Pose Down :Utthita Trikonasana /Triangle Pose

My latest pose break down from myyogaonline.com
Benefits

• Expands chest and shoulders
• Increases mobility of hip joints
• Increases neck mobility
• Stretches spinal muscles
• Strengthens and tones muscles of the thighs
• Stretches calf muscles, hamstrings, hip musculature
• Increases proprioception (sense of position in space) of feet and ankles

Contraindications

• Neck pain: keep the head level and look straight forward.
• Low Back pain: turn the back foot in slightly to limit force across the Sacroiliac joint, and allow the hip to naturally rotate inwards.

Step by Step
Utthita Trikonasana (oo-TEE-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna)
utthita = extended, trikona = three angle

1. Stand at the top of your mat in mountain pose. Take a big step back (approximately 3+ feet) with your right foot, turning your foot towards the side of the mat while keeping your left toes pointing forward. Your two hip points are now facing the side of the mat.

2. Take the arms out in a “T” with palms pointing down; shoulders relaxed moving shoulder blades down the back.

3. Begin to hinge at the hip towards your left leg, deepening the crease where the hip bone meets the pelvis. Continue to reach out through the top of the head, keeping the spine long, and both sides of the torso of equal length. Lift the knee cap of the front thigh, contracting the quadriceps to support the knee.

4. Allow your left hand to float towards your (from beginner to advanced) shin, a block on the inside of the foot, a block on the outside of the foot, or your fingers/palm on the mat or big toe. Your right arm will float up towards the sky, keeping the arms in a “T”. Whichever hand position you choose for your bottom hand, ensure you keep your spine and torso long, without creating a bend in the waist. Draw the low belly in to support the lower spine.

5. Tuck your chin in slightly, lengthening the top of the neck near the skull, and turn your gaze up towards your right hand.

6. Keep your connection with the earth, especially grounding with the outside of your back foot, and all four corners of your front foot.

7. Breathe comfortably.

8. To exit the pose, on an exhale look down towards your left foot, draw the low belly in, root down through the feet, and inhale as you rise up. Turn and step back to the top of the mat and repeat on the opposite side.
Modifications / Cautions

• Use satya, truthfulness with yourself to determine how far you will enter into the pose. Often backing off our furthest limit in Trikonasana allows a better opening in the pelvis and shoulders.
• Although the intention is to square our hips to side of the mat, do not force this action which can put unnecessary stress across the joints of the lower back. To increase the opening of your pelvis, move from your feet. Connecting strongly through both feet (as above) to allow movement to trickle up to the pelvis. Imagine the tailbone lengthening away from the crown of the head and the crown away from the tail.
• Maintain space between the ribcage and the pelvis on both sides of the body. Focus on keeping the spine long and avoid crunching the ribs into the pelvis.
• If you have neck pain, keep the head level and look straight forward.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca

To prop or not to prop - That is the question

Imagine feeling completely weightless and light in Sirsasana/Headstand, or have balance and openness in Trikonasana/Triangle Pose. These are just some of the poses that can benefit from props. Things like wooden blocks, foam bricks, straps, bolsters, blankets, even chairs can change the way you practice. Allowing you to experience poses in a completely different way.

Some yoga traditions, such as Iyengar, heavily rely on props to enhance the practice. Whereas others - Ashtanga or Anusara for example- tend to be light on the props, with the exception of a block or strap here and there.

Why would I Use Props?

A yoga prop is not a crutch. When used correctly, props can allow us to experience the true essence of a pose, actively recruiting the correct musculature, and relieving strain in other areas.

Props also allow us to practice OUR yoga for our own bodies. We do not all have the same length of torso, shape of our humerus/arm bone, or length of femur/thigh bone. When we use a prop to modify a pose we can often feel lightness, stability, and access our strength in a very individual way.

Often deciding to use a prop, especially if you do not typically use one, can be a battle with our ego. Maybe our teacher only suggests props for beginners or people with inflexibility. A prop can be a way to advance your practice, not simply slow it down. When we back off of our edge, we can often gain new insight into how the pose "should" feel in our body.

Prop This

Ardha Chandrasana / Half Moon Pose

Props: Wooden or foam rectangular block

Place the block at the top of your mat, on the floor about a foot in front. From Tadasana/Mountain pose, step back into Virabhadrasana II/Warrior 2. Your back foot is parallel to the end of the mat, and your two hip points/iliac spines are facing the side of the mat, as we lunge into the front knee.

From here, place your back hand on your hip, slowly begin to shift your weight into your front leg, allowing your front hand to float towards the block in front of you. You may be able to reach the floor, but experiment with a block. Remember, the block has three heights, find the one that works for you. Press the hand into the block allowing your chest to expand and open to the side of the mat. The back foot is flexed, toes pointing towards the side wall. Taking your time, raise your top hand up towards the sky, maybe eventually shift your gaze up towards your palm.

Exit the way you entered, and switch sides.

Setu Bhandasana / Bridge Pose

Props: Wooden or foam rectangular block, strap/belt/tie

Set up your strap so that it makes a loop. Place it around your elbows with arms in front of you, the loop should be only as wide as your arms are firmly by your sides. Remove the strap and put it aside for a moment.

Lie on your back with feet hip width apart, parallel to each other. Place the block between your thighs (keeping the legs hip width) approximately one inch above your pubic bone. Press into the feet, lifting your hips up off the floor. Reach for your strap and place it around your arms, just above the elbows, with your arms behind your back. Bend the elbows so that your humerus/arm bone is on the floor, and your hands are pointing up towards the sky. Press your arms into the floor and feel the expansion of your chest. Notice the connection of the shoulder blades on the back. Squeeze the block and feel the release in the sides of the hips. Lift your hips a little higher and open your chest more, sending the heart up and back. Before lowering, remove your strap, then lower the hips to the earth.

These are just two examples of how props can enhance your practice, allowing you to experience a deeper version of the pose.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca

Pose Down: Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Upward Facing Dog Pose

My latest pose descriptor for myyogaonline. Upward Facing Dog - a classic.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)

Benefits

• Expands chest and shoulders
• Strengthen muscles that control the shoulder blades
• Stretch hip flexors and core musculature
• Strengthen low back musculature
• Relieves some forms of low back pain
• Therapeutic for asthma sufferers to open the accessory muscles of breathing

Contraindications

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or tendonitis of the wrist
• Low Back pain aggravated by extension
• Pregnancy

Step by Step
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (OORD-vah MOO-kah shvon-AHS-anna)
urdhva mukha = face upward, svana = dog

1. Lie on your stomach with the tops of the feet on the floor. Place your hands beside your rib cage with fingers spread wide, finger tips below the line of the chest.
2. Press into the hands, feeling the ball joints of the fingers (under the knuckles) in contact with the mat. Squeeze the elbows by your side, roll the shoulders onto the back body, and reach out through the top of the head.
3. Draw the low belly towards the spine, create a slight inward rotation of the thighs, and press the toenails into the mat.
4. On an inhale, press into the palms, imagining you are sliding your body along the earth. Lift your torso and hips off the mat, so that it is only the tops of the feet and the palms in contact with the earth.
5. Tuck your chin in slightly, lengthening the top of the neck near the skull, and reach out through the top of the head but keep your gaze down your nose. Imagine the back bend coming from your heart centre, sending the sternum forward, while keeping the drawing in of the low belly.
6. Breathe comfortably in and out or transition to your next pose.

Modifications / Cautions

• Avoid rolling in the tops of the arms bones or shrugging , both of which can lead to impingement of the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder. Instead, squeeze your elbows close to your side, rolling the shoulders onto the back body so that you are broad across the collarbone and send the shoulder blades down the back, increasing the expansion of the chest and the space for the neck. You should not feel any pinching sensations in your shoulders.
• If you are experiencing wrist pain, ensure a broad and open connection with the shoulders (as above). Distribute the weight evenly into the hands and all five fingers, avoiding compression at the wrist itself. The wrists should be stacked under or slightly in front of the shoulders.
• If you are experiencing low back pain, instead of focusing on the action of extension or back bending, think more about length through the spine, reaching out through the top of your head to grow longer. Draw the low belly in to support the low back. Connect all 10 toenails to the earth, pressing the feet into the floor. You can also use a block between the thighs to squeeze and activate the adductor muscles of the groin, often relieving pressure in the low back. Avoid gripping through the buttocks, but allow a gentle contraction.
• If you have neck pain, keep the head level and look straight forward.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit www.stayactive.ca

Relaunch! Smart Yoga becomes Yoga Savvy!

It's a relaunch! We've got a new name (Yoga Savvy), new look (see), more features (subscribe, share, follow me on twitter), but the same great info about alignment, avoiding injuries, and using yoga therapeutically. As an ode to our past, lets revisit the very first post:

Yoga Savvy - the blog - is here.

The purpose of this blog is to give you the tools to stay safe, practice with alignment, and above all, feel great in your yoga practice. I will highlight the latest scientific research in the yoga world, great books on yoga anatomy and yoga therapy, and share my insights on injury avoidance and prevention, as well as alignment based on our anatomy.

It's smarter yoga - why would we practice any other way.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit www.stayactive.ca