Vasisthasana is a simple pose, yet a challenging one. It strongly works the obliques, the glutes, and the shoulders. The pose is usually entered into on a single inhale, but feel free to slow things down if you need to.

Begin in Plank Pose. Roll over onto the outside of the right foot. As you continue to move into the pose, roll the hips open to the side of the mat and place the left foot on top of the right. Reach the left arm out from the shoulder up toward the ceiling with the palm facing the left side of the mat. Press the entire right hand into the mat to lift up out of the shoulder. Firm the shoulder blades against the back and tuck the tailbone. Firm the thighs and engage the core strongly to stabilize the pose. The gaze can be either out to the side or looking up toward the extended hand. If you find yourself struggling to keep the hips lifted here, as a beginning variation you can bend the right leg and place the knee on the floor underneath the hips for support.

From here you have a couple of options, you can stay in the pose and work to create a straight line from toes through the crown of the head, you can press through the right hand to lift the hips up toward the height of the shoulders (see above picture), you can bring the left foot into a tree position, and finally you can bend the left leg to take the left toe with your index and middle finger and extend the leg (this is the traditional Vasisthasana as described by Iyengar). Hold for as long as feels beneficial, then switch sides.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Traditional Gate Pose is a deep bend where you lay the torso down on the extended leg and the opposite hip rotates slightly in. More commonly (in most of the classes I attend anyway), the name Gate Pose is used to describe a similar but more basic posture that focuses on a side bend at the waist. We will describe the second variation here.

Kneel down on the floor and extend your left leg out to the side with the left foot pointed out (Note: I like to point it out about 45 degrees, though Iyengar tells you to point it straight forward and others tell you to point it all the way out to 90 degrees. Really all you are doing in changing the rotation of the thigh is changing what part of the extended leg gets stretched, so if you know your own body well, you can choose what position is most beneficial for you). Press the outer edge of the foot firmly into the mat. It is important that no matter what foot position you take the knee and foot point in the same direction. On an inhale lift the arms out to the side with the palms facing down, the shoulder blades wide but relaxed.

As you exhale, bend from the waist and place the left hand on the left leg. Contract the left side of the torso and stretch the right. The right hip might come slightly (though not a lot) forward and that is generally ok, but keep the chest open to the side. On an exhale reach the right arm over the right ear with the palm facing down. Draw the shoulder blade down away from the ear. Ground firmly into the mat through the feet and breath into the extension of the side body.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Standing in Tadasana facing the side of the mat, jump the feet out about 3-4 feet. The distance between the feet will vary but roughly they should be far enough apart so that as you extend the arms out to the sides (shoulder height with the palms facing down), the feet are roughly under the hands. Turn the right foot out exactly 90 degrees and turn the left foot in slightly (the angle of the foot should match the angle of the knee, so it will vary depending upon how open your inner hips and thighs are). Make sure that the line of the right foot from middle toe through the heel just barely grazes or even slightly misses the left heel. Bend the right leg until the shin is at a 90 degree angle to the floor. Eventually, the thigh might reach parallel, but this is something to be worked toward as you gain strength, not a requirement of the pose. Ground through the left outer heel and firm the left leg to stabilize the knee joint.

The shoulders should stay directly over the hips. Notice if you are leaning over the front thigh and if so, drop the back hip and bring the upper body back. Tuck the tailbone as you rotate the thighs away from each other to open the groins (the adductors here) and bring length to the low back. Note that for all but the most open students, with the front thigh tracking directly over the toes, the hips will generally be rotated slightly forward. This means that for the chest to stay open to the side of the mat, the torso must rotate back to the same degree the hips rotate forward. With the chest open, reach out through the fingertips but keep the shoulders relaxed with the shoulder blades wide. Bring the gaze out over the right fingers.

To come up, press through the feet to straighten the front leg. Switch the rotation of the feet, staying as long on the second side as you did on the first.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

While Ardha Hannumanasana has somehow cornered the name of half splits, Anjaneyasana makes up the other half. It is a powerful yet safe way to open up the front side of the body (especially the quads and iliopsoas). Most often you will come into the pose from Downward Dog, which is what I’ll describe here.

From Downward Facing Dog, step forward with the right foot and drop the left knee to the mat. Walk the right foot forward (or the left foot back) until you feel a stretch in the left quad and the right foot is directly under the right knee. Place the top of the left foot onto the floor. The toes of the right foot should be pointed straight forward and the knee should track directly over the toes. Check to make sure the left leg goes back in a straight line parallel to the edge of the mat. Squeeze the thighs lightly in toward the center line and square the hips to the front.

On an inhale, tuck the tailbone, lift the torso, and raise the arms overhead. As you exhale let the pelvis sink toward the floor. See if instead of pushing them toward the floor, you can simply release some tension at the hips so that they drop toward the mat of their own accord. On the next inhale, lift the sternum up toward the ceiling to initiate a backbend. Feel the opening on the entire front of the body, beginning with the left quad, up into the hips, belly, chest, and shoulders. The shoulderblades should be comfortably drawn down and away from each other. If it feels comfortable, you can let the gaze move up or even up and back to lead you further into the backbend. You can also deepen the stretch on the back leg by lightly pressing down with the top of the foot.

To come out, exhale the hands back to the floor and press to Downward Facing Dog. Repeat on the second side, holding for however long you held the first.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Virabhadrasana 1 is a standing pose that is part of the Surya Namaskara B series. Often, it is entered into from downward dog, but we will describe it here taken on its own.

Facing the side of the mat in Tadasana, jump the feet out about 3-4 feet. The distance here will vary greatly depending upon how open the hip flexors are. Beginners should start with a narrower stance, while more flexible students can generally take a wider stance. I like to place my hands on the hips to bring my attention to the pelvis in the pose, though you can raise them overhead here if you like. Turn the left toes out 90 degress, the right toes in 45 degrees, and pivot the hips to face the front of the mat. Check to make sure that the right heel is in line with or slightly outside of the line of the left foot.

Keeping the thighs squeezing lightly in toward the center line, bend the left leg until the shin is perpendicular to the floor. The left knee should track directly in line with the foot. If the knee buckles in or out even a little, this can place strain on the ligaments of the inner or outer knee. Additionally, bringing the knee forward of the heel can place strain on the posterior ligament of the knee so keep it directly over or even a tiny bit back of the heel. Eventually, you want the hips to square to the front of the mat and the left thigh parallel to the floor, though this is something to work towards and not necessarily a requirement. If you find the hips are still quite open to the side however, you can step the feet closer together and bring the back foot further outside the line of the front foot. This not only has the advantage of helping the hips square to the front, but also provides a more stable base to balance from. Press through the outside of the right foot and ground through the right heel. Engage the right thigh to stabilize the knee joint and check to make sure the knee and foot are pointing in the same direction.

Keeping the legs strong and active, lift the torso into a slight backbend and reach the arms overhead with the palms either facing each other or pressed together. Keep the abdominals engaged as you find your backbend to keep the lower ribs in. Broaden the shoulder blades across the back and draw them down away from the head. Tuck the tailbone to increase the stretch on the back thigh and lengthen the lower back. As you find the pose, tune in to the energy moving in two direction – downward as the hips sink to the mat, and upwards as the spine and gaze lift up toward the ceiling.

To come out, press through the back foot as you straighten the front leg, bring the hands back to the hips, and pivot both the feet and the pelvis back to the side of the mat. Repeat on the second side, staying for as long as you held the first.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

To begin, take the hands to the waist, then step or jump the feet out to the sides 3 to 4 feet (My general rule of thumb is that the legs should create something approximating a right angle at the hips, but it’s also nice to vary it and change the angle of the stretch from time to time). Turn the toes to face forward. Engage the quads so that the kneecaps are lifted up toward the hips.

As you exhale, reach the heart forward, fold from the hips and place the hands on the floor. Take another inhale to lengthen the front of the torso and lift the gaze. Rotate the thighs slightly away from each other as you tilt the pelvis forward between the legs. As you find your next exhale, fold all the way, roll the thighs back in and spread the sitbones. At this point both knees and feet should be pointing in the same direction – straight forward. If your hands easily reach the mat, walk the hands back so that the fingers line up with the toes and the elbows bend straight back behind you with the arms parallel. If it feels available, you might rest the crown of the head on the floor.

Stay as long as you like. Not only is Prasarita Padottanasana a great forward bend, but it is also one of the safest inversions you can find. To exit the pose, inhale as you come up half way placing the hands on the floor in front of you and lengthening the spine again. As you exhale, bend the knees slightly and take the hands to the waist. On the next inhale, come all the way back up and hop the feet together again.

There are several traditional variations of the pose. You can see pictures of two of them here (C variation), and here (D variation).

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Come on to all fours. Place the forearms on the floor and interlace the fingers. I like to tuck the bottom pinkie inside the clasped hands so it doesn’t get squished when you put weight on it. You want to bring your elbows a little bit closer together than shoulder width distance, as when you place weight on the forearms the skin will roll out and the elbows tend to get a little further apart. You want to end up with a pretty equally sided triangle between elbows and hands. Keep the shoulders broad and press begin to bring some weight into the forearms. Lay the crown of the head down on the floor with the back of the head either behind the hands if they are clasped or nestled into open palms. Some people like to place a blanket under their heads for a little cushion, but be aware that the increased give of the blanket can actually make balancing more difficult. Tuck the toes underneath and lift the knees off the floor.

At this point you have several options and modifications. Beginners will most likely start against a wall to get the sensation of being upside down without worrying about falling over. If you take the pose against the wall, make sure to place the hands no further than a couple of inches away. Having the hands further away from the wall then that leads to excessive arching in the back. No matter if you are against the wall or in the middle of the room, begin to walk the feet in toward the head and bring the hips up over the head. For those with sufficient flexibility, the hips will actually come further forward than the head to counterbalance the feet. Then, as weight is placed on the forearms, the legs will lift off the mat. The majority of the weight should stay in the forearms. Try not to collapse your weight onto the head. In the ideal world, the legs will be straight as they are lifted, though bending the knees means that the center of gravity is more toward the center line which makes it easier to find balance. You can start with bent legs if you like, then work your way toward straight.

For those with less hamstring flexibility, coming up even with bent legs will be difficult and you may need to resort to gently hopping the feet up. This is fine, but avoid just throwing the legs up, especially if relying on a wall. Try to stay in control and use only as much force to hop up as is required. Some people seem to insist on kicking up one leg at a time, and if this is you fine, but make sure to alternate the legs so you are not always kicking up with the same leg.

Once you have lifted the feet overhead, engage the serratus anterior (the muscles on the outside of the ribs) to keep the shoulder blades wide and engage the lats to draw the shoulder blades down the back (or up in this case) away from the head. Tuck the tailbone so the lower back lengthens and at the same time, roll the thighs in toward each other and press through the inner edges of the feet. The feet should be directly over the hips which should be directly over the head. The breath should be relaxed and steady.

While there are some inherent benefits just to spending a little time in headstand, I would encourage you to stay in the pose long enough that you continue to progress. In the beginning it will be hard work just making the attempt to come up, but often as people become proficient and steady in headstand, they get lazy and come down well before they truly find their edge. You can continue to add to the time spent in the pose or keep working to develop stability and strength by lowering and lifting the legs (as close to the floor as you can) until you begin to feel tired.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

While it may look like you are just sitting there in staff pose, there is actually quite a bit going on. Proper alignment in Dandasana helps to inform alignment for other seated postures. It is to seated poses what Tadasana is to standing poses.

Sit on the floor with the legs extended out in front of you. Let the palms rest lightly on the floor beside you. In order to sit up straight, you need at least 90 flexion at the hips, so if you find yourself leaning back, you can sit on some height (a blanket or bolster). You might move the flesh out form under the sitbones here to help provide a more stable base. Keep your feet flexed and draw the outer edges of the feet back so that they are flush with the inner edges. This will help to rotate the thighs toward each other. Draw the inner thighs back toward the sitbones and at the same time, press through the heels. The thighs should be engaged here so the kneecaps are pulled toward the hips.

As you ground through the sitbones, lengthen the front of the body (without puffing the chest out) and draw energy from the base of the tailbone up the spine as you lift the crown of the head up toward the ceiling. Draw the shoulderblades down the back without hardening the lats, and make sure the shoulders aren’t rounding forward. Gaze straight ahead with the chin parallel to the floor.

Normally, Dandasana is used simply to set alignment in between various seated postures, but it can also be valuable on its own, especially for beginners. You can check out your alignment (and work to develop strength in the pose) by sitting with your back to a wall. Try and let the sacrum and the shoulders touch the wall, but no other part of the back. As you develop strength and flexibility, try and rely on the wall less and less until you can feel comfortable coming away from the wall entirely.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Begin with the feet spread out wide so that as you extend the arms out to the sides (shoulder height with the palms facing down), the feet are roughly under the hands. Turn the right foot out exactly 90 degrees and turn the back foot in slightly (the angle of the foot should match the angle of the knee, so it will vary depending upon how open your inner hips and thighs are). Make sure that the line of the right foot from middle toe through the heel just barely grazes or even slightly misses the left heel. Bend the right leg until the shin is at a 90 degree angle to the floor. Eventually, the thigh might reach parallel, but this is something to be worked toward as you gain strength, not a requirement of the pose.

On an exhale, lengthen the torso out over the right leg and place the right hand to the outside of the leg. Let the left arm reach straight up toward the ceiling. Open up the left side of the chest and shoulder and lengthen through the back leg by bringing weight into the outside of the left foot, lifting the inner arch. Turn the left palm to face the right leg, then on an inhale reach the arm overhead so upper arm comes close to touching the ear. Draw the left shoulder blade down the back and let the armpit face the side of the mat. Find a diagonal line all the way from the outside of the left foot out through the finger tips. The right palm can rest on the floor or a block, but try to stay light on that hand. This is still a standing pose, so let the legs be your base.

Lengthen the low back and open through the groins by tucking the tailbone. Try to get the right knee to reach out over the right toes by pressing the thigh into the arm. I’m actually a fan of placing the hand on the inside of the leg and using leverage to open up the inner thigh (see above picture), but traditionalists will tell you the hand should always be on the outside of the leg so that as you press the leg into the arm to keep the knee tracking over the toes, the abductors are engaged, supporting stability in the pose. True. I like both. See if you can get the right side of the waist as long as the left and lightly drop the right shoulder away from the ear by engaging the lat. The gaze should look up the length of the left arm toward the left palm. Hold the pose as long as feels appropriate.

To come up, press through the feet and let the left hand lead you back up to standing. Switch sides, staying as long here as you did on the first side.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Begin by kneeling on the floor with the thighs at a right angle and the tops of the feet resting on the mat. Roll the thighs slightly inward and draw the hipbones in toward each other. Tuck the tailbone to keep the lower back and the quads long. You might even place your hands on the thighs as you tuck the tailbone to really tune in to the feeling of lengthening here. As you tuck the tailbone, make sure that the pelvis stays over the knees and doesn’t push forward.

Now place your hands on your back, with the palms at the sacrum and the fingers pointing down. Broaden across the front of the chest and shoulders and initiate the backbend by lifting the sternum up toward the ceiling. Beginners might not be able to safely drop all the way back yet, so to begin with you can stay here, lifting the chest as you let your gaze move up and maybe even up and back. The shoulder blades will naturally be drawn together a bit, but try not to squeeze them together. Refrain from hardening the muscles of the back and keep the heart open in front. You might imagine that a hook attached to your sternum is pulling you up toward the ceiling and this is what initiates the back bend. Think more of going up and over than back and down.

If you feel comfortable here, you can take the next step by reaching back asymmetrically first for one heel, then the other. A couple of modifications can make this a little bit easier. You can tuck the toes under to bring the heels a little closer to the hands, and you can also lean the thighs slightly back to more easily reach the feet. Once the hands have reached the feet, check in with the tailbone again, making sure the quads are lengthening and the lower back is not compressed. Lift the heart and breath.

Finally, for more advanced practitioners, you can drop the hands back simultaneously. Don’t rush this. If you feel anything less than 100% solid bringing back one hand at a time with the tops of the feet flat on the floor, you are better off getting into the pose asymmetrically. To come out, you can lean the thighs back slightly and reverse the process.

As with most backbends, if you have a history of back pain or hiatal hernias, proceed with extreme caution, if at all. If you are uncertain about whether or not backbends are safe for you, ask your doctor or physical therapist.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!