Chair pose shows up in almost every vinyasa and ashtanga class you’ll ever take. It looks simple on paper — bend the knees, reach the arms, sit back into an invisible chair — and then you hold it for five breaths and your quads start talking.

This is a full teaching guide to chair pose, or utkatasana in Sanskrit. Where the name comes from and what it actually means. How to cue it from the ground up. What usually goes wrong and how to fix it in real time. Variations, modifications, and the honest version of what the pose is doing in the body.

It’s written for two people: the teacher who wants better cues, and the student who wants to understand what she’s being asked to do and why.

Table of Contents

• What is chair pose?
• What does utkatasana actually mean?
• Where did chair pose come from?
• Is there a story behind chair pose?
• Yoga cues and alignment tips for teaching chair pose
• Should your knees go past your toes?
• Common chair pose mistakes and how to fix them
• Variations of chair pose
• How to modify chair pose for different bodies
• Benefits of chair pose
• FAQ

What Is Chair Pose?

Chair pose is a standing yoga posture where you bend your knees, sit your hips back and down, and reach your arms overhead — as if lowering yourself into a chair that isn’t there. It’s called utkatasana in Sanskrit, pronounced oot-kah-TAH-suh-nuh.

It builds strength and stability in the legs and core, creates heat in the body, and asks for focus and balance in a way that a lot of standing poses don’t. Most of the work is happening in the quadriceps, glutes, calves, and ankles, with the deep core and back muscles working to keep the spine long while the hips travel back.

It’s also one of the most-cued and least-explained poses in a general class. Which is exactly why it’s worth slowing down on.

What Does Utkatasana Actually Mean?

Utkatasana does not mean “chair pose.” The Sanskrit word utkata means fierce, powerful, proud, intense, immense, or difficult — so the more literal translation is fierce pose or powerful pose. “Chair” is a modern English nickname that describes what the shape looks like, not what the name says.

You’ll hear all of these in different rooms:

• Chair pose — the common English name
• Fierce pose or powerful pose — closer to the Sanskrit
• Awkward pose — what it’s called in the Bikram sequence
• Utkatasana — Sanskrit, from utkata (fierce, powerful) + asana (seat or posture)

That same root shows up in the pose next door. Utkata konasana — usually taught in English as goddess pose — is fierce angle pose. Same fierceness, wider stance. If you have ever wondered why goddess pose and chair pose feel like cousins, that’s why: they’re named for the same quality, not the same shape.

This is worth saying out loud in class, because the English name quietly changes what a student thinks she’s doing. “Sit down in a chair” is a passive instruction. “Hold a fierce, powerful shape” is not. The Sanskrit is asking for something the nickname doesn’t.

Where Did Chair Pose Come From?

The standing version of chair pose we practice today is relatively modern, but the name is centuries old — and it originally described a squat, not a standing pose. The lineage runs roughly like this:

15th century — Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The earliest clear textual mention of utkatasana isn’t in a list of postures at all. It appears in the chapter on cleansing practices, in the instructions for basti — a yogic colon-cleansing technique performed while squatting in navel-deep water. Utkatasana here simply names the squat you hold while you do it. Not glamorous. Very useful for keeping our stories about “ancient poses” honest.

17th century — Gheranda Samhita. Utkatasana appears as one of the 32 asanas taught in the text’s second chapter, described as balancing on the big toes with the heels lifted and the seat resting back onto the heels. Still a squat — a toe-balancing one.

19th century — Sritattvanidhi. This illustrated Mysore manuscript describes utkatasana with the soles of the feet on the ground and the knees drawn up toward the ears, and names it the haughty. A deep squat again, and again named for attitude rather than furniture.

20th century — Krishnamacharya and the Mysore Palace. The upright, standing, arms-overhead chair pose that shows up in modern vinyasa and ashtanga is generally traced to Krishnamacharya’s teaching in Mysore, where the older squatting utkatasana was reworked into the standing form we inherited.

So when someone tells you chair pose is a 500-year-old posture, the honest answer is: the name is at least that old, and it used to mean something different. The shape in your class is closer to a hundred years old than a thousand. That doesn’t make it less valuable. It makes it a living tradition rather than a museum piece — which is a much more interesting thing to teach.

Is There a Story Behind Chair Pose?

No classical text assigns chair pose to a particular deity the way the warrior poses are tied to Virabhadra. What exists is a teaching story — one that connects utkatasana to the throne, and to the Ramayana.

The story goes like this. In the India where these texts were written, chairs were not ordinary household objects. Most people sat on the floor or the ground. Elevated seats were for royalty — thrones, raised so a king or queen could be seen, and could see. That act of seeing and being seen has its own name, darshan, and it’s central to how people related to both rulers and deities.

The Ramayana — the epic of Rama’s exile, his fourteen years away from home, and his eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned — is, read a certain way, a story about a throne. Who sits in it. Who was denied it. What it costs to come back and claim it.

Worth knowing if you teach this: Hindu tradition classifies the Ramayana as itihāsa, which translates roughly as “so it happened.” It’s held as history, and it’s living scripture for a great many people practicing today. That’s a good reason to speak about it with the same care you’d want extended to anything you hold sacred.

Told alongside utkatasana, the frame lands: this is not an easy chair. It’s a throne. You are not sinking into it, you are holding yourself in it. And utkata — fierce, proud, powerful — is exactly the quality the story is about.

One honesty note: This connection is a teaching layer, not a textual origin. The old manuals that name utkatasana don’t mention Rama, and the pose they describe is a squat used for cleansing practices and seated work. The throne story came later, from teachers and writers finding meaning in the shape.

That’s not a reason to drop it. Yoga has always accumulated meaning this way. It’s a reason to say it accurately. “There’s a story teachers tell about this pose” is a completely different sentence from “this pose comes from the Ramayana,” and only one of them will survive a student who goes home and reads about it.

If you want to offer it in class, offer it as what it is:

“There’s an old idea that chairs in India were for royalty — that a chair meant a throne. Some teachers tell this pose that way: not sinking into a seat, but holding yourself in one. See what happens if you practice it like that for the next five breaths.”

Then let her decide what to do with it.

Yoga Cues and Alignment Tips for Teaching Chair Pose

Teach chair pose from the ground up — feet first, then knees, then hips, then spine, then arms. Just as you would build a house starting with the foundation, it’s important to build a steady posture from its base. Students feel the difference immediately, because the pose stops being a shape they’re holding and becomes a structure that holds them.

Here’s the sequence, in cueing order:

• Stand with feet together. Big toes touching, heels slightly apart.
• Knees point over the second toes. This is the alignment that protects the knee — the joint tracking in the direction the foot is pointing.
• Weight distributed back toward the heels. She should be able to lift her toes, or at least feel that she could.
• Sit the hips low. Send the hips back and down, the way you would toward a real seat behind you.
• Lengthen the spine by drawing the lower abdomen in and up. This is what keeps the low back from collapsing as the hips drop.
• Arms reach overhead with palms facing one another. Biceps beside the ears, if the shoulders allow.
• Shoulders soften away from the ears.
• Gaze straight ahead — healthiest for the neck. No craning up to look at the hands.

A note on the arms. If chair pose creates too much tension and stress in your student’s shoulders, suggest she take the hands slightly wider than the shoulders, or “goal post” the arms — elbows bent, upper arms out to the sides. This is not a lesser version. For a lot of shoulders, it’s the version that lets the legs actually do the work instead of the whole pose getting hijacked by the upper body.

A note on feet together. Feet together is the classic ashtanga expression, and it’s harder — narrower base, more balance demand, more adductor work. Feet hip-width apart is not a beginner’s compromise. It’s a different pose with a different job: more stable, more accessible for wider hips, and easier to load the glutes. Offer both, and say what each one is for.

Should Your Knees Go Past Your Toes?

Probably yes, at least a little — and the “knees must never pass the toes” rule is more rigid than the evidence supports. In a small 2003 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers compared barbell squats with knee travel restricted by a physical barrier against squats with no restriction. Blocking the knees from moving forward reduced torque at the knee — and dramatically increased torque at the hip, along with more forward lean of the trunk. The authors concluded that appropriate loading may actually require the knees to move slightly past the toes.

Hold that finding loosely. It’s seven trained men doing loaded barbell squats, not women holding an unloaded yoga pose for five breaths. But the mechanical principle transfers: when you forbid one joint from moving, the load doesn’t vanish. It relocates. Usually to the hips and low back.

What this means for how you cue chair pose:

• Keep cueing weight back toward the heels. That’s still the right instruction — it loads the posterior chain and keeps her from tipping forward onto the toes.
• Stop policing the knee line. A knee that travels slightly past the toes in a bodyweight pose is not an injury waiting to happen.
• Keep cueing knee tracking. Direction matters far more than distance. A knee collapsing inward toward the midline is the alignment worth correcting; a knee moving forward over the foot generally isn’t.
• Watch the ankles. Limited ankle dorsiflexion is often what’s driving a student to lean forward or lift her heels. That’s an ankle conversation, not a knee one.

Common Chair Pose Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Most chair pose problems come from the pose migrating upward — out of the legs, where the work belongs, and into the low back, shoulders, or neck. Here’s what you’ll actually see in a room, and what to say about it.

That last one is worth its own beat. Chair pose is where a lot of women meet the moment they decide whether to grip or to breathe — and where a teacher can offer a genuinely useful choice: come up a little higher, and keep breathing. Depth is not the point. Staying present in effort is.

Teaching this well takes more than a good cue list.

Knowing why a cue works, when to drop it, and how to read a body that doesn’t match the textbook is the difference between leading a class and teaching one. That’s the core of Ambuja Yoga’s 200-hour teacher training, Inner Alchemy: Root & Radiance — a women-centered training built around anatomy, nervous system science, and the real bodies in your room.

Learn about the training →

Variations of Chair Pose

Chair pose adapts easily — you can twist it, lift the heels, bind the arms, narrow or widen the stance, or take it to a wall. Each variation changes the job of the pose, so choose based on what you want a student to feel.

• Revolved chair (parivrtta utkatasana). Add a twist. Several arm options work: hands at heart center in prayer, or arms spread wide. Those two are my favorites. Cue the twist from the ribs rather than the arms, and keep the knees level with each other — the knee opposite of the direction you’re twisting will want to slide forward.
• Heels lifted. Press up high onto the balls of the feet and lift the heels. Adds a real balance and calf demand, and quickly shows a student how much she’s been relying on her heels for stability.
• Hands bound behind the hips. This option opens the shoulders and chest. Interlace behind the back, straighten the arms, draw the knuckles down and away. Good counter to a day at a desk.
• Feet hip-width with a block between the inner thighs. This version of utkatasana helps engage and strengthen the inner thighs (adductors). Squeeze the block and notice how the pelvic floor and deep core come online with it.
• Palms touching overhead. Bring the palms of the hands together above the head. A small change that asks more of the shoulders and upper back.
• Ardha utkatasana (half chair). Bend the knees closer to a right angle so the thighs come nearer to parallel with the floor and the torso inclines forward over them. This is the harder, more athletic expression — not a half-effort version.
• Chair at the wall. Back against the wall, feet a step out, slide down. Removes the balance demand entirely so the legs can work without the fear of tipping. Excellent for beginners, for larger bodies, and for anyone rebuilding leg strength.
• Chair with an actual chair. Set a real chair behind her and let her touch down and lift off it. Best teaching tool there is for the “hips back, not down” cue.
• Chair with a block between the hands. Hold a block between the palms overhead and press in. Instantly recruits the upper back and stops the arms from splaying.
• One-legged chair (figure four / eka pada utkatasana). Ankle crossed over the opposite thigh, sit back. Big balance and hip demand — a strong option for students who want more.
• Utkata konasana (goddess pose). Not a chair pose variation exactly, but the same utkata root and a natural pairing. Wide stance, feet turned out, knees bent and tracking over the toes.

How to Modify Chair Pose for Different Bodies

Chair pose is highly modifiable, and the right modification depends on what’s limiting — knees, shoulders, ankles, low back, or joint stability. Some starting points:

• Sensitive knees. Reduce the depth. A shallow bend held with good tracking is more useful than a deep bend held with a collapsing knee. Feet hip-width often feels better than feet together.
• Shoulder limitation or overhead pain. Goal-post arms, hands wider than shoulders, or hands at heart center. Nothing about the leg work requires the arms overhead.
• Limited ankle dorsiflexion. A folded blanket or a low wedge under the heels. This is one of the fastest, most satisfying fixes in a yoga room — the trunk comes upright immediately.
• Low back discomfort. Come higher, and cue the lower belly in and up before the arms go overhead. Usually the arms are the culprit.
• Hypermobile students. Watch for the low back doing the work of the shoulders, and for a locked, hanging quality at the elbows. Cue muscular engagement before depth — hug the muscle to the bone, keep a soft elbow, and work at eighty to ninety percent of available range rather than the end of it. Hypermobile bodies tend to have poorer joint position sense, so she genuinely may not feel where the end of the range is.
• Pregnancy. Widen the stance for a stable base, reduce the depth, and skip the closed twist in revolved chair — take it open instead, with the hand reaching back rather than crossing the belly.
• Larger bodies. Feet hip-width or wider. The wall version is often more useful than the free-standing one, and there is no reason to treat it as a lesser expression.
• Perimenopause and beyond. Chair pose is load-bearing leg and hip work, which matters more as estrogen declines and bone and muscle loss accelerate. Longer warm-ups, and keep the strengthening in. This is not the season to take it out.

“She gives you options for how to get into a pose, and she commands the room in a very gentle way that you feel safe. She makes the room a place where you can practice in your own space and not worry about anyone else.” — Bridget Carroll, Rooted & Wild, Sedona

Benefits of Chair Pose

Chair pose builds lower-body and core strength, improves ankle and hip stability, and generates heat — those are its most defensible benefits. Specifically:

• Builds strength and stability in the lower body, including the hip flexors, quads, ankles, and calves
• Tones the muscles of the legs
• Strengthens the core muscles of the trunk
• Opens the chest and shoulders
• Loads the legs and hips in a weight-bearing way, which supports bone and muscle maintenance over time
• Creates heat, which is why it shows up early in vinyasa sequences
• Requires focus and balance, which is its own kind of practice

What tradition adds. Older and more traditional sources describe utkatasana as stimulating the heart, diaphragm, and abdominal organs, and associate it with the svadhisthana chakra and qualities of creativity and determination. These are worth knowing and worth teaching as tradition. They aren’t clinical claims, and it’s cleaner to say so — “in this tradition, this pose is associated with…” rather than “this pose stimulates your organs.”

Students trust a teacher who marks the difference between what’s measurable and what’s inherited. It costs nothing to be precise, and it buys a lot.

“I appreciated the pose modifications for beginners and for more advanced yogis.” — Stefanie D., Back to Nature, Oregon

Chair Pose FAQ

What does utkatasana mean? Utkatasana comes from the Sanskrit utkata, meaning fierce, powerful, proud, or intense, and asana, meaning seat or posture. A more literal translation is fierce pose or powerful pose. “Chair pose” is a modern English nickname based on the shape.

How do you pronounce utkatasana? Utkatasana is pronounced oot-kah-TAH-suh-nuh, with the emphasis on the third syllable.

Is chair pose the same as awkward pose? Yes and no. Awkward pose is the name used for utkatasana in the Bikram sequence, though the Bikram version is taught as a three-part series with different leg positions rather than the single standing shape used in vinyasa and ashtanga.

What muscles does chair pose work? Chair pose primarily works the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and ankle stabilizers, with the deep core and spinal muscles working to keep the torso long. The shoulders and upper back work to hold the arms overhead.

Should your knees go past your toes in chair pose? A small amount of forward knee travel is generally fine in an unloaded pose. Research on squats found that physically blocking the knees from moving forward reduced knee torque but sharply increased load at the hips and low back. Knee tracking direction matters more than knee travel distance — a knee collapsing inward is the alignment worth correcting.

How long should you hold chair pose? Five breaths is standard in vinyasa and ashtanga sequences, which usually works out to roughly thirty seconds. For strength-building purposes, longer holds of forty-five seconds to a minute are useful, as long as the student can keep breathing and maintain knee tracking.

Is chair pose safe for bad knees? Chair pose can often be adapted for sensitive knees by reducing the depth of the bend, taking the feet hip-width apart, and making sure the knees track over the second toes rather than collapsing inward. Anyone with a diagnosed knee condition or ongoing pain should check with a physical therapist or physician.

What are the best variations of chair pose? Common chair pose variations include revolved chair with a twist, chair with the heels lifted, chair with the hands bound behind the hips, chair with a block between the inner thighs, palms touching overhead, half chair with the thighs closer to parallel, and chair practiced against a wall for extra support.

About the Author

Autumn Adams is the founder of Ambuja Yoga and an E-RYT 500, YACEP-certified teacher based in Bend, Oregon. She has been leading women’s yoga retreats since 2014 — 13 years, 40+ retreats, and 700+ women across Oregon, North Carolina, Sedona, Patagonia, Mallorca, Greece, and Thailand. She is the author of The Little Book of Mudra Meditations and the host of The Aligned Yogi Podcast, and her work has been featured in Insider, Shape, Zappos, and Asia Spa. More about Autumn →

Practice This in a Room Full of Women

Chair pose is a good one to keep working on at home. It’s a different thing entirely to practice it somewhere with no rush attached — outside, in a body that finally got some sleep, with women who are also figuring out what they want the next chapter to feel like.

That’s what Ambuja Yoga retreats are for. Small groups, real food, actual nature, and yoga that meets the body you brought.

See upcoming retreats →

Not ready for that yet? Get on the email list for teaching notes, practice breakdowns like this one, and first word when new retreat dates open.

The post How to Teach Chair Pose: Alignment, Teahing Cues, and Variations appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

The big question of the day is… is it shavasana or savasana? By the time I did my own 200 hour yoga teacher training I was thoroughly confused. I had heard both pronunciations of śavāsana and I had never seen it spelled with all of the diacritical marks. Most of my previous teachers had pronounced it shavasana, but my YTT teacher pronounced it savasana, so which was correct? Shavasana, or corpse posed, is beloved by all and deserves to be pronounced correctly.

Well, both shavasana and savasana are a little correct and a little wrong. Phonetically, shavasana is the correct pronunciation and spelling of our beloved Corpse Pose. However, “savasana” is missing its diacritical marks, so we’re lacking the pronunciation info found when it is translated from the Sanskrit. Follow the pronunciation guide below for spelling. For writing, choose either the phonetic spelling or the transliteration, but don’t spell it “savasana” — it just leads to more confusion for your students and fellow teachers. I’m totally guilty of this. Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Sanskrit: शवासन
Transliteration: śavāsana
Phonetic spelling: shavasana
Pronunciation guide: sha-VAH-suh-nuh

• ś = pronounced as the “sh” in “shoot”
• a = pronounced like the “a” in “about”
• ā = pronounced like the “a” in “yacht”

śava = corpse
āsana = seat

If you really want to geek out on your Sanskrit pronunciation, Graham Schweig has a great pronunciation guide in his version of the Bhagavad Gita. So it’s a win-win, a great copy of the Bhagavad Gita to help you deepen your understanding of yoga philosophy and a Sanskrit pronunciation guide. Graham is an amazing yoga philosophy teacher and frequently gives lectures for the Smithsonian, Embodied Philosophy, and at other venues.

Alright yogi, now go get your shavasana on! And give yourself this opportunity to rest into your essence. If you find that your lower back tends to get cranky during savasana then slide a bolster, (I love Hugger Mugger for restorative yoga and shavasana — they’re a little pricy, but totally worth it) or rolled blanket underneath your knees (like in the illustration above). If your mind tends to race during shavasana try lengthening out your exhales before you settle in, this simple technique can help calm your nervous system. I also have a great yoga nidra script inspired by nature that those with busy minds tend to find helpful. You could record the script yourself and play it back during shavasana or have a friend or partner read it to you.

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Some of the best yoga poses for better foot health include the following five.

#1 Mountain Pose-Tadasana

If you are going to do any standing yoga pose, mountain pose is always going to be your foundation. However, it is also a helpful pose for your feet as it helps improve balance, focus and your general posture. Healthy posture is vital for foot health as it reduces irritation and inflammation of the foot muscles and joints. Mountain pose helps you focus on your posture and stance which in turn ensures you are more aware of your standing habits to minimize the pressure on certain parts of the foot which tend to be the most problematic such as the heels.

How to do it:

* Start by standing with your feet parallel and about hip-width apart.

* Spread your toes apart and then distribute your weight evenly across both feet.

* Make sure that you do not lean forward or backward as you apply even pressure on all four corners of each foot.

* Keep your legs straight but not locked and make sure that your hips are aligned with the ankles.

* Breathe in deeply and then stretch the spine towards the ceiling with the arms at your side.

* Hold the pose for about 3 minutes and try to focus on both maintaining the correct position and your steady breath.

#2 Tree Pose-Vrksasana

Tree pose is a classic yoga pose that will help to improve your balance and the distribution of weight across your feet. This pose will entail transferring weight from one foot to the other which in the long run will improve your balance. Also, the weight transfer will help to stretch the micro muscles around the shin and foot.

How to do it:

* Start by coming into mountain pose.

* Slowly shift your body weight to the left foot, bend your right knee and then use your right hand to bring the sole of your right foot to your inner thigh, calf, or ankle.

* While in tree pose, keep your pelvis centered and parallel to the floor and your back straight.

* Bring both your hands in front and together to form anjali mudra (prayer hands). Lift your hands above your head to come into the full expression of the pose.

* Hold the position for at least 10 seconds and then release before repeating for the other foot.

#3 Warrior 1 Pose-Virabhadrasana 1

Warrior 1 or Virabhadrasana 1 in Sanskrit is also a classic yoga pose that can come with numerous health benefits for the feet. This pose is all about stretching your feet and strengthening the foot muscles but it can also help to reduce heel pain. And it can also help lift flat arches as it targets specific arch muscles to help lift the feet.

How to do it:

* Start in mountain pose.

* Take a long step forward so that your feet are 3-4 feet apart and hips width distance.

* Make sure your body and front foot face forward and turn the back foot 45 degrees to provide some balance.

* Bend your front leg until the front knee is directly above the ankle to form a 90-degree angle.

* Press your back heel and pinky toe edge of your foot into the ground

* Lift your arms straight up. Hold this pose for 30 seconds before switching to the other foot.

#4 Thunderbolt Pose- Vajrasana

When you want to release tension on your feet Thunderbolt Pose is a great option. And this is because it entails sitting on your heels which helps to press into a natural pressure point in the arch.

How to do it:

* Start by kneeling on the floor.

* Bring your knees to touch and press the tops of your feet flat against the floor. Your heels should be as close to one another as possible.

* Now lower the weight of your body onto your heels and then sit with a straight posture and your hands resting on your thighs.

* Hold this posture for about one minute before releasing.

* Finish by stretching your legs out in front of you. Give your legs a little shake or find movement before repeating the routine again.

#5 Toes Pose

Toes Pose is a popular Yin Yoga pose that targets the plantar fascia ligament, one of the most problematic ligaments in the foot as it is where the pain that comes from plantar fasciitis originates. This pose aims to stretch, strengthen and elongate the fascia, and in doing all this it helps to keep the soles of the feet in great shape.

How to do it:

* Start by sitting in a kneeling position.

* Next, lift up on the toes (your toes are curled under) with the knees still anchored in front of you and still on the ground.

* Gently let your weight settle back onto your heels and hold this pose for a minute or two.

* Make sure that you breathe calmly and deeply through this pose, and also try to imagine the fascia becoming more flexible and elongated.

Bottom Line

Your feet have to carry a lot of weight every day and so keeping them in good shape is vital not only for their health but also for your overall well-being. And while there are many ways of doing this, yoga poses like the five above are a great starting point.

By Patrick Greer

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Posture issues and back pain are often caused by poor biomechanics and muscular imbalances due to habitual patterns of movement (or lack of movement), imbalances of strength and flexibility, injury, and sometimes genetic predisposition.

In this blog post, I will be focusing mostly on gentle yoga stretches for good posture. These good posture exercises help release tension and tightness in the muscles that often become tight, shortened or overstretched when we spend much of our time standing, sitting, or walking with poor posture.

1.) Yoga For A Stiff Back: Cat Cow

Cow Pose

Cat-Cow is one of the best exercises to improve posture. I include cat-cows in every single yoga class I teach. Why? Because it stretches the postural muscles, encourages the healthy movement of the pelvis and requires the core to gently engage. Cat-cow also helps release tension in the neck and shoulders.

Cat Pose

To practice Cat-Cow, come into a tabletop position on hands and knees with your knees directly underneath your hips and your hands directly underneath your shoulders. To start, find length through your spine, draw your lower belly in and up to support your lower back and lengthen your tailbone straight back behind you. Take a few rounds of breath here and experience the length of your spine and the subtle engagement of your core.

Use an inhale breath to lift your tailbone up towards the sky, draw your belly down, pull your chest forward between your upper arms and finally turn your gaze forward and slightly up while you maintain your core engagement. This will draw your spine into a gentle backbend. You want to think of articulating through each vertebra. On your exhale breath, tuck your tailbone under, pull your navel to your spine as you round your back; Continue to round your back, puff up the space between your shoulder blades, and draw your gaze toward your knees.

Continue this movement for 10-12 rounds of breath.

2.) Yoga for Rounded Shoulders: Supported Supta Baddha Konasana

Reclined Cobbler’s Pose

Reclined cobbler’s pose is one of my favorite yoga poses because it is deeply restorative, reestablishes the lumbar curve, opens the chest, and softens the muscles of the groin and inner thighs. The forward head, shoulders rounded forward, spine rounded forward posture is quite prevalent in today’s society. This forward head, “C” shaped posture is reinforced in our workplaces (computer hunch), our cars, and our homes (super soft couches that you sink into).

When we allow our shoulders to round forward, the muscles in of our chest get tight, weak and shortened, the muscles between the shoulder blades become weak and overstretched, and the muscles of our neck and upper shoulders become tight and prone to strain. If you notice your shoulders rounding forward during your workday, take a minute and do some shoulder rolls.

To practice supta baddha konasana, or reclined cobbler’s pose, you will want a bolster (or a couple of pillows or a rolled blanket), a blanket or folded towel, and two yoga blocks (or cushions of the same size).

Place your bolster or rolled blanket lengthwise behind you and take your folded blanket or towel at the far end of your bolster (this will support your head and neck).

Take a seat with your sacrum at the short end of your bolster, carefully lower yourself down onto your bolster, support your head with the blanket/towel (optional), and bring the soles of your feet to touch as if you were coming into butterfly pose, your knees drop out to the side like the pages of a book. If you feel like you need support for your legs, slide your blocks or extra cushions underneath your thighs/knees. Settle into the posture and allow your entire body to relax. Hold 4-7 minutes.

3.) Yoga For a Flattened Lumbar Spine: Supported Bridge Pose

Supported Bridge Pose

Supported Bridge Pose benefits your lower back by re-establishing the lumbar curve. The lumbar curve is often flattened in those who sit for the majority of the day. Some individuals will have a deep lumbar curve typical of what you would see in gymnasts. A deep lumbar curve compromises the integrity of the vertebrae and discs of the lower back.

For supported bridge pose you will want to have a bolster, block or a firm pillow.

Lay down on your back and bring your feet as close to your bum as you can with your feet and knees both hips-width distance. Stretch your fingertips down toward your heels. From this pose, press into your feet and lift your hips, belly, and chest up toward the ceiling on an inhale. On an exhale breath reverse the motion. Begin at the top and roll your spine down one vertebra at a time. Repeat 3-7 times. The active version of bridge pose strengthens the glutes, back, abdomen and legs.

On your last active bridge pose slide your bolster, block, or pillow underneath your sacrum, so your hips and lower back are supported. Keep your legs bent for a few minutes. If the posture still feels okay after a few minutes you can play with lengthening your legs long along the floor. This will lengthen your hip flexors, but please be mindful of your lower back. If you experience any lower back pain then bend your knees and bring your feet back down to the earth.

Hold the pose for 5 minutes.

4.) Two Exercises for Better Posture and Health of The Lower Back & Pelvis: Low Lunge & Half Splits

Low lunge, or anjaneyasana, is a foundational yoga pose. When linked with Half Splits or Ardha Hanumanasana, it is a great yoga exercise to improve posture because it opens the quadriceps, hip flexors, and hamstrings. Low lunge with the torso upright also trains the paraspinal muscles (the muscles that run along your spine on either side) and abdominal muscles to hold the torso stable.

You might like to have two yoga blocks to practice the low lunge and half splits

Come into a standing forward fold with your feet hips-width distance at the top of your yoga mat. Bend your knees enough to bring your hands down to your mat. Step your right foot towards the back edge of your mat and bring your right knee down. Make sure that your left knee is directly above your left ankle. To begin, bring your torso upright and if you feel stable take your arms up overhead.

Bring your awareness to your lower back and notice if you’re collapsing; if you are, your lumbar curve will be deeper and your belly will have softened forward. If this is you, draw your lower belly in and up. You can think of lifting your pubic bone up toward your ribs, which will teach you to use your core muscles to support your lumbar spine. Hold this posture five to ten rounds of breath and then release your hands to the ground (or onto your blocks).

Half Splits or Ardha Hanumanasana

For half splits you will wiggle your left foot an inch or two forward and then shift your hips back, so your right hip stacks over your left hip. With your left leg extended long out in front of you flex your foot and dray your toes back toward your shin. This posture lengthens your hamstrings. Hold this pose 5-10 rounds of breath.

When the hamstrings become shortened they pull on the pelvis via the sit bones (ischial tuberosities) and this pulling posteriorly tilts the pelvis and flattens the curve of the lower back.

5.) Supine pelvic tilts

Anterior pelvic tilt.

Supine pelvic tilts are incredibly helpful when it comes to rehabbing low back injuries and teach the muscles of the abdomen, pelvic floor, and inner thighs to engage.

You will want one yoga block to practice supine pelvic tilts.

Lay down on your back like you’re setting up for bridge pose (see exercise #3). Put your feet close to your bum to start. Place your block between your thighs on its narrowest setting.

Posterior pelvic tilt.

Level 1. Keep your feet on the mat. Bring your hands to your lower abdomen and pubic bone, so you can feel the movement. Inhale a full deep breath and as you exhale curl your tailbone up off the mat and draw your navel toward your spine. Your lumbar spine will press into the mat beneath you. As you inhale, reverse the tilt: tailbone down, belly lifts and there is a space underneath your lower back. Make sure to squeeze into your block during this exercise. Repeat 10-20 times.

Level 2, position 1

Level 2. This is more of a core strengthener than a pelvic tilt, but it’s equally important. Stay on your back, keep your block between your thighs, bring your shins to parallel with the floor. From here, superglue your lower back to the mat and lower your heels down to tap the mat on an inhale. As you exhale, lift your legs back up to the starting posture. Repeat 10-20 times.

Level 2. position 2

6.) Yoga For Better Posture: Release Tension in Your Back With Simple Supine Twist

Simple Supine Twist not only helps release tension in your lower back, it also helps reduce stress and improve relaxation. It’s also really easy and you can even do it in bed.

To practice simple supine twist, make your way onto your back. Draw your knees to your chest and give them a little hug in. Then release your arms out to the side, so they go straight out from your shoulders. Release your knees to the right and turn your gaze toward your left shoulder if it feels okay on your neck. Hold for a couple of minutes and switch sides.

7.) Improve Your Posture With A Chest & Shoulder Opener: Downward Facing Dog Using A Wall, Table Or Chair

Downward Facing Dog at a wall or table is a gentler version of the traditional yoga posture. It helps those who have tighter/shorter hamstrings, tighter lower back or tighter shoulders get the benefits of the posture. Downward Facing Dog stretches the hamstrings, back, and shoulders. The posture also helps people find a long spine and core engagement.

To practice Downward Facing Dog on the wall, face the wall and bring the palms of your hands to shoulder width distance on the wall in front of you. Walk your feet back until your back becomes straight. You might need to slide the hands down a bit. You will create an upside down “L” shape with your body. Your spine is lengthened long and your navel draws in to support your lower back. Hold the posture for 10 rounds of breath.

8.) Reduce Your Swayback: Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is wonderful for those who have tight lower backs. There are two versions of child’s pose: one that works deeper into the hips with the knees wide, and one that works deeper flexion into the spine with the knees together.

You don’t need any props to practice child’s pose. Come down into a tabletop position, bring your knees to touch and your big toes to touch and press your hips back toward your heels. Rest your forehead on the mat or on a yoga block or pillow if your head doesn’t reach the floor. Hold for 2-4 minutes.

I hope you find this blog post helpful. If you would like to learn more about strengthening poses specifically related to the postural muscles, read my post on back strengthening yoga poses. If you have lower back pain, please take a look at my four-part series on back pain, where I discuss restorative yoga for better posture as well as active yoga postures to help strengthen your core and back.

The post The Best Yoga for Better Posture appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

Side Crow Pose (Parsva Bakasana)

Side crow pose was my first arm balance pose. I first learned the “easy” version and honestly didn’t know there was another version for many years. I was pretty content with the version of side crow I had already learned and wasn’t much interested in learning another version. But I began seeing other yogis linking arm balances together using parsva bakasana and eka pada koundinyasa I as transition poses and my curiosity eventually piqued. I now teach side crow pose with two options depending on the students in class.

Alignment Tips For Teaching Side Crow or Parsva Bakasana

1. From revolved chair pose, sit hips onto heels and bring hands to side of the mat
2. Place hands shoulder width distance and spread the fingers wide
3. Engage hasta bandha– fingertips press down into the mat, index finger and thumb press down into mat and lift through the arch of the hand
4. Think “chaturanga arms” as the elbows bend and bring the outside of the thigh closest to the arms on to the tricep of the front arm.
5. If possible, keep the hips lifted off of the back arm. This option will be more challenging, but it’s the correct posture. If side crow pose is new to you try the posture with the back hip on the back arm.
6. Gaze forward and lift your feet up off the ground
7. Find your balance here and breathe
8. If the posture feels steady play with leg variations like transitioning into eka pada koundinyasana I.

Remember there are two options for teaching side crow.

For beginners teach side crow with the back hip on the tricep of the back arm. They will feel more steady. As the student builds strength and becomes comfortable in this version of the posture encourage them to try the second option.

For the second option of side crow the hip is lifted off of the back arm, so only the thigh is in contact with the front arm. This option is more challenging, but rewarding and empowering!

Side crow pose for beginners. (Parsva Bakasana)

Teach Side Crow With Modifications

• Encourage students to bring their head down to a block and learn the muscular engagement to lift the legs.
• For students whose elbows wing out to the side use a yoga strap to secure their arms to shoulder width distance. Slide the loop of the strap just above their elbows.

Teach Side Crow with Props

• Use a blanket, bolster, or block underneath their face if they are worried about falling on a hard floor.
• Place a block under their face to support the head, so they can focus on lifting their feet up.
• Use a strap around their upper arms to secure the elbows above the wrists. Some students have a tendency to allow their elbows to swing out to the side or collapse inward. When the joints are stacked improperly and the weight of the body is distributed unevenly their is a risk of injury.
• Use a block in the set up. Have them start with both feet on a block as they twist to the side and set up for side crow. This way their feet will almost be in position for side crow and they can focus on the arms and upper body.

Preparatory Poses for Side Crow

• Simple Supine Twist
• Matsyendrasana
• Chair Pose
• Revolved Chair Pose
• Crow Pose
• Chaturanga Dandasana
• Boat Pose
• Agni Sara & Nauli
• Revolved Triangle
• Revolved Half Moon
• Revolved Lunge

Contraindications:

• Glaucoma
• Wrist injury

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Warrior Three Teaching Tutorial

Virabhadrasana III or warrior three in English is a strong posture that builds focus and concentration while strengthening the entire body. In this yoga teaching tutorial you will learn to teach warrior three confidently and effectively with these help helpful tips.

Warrior three has many benefits. Make sure to share the benefits of the posture when you teach warrior three. Sharing the benefits will help your students discover the purpose of the posture and the focus needed to execute it.

The posture builds strength throughout the backside of the body, especially in the ankles, calves, hamstrings, glutes, back and shoulders. It also tones and strengthens the abdomen, ignites our inner fire and improves our concentration and focus. Your students may even find they feel invigorated and energized after practicing warrior three. Sweet!

Warrior Three Alignment Tips

• Remember to start with the foundation of the posture. For warrior three the foundation is the foot of the standing leg.
• In virabhadrasana III the toes of the standing leg foot should be spread wide. Think of distributing weight evenly throughout the entire sole of the foot (all four corners).
• When standing in warrior three the extended leg is straight back from the hip and the extended leg stretches long.
• The foot of the extended leg is flexed and the toes point straight down toward floor the floor or the foot is pointed strongly.
• There is one long line from the heel of the extended leg out through crown of the head. Aside from the standing leg the body is parallel to the floor.
• Make sure that the hips are level with one another. It is very common for the hip of the extended leg to want to lift up.
• In warrior three the navel draws in and up to support the lower back (think mula bandha and uddiyana bandha).
• To bring more stability to the posture draw the lower ribs in toward one another instead of allowing them to flare out and the back to arch.
• Arms extended long overhead with biceps by ears.
• Use a focal point or drishti for your eyes.

Warrior Three Modifications

Finding balance in warrior three can be a challenge for many. For students struggling to find steadiness in virabhadrasana three here are three modifications to help them find their balance and build strength in the stabilizing muscles necessary for steadiness and ease. Yoga Journal provides a helpful article about Warrior Three for beginners and advanced practitioners alike.

• Bring a chair just beyond the top of your students yoga mat. Have the back of the chair facing your student. When the student comes into the posture they will hold onto the back of the chair with their hands. Overtime, increase the amount of time they hold the posture. Make sure to switch sides. If there is no chair available use the wall or a sturdy countertop. 
• Another modification for warrior three is to offer two blocks that they can use underneath their fingertips. Place the blocks shoulder width distance at the top of your student’s mat. Have them use the blocks for balance as they find the alignment through the torso, hips and legs.
• Some students may need to stay upright in warrior three to work on balancing on one leg. Have students that need to remain upright stand in the center of their mat. As they inhale have them take the arms overhead. On their exhale have them extend one leg straight back behind them and keep the toes on the mat. When they feel steady they can begin to lift the back foot and lower the torso to parallel with the floor. These students may also benefit from using a chair, block or wall for stability for the upper body as well.

Warrior Three Variations

• One of my favorite warrior three variations is interlacing the fingers behind hips and drawing the palms of the hands toward one another.
• If students have tight shoulders or shoulder strain/pain teach warrior three with hands at heart center.
• Another arm variation for virabhadrasana three is airplane pose. In airplane pose the arms are extended back and out to the side with the palms turned down toward the floor.

Props for Warrior Three

• Use the wall for warrior three
• Press hands into the wall
• Press the foot of the extended leg against the wall
• Use blocks for strength and stability in virabhadrasana three
• Block(s) under hands for stability
• Block between the palms of the hands with arms extended overhead. Have students squeeze the palms of their hands into the block to strengthen arms, shoulders and upper back.

Preparatory Poses for Warrior 3

The following postures will help your students find stability, strength and ease in warrior three. Before you teach warrior three make sure to offer a mix of postures to bring both stability and mobility to the muscle groups and joints used in virabhadrasana.

• Table top pose/ Tiger pose (stability)
• Low Lunge (mobility in hip flexors)
• Ardha Hanumanasana/Half Splits (flexibility for the hamstrings)
• Locust (strengthens the back body)
• Crescent Lunge (strengthens the legs and tones the core)
• Pyramid Pose (opens the hamstrings)
• Warrior 1 (strengthens the legs)
• Tree Pose (balance and focus)

Vinyasa Yoga Sequencing to Teach Warrior Three | Four Fun Warrior Three Sequences

1. Crescent lunge, warrior three, standing splits, forward fold
2. Warrior 1 with hands bound behind hips to Warrior 3 hands still bound, release the bind and swing arms forward in Warrior three, return to warrior 1
3. Warrior 1/Crescent Lunge to Warrior 3 to Garudasana/Eagle Pose, hinge from hips elbows to meet knees, lift two inches and come back to warrior 3
4. Teach Warrior 3 to Dancer Pose to Warrior 3 to Standing Splits to Handstand to Standing Splits

The post How to Teach Warrior Three appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

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.

The post How to Teach Crow Pose appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. To strengthen the ankles and the calves lift the heel of the front foot.
4. Modification for Warrior Two: Use a chair to support the thigh of the front leg.
5. 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)

The post How to Teach Warrior Two appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

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

The post How to Deepen Your Backbend Safely appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

I have been fortunate to work with many pregnant mamas through my prenatal yoga class in Bend, Oregon at Midtown Juniper Yoga. It is always a blessing and joy to watch these strong, beautiful women share their vulnerability, while nurturing themselves and their babies throughout their pregnancies. Often times the women that come to my class already have a yoga practice, but occasionally prenatal yoga is their introduction to yoga and what a wonderful loving way to be introduced to the practice and to experience all of the benefits of prenatal yoga.

Here I would like to share the benefits of prenatal yoga with you. If you’re reading this you’re likely already pregnant or know someone that is. Congrats! What an exciting time. As you seek out prenatal yoga classes in your area I encourage you to talk with the instructor before class. Find out their training. Do you like their energy? Do they also teach birth prep? Do they have a network of providers that they can recommend? Can they offer you modifications for both prenatal yoga classes and regular group classes?

Here are 5 Benefits of Prenatal Yoga:

1. Reduced stress and anxiety.
2. Improved sleep.
3. Relief from common pregnancy related aches and pains.
4. Connection with a community of women and your baby.
5. Improved muscle tone, strength and flexibility.

Contraindicated Yoga Postures During Pregnancy:

1. Deep twists.
2. Prone postures (lying on your belly).
3. Deep backbends.
4. Inversions.
5. Lying on your back for a long period of time (savasana).
6. Standing with legs wide for an extended period of time.

Don’t let this list of contraindicated postures scare you. They can all be modified into a beautiful and fulfilling yoga practice… a practice where you can enjoy all the benefits of prenatal yoga.

I could easily make this list twice as long, but I’d like to keep it short and simple.

Need pregnancy yoga resources or live somewhere where you cannot find a prenatal yoga class? Here are some highly recommendable resources:

• Blooma: prenatal yoga videos
• Mamalates: pilates for mamas
• Yoga Mama Yoga Baby: Book about Ayurveda and yoga for pregnancy
• Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful: Kundalini inspired book for pregnancy with lovely meditations, yoga practices, and breathing exercises
• Spinning Babies: website for optimal fetal positioning

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