Embrace Vashistasana (Side Plank)

It seems like there are as many variations of asanas (poses) as there are teachers. Each school of yoga has its own philosophy about how to proceed with the physical asana. Each teacher reinterprets it for their style and each student adjusts it to fit their body. Your good judgment and awareness of breath will be the best teacher for you. Try to embody the spirit of the pose. The directions I’ve given here are just guidelines. Yoga is about being receptive. So be receptive to your own body and its needs. If you are star shaped don’t squish yourself in a cube. As you continue to grow in your practice keep the spirit of it alive.
Take a moment to think about what yoga is to you and why you practice. Is it to get your leg behind your head or to find a deeper connection with your self?
Having said that, Vashistasana (named after the great sage—and also known as side plank) is a wonderful pose to follow after Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon). Here are some tips and a series of asanas to help you embrace this pose.
BUILD YOUR BASE. For this pose, you need strong shoulders and arms. Make sure you lift out of your shoulders and wrists and try not to sink into them. That may sound counter intuitive considering that you are supporting you body with one arm, but bring awareness to these areas and engage your fingers.
STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE. I cannot emphasize enough how important a strong core is. I don’t mean that you need to do sit-ups until you get a six pack, but building a little fire can go a long way in maintaining the health of your spine and your digestion.
ENERGIZE YOUR HAMSTRINGS. I think this is everyone’s Achilles’ heel. Hamstrings can be such a challenge, but fortunately there are a lot of ways to open them up. The biggest opening that needs to happen is in your mind. So keep that thought when you are telling yourself you can’t.
BREATHE. What’s the most important element of your yoga practice? BREATH! If you are not breathing, you are not present. Go as slowly as you need to for maintaining your breathing at all times.

Preparing for Vashistasana

One of the greatest gifts the yogis have given us is the Marachyasana pose – head to knee forward folds. They massage the organs (especially the liver and kidneys) and improve digestion. One variation is keeping your torso lifted and pulling the thigh closer to the body for more of a shoulder stretch and hip opener. Or you can fold forward to explore the more contemplative aspect of this pose.

Anjaneyasana (low lunge) is my all time favorite pose. I have almost completely given up teaching Virabhadrasana (Warrior 1) in favor of this pose. I believe the key to pure bliss is to engage your back quad firmly and draw the femur bone up to the back of your leg towards your hamstring. Stretch out that hip flexor as much as possible! As you bring more awareness to the back leg, re-balance the weight between the front and back leg. I like to use my shoulders to open my chest by bringing the blades together on my back, which lifts my chest like it was on a tray.

If you run, the Ardha Hanumanasana (half splits) should be your pose! It is an amazing hamstring stretch. Remember that your hips should be square and the extended thigh should be rolling slightly inwards. Try not to overextend the knee — a slight bend will still get you an amazing opening.
Ardha Hanumanasana is named after Hanuman, the monkey god. He is as much known for his mischievousness as his courage and devotion. So try to take a playful attitude with this pose. You have to be playful or you would never even think of trying it! You have to be courageous or you would never stay in it, and you have to be devoted or you will never learn. A perfect example of a physical pose that helps us work through a multitude of personal and emotional experiences. It’s an amazing hamstring stretch and make sure your hips are square and the back thigh is slightly rotated inwards.

Upavistha Konasana (wide leg seated forward fold) is a big hip and hamstring opener, and an even bigger mind opener. It takes a lot of breath to be in this pose. You can sit up on a bolster or rolled blanket if it’s too intense. The anatomical emphasis should be on moving from the hip joints and maintaining the length of the front torso.

What is a day without Plank Pose! I personally would rather hold plank pose than do a Chaturanga. The heat that builds from a static pose is incredible, especially in the one-legged variation I’ve shown here. Plus there is less chance for injury. And it’s perfect for strengthening your arms, wrists and spine, all of which need to be strong for Vashistasana… and life!

To strengthen and open your hips, what better pose than Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle)? I mentioned it in the last post on Ardha Chandrasana and it’s still top of my list.
And now for Vashistasana, side plank pose!

Your wrists are normally the last thing you think about… until they hurt, that is. It takes constant awareness to reprogram yourself for healthy engagement with your wrists. First tip: It’s very important to lift out of the wrists. To do this, you need to engage the fingers and sides of your palms. It will create a small tunnel at the base of your palm and you will develop the strength to lift the ulna and radius out of the wrist, as opposed to letting it sink in. I have loose ligaments and have had wrist problems all my life. The only way I’ve found to combat them is through poses like this. Practicing proper engagement of the hands has done worlds of good and after an eight hour day sketching on the computer, my wrists are still happy!
Your arms should be strong. Don’t lock your elbows and make sure your hand is not directly under the shoulder, it should be slightly out. Shoulders need to be in the socket and not over-extended or sunken down. The shoulder blades should be on your back. Keep your core strong in order to support the spine and keep the weight out of the arms. And finally, open your hamstring to allow you to reach your leg towards the sky. The supporting leg should be strong and the foot fully engaged on the floor by pressing the inside and outside edge of that foot.

Check this out on Athleta chi!
http://www.athleta.net/chi/2011/04/26/embrace-vashistasana-side-plank/


Photos by Quotidian Photography

Embrace Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)

I truly love a balance pose. Not because I love balancing or because I’m good at it (balance poses are anything but effortless for me), but because after falling out of a balance pose it’s always so clear that
if you keep straining, it will never happen. Balance poses are really for improving your mental balance — your ability to let go — much more than improving your physical balance. The best thing I ever heard for balancing poses is that “it’s not about staying in the balance. It’s about how you react when you fall out of it.”
Having said all that, I’m so inspired by Drisana’s Ardha Chandrasana (half moon) variation in our summer catalog, and I wanted to share some tips and a series of asanas that have helped me embrace this pose, both physically and mentally.

BUILD YOUR BASE. The feet (big shock) are an important element in this pose. There are three main points of support on the feet: The ball of the big toe, the little toe, and the heel. Take a moment to stand in Tadasana and ground through those points of support. To find your center, you have to be OK with falling out of it, so rock around, explore your edges, then come back to center.
OPEN YOUR HIPS. Hips are another very important element for half moon pose. In order to stack your hips and avoid pain, your hips have to be flexible. But here is the point most people miss: They must also be strong! You can’t just sink into your hips and wrench them open — you need to be able to lift them.
STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE. The spine and abs are the last parts I’ll have you focus on. The spine is crucial in ALL yoga postures. Take care of it. One of the best ways to take care of your spine is to strengthen your core. You don’t have to clench it, but find a soft strength — the more you clench, the more you will cause resistance. Think of yourself like a willow. Strong and movable. Do not be stuck.
BREATHE. What’s the most important element of your yoga practice? BREATH! If you are not breathing, you are not present. Go as slowly as you need to for maintaining your breathing at all times.

Preparing for Ardha Chandrasana

I like to open my hips first in Baddha Konasana (bound angle). You can do this sitting with or without props under your knees, depending on your flexibility.

Utkata Konasana (goddess pose) is a more challenging hip opener. Keep your tail bone tucked down, spine long and your knees over you ankles. you can move from side to side (like in the image above) to lengthen your spine in preparation for Ardha Chandrasana.

To strengthen and open your hips, Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle) is a favorite of mine.  I love the variation shown above because it is also very good for strengthening the core. You can always place your elbow down on your leg or your hand down on the earth. Variations are there for a reason. They will only set you up for more success.

A wonderful way to open your hips and strengthen your legs is through Utthita Trikonasana (triangle). Make sure you are pushing away with each leg, like you are going to split your mat in two. Pull up through the center of your body, even weight on each leg.

This Ashwa Sanchalanasana (high lunge) variation is an amazing hip opener. Bringing your arms behind your back, clasp your hands and fold foreword. The tendency is to plop your torso on your thigh, but lift up instead. I know it’s crazy hard, but BREATHE and let gravity open your hips.
The next three poses are some of my favorites. If you flow through them it can be intensely calming. I find the longer I hold these three, the more the sensation of pratyahara (inward turn of the senses) grows and the more stable I become.

To begin to find your balance, practice Vrksasana (tree pose). Find those three points of support. Play with your edge. DO NOT be afraid of waving. When we let go we normally find out something new.

Next you can move in to Utita Hasta Padangusthasana (extended hand to big toe pose). Again building more leg strength and soft focus. It also helps to further improve your awareness of your 3 points of support and core.

Virabhadrasana 3 (warrior 3) is the next step. Begin to find the center of your body . Here you really begin to engage the core- imagine that string pulling from your belly button up towards your spine. This should be firm but not rigid. Imagine that your belly is making a soft smile. When you bring your body foreword keep your torso up while you lift your leg. Your hands can be on the earth out in front of you or by your sides.

And now for Ardha Chandrasana (half moon)!
As you begin to transition, slowly bring the weight foreword into your right leg, finding your three points of support (think like a willow — no locking of the knees). Your gaze should be 3-4 ft in front of you to start. Use the right hand on the ground to help you gain your foundation, then lift the back leg up and extend it out straight. Slowly rotate the hip’s up so they are stacked on top of one another. Don’t sink into your hips — find levity! The same goes for the arch of your standing leg. Feel the lift of energy pulling up from the earth. The spine should be long and strong with the tailbone tucking under. The gaze can be down at the ground or up towards the ceiling as you gain your balance. If you need to, gain confidence by using the wall.

If you want to do Drisana’s variation, turn your gaze back to the floor and reach for your back foot with your lefthand. Kick in to your hand to increase the back bend don’t put all the pressure in your low back. Keep your tailbone tucking and sacrum opening.

check this out on Athleta chi!
http://www.athleta.net/chi/2011/03/30/embrace-ardha-chandrasana-half-moon/

photos by  Quotidian Photography