Baddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose

Great for releasing lower back tension and for easing sciatica, this seated pose is one you can return to again and again and see yourself slowly progressing!

Benefits

• Improves flexibility in the lower back
• Improves flexibility in the hips
• Gently stretches the insides of the thighs, which helps in many other Yoga poses
• Takes time to develop the full version of the posture, so be patient!

How to do it

• Sit on the floor
• Ensure that your back is upright – you may find it helpful to lean against a wall
• Stretch your legs straight out in front of you
• You can place a blanket or yoga block under the back of your pelvis to help raise your hips a little – this will help if your hips or groin area are tight
• Breathe out, bend your knees, drop your knees outwards and pull your heels toward your pelvis
• Grasp your ankles with your hands and encourage the soles of your feet to come together
• Continue to relax your knees out to the sides so that they begin to drop towards the floor
• Keep pressing the soles of your feet together, maintaining your hold on your ankles
• Lengthen your breath out and try to allow the muscles on the insides of the legs to release and relax

Things to watch

• Keep your back as upright as you can
• Keep your shoulders relaxed
• Move gently and smoothly
• Focus on your breathing, extending the breath out as you remain in the posture
• Think about pressing the outside edges of your feet together as this encourages the sense of opening out the hips and extending the thighs
• Ease of the posture gently when you have finished
• Repeat 2 or 3 times

Link to more information: https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/bound-angle-pose

Izzy Ixer

British Wheel of Yoga Dip Yoga Tutor and Coach

You can find out more about Izzy here and about yoga at the Centre here

Twitter @IzzyIxer or @IzzyYoga

 

 

 

Padahastasana – hand to foot posture

This is a forward bend from standing, which means that you take your hands and place them under the soles of your feet. This takes time to achieve and becomes possible as the suppleness in your legs and spine increase. A challenge for most people!

 

Benefits

• Improves flexibility in the hamstrings
• Improves flexibility in the spine
• Acts like an inverted posture with the benefits of reversing the effects of gravity
• Takes time to develop the full version of the posture, so be patient!

 

How to do it

 

Begin from a standing position with your feet parallel and hips’ width apart:

• As you breathe in, raise your arms up and overhead
• As you breathe out, hinge forward from your hips, keeping your arms out in front of you
• Keeping your hips back, continue to bend forward until you can drop your hands onto your legs – don’t worry if you can’t touch your toes
• As you breathe in, raise your head, raise your tail and hollow your back – be careful not to overstretch
• As you breathe out, continue your forward bend
• If you can comfortably reach your feet with your hands, lift your toes and ease the palm of each hand under each foot
• Continue to work with your breath and to allow any tension to soften in the legs and back
• To return, release your hands, take your weight through your legs and buttock muscles and gently uncurl your spine to an upright standing position, raising your head last of all
• Stand quietly and allow your breath to settle

 

Things to watch

• Avoid this inverted posture if you have unmanaged high blood pressure or eye/ear problems
• Use each breath out to help you relax into your back and legs
• Avoid locking the knees or pushing them back
• Retain the tilt in the pelvis, especially in the early stages, to help you reach further down
• Proceed carefully – don’t force progress – just relax

 

Here is a link for more info about the posture:

http://www.a2zyoga.com/yoga-poses/padahastasana.php

Izzy Ixer

British Wheel of Yoga Dip Yoga Tutor and Coach

You can find out more about Izzy here and about yoga at the Centre here

Twitter @IzzyIxer or @IzzyYoga

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dancer King – Natarajasana

With spring on it’s way and our energy levels improving, now is the time to develop poise and balance! And what better way than practising the Dancer King asana?

Benefits

• Improves co-ordination
• Quietens the breath
• Improves flexibility in the spine
• Develops mobility in the pelvis
• Strengthens and tones the feet, ankles and legs

How to do it?

I always begin standing postures from Tadasana, the mountain pose, as this gives you physical steadiness and mental stillness.

• Stand in Tadasana and allow your breath to settle
• Set your gaze gently on something at eye level which will hold your attention while you practise
• Gently move your weight onto your right foot, then bend the left leg and raise your left foot behind you
• Reach back and grasp your left ankle with your left hand
• Steady yourself and bring the knees into line (don’t have the left knee sticking forward!)
• Extend your right out straight in front of you, parallel to the floor
• Breathe gently and hold
• If you want to extend yourself further, you can gently push your left foot against your hand and feel the leg lifting up and away behind you
• Try and keep your body upright so that the stretch works into your raised leg and your back
• By practising in this way you will improve mobility in the pelvis and you will lengthen the front of the left thigh
• To finish, bring your left knee into line with your right knee, gently release the hold on your left ankle and return your left foot to the floor
• Repeat on the other side

Things to watch

• Work gently and develop a sensitive approach to the posture
• Remain focussed so that you can balance well
• Keep facing forward and avoid twisting, even if it means you can raise your leg higher!

Here is a link for more info about the posture including contra-indications:

http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/lord-of-the-dance-pose/

Izzy Ixer

British Wheel of Yoga Dip Yoga Tutor and Coach

You can find out more about Izzy here and about yoga at the Centre here

Twitter @IzzyIxer or @IzzyYoga

 

 

 

 

The Cat Posture – Marjaryasana

If January has left you feeling a little “out of sorts” then this is a wonderful sequence to re-establish harmony between your body, breath and mind.

Benefits

• Improves co-ordination
• Lengthens the spine
• Expands the rib cage
• Deepens the breath
• Gently massages the internal organs

How to do it

I reach this posture by asking my students to move the spine from the tailbone up, rather than leading with the head:

• Begin in an all-fours position, hands under shoulders, knees under your hips
• Breathe out first
• As you breathe in, lift your tail bone and gently allow your spine to dip
• Feel your head responding by lifting
• Make sure you don’t put pressure onto the back of your neck – keep it long
• As you breathe out, lower your tail bone and tuck it under and feel your back gently arching
• Feel you head respond by lowering
• Try to feel the movement like a wave, travelling along the spine as you breathe in and out
• Repeat 3 or 4 times and focus on working with focus so that your breath and your movement last for the same length of time
• Kneel back and relax when you finish

Things to watch

• Work gently and develop a sensitive approach to the posture
• Remain focussed so that you can co-ordinate breathing and movement
• Ensure your weight is light on your wrists
• If you feel pressure in your wrists, rest on your forearms instead or place your hands on small blocks and allow the fingers to relax over the edge of the blocks

Here is a link for more info about the posture including contra-indications: http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/cat-pose/

Izzy Ixer

British Wheel of Yoga Dip Yoga Tutor and Coach

You can find out more about Izzy here and about yoga at the Centre here

Twitter @IzzyIxer or @IzzyYoga

 

 

 

November Posture of the Month – Tree posture, Vrksasana

 

During the autumn months our attention is drawn to the trees as their leaves change colour and the orange, brown and red colours produce wonderful, ‘Old England in the Fall’ scenes. As the leaves begin to fall away we can see this as a process of letting go, conserving energy and preparing for the winter months ahead.

 

The Tree posture is a balance and can be done simply and developed as your confidence with performing balance increases. If you feel unsteady, you can stand with your back against a wall or within reach of something stable you can hold on to while you master the posture. A windowsill, worktop or solid piece of furniture make good sources of support.

 

Benefits

• Improves concentration and focus
• Strengthens the ankles and legs
• Increases focus on lengthening the spine
• Improves balance and core strength
• Strengthens and tones the feet

 

How to do it

• Begin in a standing position – Tadasana is best
• Settle your gaze ahead of you
• Breath gently and quietly
• Move your weight onto your right foot
• Slowly lift your left foot from the floor, turn your knee out to the left and place your left foot against the inside of your right calf or thigh
• When you feel steady, bring both hands in front of you, palms together
• Relax your shoulders and lengthen your neck
• Maintain your focus and steady breathing for as long as you are comfortable
• When you finish, replace your left foot on the ground
• Repeat the posture, balancing on your left foot
• Stand quietly before moving on to other postures

 

Things to watch

• Avoid locking the supporting knee back
• Slightly tighten the buttock muscles so that they support you fully
• Try not to push the hip of the supporting leg out to the side – keep it tucked in
• Keep your spine long and you may find it helpful to tuck your tail bone in – this will slightly lengthen your lower back
• As your balance improves you can try more advanced versions of the posture

 

Link for more info: http://www.bwy.org.uk/yoga-postures/ – it’s the 7th posture on the list

 

Izzy Ixer

British Wheel of Yoga Dip Yoga Tutor and Coach

You can find out more about Izzy here and about yoga at the Centre here

Twitter @IzzyIxer or @IzzyYoga