Yoga Poses
Balasana
Active
- Extend arms forward, fingertips pressing into mat
- Use leverage of fingers/hands to lengthen side body and press hips to earth
Passive
-Feel weight of hips
-Let gravity and breath (exhale) guide hips and chest toward mat/earth Correct Answer: Childs Pose
Vajrasana Correct Answer: Lightning Bolt
Virasana Correct Answer: Hero Pose
Supta Virasana Correct Answer: Reclined Hero Pose
Marjariasana
ARCHING
-Reach sit bones up.
-Slide shoulder blades down back.
-Keep pressing into hands, avoiding sagging into shoulders.
ROUNDING
-Press firmly with hands
-Lift between shoulder blades, pull abs back toward spine
, -Release head & neck Correct Answer: Cat-Cow Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana
-Roll over & curl toes of either one foot at a time or both feet at once. Lift hips up & back. Reach chest
back toward legs. Slowly straighten legs (as appropriate).
-Extend spine & sit bones toward ceiling
-Activate quadriceps
-Place hands shoulder distance apart, feet hip distance
-Toes point toward front of mat
-Keep knees bent as needed for comfort and length in spine
-Spread sit bones away from each other (rotate thighs internally)
-Lengthen side body from waistline to armpits
-"Move thighs back" followed by "Root from sit bones down through heels"
-Try not to round the upper back
-Draw elbows in toward one another
-Press through arms: down and forward
-Face elbow creases toward each other Correct Answer: Downward Facing Dog
-Energetically, the pose is up and back—spine moves in and up as the legs move back. Interestingly, the
only thing "down" in Down Dog is the head (it eventually touches the floor)
-Once you've taken time to check your alignment and make all of the proper adjustments, now it's time
to settle into the pose.I love to gently turn my head side to side, or shake it yes and no. This encourages
my neck to relax and allows my head to hang heavy. This is a wonderful release for the neck and for the
tension in your shoulders as well.Focus on releasing tension in your shoulders by taking a deep breath in
and out, encouraging your shoulders away from your ears. Maybe the most important thing to
remember, in order to make your Downward Dog as comfortable as possible is to just be. Remember
that this is YOUR practice.
Phalakasana Correct Answer: Plank Pose
Balasana
Active
- Extend arms forward, fingertips pressing into mat
- Use leverage of fingers/hands to lengthen side body and press hips to earth
Passive
-Feel weight of hips
-Let gravity and breath (exhale) guide hips and chest toward mat/earth Correct Answer: Childs Pose
Vajrasana Correct Answer: Lightning Bolt
Virasana Correct Answer: Hero Pose
Supta Virasana Correct Answer: Reclined Hero Pose
Marjariasana
ARCHING
-Reach sit bones up.
-Slide shoulder blades down back.
-Keep pressing into hands, avoiding sagging into shoulders.
ROUNDING
-Press firmly with hands
-Lift between shoulder blades, pull abs back toward spine
, -Release head & neck Correct Answer: Cat-Cow Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana
-Roll over & curl toes of either one foot at a time or both feet at once. Lift hips up & back. Reach chest
back toward legs. Slowly straighten legs (as appropriate).
-Extend spine & sit bones toward ceiling
-Activate quadriceps
-Place hands shoulder distance apart, feet hip distance
-Toes point toward front of mat
-Keep knees bent as needed for comfort and length in spine
-Spread sit bones away from each other (rotate thighs internally)
-Lengthen side body from waistline to armpits
-"Move thighs back" followed by "Root from sit bones down through heels"
-Try not to round the upper back
-Draw elbows in toward one another
-Press through arms: down and forward
-Face elbow creases toward each other Correct Answer: Downward Facing Dog
-Energetically, the pose is up and back—spine moves in and up as the legs move back. Interestingly, the
only thing "down" in Down Dog is the head (it eventually touches the floor)
-Once you've taken time to check your alignment and make all of the proper adjustments, now it's time
to settle into the pose.I love to gently turn my head side to side, or shake it yes and no. This encourages
my neck to relax and allows my head to hang heavy. This is a wonderful release for the neck and for the
tension in your shoulders as well.Focus on releasing tension in your shoulders by taking a deep breath in
and out, encouraging your shoulders away from your ears. Maybe the most important thing to
remember, in order to make your Downward Dog as comfortable as possible is to just be. Remember
that this is YOUR practice.
Phalakasana Correct Answer: Plank Pose
