How to Teach Crow Pose

April 28, 2017April 29, 2017Autumn Adams

Are you finding it difficult to teach crow pose effectively? When my yoga practice began arm balances were rarely taught in group yoga classes. I struggled with the posture myself for a really long time. But from that struggle I’ve learned nearly every tip in the book for crow pose and here I will share them. We will cover tips for teaching crow pose or bakasana (for all of you Sanskrit junkies), different ways to prep for it, and how to use props to assist entry into the posture.

I joke that it took me seven years to get crow pose. Maybe it wasn’t quite seven years, but it took me longer than average. Eventually, once I stopped freaking out about falling on my face or injuring my wrists, shoulders, etc. it happened. I nailed. The funny thing is before I mastered crow pose I was already practicing other arm balances. I guess with bakasana you risk falling flat on your face and I have a deep fear of falling… somewhere in my psyche I have linked falling and failing together into one big massive knot of fear and in crow pose you literally have to face your fears head on.

Learn to effectively teach your students to face their fears head on with Bakasana/Crow Pose.

Teach Crow Pose Effectively With These Alignment Tips

Hands are shoulder width distance
Fingers are spread wide
Press down through the base knuckles of the fingers, especially through your index finger and thumb
Dig fingertips into your mat
Use hasta bandha
Make sure the elbows are above the wrist and not “winging out to the side”
the eye gaze, or drishti, is slightly forward toward the top of the mat (not back at your feet)
Bring the knees as high up on the triceps as possible
Squeeze knees and triceps into one another
Engage mulabandha and uddiyana bandha as the hips lift high
Tip forward slightly
Guide the big toes toward one another
Lift heels up toward your hips
And breathe…

Prep Poses for Crow Pose

Remember to warm up before practicing crow pose. Before you teach Crow Pose prepare by teaching a few or all of the following postures.

Happy Baby
Cat/Cow
Lizard Pose
Seated or Reclined Crow Pose
Malasana- Yoga Squat
Chaturanga Dandasana
Boat Pose & Half Boat
Wrist therapy

Brushing up on crow pose basics on retreat in Nicaragua.

Props and Modifications for Crow Pose

For students with shoulder or wrist injuries offer seated crow pose or malasana.

In seated crow emphasize squeezing upper arms and knees squeezing in toward one another, the engagement of the pelvic floor and lower abdomen and rounding the upper back.

Offer malasana with or without a block underneath the pelvis. Encourage students to lift through mula bandha, press down through the feet, and squeeze upper arms and inner thighs/knees into one another.

For a student afraid of falling on their face offer a blanket or block underneath their forehead when you teach crow pose.

For a student struggling to find the engagement and balance in bakasana bring them over to the wall.

Set them up in malasana about a foot and one half away from the wall. Get them set up to come into the posture and have them press the top of their head into the wall as they work on lifting the feet off the ground.

For students struggling to lift their hips high in crow pose suggest a block under their feet. Lifting the hips up high can bring up a fear of falling for some students. If this is the case offer verbal encouragement. You may choose to provide a hands-on assist.

Advanced Variations for Crow Pose

For advanced students offer variations to challenge their strength and focus.

Teach crow pose to tripod headstand back to crow pose.

From crow pose teach a jump/float back to chaturanga and then forward to crow pose.

Offer up a bakasana fusion pose like: half tittibasana and half crow pose or half lolasana and half crow pose.

For students that have the strength and would like a challenge offer Eka Pada Bakasana (one legged crow pose).

Autumn is available for yoga instructors seeking mentorship. Have questions? Reach out and connect.

How to Teach Warrior Two

April 10, 2017August 20, 2019Autumn Adams

Alignment Tips and Teaching Cues for Warrior Two

Virabhadrasana II is a foundational posture across many styles of yoga from Hatha to Ashranga to Restorative. When taught correctly Warrior 2 or Virabhadrasana II builds determination, focus and fortitude while opening the hips and building strength throughout the lower body, arms and shoulders. In this blog post you will learn to teach warrior two using proper alignment and effective cueing.

Teach Warrior Two, Virabhadrasana II With Effective Cues

As we do with all of our postures we will build the posture from the ground up. We start with the foundation of the posture (the feet) and move up from there. I encourage you to not overwhelm your students with alignment cues. If you’re mindful with how you bring them into the posture you will not need as many alignment cues to keep your students safe.

Have your students take a nice long stance and check their leg distance. With legs straight their feet should be equal to their wingspan (ankles under wrists)
Back foot is parallel to back edge of the mat or slightly turned in
Lift the arches of both feet
Front toes point straight forward
Front knee is right over the ankle
Visually check the front knee. Students should be able to see the big and second toe
Hips are square to the long edge of the mat
Abdomen draws in to support the lumbar spine
Spine is long- make sure they aren’t collapsing in their lower back (no deep backbend in the lumbar spine)
Shoulders over hips and relaxed away from ears
Arms extended long at shoulder height palms down
Arms are engaged and energized
Gaze, drishti, is over the fingertips of the front hand

Warrior Two Benefits:

Builds stamina, strength, balance and stability
Stretches shoulders, hips and groins
Increases staying power and fortitude
Energizes the arms and legs
Improves circulation and respiration

Warrior Two Variations and Modifications:

Flip palms of hands up toward the ceiling, bend the elbows and draw the shoulder blades down and in toward one another. Keep the shoulders as they are and flip the palms down toward the floor from the elbows.
Teach warrior two with a neck stretch. Flip the front palm up toward the ceiling and pull the elbow in toward the waist. The backhand reaches around the back to bind with the elbow of the front arm. Once the bind is achieved draw the back ear toward the back shoulder.
To strengthen the ankles and the calves lift the heel of the front foot.
Modification for Warrior Two: Use a chair to support the thigh of the front leg.
Modification for Warrior Two: Use a wall for alignment of shoulders and hips.

Warrior Two Contraindications & Cautions:

Diarrhea (Yoga Journal)
High Blood Pressure (Yoga Journal)
Neck Problems (Yoga Journal)

How to Teach Chair Pose

April 6, 2017Autumn Adams

Alignment and Teaching Cues for Chair Pose, Utkatasana

Chair pose, Utkatasana in Sanskrit, is a popular pose in vinyasa and ashtanga yoga classes. Utkatasana or chair pose builds strength and stability in the legs and core, builds heat in the body and requires focus and balance. Here I will provide teaching cues and alignment tips for chair pose that will benefit both yoga teachers and students alike.

Yoga Cues and Alignment Tips for Teaching Chair Pose

I like to teach asanas from the ground up. Just as you would build a house starting with the foundation it’s important to build a steady posture from its base.

Stand with feet together
Big toes touch
Heels slightly apart
Knees point over the second toes
Weight is distributed back toward the heels
Sit the hips low
Lengthen the spine by drawing lower abdomen in and up
Arms reach overhead with palms facing one another
Shoulders soften away from ears
Gaze straight ahead- healthiest for the neck
Tips if chair pose creates too much tension and stress for your student’s shoulders suggest they take the hands slightly wider than the shoulders or “goal post” the arms.

Variations of Chair Pose

Revolved (ie. with a twist): many arm variations available: hands at heart center in prayer/anjali mudra or arms spread wide are two of my favorites
Heels lifted. Press up high on the balls of your feet and lift your heels.
With hands bound behind hips. This option opens the shoulders and chest.
Feet hip width and a block between the inner thighs. This version of utkatasana helps engage and strengthen the inner thighs (adductors).
Bring the palms of the hands to touch overhead.

Benefits of Chair Pose

Builds strength and stability in lower body, including: hip flexors, quads, ankles and calves.
Tones the muscles of the legs
Strengthens the core muscles of the trunk
Opens the chest and shoulders
Stimulates the heart, diaphragm, and abdominal organs
Creates heat

How to Deepen Your Backbend Safely

October 5, 2016August 20, 2019Autumn Adams

So you want to backbend deeper? I’m with you. I don’t have a naturally “bendy” back, so I have to work pretty consistently to keep my backbends good and healthy. In this post I will share with you my tips to deepen your backbend safely. In this blog post I will focus on urdhva dhanurasana or wheel pose, which is a traditional back-bending pose that shows up in most level 2+ vinyasa yoga classes.

Just remember it’s not all about the flexibility of your back. You must open up the entire front side of your body to deepen your backbends and then my friend you must practice patience and ahimsa. Don’t force yourself into a posture before your body is ready for it. If you experience any pain at all you must come out of the posture, check your alignment and then perhaps come back into the posture or choose a gentler version. Maybe you just practice restorative postures for a bit and slowly add in more strength building backbends and then begin to deepen the backbend safely.

1. Warm Up The Entire Body

This might seem like a no brainer, but seriously if you want deep backbends you must warm up the entire body, not just your back. Stretching and strengthening are of equal importance. The following postures are all excellent warm up postures; combine them with a few rounds of sun salutations and you have a complete practice to deepen your backbend safely.

2. Get Specific. Let’s Talk Postures.

When preparing for deep backbends you must consider what parts of your body will be involved; for example, in wheel pose the wrists, shoulders, back, hips/hip flexors, quads and glutes all need to be warmed up and stretched out. Core activation is also key. Using wheel pose as our example lets begin with the wrists and work our way down the body with a full body sequence to open up our front body, so we can backbend safely.

Wrists

- Wrist circles

- weight bearing wrist stretches from a table top pose

flexion/extension

Shoulders (Start gentle)

Shoulder circles
cat/cow
sun salutations
melting heart (anahatasana)
downward facing dog at the wall
prone pectoral stretch
Downward facing dog and dolphin pose
Add binds to your standing postures.
Interlace the hands behind your hips in warrior 1, practice humble warrior,
eagle arms in warrior 3
gomukhasana
prasarita padotanasana c (wide leg forward fold with hands clasped behind hips)

Back

Cat/Cow
Side body stretches
Twists
Cobra Pose
Upward Facing Dog
Locust Pose (perhaps add a bind)
Bridge pose with the hands bound.
Add backbends to your standing postures (anjaneyasana, crescent lunge, warrior 1). It’s important to strengthen and stretch!
Natarajasana (Dancer’s Pose)

Hips and Hip Flexors

3 legged down dog
Anjaneyasana (low lunge)
lizard pose
pigeon pose
reclining hero pose
King Arthur’s Pose

Quads

Anjaneyasana
Lizard pose
Pigeon pose
Reclined Hero’s pose
King Arthur’s Pose

Gluteals

Fire up your gluteals
Squats
Chair Pose
Lunges

Core

Plank Pose
Forearm Plank
You don’t need to do a ton of core, just enough to activate the muscles and get them to turn on.

3. Proper Alignment

Hand placement

In wheel pose the hands are shoulder width distance (slightly wider is okay too), wrists are parallel to the short edge of your yoga mat, middle fingers are parallel to one another and the fingertips point back toward your heels.

Feet placement

Feet are hips width distance and PARALLEL to one another. Don’t turn the feet out or take them wider.

Upper thighs

In all backbends you want to think of wrapping the upper thighs in toward one another.

Tailbone

In wheel pose think of lengthening your tailbone toward the wall behind you. This will keep you from compressing the lumbar spine. In Locust Pose, Cobra Pose, Upward Facing Dog, and Bow Pose you will also want to lengthen the tailbone toward the wall behind you. And in Camel Pose think of lengthening your tailbone down toward the floor.

Heart/Chest

Don’t let the heart drop. Always lift through the heart. Once again this will help keep you from taking the entire backbend in your lumbar spine.

Core/Lower back

Gently draw your lower abdomen in. Once again, keeping your core engaged will help protect your lower back.

4. Active and restorative backbends.

You need to practice both active and restorative backbends, so grab your block, bolster, yoga wheel… or whatever else you’ve got. It’s important to allow your body to relax into passive backbends too. Restorative and yin style backbends stimulate the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). If you can stimulate the PNS (relaxation response) in your active backbends you’ll be golden when it’s time to do drop backs and inverted backbends.

5. Bodywork and Myofascial Release to Backbend Safely

Yes, I said it. Get yourself regular massages. Between massages I use tennis balls, or if you’re hard core or a glutton for punishment you can use lacrosse balls, to release tension in the fascia and connective tissue. Myofascial release will help create space within your entire body. Look for a roll and release class or marma point therapy class at your local yoga studio.

Lets see your backbends yogis! Tag me on Instagram @ambuja_yoga or Facebook @ambujayoga

And as always feel free to shoot me a message if you have any more questions.

Love and Light,

Autumn

Easy Office Yoga

August 26, 2016September 8, 2016Autumn Adams

7 Simple and Easy Office Yoga Exercises

Hey yogis and workaholics and workaholic yogis… this blog post about easy office yoga is for you. But don’t worry, no experience is required. Within the past year or two my business has grown a lot and I am spending more and more time on my computer, so I welcome you to my office. When I feel tension and tightness creeping in or my posture disintegrating I work a few of these postures into my breaks.

Please don’t mind the cat butt or the melting dog face. There is always at least one pet in my office and today there were three.

I try to be super mindful about my posture, but I find myself starting to slump, or lean on an elbow or jutting my head forward… I’m seriously probably doing a combination of these three right now..ugh. I am fortunate that I work from home so I can get up and stretch, go for a walk or do some sun salutations pretty easily, but that’s not always the case. When I’m limited for time I will pick just a couple of these simple yoga exercises… and sometimes I will add in a low lunge to stretch out my ridiculously tight hip flexors.

There are plenty of opportunities to work these easy office yoga into your work routine that won’t make your coworkers weirded out (too much), but really… who cares? Here are 7 easy office yoga exercises you can do to reduce stress and tension, to improve your mood, and boost your circulation.

1. Easy Office Yoga for Your Back & Shoulders: Seated Cat-Cow

Benefits:

This movement is so simple and so overlooked. Seated cat-cow is a backbending and rounding motion and help relieve tension and tightness in the back, shoulders, neck and hips. Cat-cow can even help relieve tension headaches.

Practice:

Sit forward on the front edge of your chair and bring your hands to your thighs. For this exercise you will coordinate breath with movement. On your inhale breath you will tilt your pelvis forward and lift your chest and your gaze up to the ceiling to arch your back and backbend your spine. On your exhale breath begin by tilting the pelvis back, pulling your navel to spine and drawing chin to chest as your round your back. Repeat 5-10 times connecting breath with movement.

2. Easy Office Yoga for Your Spine: Seated Twist

Benefits:

Twists massage and tone our abdominal organs and release tension in our lower backs. Twists also stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system, so they are calming in nature. Gentle twists are also beneficial for our intervertebral discs.

Practice:

Sit tall in your chair with both feet firmly planted on the ground and hips width apart. Bring your left hand to the outer edge of your right thigh and your right hand to the outer edge of your chair (on the right side) or to the back of the chair (see photo). Inhale to lengthen your spine and sit a little taller and exhale to twist. Draw your gaze over your right shoulder. Keep the spine long as you twist. Hold for 5-7 breaths and then repeat on the opposite side.

3. Easy Office Yoga Exercise for Your Hips and Lower Back: Seated Figure 4

Benefits:

Tight hips can contribute to lower back pain. This seated figure 4 stretch is the perfect stretch for the piriformis.

Practice:

Sit forward on the front portion of your chair. You want your sit bones (the bony protuberances that you sit on) at the bottom of your pelvis to be almost to the edge of your chair. To start cross your right ankle with foot flexed over your left thigh. Let your right knee drop down. See how this feels. If this feels okay you can use the right hand to gently press the right knee down while tilting the pelvis slightly forward. Hold for 10 breaths and then switch sides.

4. Easy Office Yoga for Your Lower Back: Seated Forward Fold

Benefits:

In your seated forward fold you have an opportunity to release the muscles of your back.

Practice:

Sit forward on the front edge of your chair, knees bent, feet planted hips width apart. Inhale and lengthen your spine long and exhale hinge forward from your hips and bring your belly to your thighs. Hold for 5-10 breaths.

5. Downward dog at your desk, chair or wall.

Benefits:

Downward dog stretches the muscles of the shoulders, the side body and the muscles of the back body.

Practice:

Bring hands shoulder width distance to the edge of your desk, your chair back or the wall and walk your feet away until your back can straighten and your biceps are by your ears. It’s okay to have the knees bent if you need to… the focus is on straightening the back.

6. Easy Office Yoga Exercise For Your Eyes

Benefits:

Eye exercises can help relieve strain in the eyes while toning the optic nerve. It will also help relieve any tension you may hold around your eyes.

Practice:

To start just find a comfortable seat. Begin with a side to side motion. Taking the gaze all the way to the right and then all the way to the left without strain. Repeat 5 times to each side. The change the gaze to move to the top and bottom of your vision. Repeat 5 times each. Then do circles with your eye gaze. Letting the gaze draw a circle around the outer edges of your vision. Repeat 5 times clockwise and 5 times counter clockwise. Slow down the motion in the places the eyes get a little jumpy or sticky. Then close your eyes, bring the palms of your hands together and rub them together quickly until heat is generated and then bring your palms to your eyes. Leave the hands there until they’ve cooled.

7. 5 minute Pranayama and Meditation for Wellbeing

Take 5 minutes for a gentle breathing and meditation exercise. Sitting comfortable in your chair or outside in a quiet place close your eyes and begin to bring your awareness to your breath. Set a timer for 5 minutes (so you won’t be late to return to work). At first just notice the breath without changing it. Become aware of its texture, the quality, it’s depth without judging or labeling it. Then begin to deepen your breath. Inhale for 4 counts. Pause at the top of your inhale. Exhale for 4 counts. Pause at the bottom of your exhale. Breathe in this manner for 10-15 breaths. Then allow your breath to return to normal. Follow your breath for the remaining time with eyes closed. When your mind wanders off bring your awareness back to your breath.

Yogi’s I’d love to hear how these yoga exercises influence your mood, attitude, and productivity in the office. Feel free to shoot me a private message. I am also available for corporate yoga sessions and would be happy to guide your staff in weekly/biweekly/monthly in-office yoga classes. I have plans available for both small and large offices. Contact Autumn for more information.