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#PowerPose Week 6 – Adho Mukha Svanasana

Posted by Suzanne on November 10, 2014 in Practice

I can remember a time when I was new to the practice and a teacher made the reference that down dog was a resting posture.  “Yeah, right!”  Is what popped into my head.  (Okay it might not have been that G-rated.)  The blood was rushing to my head, my arms were fatigued, and my hamstrings were screaming at me.  It was not restful at all.  Fast forward many hours on the mat and now I know what the teacher meant.  Over tightness, struggle, and fatigue have been replaced by openness, peace, and stamina.  Adho Mukha Svanasana can be restful.

Whether you are just starting out or if you can hang out in adho mukha svanasana for days, this is a great pose to refine and work.  It works it’s way into a vinyasa practice so frequently, down dog can be easy to blow past or just check out of, instead of really finding focus.

Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward Facing Dog, or Down Dog shares a lot of the same alignment and energy of High Plank, which was the focus of week 5.  In Down Dog, the hands are creating hasta bandha (hand lock),  spine is long,  feet are grounded, hips are reaching, belly is lifting, crown of the head is reaching, and legs are lengthening (notice I didn’t say straight).  This pose is great for strengthening the wrists, building upper body confidence, opening the hamstrings, and finding balance between prana (rising energy) and apana (grounding energy).  If inversions are part of your practice or you would like them to be, creating a down dog with structural integrity is a must.

To create a confident and restful down dog pose, try working on these variations.

IMG_0167Option 1 – Down Dog at the Wall.  This is a great variation if you have challenges inverting or with the strength of your wrists.  Walk the hands down the wall to about hip height as you walk your feet away from the wall and find the body bent at a 90* angle.  The angle can be reduced as needed.  Find Hasta Bandha, spread the hands, press the knuckles, heels of the hands, and finger pads into the wall.  Suction cup the middle of the palm away from the wall.  If needed have a soft bend in the knees, then press the tail behind you.  Lift the belly away from the floor and shrug the shoulders away from the ears.

IMG_0159Option 2 – Down Dog with Knees Bent.  From all fours, find hasta bandha, then shrug the shoulders away from the ears, tuck the toes and lift the hips.  Bend the knees so the arms can be straight and the tailbone can reach high.  Reach the crown of the head between the hands and the heart toward your toes.  Keep the back broad, don’t allow the shoulder blades to collapse.  Press the tailbone high and straighten the legs only until you feel the gentle pull of the hamstrings.  If it’s too intense, soften the knees.  Just pressing the tailbone up will provide plenty of challenge.

IMG_0160Option 3 – Down Dog.  From the bent knee variation, slowly begin to straighten the legs.  As you do, reach the heels to the floor and the tailbone high.  Lift the knees towards the hips.  Keep the activity and placement of the hands as you hug the arms to the midline of the body, almost as if you could put a wrinkle in the mat between your hands.  You will feel the muscles on the sides of the body begin to fire.  Focus on lifting the belly away as the hands and feet ground.  Balance the grounding down and reaching up energy until you find equality.

IMG_0164Option 4 – Down Dog Variation, Dolphin.  From all fours, place the forearms on the ground, parallel to one another, and shoulder width.  This variation takes the pressure off the wrists, but creates more challenge to the opening of the shoulders and hamstrings.  If needed, soften the knees, so you can invite openness to the shoulders.

About 13 years ago, I struggled with weak wrists.  I even had a synovial cyst of joint fluid on my wrist.  When I asked my doctor about the cyst he said that we could drain it, but most likely it would return, so I left it alone.  By focusing on this pose and other postures where my wrists bear weight, they are now very strong and the cyst has disappeared.  It took time to build the strength and structure, but now I’m very confident in the strength and integrity of my wrists.

Whatever aspects of this pose you refine this week, be sure to work where you feel challenged, but also where you can breath and relax around the work.  Follow this weekly challenge @suzannewrightyoga on Instagram or at Suzanne Wright Yoga on Facebook.  If you post your pictures or share about your experience be sure to tag #PowerPose and @suzannewrightyoga.

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#PowerPose Week 5 – High Plank

Posted by Suzanne on November 3, 2014 in Practice

We’ve completed our first set of power poses: Caturanga Dandasana, Utkatasana, and Malasana, which came together for our first peak pose of Bakasana.  Hopefully, you found a new challenge or a new focus along the way.  It’s time to start our second set of postures, weeks 5-8.

This week, the Power Pose is High plank.  This pose is sometimes called Uttitha Caturanga Dandasana or Extended Four-Limbed Staff Pose.  This posture, along with Caturanga Dandasana (yoga push-up) builds great strength and foundation, but done incorrectly can be the source of injury to the shoulder.  Considering how often we find ourselves in this pose, it’s worth the time and effort to hone alignment for a safe and long-term practice.

In High Plank, the hands are employing hasta bandha or hand lock to grip the floor, the shoulders are engaged on the back, the heart reaches forward, the belly is lifted, and the legs are activated. Many times, we focus on the strength or stability of the arms, which is definitely important, but when we distribute the work of bearing the body weight among the upper body, core, and legs, high plank becomes a much more stable, integrated, and strong posture.  Like many poses, the long spine is key to the energetic alignment.  At the peak expression, there is one long line of energy from the heels to the crown of the head.

The engagement of the shoulders in this pose is extremely important.  If you recline on your mat and tuck the shoulder blades on your back, they will be flush with the mat, so the shoulder heads can be heavy and broad.  This is the same alignment needed when you are in High Plank.  When in high plank, find this same pulling of the shoulder blades on the back, broad collarbone, and reaching shoulder heads.  The shoulders like to creep towards the ears and create tension in the neck, so be vigilant in observing this alignment.  The neck should be long and should move easily, free of tension.  Try gently shaking your head “no” in high plank.

To cultivate the strength and energetic lines of this posture, try these variations:

IMG_0155Option 1 – All fours.  Stack the shoulders over wrists and hips over knees.  Roll the shoulders away from the ears and lift the belly away from the floor.  Focus on hasta bandha, the hand lock.  Spread the fingers, gently grip the mat, imagine you can suction up the very middle part of your palm, just a tiny bit.  Keep this activation as you breath and hold this pose.

IMG_0154Option 2 – Knee plank.  Walk the hands forward where the shoulders are over the wrists and the body is in one long line from crown of the head to the knees.  Find the activation queued in option 1, and notice if the body starts to droop or sag.  This knee plank is a great way to build up wrist strength, which will eventually allow you to bear your full body weight.

IMG_0156Option 3 – Half Plank.  From knee plank, reach one foot long behind you, stacking the heel over the ball of the foot with the toes tucked.  Keep the engagement of the shoulders, hands, and belly.  Now add the reach of the tailbone toward the heel, lift the kneecap towards the hip, and straighten the back leg.  Start to find the long line of energy from crown to heel.

IMG_0157Option 4 – High Plank.  Step both feet back.  Keeping the focus of the previous stages, work on equally distributing the work of bearing the full body weight among the upper body, core, and legs.  Keep the gaze forward and reach the heart.

A great way to build stamina in this posture, would be to choose high plank or one of it’s variants in place of a half vinyasa (caturanga dandasana, urdhva mukha svanasna, adho mukha svanasana) in your practice.  Just hold plank for a few breaths and then move to Adho Mukha Svanasana (down dog).   High Plank can fatigue the hands and wrists, so after practice counter the work with wrist rolls or a gentle stretch in the opposite direction.

Whatever variation or focus you work on this week, be sure to work where you feel challenged, but also where you can breath and relax around the work.  Follow this weekly challenge @suzannewrightyoga on Instagram or at Suzanne Wright Yoga on Facebook.  If you post your pictures or share about your experience be sure to tag #PowerPose and @suzannewrightyoga.

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#PowerPose Week 4 – Bakasana

Posted by Suzanne on October 27, 2014 in Practice

This week we find our first peak power pose with Bakasana.  The openness, strength, and energy that were cultivated with caturanga, utkatasana, and malasana now come together for the flying pose, crow.  I love this pose because it requires vulnerability, creates confidence, and is the gateway to all of the other arm balances.

In Bakasana, the hands grip the ground at shoulder width, the knees rest on the triceps, the heart reaches forward, and the feet lift for flight.  What really makes this pose soar is the activation of uddiyana bandha that was cultivated in utkatasana and malasana.

Here are a few options and variations that will create proper form and flight in Bakasana.

BakasanaOption 1 – Bakasana squat.  Bring the big toes to touch, reach the knees to the triceps, and bring the hips to a squat.  Most likely, the heels will lift from the ground.  With the hands pulling towards the feet, reach the heart forward.  Lift through the pelvic floor and belly as you explore this squat.

Option 2 – Bakasana prep. From Bakasana squat keep the gaze forward, don’t look straight down at the hands.  The floor will do its job and stay grounded.  It’s your job to prepare to fly.  Keep the knees hugging to the midline.  Begin to reach the heart forward, until you are bearing weight on your hands.  Softly, bend the elbows back towards a caturanga shape.  If you have weak wrists, you may need to work here for a while until you have the strength to bear the weight for longer periods of time.

Option 3 -Bakasana with one foot grounded.  From Bakasana prep, slowly lift one foot off the floor toward your tail.  Keep the reach of the heart and the lift of the belly as you make this move.  Take five full breaths and then switch feet.

Option 4 – Bakasana.  Continue to reach the heart forward as if your being pulled across a runway.  You’ll need to shift further than you think to find the balance point.  As you shift, bring focus to the lift of the belly and pelvic floor.  Tuck the heels as close the tail as you can.  If you feel stable, begin to straighten the arms as you reach the heart even further.  It’s very common to reach past the balance point or lose focus and tumble forward.  If you’re concerned about this make a little nest or crash pad with blankets or cushions.

Bakasana helps to develop strong hands and wrists, the energetic lift of uddiyana bandha, and confidence.  There’s a playful energy that accompanies this pose as well, if you can get past the fear of flying!  Wrists and belly might be a little fatigued after this pose, so find a supported bridge, with a block under the sacrum and roll the wrists a few times to recover.

Whatever variation or focus you work on this week, be sure to work where you feel challenged, but also where you can breath and relax around the work.  Follow this weekly challenge @suzannewrightyoga on Instagram or at Suzanne Wright Yoga on Facebook.  If you post your pictures or share about your experience be sure to tag #PowerPose and @suzannewrightyoga.

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