Utthita Hasta Padasana/ Parsva Hasta Padasana

Utthita Hasta Padasana
Expanded Hand Foot Pose

Standing Asana

Key Benefits

• Strengthens legs and arms

How to get into Legs up the Wall

1. From Tadasana jump your feet 4 to 4 1/2 feet apart and at the same time extend your arms over your feet. 

Key Points

1. Press into the big toe mound and the outer side of the feet, lifting the arches and inner legs. 
2. Lift the knee caps and press the top center thighs back as you lengthen the sacrum towards the hamstrings. 
3. Extend the torso towards the ceilings and bring the bottom shoulder blades together expanding the chest. 
4. Expand the arms from the center of the chest outward and look forward. 

Parsva Hasta Padasana
Side Hand Foot Pose

Standing Asana

How to get into Parsva Hasta Padasana

1. From Utthita Hasta Padasana turn your back foot in slightly and turn your whole front leg  90 degrees. 

Key Points

1. Press into the big toe mound and the outer side of the feet, lifting the arches and inner legs. 
2. Lift the knee caps and press the top center thighs of the back leg back as you lengthen the sacrum towards the hamstrings, and roll the front thigh towards the buttocks.
3. Keep the torso parallel to the wall in front of you. Extend the torso towards the ceilings and bring the bottom shoulder blades together expanding the chest. 
4. Expand the arms from the center of the chest outward and look forward. 

Legs up the Wall

Prasarita Padasana 90 supported
Legs up the Wall 

Restorative Pose

Key Benefits

• Helps low back pain
• Helps insomnia
• Prepares legs for inversions

How to get into Legs up the Wall

1. Lay on your side with your hips almost touching a wall and your knees bent towards your chest and your arm straight in line with your ear. 
2. Roll onto your back unbend your legs and straighten them along the wall. Your hips should be near the wall. 

Key Points

1. Press the toe mounds towards the ceiling the bring the pinky sides of the feet towards the ground.
2. Extend from the inner groin to the inner heel and roll the thighs together. 
3. Press the top center thighs back towards the wall and lift the knee caps towards the thighs. 
4. Relax the abdomen and roll the shoulders under opening the chest. 

Modifications:

• If the knees bend move away from the wall till the legs are straight
• Use a chair and bend the knees on the seat of a chair

When to and when not to do yoga

Yoga is so therapeutic that there is hardly a time to not do yoga. But there is clearly a line, if you have a fever stay off your mat, hydrate and rest. I am reflecting on this as my little ones have been sick these past few weeks.

For just about every other condition do yoga. Some conditions require the assistance and guidance of a more qualified teacher that you will need to seek out, such as cancer patients, pregnancy, rehabilitating an injury, or coming back from a surgery. Take time to look up the most qualified Iyengar Yoga Teacher in your area for these concerns.

But, if you have a cold, sore neck, old injury, or a mental disorder such as depression, get on your yoga mat. Some times that is easier said than done. I can attest to that, it is much more comfy to sit on my couch and read about yoga than to practice when I hurt or when my depression is really acting up, but I have to remind myself that even starting with a 15 minute practice will make me feel better, and hopefully will turn into a full practice.

Each yoga pose has therapeutic benefits. A well trained teacher can guide you to the poses that you need for your specific needs, and a well practiced practitioner has experienced and learned them enough to establish a sequence at home to create the needed benefits for their own body.

So unless you have a fever, stay on your mat and practice your body will thank you.

Eka Pada Muktasana and Dwi Pada Muktasana

Eka Pada Pavana Muktasana

One footed releasing the winds pose

Restorative Pose

Key Benefits

• helps low back pain

How to get into Eka Pada Pavana Muktasana

1. Lay in Supta Tadasana bring one leg towards your chest and wrap your arm around the shin.
2. Keep the other leg in Supta Tadasana.  Bring both legs to Supta Tadasana and change sides. 

Key Points

1. Relax the groin of the bent leg as you bring it towards the head and relax the foot. Keep the hip moving away from the head. 
2. The Supta Tadasana leg is strong and the hamstring is reaching for the ground and the big toe mound is reaching away from the body. 

Modifications:

• Take the hands under the shin for a knee injury or use a belt

Dwi Pada Pavana Muktasana

Two Footed Releasing the Winds pose

Restorative Pose

Key Benefits

• helps low back pain

How to get into Dwi Pada Pavana Muktasana

1. Lay in Supta Tadasana bend the legs and deepen the hip groins into the hip sockets and wrap both arms around the shins, keep as much of the sacrum on the ground as possible. 

Key Points

1. Relax the groin of the bent leg as you bring it towards the head and relax the feet. 

Modifications:

• Take the hands under the shin for a knee injury or use a belt

Gaze to the past and present

Today I did a photo shoot with Paula and it brought back so many memories. Memories of Tuesday morning practices with Paula, practices with my babies, doing other promotional shoots for her, and fun shoots with my kids, which means not all of these poses have perfect alignment, but I chose these for the emotions they evoke. I wanted to put up some of my favorite pictures through the years that have been caught on camera.

Daniel came over and sat on me when I was a few months pregnant with Emma 

Paula had a photographer come out and take some pictures for the studio, we ended up having some fun with some poses.

 Daniel loves to sit on my bolster and pretend it is a Train. 

I loved doing headstand while pregnant. 

Carolyn Belko helped me all throughout my pregnancy with Emma. This was one of my favorite poses to be in.

Emma came out practically knowing what yoga props were. 

 We had a makeshift yoga photo session with the two kids one day. There is nothing more fun than playing with the kids.

 It was a snowy day in DC when we had finally finished shoveling all the snow I decided to measure the snow in my own special way.

 Yoga while pregnant with Michael. One of my best Adho Mukha Svanasana.           

                                                                                                                                                               The kids like to make things, today was a train.

Bringing babies to see Carolyn has always been a highlight of my yoga career. I will miss it.

 Yoga isn't always this cute, but when it is you have to have a picture. 

 This is the first time I have been able to do this pose in years. I was very excited to have this pose back in my sequencing!

The kids often play with me as they wait for their dad and my yoga class to start!

Emma's behind the scenes today!

Virasana

Virasana

Hero's pose

Seated pose

Key Benefits

• cures rheumatic pains in knees
• relieves gout
• helps achieve shapely arches, ideal for pain in feet, calves and feel for calcaneal spurs and coldness in feet
• good for those who work in water or stand for hours on feet and inflammation of blood vessels
• done with ease on cycle
• can be done immediately after food and will relieve heaviness in stomach

How to get into Virasana

1. Kneel on floor knees together feet just wider than hip distance lean forward and place head on floor. 
2. Take your fingers behind your knees and with your fingers move your calf muscle down your leg towards your ankle and out towards your outer leg as you sit back between your feet. 

Key Points

1. Press all ten toes, the top of the feet, and the shins into the floor as you extend your torso towards the ceiling. 
2. Lengthen your thighs towards your knees and move your tailbone into the body. 
3. Release the groins down and extend the arms towards the knees
4. Open the chest and move the shoulders away from the ears.  
5. Look forward and keep the back of the head in line with the sacrum. 

Modifications:

• Place a blanket under the buttocks in between your feet lifting the sit bones higher
• turn feet inwards in weight can't be placed on ankles and metatarsals

Virasana Cycle

Parvatasana in Virasana

1. Interlace the fingers in Baddhanguliasana and bring the arms up over the head pressing the finger mounds towards the ceiling and bringing the thumb and pinkies towards the ground. 

2. Maintain weight in the sit bones and the tailbone in the body as you extend from the inner arm through the arms to the wrist and rotate the outer arm in. 

3. Keep the shoulders away from the ear and lift the sternum. Release and change the interlock. 

Twist in Virasana

1. Take the left hand to the right thigh and the right hand behind the right hip, press into the shins and sit bones, lift the torso and turn.
2. Rotate the ribs from the left towards the right letting the head follow as you lift the sternum. Release and change sides

Adho Mukha Virasana

1. For an easier pose, take the knees apart and bring the toes together. For a more advanced pose keep the feet where they are and just bring the knees apart.
2. From the front of the hip crease bend for
ward keeping the hips on the heels and walk the hands forward till the head rests on the ground or a brick keeping the hips on the heels.
3. Press into the hands so weight stays in the heels and rotate the inner arms out.

Exciting News!

Two great announcements!

First I will be holding a free monthly intro to yoga class at Yoga Space on a Saturday. Time and which Saturday is yet to be determined. I will update when we set the class on the schedule.

Secondly, I am going to start creating 30 min Iyengar level 1 and level 2 sequences that you can do from home.

I know how hard it can be to leave your house, especially if you have little kids. I know how hard it can be to pay for a weekly yoga class, especially if you have to pay for a babysitter. I know how frustrating it can be if the only yoga you can take is from a yoga teacher you don't know because that is who teaches at your gym.

I know you want to do yoga.

I know the benefits of yoga. I have read studies, I have witnessed its effects in my life, and I have seen it change others. I want to bring yoga to you.

So starting soon you will grab your mat, maybe a yoga block or two and come do yoga with me!

Until then, enjoy these videos taken by my son of standing poses level 1 and level 2 sequences will contain.