.

 

Step 3:

Come into the pose again but this time pick a stationary leg and a moving leg. Let’s say we’re moving the right leg first. Keep all of the alignment qualities of Bakasana and begin the same sliding action from Step 2 but only with your right knee/leg. Once you can’t stay on your arm any longer, keep your core engaged and thigh tight to the chest (big bend in the knee) to bring that right knee all the way over to your left arm. It’s similar to Side Crow without being on the outside of your arm. Once you get your right knee to your left arm hold it like a sandwich. Tightly squeeze both knees around the arm to maintain. If you’re feeling SUPER strong try to whip that leg back to the right arm again (this will prepare you for the strength of Eka Pada Bakasana). Most likely you’ll want to put your feet down and take a break. Don’t worry about getting the knee to the opposite arm at first. This is challenging! More importantly, focus on the energy shift needed in your body to make movement happen. Do both sides.

 

Step 4:

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Time for the ultimate wind-up. So we know our goal is to think into the midline first and then shoot back. Get as much tension and “Thighmaster” action as possible before shooting the legs back. Now here’s the trick: To actually leave your arms you need to stop thinking so much or you’ll get caught in your head (and on your arms). Give yourself a “yes-I-can” pep talk and do a 1,2,3 count, out loud. On 3, shoot those legs back! As you do your countdown get the actions of Step 2 firing . . . hug the inner thighs, start to slide the knees to the midline. As you get your knees closer to the midline start to bend your elbows slightly deeper. Once you get the throw of the legs let your elbows bend deeper. This will act like a see-saw allowing your chest to go down and legs up and back. Keep your elbows bent (or allow them to drop to full Chaturanga) as the legs go back. It will be tempting to land in Plank with straight arms. This will only bring your legs quicker and heavier to the ground. Try this several times! The first time will likely be frustrating; this takes patience and discipline.

 

* I almost don’t want to offer this because it can easily become a crutch move BUT you can shoot one leg back at a time just to prove to yourself that your legs can actually leave your arms. Just don’t stick with this modification or it becomes very difficult to get the legs to leave as a team. Remember to bend the elbows as the knees wind up and let them drop into a full push-up as the legs fly back. Good luck!

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come on retreat with her in Stowe, Vermont this October for yoga, archery + outdoor beauty via The Travel Yogi.

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Dwi Pada Koundinyasana

April 15, 2013

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I was all geared up to prepare a new challenge sequence of poses when it hit me, I’ve never taught you guys Dwi Pada Koundinyasana (the two-legged variation of the Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya)! I wanted to use this pose in a transition but it would be silly to do that without breaking it down for you first so here we are—back at a good old single pose blog.

This was one of the first advanced postures I remember seeing photographed. The woman photographed was beautiful, strong, and made the pose look effortless. I figured it must be easy until I tried it myself and realized that my version didn’t look anything like that.

This pose builds off of Parsva Bakasana (Side Crow or Crane Pose) and some deep twisting. I’d recommend doing a good warm up before this pose: Sun Salutations A + B, a few Warrior poses into internal standing poses with twists such as Crescent, Chair, and spend some good long holds in lunges or Hanumanasana prep. The warmer your core muscles are, the more accessible this pose will become. Once you’ve done your warm up, dive in and enjoy!

Step 1:

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Lie on your back with both straight up in the air. Keep your legs together and extend through the balls of your feet just like Barbie (point your foot but curl back through your toes). Take your arms wide in line with your shoulders onto the ground so that your palms are flat. Relax your shoulders down away from your ears and do your best to keep them evenly rooted. Inhale first, then on your exhale lower your legs as a team down and toward your right hand as if eventually your toes could touch your fingers without bending or separating your legs. As you lower you’ll notice your opposite shoulder wanting to bubble up. Keep that shoulder grounding to connect with your core. Use your inhale to bring the legs back up to center then repeat on your exhale reaching the toes towards your left fingertips. Keep in mind you might start off only lowering a third of the way and that’s totally fine. Take it to the level that’s challenging for you and not beyond that. If you’re totally losing your balance and collapsing to the side, you’re taking it too far. Make sure you can still control your actions and move from your core. This will prep us for the shape and control needed in Dwi Pada Koundinyasana.

Step 2:

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Begin in a bent-knee Navasana (Boat Pose) balancing on the tripod of your sit bones and tailbone. Elevate your shins so they are parallel with the ground. Interlace your all your fingers together except your index finger and thumbs and swing your arms to the outside of your right thigh. Try to connect the  space between your thighs and chest by pulling together. Keep your outer left arm touching your right thigh, and explore straightening just your right leg up toward the ceiling. Do the same with your left leg. If that’s going well, try straightening your legs as a team. Don’t forget to breathe! Keep your inner thighs and knees hugging at all times, and your chest high as possible. Come back to neutral and repeat on the other side.

Step 3:

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Side Crow is the precuror to Dwi Pada Koundinyasana. so take your time to tackle this Challenge Pose.

Step 4:

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As you set yourself up for Side Crane on your left arm, notice if your knees and feet are stacked. There is a tendency for them to be uneven, so just take a moment to line them up before you lift into the arm balance. Twist as deep as you comfortably can working your right knee/thigh area to the upper outer edge of your left arm. The goal is to bring the upper arm and hip closer together—the deeper the twist the easier the staying power. Bend both elbows into a full Chaturanga stance, keeping the elbows over the wrists and letting your shoulders drop down evenly in line with your elbows. Keep the gaze forward. Sweep your feet off the ground bringing your feet in line with your knees so that your shins are parallel with the mat. Begin to hug your thighs together as if you were trying to grill a panini! Extend your legs toward straight, hinging from your knees. As you extend continue to think of drawing the tops of your thighs into your armpit. Spread your toes enthusiastically!

Try a slight extension in the beginning, working toward full straight legs, but DO NOT let your arms straighten. This will give you the firepole effect and you’ll slide to the ground. Stay in a nice, full Chaturanga and round your upper back just like you would in Crane Pose. It will also be tempting to look at your feet, but this throws off the balance in your shoulders and often makes the opposite shoulder slump down. We don’t want that! You can prevent shoulder collapsing by gazing forward and extending your heart.

*A note on balancing on one arm versus two. The full pose just like Side Crow, will eventually only be on one arm. What allows this to happen is a deeper twist. If you’re working on your twist practice feel free to start on both elbows taking the extra outer elbow underneath your hip. As you feel stronger and deeper in your twist, try to explore what it’s like to only balance on the inner arm.

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come on retreat with her in Stowe, Vermont this October for yoga, archery + outdoor beauty via The Travel Yogi.

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Headstand to Chaturanga: Part II

April 1, 2013

My last Challenge Pose post tackled how to fall from Tripod Headstand into Chaturanga in a slightly more feminine and soft way than what we’ll dig into today. Now we’ll approach the fall from the traditional angle. You’ll sound like a ton of bricks hitting the floor (don’t panic) when you come down—but it’ll also make you feel pretty badass.

This transition is strong. It requires an immense amount of trust in yourself and in your body. Everyone can do it; it’s just a matter of whether or not you’re mentally ready to approach the shift. It’s a change, and as we all know—change is scary. This is an awesome opportunity to let go of attachments to what you think you know or what you’re capable of.  Just take the lesson in, breathe, and literally let go.

Step 1:

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As always, it will be difficult to practice falling out of your Headstand if you don’t already have a headstand practice (and Chaturanga practice) so please click here to review your Tripod Headstand alignment and details.

 

Step 2:

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Once you get into your full Tripod Headstand, there is very little change that will happen before we drop. First, flex your feet. Your toes are the biggest obstacle of this transition.  If you land on the tips of your toes your risking jamming them, or ever worse, breaking them. So when I say flex, I really mean it. The goal is to land on the balls of your feet in the exact same way you do your Chaturanga. If this confuses you at all, take a break from reading this and do a Chaturanga; that’s our landing pad for our feet.

Once you’re feet are powerfully flexed and prepared to be a landing pad, you need to lock-in the body. This may sound morbid, but I want you to act as though your body has gone into rigor mortis. Work from your foundation: elbows in over your wrists, shoulders lifting away from your earlobes, front rib corset in and toward each other, tailbone extending toward your heels, and legs powerfully engaged with flexed feet.

 

Step 3:

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It’s fall time. Once your “rigor mortis” has set in you might come to realize that Tripod Headstand is Chaturanga—just turned on its (your!) head. With that realization, the only thing that really needs to change is getting off the head. Trying to lift it from this position would take superhero strength, so instead, image this: someone walks by in your locked-in state and simply blows in your direction. This slight wind instigates the falling of your legs (no bending at the knees or hips) and you slide from the crown of your head as you extend your gaze forward. Without ANY bend in your body, the feet drop into Chaturanga with your head is now off the ground, your gaze forward. This is what we strive for. What will most likely happen is a minor freak out followed by a belly flop of sorts. The key here is to keep your body STRAIGHT. No piking, no bending, no folding. Lock it in, let your legs start to fall as a team, and just let yourself slide from the top of your head until it’s off the ground and you’re gazing forward.

Note: It is very tempting to straighten your arms as you fall so you land in Plank instead of Chaturanga. This is your brain simply responding to an intense situation telling your body to protect your face from crashing into the ground. Trust yourself! If you can do Chaturanga, you can do this! Keep every part of your body strong and committed as you go through your transition. You’ve got this.

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come on retreat with her in Stowe, Vermont this October for yoga, archery + outdoor beauty via The Travel Yogi.

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Headstand to Chaturanga: Part I

March 11, 2013

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I’ve seen seriously strong yogis go weak in the knees at the prospect of dropping into Chaturanga from Headstand. It just goes to show how mental this transition is. You don’t need superhero strength, you just need to tell yourself you can. There’s no room for doubting when it comes to the fast-twitch transitions (almost all of yoga is slow twitch).

Think about Tripod Heastand for a minute—it is Chaturanga it just happens to be on the crown of your head. The body is in a plank position (Chaturanga Dandasana) and the arms are already in the same stance as Chaturanga—shoulders in line with elbows, elbows over wrists. So basically, the only thing that needs to change to fall into the pose is your gaze—it needs to go forward. We’re going to tackle the full, classic drop next week but for today’s blog, I want you to get strong. I want you to feel in control of your body so that dropping doesn’t intimidate you. Today’s transition is a variation on the full variation and, honestly, more graceful. I use this transition when I’m feeling more feminine or if I’m feeling short on energy.  Just remember to link your breath to every move you make.

Step 1:

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Place the crown of your head onto the mat with your palms flat and shoulder-width apart. The hands should be far enough away from your head so that your elbows stack directly over your wrists. Curl your toes under so that you come into Dolphin Pose. Walk your feet in, helping the hips lift up. For this exercise in particular, if you can press up into your Headstand (pull your legs up into the pose as opposed to using your arms as a ladder), that will help in gaining control and strength for the impending drop. Otherwise, use your best means of getting into the pose: either hopping up or placing your knees onto your arms first then cannon-balling your way up.

Step 2:

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From Headstand, reaffirm your foundation before you get ready to shift your weight. When weight in the legs shifts, the same happens in the shoulders. But we don’t want that to happen here because it could possibly tweak the neck. Hug your inner thighs together and spread your toes strongly. Begin to lower your legs as a team toward a 90-degree angle. If this is too intense on the core or you can’t keep your shoulders supported, just do baby lowers until you have the stability to get to 90 degrees. Hold there for 5 breaths, then return your legs up into a full Headstand.

Step 3:

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Once you’ve become strong in Step 2, it’s time to try lowering your legs even more. Just remember: The closer your legs get to the ground, the heavier your shoulders will be. so keep them lifting and your elbows hugging in! Begin by trying to lower your legs beyond the 90-degree angle and, with time, see if you can lightly tap your toes onto the ground. The goal isn’t to set the toes down, in fact, never stop thinking “up.” Keep the legs hugging tightly to the midline, and think of your upper front thighs touching your core. Take one breath and return your legs to full Headstand.

Step 4:

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Time to add some flicking and breath work! We’re going to take the strength that you’ve created from steps 2 and 3, and use it to flick your legs back to land in Chaturanga. It’s best to do this action connected to the breath. Our thoughts and fear are the biggest obstacles to making this transition, so if you cue your action to the breath instead of to your thoughts, your ability to make this transition gets stronger.

Stabilize your foundation by lifting the shoulder heads up and hugging your elbows in over your wrists, with even weight through your fingers. Inhale and begin to lower your legs as a team to just a pinch below the Pike position. Exhale and flick your legs (it might even feel like you’re taking them back up a bit) back as you push deeply into your hands and whip your gaze forward. Use a strong exhale if you need to in order to help the transition move smoothly. Don’t linger in the inhale part of the transition. Make your breath and movement committed and smooth.

Next week, we’ll practice the full drop!

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come on retreat with her in Stowe, Vermont this October for yoga, archery + outdoor beauty via The Travel Yogi.

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Tripod Headstand to Crane

February 25, 2013

Just as our most challenging poses evolve on the mat, so has this Challenge Pose blog. I’ve guided you through countless yoga postures and have reached a point where I think we’re ready to move beyond just a single pose. So, drum roll please … we’re going to start diving into transitions, building on top of postures, and strategy plans for becoming stronger in advanced poses. Feel free to send me requests and ideas on Facebook and/or Twitter account, as I look forward to this new chapter with you all! Thank you for constantly challenging me to challenge you.

Today’s post is all about my favorite challenging transition—Tripod Headstand (Sirsasana II) to Crane (or Crow) Pose (Bakasana). I worked on this endlessly before I saw had success. It stumped me for the longest time, but man-oh-man did I get strong from trying! It’s a very technical breakdown (think IKEA instructions: You can’t skip steps F-J or you’ll end up with a desk when you bought a dresser) that is more accessible than you think. Remember to take your time as you practice, to breathe and smile, and know that you will improve over time.

Dig in!

Step A:

You can get a full break down of how to do Headstand on an earlier Challenge Pose post. Begin by placing the crown of your head onto your mat with your palms flat and shoulder-width apart, equidistant from your head. Use your favorite entry into Headstand (knees to arms and lift, one leg lift up, or dragging the legs in like a press). Take a moment to feel the stacking of your bones—feet over hips, hips over shoulders—your shoulders lifting, and your elbows hugging in strongly.

Step B:

Keep the foundation of your Headstand and your legs together. Bend your knees and bring your thighs parallel to the ground. Hug your thighs together.

Step C:

Separate your knees hip-width apart but keep the inner edges of your feet touching.

Step D:

Slowly lower your knees down to land lightly on your arms. This can be tricky because it requires core strength. To help you get stronger, practice lowering toward your arms and then back up to the thighs-parallel position. Keep practicing these small movements until you can land your knees onto your arms solidly. Take care to keep your shoulders lifting as you land your knees so that the weight doesn’t transfer into your neck. Try to land your knees as far up your arms as you can. or walk them up closer to the armpits once you land.

 

Step E:

Your bottom will still be high from Step D, which means almost all of the weight is still in the upper body/head area. This makes it VERY difficult to lift. This step is all about dropping the weight of your bottom down toward your heels to lighten your head. Try to close the gap between your hamstrings and calves by letting your bottom sink down. You’ll feel your head get lighter.

Step F:

Keeping the hamstrings and calves together, begin to slide from the crown of your head toward your forehead until you can actually see your mat straight-on. This is the head shape you want to keep as you transition to lifting so there’s no strain in the neck.

Step G:

Gaze at one point and stay small and compact. Push your palms deeply into the ground to elevate your face off of the mat the tiniest amount. If you rush this or try to muscle through it you’ll most likely fall backward. Don’t think “Crow” yet. . . just get your face inches off of the ground and continue to look down. Try to hold that shape and breathe.

Step H:

Once you feel stable with your face off the ground, begin to work the elements of the full pose. Start by a powerful rounding in your upper back while simultaneously pressing the ground away with your palms. This action will begin to suck you up away from the ground. Keep your heels tight toward your bottom and play with bent and/or straight arms. You can place your feet down from here, shoot it back into Chaturanga or return back to Headstand (we’ll review that one later)!

 

Photos shot in Wailea at Four Seasons Maui with clothes by Under Armour.

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come on retreat with her in Stowe, Vermont this October for yoga, archery + outdoor beauty via The Travel Yogi.

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Kapinjalasana

February 4, 2013

 

Kapinjalasana (Partridge Pose) is one of the postures that just makes you stop and laugh.

It’s a challenge pose woven into a challenge pose but when you look at it you see simple beauty and poetry. Yoga has a way of tricking us like that.

So, I’ve put it out there—this pose is doubly challenging. We’ve got the strength and balance aspect of Vasisthasana combined with the fully rotated shoulder backbend that you see in a King Dancer or One-Legged Pigeon Pose. No biggie, right?!

To reach the final pose, we start simple. Here we’ll break it down to explore the strength of Side Plank, the beginnings of adding a backbend to that pose, and then the ability to practice the shoulder rotation in the full pose without the fear of falling. Once these all make more sense, you’ll be ready to go! As with all backbends, remember there is a huge dose of surrender that needs to happen. Keep your stability and strength in the Side Plank, but melt and release your heart and shoulders to open into your backbend.

 

Step 1:

Begin in Plank Pose. Move your left hand to the center of the front of the mat, tip to rest on the outside edge of your left foot, and stack your right foot directly on top of the left to come into Side Plank (Vasisthasana). Make sure your left shoulder is stacking directly over the wrist and that your right arm is extending straight up. Keeping your gaze down, lift your right leg a few inches off the left leg. Bend your right knee, bringing the heel in toward your bottom. Internally rotate your top arm and slowly reach back for your right foot. As you do this there is a major tendency to fall backward. To prevent this from happening, push your pelvis forward to counteract the movement of reaching back. Once you have a grip on your foot, push it back into your hand as you continue to press the pelvis forward. This creates the backbend (similar to the shape of Bow Pose). If possible, push the entire sole of your base foot into the ground like you’re trying to stand on it. This will elevate your hips and fire your obliques. You can keep the gaze down for balance or play with looking sideways or leaning your head and throat back toward your foot. To release, either move back through Side Plank or you can drop directly into Wild Thing for a yummy backbend.

Step 2:

Time to understand the fully rotated backbend without the extra challenge of balance. Lie down on your belly with a strap handy. Make a lasso with the strap just big enough that you can slip the ball of your foot through. Bend the right knee and lasso that lifted foot, draping the excess strap over your right shoulder. Prop yourself up onto your left forearm like in Sphinx Pose. Look over your shoulder and rotate your right palm up toward the sky.  Hold the strap as close as you comfortably can from underneath so the palm is still up. Keep in mind the closer you grab to your foot, the deeper the backbend, so you might want to ease your way into this. Rotate your elbow out, up, and in, letting your shoulder rest in its socket (don’t let your shoulders creep up on your ears) and hug your elbow tight to your face. Soften the inner shoulder but stay long through the outer arm. Gently press your foot back into the strap to trigger a deeper backbend (if you feel this in your knee, release a bit). Keep your left leg straight and push the toes down into the ground as an anchor. Take 5 breaths then switch legs.

 

Step 3:

Time to use two fabulous props: the wall and a strap. We’ll repeat the actions of Step 2 but this time we’ll put it into Side Plank. Since this will dramatically up the ability to balance, we’ll use the wall as an aid in stabilizing the pose.

Have your lasso ready over the ball of your right foot. Go to a wall and place the big toe edge of your right foot into the place where the ground and floorboard meet. Lift your hips up into Side Plank checking to makes sure the shoulder and wrist of the bottom arm stack. Lift your right leg up, bend the knee, and begin to reach for your foot so you can grab the strap from underneath. If it feels right, shimmy your hand down the strap closer to the foot. Once you have a good grip, gently press the hips forward as you start to rotate your arm out, up, and in. It will feel like you’re trying to pull the foot toward your head. Remember the power of your hips! Send them forward to deepen the pose and root deeply into your ground foot to create stability and strength. Let your chest surrender and curl so it doesn’t fold into your lower back. Hold for a few breaths, then move through Side Plank or Wild Thing to release. Switch sides.

Step 4:

Time to give it a shot without a strap! You’ll know you’re ready to try this when you can walk your hand down the strap and grab your foot with ease. Until that happens, keep using the strap. (No shame—this is how you improve!)

Begin in Side Plank with your gaze down on your bottom hand. Lift your right leg off the left, and lightly bend the knee toward your bottom. If needed, you can bend the left leg slightly for more balance. Flex your right foot so you have something solid to reach for. With your palm up, grab the pinky edge of your right foot, holding onto as many toes as you can. Once you have a nice handful of foot, begin the arm rotation: out, up and in. If the base leg is bent, work it back into a straight position and work the sole of the bottom foot flat into the ground to give you more of a foundation. Breath here or begin to reach the crown of your head back toward to curl the heart space open. Breathe! Take as many breaths as you can and if you start to fall, just let yourself go into Wild Thing!

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come practice with Kathryn on retreat in February in Maui, Hawaii.

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Dropbacks, Part II

January 21, 2013

In the last post we tackled the first part of dropping back—reaching into the void! I say that because it’s exactly what it feels like. We’re reaching back into nothing hoping that the ground will be kind to us if and when we get there. That’s why we focused on using a wall and will do the same this week. (I’ll be using the wall for all of these demonstrations, as you’d want a teacher to aid you away from the wall.)

Today we focus on not only gaining more flexibility in our back and strength in our legs, but also the confidence it takes to stand up from a backbend. From my experience, if I tell myself I can’t do something then I can’t—I’ve put the heavy weight of denial into my body and standing becomes impossible. On the flip side, if I commit to my strength, body, potential, and to the pose, it might not look pretty, but I get far closer to my end goal. Use this as a lesson in prepping the body and mind, as this is the true essence of yoga—and key to executing a dropback.

Step 1:

You don’t want to tackle dropping back into full backbend (Urdhva Dhanurasana) without being comfortable in the full backbend first! Take a look at my Challenge Pose blog dedicated to Urdhva Dhanurasana here first before continuing on.

Step 2:

Take two blocks to the wall and place them at their lowest level so that the widest sides are flush against the wall, shoulder-width apart. Lay on your back with your head facing the wall and your knees bent with your feet flat and hip-width apart. Makes sure your feet are entirely parallel to each other—you might want to think “toes in, heels out” as most of us like to externally rotate the legs. Reverse your palms and place the heels of your hands onto the blocks with your fingers curling around the edges. Hug your elbows in so that they stack over your wrists. Push into your feet and lift your hips as you press into the blocks to lift your head and come onto the crown.

Adjust your elbows here, so that they are shoulder-width apart and keep the shoulders plugged into their sockets. Press down onto the blocks to lift your head and chest straight up. Renew the rotation of your arms—hug the upper outer edges of your arms in so it feels like you’re shrinking your armpits and relaxing the base of your neck. Don’t try to look anywhere, just let your head relax. If possible, walk your feet in toward your hands a few inches and push your shinbones back. Keep the squeeze of the arms and gently draw your throat and heart toward the wall to deepen the backbend. Root into your heels and think of the pelvis lifting directly up to the ceiling. Take 8 full breaths. Then walk your feet back out, bend your elbows but keep them shoulder-width apart, and tuck your chin to come down onto your back.

You’ll repeat this same set of actions but progressively take the height of the blocks up. Next place them at medium height, still with the widest part flush against the wall. On round 3 (if you’re body is ready to progress. Remember there is no rush!) you won’t be able to pause on the crown of your head because of the height of the blocks. You’ll also want to focus on not only pushing into the blocks, but also on pushing them into the wall to make them more stable (use a sticky mat under the blocks to prevent slipping). Depending on your flexibility, some of you may be able to walk your feet in and rest your throat on the wall. Focus on zipping your tailbone forward toward your knees and rotating the upper inner thighs down to broaden and release your upper back.

Step 3:

If you can do the backbend on the tallest side of the block with ease, you’re ready to try and walk yourself up the wall to stand!  While in your backbend with your hands on the blocks, take a moment to focus on your legs. Keep the toes in and heels out as they will now want to splay (you can even take a strap around your thighs to keep them hip-width apart). Root into the heels and remember to roll the inner thighs down. Lift your heart with even more vigor and take one hand off the block and place it several inches above at the wall. Repeat this action with your other hand and climb the wall, pushing into it to help bring the weight into your legs with the heart lifting. When you feel like you can’t climb anymore and you have a solid amount of weight in your legs, pause. Push both palms flat into the wall and work the rotation of your arms to broaden your upper back. Relax your head and lift your entire upper chest as much as you can. Pop onto your fingertips and feel even more weight come into your legs. Keeping the head hanging back give yourself a count of 3—1, 2, and on 3 continue the upward rolling motion of the spine leading with your heart to stack your vertebrae and come all the way up to stand.

 

NOTE: You will want to lift your head and look where you’re going because it’s human nature. Resist the urge to look up. The skull is incredibly heavy and will most likely tweak your neck. Trust the everything is exactly where you left it and envision your legs as tree trunks—strong and stable waiting to do their job to support you.

The other temptation is to bring one arm at a time way from the wall. This throws off the symmetry of the body and creates a difficult habit to break. Always leave the wall with both hands (same for dropping back) and lead with the power in your legs and lift in your chest. If this is too fearful for you, have someone hold your hips for moral support until you trust your body.

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come practice with Kathryn on retreat in February in Maui, Hawaii.

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Dropbacks, Part I

December 24, 2012

 

I teach a workshop helping people conquer their fears by asking them what poses scare them. Drop-backs are always the winners! It’s one thing to conquer Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend),  which can strike major fear into the hearts of tight-hamstring folk,  but it’s a whole other ballgame to try to bend over backward, hoping that the ground will be there for you when you get there.

So here in Challenge Pose, I’m going to break the drop-back down into several parts: keeping yourself open and safe while reaching up and back, dropping into the full backbend, and then standing back up. While the first part, the subject of today’s post, may not look super challenging, trust me—it is. If you discipline yourself and work all of these actions, it is exhausting and incredibly rewarding. Just remember as you work toward your drop-back, it SHOULD feel impossible. That’s the magic of the posture. Once you get there you’ll be on Cloud Nine, but until then, keep doing your best.

Step 1:

One of the most common mistakes made while trying to drop back into Urdhva Dhanurasana is splaying your legs and feet. Externally rotating the legs gives a sense of more balance and control on the decent toward the ground. The problem is it also contracts the glutes and compresses the low back. In other words—no good. As frustrating as it is, working this rotation of your legs will give you a healthy backbend and, in time, the control that you’re looking for.

Come into Uttanasana with your feet hip-width apart and parallel to each other. Take your palms to the sides of your legs just below your knees. Begin to apply strong pressure against your legs as if you were trying to close your legs without letting them move. Continue this pressing action and bring your focus to your inner thighs. Try to spread your inner thighs away from each other with a bit of internal rotation. Keep pressing the outer legs with your hands until you feel space in your lower back. This is the action we’re looking to create during a backbend in order to protect the low back.

 

Step 2:

In the same way that the legs like to splay, the arms can easily give out as well. When the arms cease to externally rotate, all the pressure goes into the upper trapezius causing a major traffic jam in the upper back. Working this rotation of your arms allows you release the base of the neck and properly lift from your heart.

Grab a block length-wise, placing your palms flat along the short edges. Extend the arms straight out in front of you. Push deeper into the pinky edge of the hands firing up the triceps. Rotate the entire pinky edge of the arm down and in, wrapping the triceps. Plug the shoulders into the sockets and begin to lift the arms up. As the arms extend, lengthen the side body along the ribs and armpits. Release the area at the base of your neck. Keep these two actions working together, draw your front ribs in to keep core connection, and lengthen through the inner elbows to create straight arms. Keep pressing the palms strongly into the block until the arms go as high as they comfortably can while keeping all the other actions engaged. Hold for 8 full breaths and release.

Step 3:

Step about 12 inches away from a back-facing wall with your feet hip-width apart  (this measurement will change depending on your body and backbend. Start here and adjust accordingly). Place a block lengthwise and low between your feet. Gently hug into the block to recreate the actions of Step 1 as you broaden your inner thighs. Keep your kneecaps lifting and rotate your upper inner thighs back as you release your tailbone down. Join your hands in front of your heart in Anjali Mudra. Press the palms together as you roll your shoulder heads back and press your heart up into the heels of your hands. Notice the tendency to lose the lower body work when you lift your chest. Focus on keeping all the elements working together. If the neck allows and there is no holding in your upper trapezius, you can begin to release your head back to gaze toward the wall behind you.

 

Step 4:

Keeping all the actions from Step 3 solid, release your hands to shoulder-width apart with your palms facing inward. Begin to stretch your arms toward the wall, keeping the actions from Step 1 or externally rotating your arms and not letting them splay open. You may just begin to reach or you might make it to the wall. If you get to the wall, place your fingertips or even your palms there. Hug your upper outer arms in to release the base of your neck, and with every breath remind yourself to lift your heart. There is no such thing as lifting too much with the heart!

If you comfortably land the palms flat against the wall, you can explore walking them down a few inches without bending your knees or losing the lift in your chest. Hold here for 8 breaths. Keep your gaze at the wall and head relaxing backward as you press down into your feet and engage through your legs. Then walk the hands up a bit and pop to your fingertips. Transfer the weight into your legs and roll up one vertebrae at a time, letting the head stack last (looking up is natural as we like to see where we are going, but this adds major strain to the neck. Trust everything is where you left it).

 

Top photo by Robert Sturman

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come practice with Kathryn on retreat in February in Maui, Hawaii.

 

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Baddha Hasta Sirsasana B

November 12, 2012

Kathryn Budig in Sirasana B

The beauty of yoga is that it cannot be mastered. Don’t get me wrong—there are plenty of people out there who are extremely gifted and knowledgable, but the truly wise understand that the more you learn, the less you know.

We played with traditional headstand in the last Challenge Pose post, and will now be venturing into the world of headstand variations. There are seven headstands practiced in the 2nd series of Ashtanga Yoga, and we’ll tackle many of those as well as some less traditional variations. Today’s version, Baddha Hasta Sirsasana B, refers to the bound-hand position that will form the base of the pose.

All these poses keep us on our toes—or rather on our heads; they require us to be diligent, aware, and in tune with the moment. Tiny tweaks can completely change a pose giving us a new challenge and reason to show up on the mat. Keep that in mind as you venture forward. No one is asking you to master these poses TODAY. View them as projects and a reminder that yoga is here to play with us for the rest of our lives.

***IMPORTANT: You need to have a solid grasp and understanding of traditional Sirsasana before attempting this variation.

Step 1:

All of the headstand variations have different arm foundations, but the head stays the same (weight directly onto the crown with all four sides of the neck even). Without over thinking this, simply bend your elbows and grab your forearms close to the crook of your elbows. It doesn’t matter which hand goes on top, just go for your natural grip. It isn’t a death grip—just a soft holding of your arms to create the shape. Take this shape and place it onto your mat directly in front of a wall.

 

Step 2:

The key to remembering where to put your head is that you will be looking directly into your arms. Place the crown of your head down in front of your folded arms so that your forehead touches them. Stay on your knees as you start to lift your shoulders to give you plenty of length in your neck. Push your elbows down into the mat as an anchor.

Step 3:

Keep the foundation or your head and arms as you curl your toes under, straighten your legs, and lift your hips into Dolphin Pose. Walk your toes in toward your face until the hips eventually stack over your shoulders. You’ll feel the weight get heavier in your upper back as your feet get closer. Resist the urge to collapse by rooting the elbows down and lifting the upper back away from the earlobes. Practice holding here for 8 breaths. If this is exhausting work, you’ve found your variation! Keep working this until you can hold for 8 breaths with ease.

 

Step 4:

From Dolphin, bend one knee and tuck it tightly toward your chest. Draw your heel toward your bottom and spread your toes. This should tilt your hips even further forward over your shoulders so you come into a light alignment that will pull you up into your headstand variation. Take a few breaths with one knee lifted and then try the second side. If you can pull both legs up into a pike position (both knees to chest), go for it, and then use your belly control to straighten your legs into full position. Every few breaths remind yourself: shoulders up, elbows down.

 

Step 5:

Seeing that this is a foreign inversion for most, learning first at the wall is key. Drop the ego—even if you do Headstand all the time! It’s best to learn your pose in a safe scenario and then branch out from there. If you can get one knee into your chest, you can start to kick up. Bend the knee of the leg still on the ground and take little hops working the hips over your shoulders and either both knees into your chest or drawing the straight leg directly up to the wall. Don’t worry about balance yet—just get up. Once both heels come to the wall, try flexing your feet and drawing your spine and energy upward to lengthen your body and soften the load on your neck.

If you have the flexibility to press into Headstand, you can practice Dolphin Pose and walking the legs in straight until they can lift as a team up into the pose. This will eventually give you more control as you begin to move away from the wall. Take 5-8 breaths then come back to the ground and rest in Child’s Pose for 30 seconds.

 

Kathryn Budig is jet-setting yoga teacher who teaches online at Yogaglo. She is the Contributing Yoga Expert for Women’s Health Magazine, Yogi-Foodie for MindBodyGreen, creator of Gaiam’s Aim True Yoga DVD, co-founder of Poses for Paws and author of Rodale’s The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga . Follow her on Twitter; Facebook; or on her website. Come practice with Kathryn on retreat in February in Maui, Hawaii.

 

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