You gotta lift those hips! This is a hard one, but great for the oblique muscles and arms. There are a few variations with the legs that make it harder or easier, so this pose is great for beginners as well as intermediate yogis.
FOUNDATION
- Starting in your high plank step the feet together and start to bring your awareness to your core, making sure your belly button is pulling to the spine
- Place the right hand under your face, spreading the fingers wide, gripping onto the mat
- Putting all the weight into your right hand, stack your left foot on top of your right, raise your left arm to the sky stacking your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles on top of one another
- Roll the hips forward and lift them to the sky, pushing down through the blades of your feet
- Pull the stomach in switching on your core and oblique muscles
- Try and lift out of your shoulders, by pushing down with your bottom palm and reaching to the sky through your finger tips with the top hand
- Look straight ahead and relax your neck
VARIATIONS
- Beginners – drop the bottom knee to the floor stacking it underneath your hip
- Intermediate – raise the top leg up, flexing the toes towards the shin
BREATH
- Breathe in and out through your nose, taking the breath deep into the belly
BENEFITS
- Strengthens your core, oblique muscles, wrists, ankles, legs and buns
- Strengthening the muscles above means you give better support to your lower back and spine which is always a good thing!
Sammy Veall owns and runs Yoga 213
Photography by Deanna Geralch
This story was originally published on The Carousel.
