For the more advanced yogis,or for the beginner yogi with a 13 year old gymnasts back, this pose seems to be the one that everyone wants to conquer. Unfortunately for some, our bodies just aren’t made for this one. Hold this pose for 8 full, deep breathes and you will be one very happy little yogi.
FOUNDATION
- Same set up as your bridge pose and its SO important that you keep your feet at hip width with the toes turning slightly in so you don’t lose any power in your feet
- Bending at the elbows, place the hands down around the ears with the finger tips pointing back towards your shoulders. Palms have to be flat on the mat. Unfortunately if they aren’t flat (due to your shoulders) this pose isn’t for you
- Pull the belly to the spine so you can feel each vertebrae pushing down into the mat
- Exhale all the air out of your lungs then push down through your hands and your feet and lift the hips to the sky
- You want to try and stack the shoulders on top of the wrists so keep working towards this as it doesn’t happen right away for most people
- Let the head drop and relax the neck
- Continue to push down through the feet and keep hugging the knees towards one another
- Your entire foot should be pushing down into the floor, try and avoid coming up on to the balls of the feet because this takes the stretch out of the back
BREATH
- Exhale all the air out of your lungs
- Inhale lift the hips to the sky
- Continue to breathe in and out through your nose, steady breath
BENEFITS
- Opens your heart
- Expands your chest and shoulders
- Stretches your core and hips
- Creates flexibility and strength in your back and wrists
- Helps alleviate stress and anxiety
Sammy Veall owns and runs Yoga 213 with studios in Bondi Junction, Sydney and South Yarra, Melbourne.
Photography by Deanna Geralch.
