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Strike a Yoga Pose: Rotated Triangle

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:30:00 -0700

There are many poses that are staples of yoga class, like the standing pose Triangle. It is such a dynamic pose that stretches your hamstrings while lengthening your spine, which makes it perfect for after a run. While Triangle is one of my favorite poses, the twisted variation, Rotated Triangle, used to be very difficult for me. In this variation you revolve your chest to the opposite side increasing the hamstring stretch while twisting your spine. This pose is challenging but definitely worth the struggle.

Sanskrit Name: Parivrtta Trikonasana
English Translation: Revolved Triangle
Also Called: Rotated Triangle

To give it a try read more.

Begin standing at the front of your mat in Mountain pose. Take a 90° step open to your right so that your right foot is now close to the back of your mat. You should have about three feet between your heels, and your feet are parallel.
Turn your right toes to the right 90°, and your left toes slightly to the right 45°. Rotate your torso so your chest and hips are now facing the back of your mat.
Keep both legs straight as you rotate your torso and reach your left hand towards your right leg. Place it wherever you can, either on your knee, shin, top of your foot, or if you can, bring it all the way over to the ground on the pinky side of your right foot. Raise your right arm straight up and work on extending the top of your head away from your hips.
You want your shoulders to be stacked one on top of the other and your right hip drawn back. Engage your core by pulling your belly button in towards your spine. Work on pulling your left shoulder away from your hips so you can lengthen through both sides of the ribs equally.
Stay here for five deep breaths. Then engage your legs, press firmly into the ground with your feet and use your lower body to lift your torso up. Rotate your feet to the left and then do this pose on the other side.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Extended Tabletop

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:30:00 -0700

If you're looking for a pose that will strengthen your shoulders and core, and increase flexibility in your spine then give Extended Tabletop a try. I like to move into this pose from a variation of Three-Legged Dog with your knee bent (see the photo after the break). This is a pose I've only seen in Vinyasa Yoga classes, so it's a newer pose that will help prepare you for doing Wheel.

Sanskrit Name: None Found
English Translation: Extended Tabletop

To find out how to get into this pose read more.

Begin in Down Dog. Lift your right leg straight up, coming into Three-Legged Dog. Try to keep both shoulders parallel with the ground. Then bend your right knee, lifting it as high as you can. Raise your head up and look over your left shoulder. Work on lowering your toes and lifting your head so someday they can touch. Stay like this for five breaths.
Now lower your right foot all the way to the ground below your foot, and simultaneously lift your right arm off the mat. Once your right foot touches the ground, adjust your toes so they're both pointing away from you. Either point your right arm straight up or extend it over your right ear, bringing your gaze to follow.
Remain here for another five deep breaths, actively lifting your hips as high as you can, engaging your abs, and trying not to clench your butt. When you're ready to come out of it, lift your right leg off the ground, and rotate your torso so you plant your right palm and come back into Down Dog. Repeat this sequence with the left leg.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Wide-Legged Forward Bend D

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0700

We're finally up to the last wide-legged forward bend pose in Ashtanga Yoga, Wide-Legged Forward Bend D. If you do all four in a row, A, B, C, and D, your hamstrings, hips, and lower back will feel amazingly stretched and open. It's a great series of stretches to do after a run if your lower body gets really tight.

Sanskrit Name: Prasarita Padottanasana D
English Translation: Feet Spread Intense Stretch Pose D
Also Called: Wide-Legged Forward Bend D

To find out how to do this pose read more

Stand with your feet one leg's length distance apart (about three to four feet).
Flare your heels slightly wider than your toes (this will help to open your hips more and intensify the stretch in your hamstrings).
Engage your abs and fold forward, hinging at your hips, and leading with your chest (this helps to keep your spine long).
Reach for your big toes and if you can, hold onto them with your first two fingers and thumb. Keep your elbows above your wrists and draw your shoulder blades back and down towards your hips. If you can't reach your toes, just place your hands somewhere on your legs.
Try to keep your arms relaxed and use your abs to pull your torso closer to your thighs. If your hamstrings are pretty flexible, you can gently touch the crown of your head to the floor.
Stay here for five deep breaths. Then inhale to lift your head up and then exhale to place your hands on your hips. Then inhale as you lift your torso all the way up to standing, and exhale to step your feet together.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Wide-Legged Forward Bend B

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0700

If you love stretching your hamstrings and lower back in Wide-Legged Forward Bend A, then you're going to love this pose. You can do A for five breaths, come to stand up, and then go right into five breaths of this pose. It's great to do as a warm-up before a run or bike ride.

Sanskrit Name: Prasarita Padottanasana B
English Translation: Feet Spread Intense Stretch Pose B
Also Called: Wide-Legged Forward Bend B

Want to know how to do it? Then read more

Stand with your feet one leg's length distance apart (about three to four feet).
Flare your heels slightly wider than your toes (this will help to open your hips more and intensify the stretch in your hamstrings).
Keep your spine as long as possible and place your hands on your hips. Try to pull your elbows back as far as you can to feel a stretch in your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, but relax your shoulders away from your ears.
Take a deep inhale while standing, and then exhale as you fold forward, hinging at the hips. You want to think about drawing the top of your head to the floor, to help elongate your spine. Use your abdominals to pull your torso through your thighs to deepen the stretch in your lower back and the backs of the legs. Relax your toes and try to shift the weight of your hips so they're in line with your feet.
If your head touches the ground very easily, then you can walk your feet a little closer together. If your head isn't even close to touching, that's OK. The point of this pose is to feel a nice stretch in your legs and back so as long as you feel that, you're doing it right.
Stay here for at least five deep breaths, continuing to draw your elbows towards one another. When you're ready to come out, press into your feet, engage your quads, and inhale as you stand up.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Prep For Bound Wide Squat

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Wide Squat is a great pose that opens your hips, but if you want to open your shoulders, chest, and increase flexibility in your spine as well, then you're going to love doing Bound Wide Squat. The prep for this pose makes you feel an incredible sense of openness in your heart and lungs. Since you put weight in your bottom hand, it also gives you a great wrist stretch which allows you to shift weight into your heels so you can stretch your calf muscles.

Sanskrit Name: (Prep pose for) Bada Malasana
English Translation: (Prep pose for) Bound Garland Pose
Also Called: (Prep pose for) Bound Wide Squat

Want to know how to do this pose? Then read more

Begin in Wide Squat. Bring your right arm between your knees, and place your right palm flat on the floor. Try to lower your right shoulder and reach your fingers as far as you can out to the side, underneath your right shin.
Put some weight into your right palm, so you can shift weight back into your heels and balance equally on both feet.
Then reach your left arm up towards the ceiling. You can keep your arm straight, or for more of a stretch in your left shoulder and chest, you can pull your left arm further back. Gaze towards your lifted hand to encourage your spine to twist a little more.
Stay here for five deep breaths, then come back to Wide Squat for one complete breath to release the pose. Then do the other side.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Triangle

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:00:00 -0700

If you've been to a few yoga classes, I'm sure you've discovered that there are poses you absolutely love to do. They're usually the ones we're more familiar with, or the ones we're really good at. Then of course there are the poses that you secretly hope the instructor won't do during class, the ones that maybe you're scared of (for fear of falling or making a fool of yourself), or the ones that look way too hard.

This pose called Triangle, was one of those poses for me. I just wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing with my body at first, and I had a hard time balancing (I always ended up falling back on my booty). Then an amazing teacher corrected my alignment and talked about the purpose of the Triangle pose, and suddenly it became my favorite.

Sanskrit Name: Utthita Trikonasana
English Translation: Extended Triangle
Also Called: Triangle

To learn how to get into this pose, read more

Begin standing at the front of your mat in Mountain pose. Take a step open to your right so that you have about 3 feet between your heels and your feet are parallel.
Turn your right toes out to the right 90°, and your left toes slightly to the right, making a 45° angle.
Keep both legs straight as you reach your right hand straight out over your right leg, making your spine as long as you can. Then lower your right hand down, and rest it on your right shin, on a block behind your leg, or grab onto your big toe if you can. Extend your left arm straight up.
You want your shoulders to be stacked one on top of the other, your left hip drawing back, and engage your core by pulling your belly button in towards your spine. Work on pulling your right shoulder away from your right hip crease and lengthen through both sides of the ribs equally.
Stay here for at least 5 deep breaths. Then engage your legs, press firmly into the ground with your feet and use your lower body to lift your torso up. Rotate your feet to the left and then do the other side.

Fit's Tips: If you have tight or injured hamstrings, bend your front knee slightly. Also be sure to modify the pose by using a yoga block so you don't have to stretch your hand all the way to the ground.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Boat

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Recently, I posted about vinyasas - the 5-movement sequence that links poses together. In order to be able to lift your body back from seated and get back to Chaturanga (this is called a "jump back"), you need to have some serious core muscle strength.

This pose called Boat is great to practice if you want to tone and build up your abdominals. The increased strength and control you gain will help you get closer and closer to getting the jump back.

Sanskrit Name: Navasana
English Translation: Boat Pose
Also Called: Boat

Want to know how to work your core? Then read more

Begin sitting on your mat. Lift your knees up to your chest and work on balancing on your sit bones (the bottom of your pelvis).

The most important thing here is to keep your spine as long and straight as possible. Keep pulling your knees into your chest and at the same time, keep lifting your chest up as high as you can.
Keep your shins parallel to the ground (as shown), draw your navel towards your spine, and work on slowly straightening your legs up. If your back starts to hunch, bring your shins back down. Your legs don't need to be straight - the action of keeping your spine long and drawing your belly in is what works your abs here.
Wherever you are, hold for 5 complete breaths.
Now you are ready to take the lift. Cross your legs just below your knees, point through your toes and pull them in as close to your body as possible, without letting them touch the ground. Plant your palms firmly beside your hips, spreading your fingers wide. On an inhale, hold yourself together like a little ball, press your palms into the ground, engage your core and try to lift your body off the ground. (If your body won't cooperate, then touch your toes to the mat and work on lifting your hips off the ground. After you practice this for a while, I'm sure you'll be able to lift everything up.) Exhale, and slowly release your body back to the ground.
Come back into Navasana (Boat) for 5 breaths, then take the lift again. Do this three more times for a total of five reps of Navasana. Take a vinyasa and flow to your next pose, or take Child's pose to release your lower back.

Continue practicing this sequence and you're guaranteed to notice a difference in your core strength.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Half Hero Forward Bend

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:45:00 -0700

Since I'm a runner, I love yoga poses that stretch out my tight hamstrings, quads, and lower back. This pose stretches them all at the same time. If you love Hero pose and Seated Forward Bend, you're going to love this one.

Sanskrit Name: Trianga Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana
English Translation: 3 Limbs Facing 1 Foot Western Intense Stretch Posture
Also Called: Half Hero Forward Bend

Want to know how to get into it? Then read more

Begin sitting on the ground with your feet straight out in front of you. Pull the fleshy part of your tush back so you are sitting directly on your sit bones (the bottom of your pelvis).
Bend your right knee and pull your right foot close to your hip, with the top of your foot touching the floor. If your calf feels squished, reach underneath it (in the space between your calf and your thigh) with your right hand and pull your calf muscle up. If you can, try and wrap the arch of your foot around your bum cheek. If bending your knee this way is painful, straighten your leg out and do Head to Knee pose instead.
If this is feeling pretty good, you can fold forward over your left leg and reach your hands toward your foot. Try and keep your spine long. If you're loving it, you can work on touching your forehead or chin to your leg.
Stay here for 5 breaths or more, than sit up, slowly straighten out your right leg in front of you and then switch to the other side.

Fit's Tips: If doing this pose bothers your bent knee, but you still want to try and work on it, place a yoga block underneath your bum. Raising your hips will take pressure off of your knee.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Balancing Butterfly

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:00:16 -0700

If you're a runner, chances are your feet could use some extra love. Here's a tranquil pose that will stretch your arches and toes like Toe Breaker stretch, but will also open your hips and challenge your sense of balance.

To learn how to do this pose and see another variation read more.

Begin standing on your mat with both feet together. Bend your knees and squat down, placing your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
Turn your knees out to the sides, keeping the balls and heels of your feet together. When you're ready, bring your hands to your knees as shown below.

You can stay here, or bring your hands together in front of your heart in prayer position. Hold here, balancing for five deep breaths. To release, bring your knees together and stand up.

This is one of my favorite balancing poses. What's yours? Share it in FitSugar's Yoga Stretch and Tell Group.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Wide Squat

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:05:00 -0800

You can never open your hips enough - especially if you are a runner or biker. Doing a wide squat opens those tight hips, releases tension in your lower back, and stretches out the muscles in your feet. This will get you ready for next Monday's Yoga Challenge.

How to get into this pose:

Start in Downward Facing Dog Pose, making sure your hands are in line with your shoulders.
Look up between your hands, bend your knees, and jump both feet right behind your hands. Or walk them to your hands one at a time.
Bend your knees completely if you can. Try to bring your heels down to the ground and out towards the edges of your mat - you may need to bring your feet wider apart.
Shift all your weight into your feet and bring your palms together in front of your heart. Stay here for 5 breaths
Now place your hands on the ground in front of you, straightening through your arms, and dropping your head between your shoulders - this stretches out your lower back and relieves tension.
Come out of this pose slowly by walking your hands in towards your feet and gently lifting your hips and straightening through your legs. Stand up when you're ready.

Check out this week's Challenge, Bow Pose, in Fitsugar's Group It's A Stretch.