Yoga Alone Blog

This side-reclining pose stretches the backs of the legs, the sides of the torso, and tones the belly. Side-Reclining Leg Lift: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Lie on the floor on your right. Press actively through your right heel, flex the ankle, and use the outside of the foot to stabilize the position (if you still feel unstable, brace your soles against the wall.) Step 2 Stretch your right arm straight out along the floor parallel to your torso so that you create one long line from the heels to your finger tips. Bend your right elbow and support your head in your palm. Slide the elbow away from your torso to stretch the armpit. Step 3 Externally rotate your left leg so the toes point toward the ceiling, then bend and draw the knee toward your torso. Reach across the inside of the leg and take hold of the left big toe with your index and middle fingers. Secure the grip by wrapping the thumb around the two fingers. (If you're not able to comforta...

Learn four-limbed staff pose because it is frequently practiced as part of the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. Four-Limbed Staff Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana, then Plank Pose. Firm your shoulder blades against your back ribs and press your tailbone toward your pubis. Step 2 With an exhalation slowly lower your torso and legs to a few inches above and parallel to the floor. There's a tendency in this pose for the lower back to sway toward the floor and the tailbone to poke up toward the ceiling. Throughout your stay in this position, keep the tailbone firmly in place and the legs very active and turned slightly inward. Draw the pubis toward the navel. Step 3 Keep the space between the shoulder blades broad. Don't let the elbows splay out to the sides; hold them in by the sides of the torso and push them back toward the heels. Press the bases of the index fingers firmly to the floor. Lift the top of the ster...

Nurture your love-hate relationship with Plank Pose. A beginner's best friend, it's the perfect precursor to more challenging arm balances. Plank Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana. Then inhale and draw your torso forward until the arms are perpendicular to the floor and the shoulders directly over the wrists, torso parallel to the floor. Step 2 Press your outer arms inward and firm the bases of your index fingers into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then spread them away from the spine. Also spread your collarbones away from the sternum. Step 3 Press your front thighs up toward the ceiling, but resist your tailbone toward the floor as you lengthen it toward the heels. Lift the base of the skull away from the back of the neck and look straight down at the floor, keeping the throat and eyes soft. Step 4 Plank Pose is one of the positions in the traditional Sun Salutation seque...

In Extended Hand-to-big-toe Pose, maintaining solid grounding through the standing foot helps keep you steady. Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 From Tadasana, bring your left knee toward your belly. Step 2 Reach your left arm inside the thigh, cross it over the front ankle, and hold the outside of your left foot. If your hamstrings are tight, hold a strap looped around the left sole. Step 3 Firm the front thigh muscles of the standing leg, and press the outer thigh inward. Step 4 Inhale and extend the left leg forward. Straighten the knee as much as possible. If you're steady, swing the leg out to the side. Breathe steadily; breathing takes concentration, but it helps you balance. Step 5 Hold for 30 seconds, then swing the leg back to center with an inhale, and lower the foot to the floor with an exhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time. Pose Information Sanskri...

Heron Pose is an intense hamstring stretch. You may need to give Krounchasana some time. Vyasa, Patanjali's oldest extant commentator, mentions this pose, though he doesn't describe how to do it: "The curlew and other seats [asana] may be understood by actually seeing a curlew and the other animals seated"  Heron Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose). Bring your left leg into Ardha Virasana. Then bend your right knee and place the foot on the floor, just in front of the right sitting bone. Place your right arm against the inside of the right leg (so that your shoulder presses against the inner knee). Cross your hand in front of the right ankle and grasp the outside of the right foot. Finally grasp the inside of the right foot with your left hand. Step 2 Lean back slightly, but keep the front torso long. Firm the shoulder blades against your back to help maintain the lift of the chest. Inhale and raise the leg d...

A powerful arm and wrist strengthener, Side Plank takes its two-armed sibling to the next level, as an arm balance. The full version of Vasisthasana, as taught by BKS Iyengar, with the top leg raised perpendicular to the floor, is beyond the capacity of most beginners. The pose described here is a modified version suitable for all levels of students. (vah-sish-TAHS-anna) Vasistha  = literally means "most excellent, best, richest." Vasistha is the name of several well-known sages in the yoga tradition. There's a Vasistha numbered among the seven (sometimes 10 or 12) seers (rishis) or lords of creation (prajapatis), and a Vasistha who's author of a number of Vedic hymns. He's also said to be the owner of the fabulous "cow of plenty," Nandini ("delight"), which grants his every wish and accounts for his infinite wealth. Side Plank Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana. Shift onto the outside ed...

A modification of Plank Pose, Dolphin Plank Pose strengthens and tones the core, thighs, and arms. Dolphin Plank Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Start in Dolphin Pose, knees bent. Then walk your feet back until your shoulders are directly over the elbows and your torso is parallel to the floor. Step 2 Press your inner forearms and elbows firmly against the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back and spread them away from the spine. Similarly spread your collarbones away from the sternum. Step 3 Press your front thighs toward the ceiling, but resist your tailbone toward the floor as you lengthen it toward the heels. Lift the base of your skull away from the back of the neck and look straight down at the floor, keeping the throat and eyes soft. Step 4 Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. Then, release your knees to the floor with an exhale. Pose Information Pose Level 1 Contraindications and Ca...

Deservedly one of yoga's most widely recognized yoga poses, Adho Mukha Svanasana, offer the ultimate all-over, rejuvenating stretch. Downward-Facing Dog: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under. Step 2 Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins. Step 3 Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thi...

High Lunge: Step-by-Step Instruction Step 1 From Standing Forward Bend, bend your knees and, with an inhale, step your left foot back toward the back edge of your mat, with the ball of the foot on the floor. Step back far enough so that your right knee can form a right angle. Step 2 Lay your torso on your front thigh and lengthen it forward. To soften your right groin, imagine that the thigh is sinking toward the floor under your torso's weight. Look forward. Simultaneously, firm the left thigh and push it up toward the ceiling, holding the left knee straight. Stretch your left heel toward the floor. Step 3 Exhale and step your right foot back beside the left. Repeat the above instructions, but reverse left and right. Pose Information Pose Level 1 Contraindications and Cautions Any serious knee injuries Neck problems (look down at the floor instead of straight ahead) Theraputic Applications Indigestion Constipation ...