Category: Poses (Asana)

Warrior 1 Pose/Virabhadrasana

10/1/2023

Warrior 1 is a common posture in most styles of yoga. In Kripalu yoga, it is simply known as Warrior, while the pose often called Warrior 2 is known as Side Warrior. Does it seem odd to have so many warrior poses in a practice that is known to be peaceful and non-violent? After all, warriors typically go into battle. Warrior 1 is a powerful pose, and the ”opponent” is usually considered to be ignorance or evil. Think of yourself as a peaceful or a spiritual warrior, slashing negativity and stress with your imaginary sword.

Sanskrit:
Vira = Hero, Brave; Bhadra = Blessed, Virtuous, Auspicious; Asana = Pose; Eka = One
(veer-uh-buh-DRAH-sah-nah EH-ka)

Benefits/Purpose:
This pose strengthens the legs, buttocks, back, abdomen shoulders, and arms. It stretches the legs, hip flexors, abdomen and chest, and it facilitates digestion while supporting the immune system.

Precautions:
As always, check with your healthcare provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure or if you are struggling to balance, keep your hands on your waist and avoid long holds in this pose. If your knees are weak or you have any recent or chronic injuries or pain in the shoulders, knees, hips, or legs, you may want to avoid the posture.

How to Practice:

Stand in Tadasana at the front of your mat, hands on your waist.
Step back with your left foot, about a leg’s length, keeping the feet hip width apart, (like your feet are on railroad tracks). Bend your right knee over the ankle. You can keep your back heel lifted “Kripalu style” (this version is often called a high lunge) or plant the left heel with the toes pointed toward the left upper corner of your mat. If you right knee is past the ankle, step the left foot back more.
Move your tail toward the ground to lengthen the low back, and press the left thigh back.
Raise your arms overhead into a parallel or “V” position. Draw your upper shoulder blades out away from the spine and the bottom tips of the shoulder blades in and down; reach up with soft fingers.
Inhale and lengthen up out of your waist, exhale as you arch your upper back, keeping your neck in line with the spine. Keep the sternum lifted, and avoid collapsing in the low back.
To release, lead with your chest to come up straight, then lower your arms and bring your hands onto your front thigh. Lean into the thigh as you step your back foot forward into Tadasana.
Rest and observe, and repeat on the other side.

Modifications/Variations:

Keep the hands on the waist.
Practice with a straight spine or just a slight arch in the back.
Take a smaller step back.
Come into a low lunge with hands supporting the low back or front knee.
Bring arms into Goddess position or clasp your hands behind your back.
For a flow; inhale as you straighten front leg; exhale as you bend it.
Humble Warrior.

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Eagle Pose

9/11/2023

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Garudasana, known most commonly as Eagle Pose, is a powerful balancing posture. Garuda is a mythological bird creature, who has both human and bird-like features. He represents courage, birth, and heaven and is also associated with the sun and fire. Garuda is the vahana, or vehicle, for the Hindu god Vishnu.

Sanskrit:
Garuda = “King of the Birds”; Asana = Pose (Gah-rue-DAH-sah-nah)

Benefits/Purpose:
This pose strengthens the shoulders, core, thighs, and ankles. It stretches the back and shoulders, and helps develop and improve concentration, balance, and resilience.

Precautions:
As always, check with your healthcare provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure or if you are struggling to balance, avoid long holds in this pose. If your knees are weak or you have any recent or chronic injuries or pain in the shoulders, knees, hips, or legs, you may want to avoid the posture.

How to Practice:

Stand in Tadasana with your hands on your waist.
Bend your knees until you feel your quads engage.
Shift your weight into your left foot and cross your right thigh over your left.
Bend your left knee as much as you can while maintaining stability.
Hug the outside edge of your right foot into the outside of your left calf, or wrap your right toes behind your left calf or ankle, if possible.
Reach your arms out in front of you at shoulder level, and cross your left arm over the right. Reach both arms in opposite directions as far as you can. Bend your elbows and touch opposite shoulders. Raise your hands in front of your face. Cross your wrists and clasp your hands or forearms.
Squeeze your arms and legs together tightly and bend your left knee to lower your hips. Adjust your torso so that your elbows are over your knees.
Lift your sternum and elbows to support your spine. If you feel compression in the low back, press your tailbone down until the tension is relieved.
To release, unwind your arms. Lengthen your left leg. Unwind your right leg, and stand in Tadasana.
Relax your arms by your sides.
Rest and observe, and repeat on the other side.

Modifications/Variations:

Keep the hands on the waist.
Arms lifted like wings.
Foot on a block.
Garuda mudra instead of eagle arms.
Lean buttocks against a wall.
Add a forward bend.

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Standing Squat (Chair Pose)

8/6/2023

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Utkatasana, known most commonly as Chair Pose, is also called Standing Squat, Fierce Seat, and Powerful Pose. It is a strong, confident pose. Try it for grounding just before a balance pose!

Sanskrit:
Utkata = Fierce, Powerful, Intense; Asana = Pose
(OOT-kah-TAH-sah-nah)

Benefits/Purpose:
This pose strengthens the core, thighs, and ankles. It helps develop and improve concentration, balance, and resilience. Teachers will often cue you to sit back into an “imaginary chair.” As you bend your knees into this standing squat position, you will begin to feel the heat quickly, especially in the quadricep muscles.

Precautions:
As always, check with your healthcare provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure or if you are struggling to balance, avoid long holds in this pose. If your knees are weak or you have any recent or chronic injuries or pain in the knees, hips, or legs, you may want to avoid the posture.

How to Practice:

Stand in Tadasana with your arms by your sides.
Raise your arms in front of you at shoulder height, palms facing in or down.
Reach out through your fingertips and draw shoulders back and down.
Bend knees to lower your hips and allow your back to arch gently while keeping waist long. If you feel any compression in your low back, curl your tailbone down until the discomfort is gone.
Lower your hips to work your quads and stretch your hamstrings. Lift your hips if you feel discomfort in your knees.
Maintain the arch in your spine.
To release, press down through your feet and rise to standing. Lower your arms to your side.

Modifications/Variations:

Keep the hands on the waist.
Arms lifted outside the ears or arms overhead with palms together.
Hands at the heart in Anjali Mudra (prayer position_
Lift heels for balance challenge.
Lean buttocks against a wall.
Inhale a few inches out of the squat, exhale deeper into the squat.
Block between the thighs to help engage adductors.

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Downward-Facing Dog

7/10/2023

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Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward-Facing Dog Pose, is one of the most well known yoga postures. It’s one of the poses of Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations, and it’s often used as a transition when moving from the floor into a standing posture. Although some practices, mainly vinyasa, use it as a resting pose, most practitioners will find it at least a bit challenging. It is a pose that strengthens and stretches the body. For some bodies, the stretch is more of a challenge, and for others, the strength needed to stabilize the body while holding the body inverted against gravity is more of an effort.

Sanskrit:
Adho = Downward; Mukha = Facing; Svana = Dog; Asana = pose
(Ah-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAH-sah-nah)

Benefits/Purpose:
Downward-Facing Dog, or “Down Dog,” strengthens the upper body, elongates and gently realigns the vertebrae, stretches the back of the legs, improves circulation, and relieves tension from the neck and back.

Precautions:
As always, check with your healthcare provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have weak back muscles, hamstrings, sciatica, or knee problems, keep knees bent and spine straight. For those with carpal tunnel syndrome, press into the base of the fingers. For those with recent or chronic injuries or inflammation in ankle, knee, leg, hip, back, shoulder, arm, or wrist or those with uncontrolled high blood pressure or diseases of the eyes or ears, the pose may be contraindicated.

How to Practice:

Begin in table position (on your hands and knees), with knees under the hips and wrists under the shoulders. Spread your fingers and curl your toes under.
Press into your hands and engage your arms, shoulders, and pectoral muscles to stabilize your body. Keep your knees bent as you raise your hips as high as you can.
Pull your shoulder blades down and draw them away from the spine. Engage and stabilize your shoulders as you lengthen your waist.
Ground through your index fingers and thumbs.
Press your heels toward the ground and straighten your legs as much as possible, comfortably, maintaining elongated spine.
Keep the neck in in line with the spine.
To release, bend your knees and lower back into table position.

Modifications/Variations:

Practice with your hands on a wall or the back of a chair.
Bend the knees to ease the pressure on the hamstrings and low back.
Use a wedge or the wall to support the heels.

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Cobra Pose/Bhujangasana

6/23/2023

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Bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose, is a beginning backbend in yoga that helps to strengthen the back of the body and prepare it for deeper backbends. When we raise up into this posture, we emulate the posture of a cobra with its hood raised.

Sanskrit:
Bhujangasana (boo-jahn-GAH-sah-nuh)
Bhujanga = a snake or serpent, or bhuj = to bend or move in curves; asana = pose

Benefits/Purpose:
Cobra pose strengthens the back of the body, especially the shoulders, arms, and back. It stretches the chest and abdomen. Like most backbends, it’s a great antidote to the effects of modern life—reversing the effects of being hunched over the computer/ cell phone or slouched on the couch.

How to Practice:

Lie on your belly with your legs extended back, hip width apart. Bring chin or forehead onto the floor to elongate neck. Slide your hands under your shoulders, and draw your elbows back and in toward your ribs.
Press the front of the pelvis into the floor and elongate through your toes and the crown of your head. Stretch your tailbone toward your heels to lengthen the lower back. Without pressing into your hands, lift your upper torso off the mat.
Press upward through the crown with the neck as an extension of the spine. Roll your shoulders back and down. Continue to press elbows toward your torso. Without pressing into your hands, arch your spine as much as it’s comfortable.
Press the pelvic triangle into the floor. Press the palms gently into the ground to lift the torso higher with no compression in the low back. Draw your elbows back and press your sternum forward.
Elongate the neck and reach the crown forward and up.
To release, extend your torso forward and down onto the floor. Relax your shoulders and back.

Variations:

Lift and lower with your breath, avoiding the hold.
Sphinx Pose. (See photo below.) Sphinx is a variation of Cobra that uses the support of the elbows and lower placement of the body to isolate the elongation and stretch in the upper chest and spine. Forearms on the ground with palms down and elbows under shoulders. Drishti straight ahead.
Bring big toes to touch.
Place a blanket under the pelvis.
Place a block between the thighs.

Precautions:
Check with your health care provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have high blood pressure, or back, neck or abdominal pain, try Sphinx Pose first. If you have weak back muscles, move in and out of the posture with breath, and lift with the back rather than the arms to strengthen. Avoid this pose after the first trimester of pregnancy.

As always, if a posture causes pain, come out of it immediately. Ask a qualified yoga teacher for assistance.

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Goddess Pose/Deviasana

5/22/2023

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In Goddess Pose, we tap into the divine feminine, embodying both softness and strength. Use this asana to feel grounded, strong, empowered, and entitled to take up a lot of space.

Sanskrit:
Deviasana (DEV-ee-AH-sah-nah)
devi = goddess; asana = pose

AKA: Utkata Konasana (Fierce Angle), Horse or Equestrian Stance, Temple Pose

Benefits:

Strengthens the legs and back.
Stretches the chest, hips, and back.
Grounding.
Improves circulation to the digestive and reproductive systems.
Cultivates a balance of surrender and strength.

How to Practice:

Face the long edge of your mat with your feet wider than hip width, 2-3 feet apart. Rotate toes out wider than heels, at about a 45-degree angle. Press all four corners of the feet into the ground, relaxing the toes.
Place your hands on your waist. Press up through the crown, and tilt the back of the pelvis down to engage your abdominals and lengthen your low back.
Bend your knees over your ankles, feeling your tailbone descend. Maintain length in low back.
Lift your arms out to the side to shoulder height with the palms facing forward. With the upper arms parallel to the ground, bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle, fingers pointing up toward the sky. Relax shoulders, and spread fingers wide.
Draw the chin slightly back and in, lengthening your cervical spine and aligning your head over your torso.
To release, straighten the legs and arms, rotate feet to parallel, then walk the feet in and relax arms by your sides.

Variations:

Place hands on thighs for support.
Hold the position with back to the wall for stability and proper alignment.
Add arm movements - move shoulders, alternating into external and internal rotation.
Lift heels.
Palms facing in toward center or connected overhead.

Precautions:
Check with your healthcare provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have inguinal hernia or knee, hip or low back issues, practice at the wall and/or keep your hands on your waist, thighs, or in anjali mudra (prayer position) at the chest throughout the posture. As always, if a posture causes pain, come out of it immediately. Ask a qualified yoga teacher for assistance.

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Tree Pose/Vrksasana

4/24/2023

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Vrksasana, or Tree Pose, is one of the most popular and well known yoga postures. It is primarily a balance pose. Like a tree, we must root down through the standing leg as we grow tall. Any time you are balancing on one foot, it is important to keep the standing leg strong with the thigh muscle engaged and to find a “drishti” or non-moving focal point. Both will help stabilize the pose.

Sanskrit:
Vrksasana (vrik-SHAH-sah-nah)
Vrksa = the trunk of a tree; asana = pose

Benefits:
Tree pose strengthens, stretches and stabilizes the body from the feet up through the shoulders. It helps develop and improve concentration, balance, and posture.

How to Practice:

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with your feet parallel and hip-width apart. Place your hands on your waist.
Shift your weight onto your left foot. Lengthen your left leg. Focus your gaze at a spot on the floor in front of you or on the wall across the room.
Bring your right foot to the inside of your lower left leg, below the knee, or use your hands to bring it up to the inside of your left thigh, above the knee. Press your right knee back toward the wall behind you and down. Press your right foot into the left leg. Avoid placing the foot on the knee joint.
Level your hips. Tilt your pelvis to neutral, engaging your abdominals and lengthening your low back.
If you are feeling stable, reach out through your fingertips as you raise your arms into a V position overhead, like a tree's branches reaching up toward the sun. Keep your arms extended just outside the ears. Lengthen through the waist, and keep drawing your shoulders back and down.
Press down through the supporting leg, and reach up through the crown of the head to lengthen the spine.
Draw your bent knee back and down. Square your hips to the front and adjust them so they are the same height.
Inhale a little taller, and then to release, reach out through your fingertips, and exhale as you lower your arms to your sides. Guide your lifted leg to the ground and balance on both feet. Rest, and repeat on the other side.

Variations:

Keep the hands on the waist.
Place your heel on the inner leg with toes on the ground “like a kickstand.”
Place your foot on a block.
Practice with your hands on a chair back or near a wall to steady yourself.

Precautions:
Check with your healthcare provider before beginning any physical practice. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure or if you are struggling to balance, keep your hands on your waist or in anjali mudra (prayer position) at the chest throughout the posture. As always, if a posture causes pain, come out of it immediately. Ask a qualified yoga teacher for assistance.

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Half Moon Pose/Ardha Chandrasana

3/27/2023

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Ardha Chandrasana, or Half Moon Pose, is a lateral bend. In some styles of yoga, such as Iyengar Yoga, Half Moon Pose is a balancing pose. See that one pictured to the left. (We usually call that version "Balancing Half Moon" to help differentiate between the two.) We practice both, but this post is all about the side bend, where the body is curved like a crescent moon, as pictured in the group shot above.

Sanskrit:
Ardha Chandrasana (ARE-dah-chan-DRAHS-ana)
Ardha = Half
Chandra = Moon
Asana = Pose

You may also hear this pose referred to as simply a standing side bend or possibly as Indudalasana (in-DU-dah-LAH-sah-nah). That is admittedly kind of fun to say.
Indu = another name for Moon
Dala = Portion

Benefits of Ardha Chandrasana:
We don't tend to stretch the muscles in the side of our body in our daily lives, so it's a great opportunity to lengthen, strengthen, and stretch those sides. This pose provides stretching and strengthening of the entire length of the body, especially the intercostal muscles between the ribs. It will increase spinal flexibility and alignment as well as stimulate digestion, expand breath capacity, and develop focus and concentration.

How to practice:

Stand in Tadasana, with your feet parallel and hip-width apart.
Inhale as you raise your arms overhead, and interlace your fingers into Steeple Mudra (fingers interlaced, index fingers pointing up).
Exhale, rolling your shoulders back and down. Press down through the soles of your feet. Inhale as you lengthen up out of your waist and reach up through the crown of your head.
Exhale, pressing hips to the left, keeping shoulders and hips squared to the front.
Inhale, Lift your rib cage, continuing to lengthen the torso. Keep hips and shoulders squared to the front, and with an exhale, extend through your fingertips and bend your upper body to the right.
With each inhale, lengthen upward, and with each exhale, arch slightly deeper to the right. Continue lengthening and arching until you come to your edge.
Maintain equal weight on both feet.
To release, press down through your feet, shift your hips back to center, and lift your shoulders over your hips.
Relax your arms down by your sides, and take a moment to notice sensations in the body.
Repeat on the other side.

Possible Modifications or Variations:

Keep both hands on your waist.
Quarter Moon: Place right hand on your waist and raise left arm up and over as you bend to the right. (Reverse, of course, for other side.)
Hold a yoga strap (or your bathrobe belt) taut between your hands overhead; keep arms wide apart as you side bend.
Use the wall for support with your back against the wall.

Precautions:

With heart conditions or weak back or shoulder muscles, avoid long holdings and keep arms below the head, using the first modification above.
With uncontrolled high blood pressure, skip this pose.

As always, if a posture causes pain, come out of it immediately. Ask a qualified (certified and registered) yoga teacher for assistance.

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Mountain Pose/Tadasana

2/19/2023

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Tadasana, or Mountain Pose, is the foundational standing pose, and the principles of alignment you learn through its practice apply to many of the other standing postures. At a quick glance, you might think that someone in this posture is “just standing there,” but there’s more going on than meets the eye. In the properly aligned and executed posture, many muscles are activated, and the practitioner is balancing the engaged muscles with areas of ease.

Sanskrit:
Tadasana (tah-DAHS-ah-na)
Tada = mountain
Asana = commonly translated as pose; but more literally means seat (as in “take the seat/energy of a mountain”)

You may also hear this pose referred to as Samastithi (suh-muh-sthi-ti)

Sama = Equal, same
Stithi = Standing

Benefits of Tadasana:
This pose improves posture and muscle tone by bringing the body into correct alignment. It helps you develop concentration, coordination, stability, strength, poise, and balance. When you are standing in Tadasana, you are taking on the energy of a mountain—majestic, tall, and stable.

How to practice:

Stand with your feet parallel and hip-width apart.
Press down through the soles of your feet, at the “four corners.” Distribute your weight evenly side to side, between the inner and outer edges, and between the ball and heel of each foot.
Lightly engage your quadriceps. Press the top of the thigh back to reduce hyperextension at the knee.
Extend your tailbone down to elongate your lumbar spine and lengthen your waist. You’ll feel your belly firm as you do this.
Roll your shoulders up, back, and down. Reach down through your fingertips, and press up through the crown, lengthening the neck.
Reach out through your fingertips as you raise your arms into a V position overhead. Keep your arms extended just outside the ears.
Lengthen the body from hip to armpit, pulling up out of the waist.
To release, reach out through your fingertips, and lower your arms to your sides. Relax your torso and legs.

Possible Modifications or Variations:

Keep your arms down or hands in prayer position (anjali mudra) at heart center.
Hands on the waist, pulling your elbows back to open the chest.
Bring big toes together, with a slight space between the heels.

Precautions
With heart conditions or high blood pressure, keep arms below the head, using one of the modifications above.

As always, if a posture causes pain, come out of it immediately. Ask a qualified yoga teacher for assistance.

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Warrior 1 Pose/Virabhadrasana

Eagle Pose

Standing Squat (Chair Pose)

Downward-Facing Dog

Cobra Pose/Bhujangasana

Goddess Pose/Deviasana

Tree Pose/Vrksasana

Half Moon Pose/Ardha Chandrasana

Mountain Pose/Tadasana

Dena D. Beratta

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Call us: (315) 673-7535 or text: (315) 440-9125

Email: Dena@MandalaMoonYoga.com