Adho Mukha Svanasana- Hands at wall

Adho Mukha Svanasana- Hands at wall

Downward facing dog- hands at wall

Standing pose

Key Benefits

• Removes fatigue and brings back lost energy
• Good for runners who get tired after a hard race, sprinters will develop speed and lightness in the legs. 
• Relieves pain and stiffness in the heels and helps soften calcaneal spurs
• Strengthens ankles and makes legs shapely
• Eradicate stiffness in region of should blades arthritis of shoulder joins is relieved
• Abdominal muscles are drawn towards spine and strengthened
• Diaphragm is lifted heard rate is slowed down
• Rejuvenates brain cells, and invigorates the brain by relieving fatigue
• Good for High Blood Pressure

How to get into Adho Mukha Svanasana

1. Spread your thumb and index fingers wide and set them at the base of the wall and floor. 
2. Walk back about 4 feet and straighten your legs with your crown of the buttocks reaching for the ceiling. Relax your head. It should not touch the ground. 
3. Leave your heels in the air to maintain the height of the buttocks.  

Key Point

1. Press the index and thumb into the wall and roll the triceps together. As you continue that action bring the shoulder blades together and move the torso towards the crown of the buttocks.  Relax the head. 
2. Lift the kneecaps and press the top center thigh back so much that the heels come to the floor. Now lift the inner heel to the inner knee and groin to the crown of the buttocks, as you lengthen the outer knee ligament and  roll the groins from the inside out.
3. Continue to press into the hands and move the torso towards the crown of the buttocks as you press into the heel and lift the inner leg up to the crown of the buttocks.

Modifications:

• Place crown of head on bolster or blanket

Parsvottanasana

Parsvottanasana

Intense Side Stretch Pose

Standing pose

Key Benefits

• Relieves stiffness int eh legs and hip muscles and makes the hip joints and spine elastic
• While head is resting on the knee abdominal organs are contracted and tones
• Makes deep breathing easier
• Good for arthritis in neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and for hunchback
• Calms brain cools down nerves

How to get into Parsvottanasana

1. From Utthita Hasta Padasana, bring hands into Paschima Namaskarasana turn the back foot and leg in all the way, turn the front leg out 90 degrees and turn the torso so that it is parallel ti the side wall. 
2. Extend the sides of the trunk up towards the ceiling then forward over the leg pressing the front thigh back as you extend the center of the trunk down the center of the leg. 
3. Maintain the stability of the feet and legs, press into the back foot lift the trunk up and repeat the pose on the other side keeping the hands in Paschima Namaskarasana. 

Key Point

1. Press the outer edge of the back foot and heel  as you press the inner edge of the front foot into the ground while you roll the inner back leg from the inside out and move the outer left thigh forward keeping weight in the back heel.
2. Lift the kneecaps and extend the inner front leg from the arch of the foot to the groin. Take the outer hips in and lift both sides of the trunk.
3. Keep the outer front hip back as you then then both sides of the torso down the center of the leg  ans take both shoulder blades in and open the sides of the chest as you lengthen the from of the spine from the perineum to the crown of the head, continue to roll the shoulders back and press the palms of the hands into the thoracic spine and lift eh sternum to the ceiling
4. Move the shoulders away from the ears as you relax the neck and lengthen down the leg moving your forehead, nose, then chin down the shin..

Modifications:

• Grab wrists
• Rheumatism may cross arms at the back
• If can’t fold hands behind back or balance, rest fingers on either side of right foot.
• If can’t reach floor use bricks to keep palms on them

Ardha Chandrasana

Ardha Chandrasana

Half Moon Pose

Standing pose

Key Benefits

• Beneficial those whose legs are damages or infected
• Tones the lower region of spine and nerves connected with leg muscles and strengthen the knees, cures gastric troubles
• Good for backache and dysmenorrhea

How to get into Ardha Chandrasana

1. Stand in Tadasana. Come into Utthita Trikonasana. Exhale. Place the right palm about a foot away from the right foot as you bring the left foot near the right foot at the same time. 
2. Take two breaths. Move the trunk towards the head so the left heel comes off the ground. Breathe. Lift the back leg and straighten the standing leg at the same time,  until the back leg is parallel to the ground, and the toes point forward. 
3. Extend the arms away from the center of the chest as in Utthita Trikonasana. Turn the chest to the left and balance. Bring the bottom shoulder blades in and expand the chest.
4. To come out, bend the standing leg and simultaneously,  bring the left leg down and then step as far back as you can returning to Utthita Trikonasana. Pull with the left arm to come up and repeat on the left side. 

Key Point

1. Press the big toe down into the ground as you lift the knee caps up and press the top center thigh back of the standing leg. 
2. As you maintain the stability of the standing leg extend from the inner groin to the inner knee to the inner heel. Lengthening the outer knee ligaments and lifting the the thigh up from the inner groin.
3. Lengthen the torso away from the hips evenly and bring the tailbone into the body. As you bring the shoulder blades into the back, expand the collarbones and rotate the torso to face the wall in front of you.

Modifications:

• Wall for balance support
• Use a block

It's time

Many things in my life are still not where I want them to be, but I am done waiting for the perfect moment to have them fall into place. I am going to make changes in my life and see where that change takes me.

I am starting out with a 10 day challenge to post a new asana everyday on here, so by the end you will have all of the intro and intermediate sequences from my website instructions on my blog.

Also if you have not done the restorative sequence with me, do it. It is a nice way to wind down and please excuse my mistakes. This is the first time I am trying something like this. I'll link the video here.

Also, I am challenging my body and mind. Body by learning cycling, and waking up at 5 am, and my mind by preparing to go to a Masters school for Psychology.

Lastly, I am believing in myself. I want to teach yoga. I have so many ways I want to incorporate yoga into people's lives, but I have to become a better teacher, and that means I have to teach. So I am really searching, and trying to open my heart to the world.

That's it for now, enjoy the sequence!

Virabhadrasana III

Virabhadrasana III

Warrior 3 pose

Standing pose

Key Benefits

• conveys harmony, balance, poise and power, helps contract and tone abdominal organs and make leg muscles more shapely and sturdy.
• recommended for runners, gives vigor and agility 
• improve hearing and carriage, helps stand firmly on soles of feet gives agility to body and mind

How to get into Virabhadrasana 1

1. Enter through Virabhadrasana l -  Extend the torso over the front bent leg thigh as you pivot onto the toes of the back foot. Extend the arms forward and simultaneously lift the back leg.
2. Bend the front leg, reach back leg back to Virabhadrasana I, pull the arms up and straighten the front leg, change sides.
3. Step the back foot down, return to Virabhadrasana l, straighten the front leg, take the hands to the waist, parallel the feet, then jump the feet together.

Key Point

• Maintain the actions of the torso, arms and palms, as you elevate the rear thigh and extend the center heel back with toes pointing straight down.
• Keep the standing leg hip aligned over the ankle as you press down the big toe mound, and hug the upper outer thigh to the bone.
• Maintain the extension of the arms as you turn the back inner calf from inside out and extend the heel.
• Pin the hips in towards each other and extend the torso even more with the shoulders blades in.

Modifications:

• keep arms apart
• place hands on wall and lift leg up
• fingertips on ground, trunk parallel to the ground head up

Virabhadrasana 1

Virabhadrasana 1

Warrior 1 pose

Standing pose

Key Benefits

• 
  

  • helps deep breathing
  • relieves stiffness in shoulders and back, tones up ankles and knees and cures stiffness of the neck, strengthens legs
  • reduces fat round the hips
  • thyroid and parathyroid glands are massaged
  • make one active, alert, attentive and mentally firm. Ignite fire of will power

How to get into Virabhadrasana 1

1. Stand in Tadasana. Jump to Utthita Hasta Padasana. Rotate the arms so the palms face the ceiling and extend the arms up till the palms press into one another. 
2. Turn the right foot out 90 degrees, the left foot in 60 degrees. Bend the right leg till the thigh and calf form a right angle to the ground. 
3. Extend the  torso up and release the head back. Pull the arms up to come up turn to the front, keep the arms extended to the ceiling and repeat the pose on the left.

Key Point

1. Press into the back outer foot and lift the inner leg from the inner arch, inner knee and inner groin. As you Extend from the root of the thigh on the right leg towards the knee. 
2. Lengthen the torso away from the hips evenly as you press the  bottom shoulder blades into the spine and extend the sternum up towards the ceiling. 
3. Lengthen the outer arm as you press the palms into one another and release from the nape of the neck to bring the head back.

Modifications:

• if unable to straighten arms keep arms apart in line with armpits
• support front leg on a chair

Excited

I am so excited that I have this beautiful new logo. I have updated my website. I am going to Teacher Training with Carolyn Belko in a month, and I am teaching at new locations around town. I am also on new ways of treating my depression. I am excited. Now if only my physical Yoga Shed could blossom and become a reality. I know that will take a while, but soon I know it will happen.

The past few years have been a dream. Spending so much time working on becoming a yoga teacher and now achieving that I can work on being a yoga teacher and what that means. I can build myself up, I can work on being a good teacher and helping the students who walk through my doors. Even if that means teaching new students every week, that means new students learn something new about their body every time they step into my class. And I love that.

My teaching journey is just beginning. I will find new places to teach, I will continue to reach out to people and try to help them learn about the benefits of yoga for themselves.