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Strong Legs in Backbends

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In this video tutorial, I’m going to show you some work you can do in Urdhva Dhanurasana to not only deepen your backbend, but also to prepare you for the work of dropping back into, and coming up to standing from, a backbend.

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  • This week’s #ashtangamondays post is about #Parsvadhanurasana, Side Bow Pose, from Ashtanga’s Intermediate Series. - This posture is a bit trickier that it looks. Basically, you want to maintain the same shape of Bow Pose as you roll to each side. Try to keep the feet together and pointed throughout each vinyasa. - The vinyasa count is: •4/Chatwari: Inhale, come to Chaturanga Dandasana. •Exhale here (no count/no movement) •5/Panca: Inhale, come down onto the front of the body, reach back with both hands and catch the shins, the lift the chest and thighs away from the floor. •6/Sat: Exhale, keeping the feet together, roll onto the right side. Breathe 5x. Drsti is the nose. •7/Sapta: Inhale, lift into bow. •8/Astau: Exhale, roll onto the left side. Breathe 5x. Drsti is the nose. •9/Nava: Inhale, lift back into Bow Pose. Breathe 5x. Drsti is the nose. •10/Dasa: Inhale into Upward Facing Dog. •11/Ekadasa: Exhale back to Downward Facing Dog. - - 🎥 @cat_108 - Make sure to check out beautiful demos and useful tips from @sirisyoga and @lottasebzdayoga. - Hosted by @sirisyoga @lottasebzdayoga @ashtangamondays @davidrobsonyoga - Gracious sponsors @omstarsofficial @liquidoactive @liforme - - #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa
  • Ashtanga Geekery Alert 🚨🤓 - My last post generated some questions about the foot position for Utthitatrikonasana in Ashtanga Yoga. - I’ve made a little video to show the vinyasa, and the foot alignment, for Utthitatrikonasana A & B. - Note that the 1st, 3rd and 5th vinyasa (Ekam, Trini, and Panca) are all the same: feet parallel, arms extended (I call this position “Starfish Pose”). From Starfish, only the front foot turns as we come into position. - Stepping into Starfish Pose sets us up for the alignment in the next vinyasa. And this is the same vinyasa/alignment pattern for Utthitaparsvakonasana and Parsvottanasana too. Got to love the consistency! ✅ 😊 - I suspect this will challenge what many of you are practicing and/or have been taught. And in fact, I have also heard from many teachers to turn that back foot in 10, 20, or 45 degrees (depending on the teacher 🤷‍♂️). - However, in Mysore the teaching is to keep that back foot turned out, in the same position that we have it for the Ekam, Trini and Panca vinyasa. - Sometimes I hear that this foot position is unavailable for beginners. It’s just not true. I’ve taught thousands of beginners, and it’s never an issue. - Finally, I want to make it clear that I don’t believe this is the only way to do the pose. Of course it’s not! There are always many different ways to do the same thing. My motive for posting is to relay the specific vinyasa and alignment for this stream of tradition. In this particular tradition it is taught this way. 🙏 - - 🍑 @sulawear 🎥 @cat_108 - #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa #menatyoga #mensyoga
  • I’m a little late for this week’s #AshtangaMondays 😬 . This last Monday was a Moon Day, which means that I can post whatever I like. So, I’ve decided to post some yes/no finger-wagging tutorials on a subject that’s very close to my heart: extra/unnecessary movements in vinyasa. . I define an extra movement as anything that isn’t specifically described in the traditional vinyasa count. If it’s not part of the traditional teaching (from Mysore), then it’s an addition. Sometimes the additions are for flair, or for fun, or just unconscious movements, but to me they always stick out. . I’ve made 3 different clips that show very common extra movements that I see all the time, and I’m also showing what I think is the remedy: the straight line. . Also featured in clip 3: Bobby 💕 . 🍑 @sulawear 🎥 @cat_108 - Join in on #AshtangaMondays! And make sure to check out beautiful demos and useful tips from @sirisyoga and @lottasebzdayoga. - Hosted by @sirisyoga @lottasebzdayoga @ashtangamondays @davidrobsonyoga - Gracious sponsors @omstarsofficial @liquidoactive @liforme . . #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa #menatyoga #mensyoga
  • Can’t wait to get back to Ubud in November. This is a fantastic week-long retreat, with daily morning practice and a workshop after. All practices are at the beautiful @ubudyogacentre, and you can find your own perfect accommodation in Ubud. See you there? - Repost @ashtangayoga42 ・・・ David Robson @davidrobsonyoga & Jelena Vesic @vesic_jelena will be in Bali this November 9-15 2019. This will be their only workshop in Asia! Make sure you catch them both in beautiful Bali at @ubudyogacentre Email us for details ashtangayoga42@gmail.com. - - #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa #menatyoga #mensyoga
  • Today’s #ashtangamondays post is about #Marichyasana C & D, from Ashtanga’s Primary Series. - I’ve posted 2 videos that show common mistakes for both postures. - MARICHYASANA C The first video is about the placement of the hips in a twist. When doing a spinal twist, we want the majority of the twisting action in the spine, and not the hips. Here are a few tips to help you focus the twist along the axis of the spine: • try to keep your hips in line as you draw the foot back. • keep the bent-leg foot in line with the hips; place it a little in front and outside of the sit bone. • step into the bent-leg foot and draw the thigh towards the heel. • roll the outside of the hip down towards the ground. • make sure to keep the extended leg active by pressing the thigh down firmly into the ground. ::: MARICHYASANA D The second video is about the movement of the ribs and shoulders in your twists and binds. We need to make sure that we’re move the thoracic spine into the correct position before attempting to bind the arm. Failure to do so can result in shoulder pain or injury. • keep the binding arm in external rotation as you come into the twist. • use that externally rotated arm to leverage the torso deeper into the twist. • try to lengthen the bent leg side waist by dropping the hip towards the floor. • move the shoulder close to the knee before attempting to wrap the arm around. • do the nipple test: are both your nipples pointing to the side you’re twisting toward. If yes, then you’re safe to bind. ✅ - - 🎥 @vesic_jelena 🍑 @sulawear - Join in on #AshtangaMondays! And make sure to check out beautiful demos and useful tips from @sirisyoga and @lottasebzdayoga. - Hosted by @sirisyoga @lottasebzdayoga @ashtangamondays @davidrobsonyoga - Gracious sponsors @omstarsofficial @liquidoactive @liforme . . #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa #menatyoga #mensyoga #tutorial #yogatutorial
  • Today we finished our retreat at @yogainsalento. It was a fun week! And it was the first yoga retreat I’ve ever led where the men outnumbered the women! 🤔 Is this a new trend? Do you have more men or women in your yoga community? - Here I’m helping the amazing Thein in #karandavasana, a challenging arm-balance from Ashtanga’s Intermediate Series. - The key to this pose is to curl the tail bone under as you come down. You need to hold the legs close to chest. And when you lift up, it’s the same: try keep the legs tight against the body until the hips are over the shoulders. - This assist encourages the work of rounding the back. Standing on the students’s hands/forearms helps them press through the arms and extend through the shoulder. Lifting a student from the back of the legs (instead of hauling them up by the hips) directs them to stay contained as they press up. - Want to know more? I host an annual exploration of assisting and adjusting techniques at my Shala in Toronto, @ashtangatoronto. The next Assisting School starts in July, and there are still a few spots open. - - 🎥 @vesic_jelena 👖 @sulawear - - #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa #menatyoga #mensyoga
  • In my last post I wrote about keeping the hands flat on the floor while doing the forward bends in Ashtanga’s Sun Salutations. - A lot of people asked how to get (and keep!) the hands flat. It’s a valid question: if the hamstrings are tight/short, how can you get the hands down? - It’s an easy solution: bend the knees. Bend the knees as much as you need to in order to get the hands down. Once the hands are down, push into the hands and try to straighten the legs more. But only straighten the legs as much as you can while keeping the hands flat! - It’s the same when you jump forward from Downward Facing Dog (second video). Keep the knees bent as you jump, and this will let you keep the hands flat and get the feet closer to the hands. Once the feet are in position, then press into the hands to lift the head and work towards straighter legs. - 🎥 @vesic_jelena 👖 @yogacrow - - - #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa
  • It’s a special Moon Day edition of #ashtangamondays— basically you can post whatever you want. . I’ve chosen to focus on the Trini and Sapta vinyasa from Suryanamaskar A, the Sun Salutations. . I am always correcting students for coming onto their fingertips in Trini, or at the end of the Sapta jump forward. The palms should stay flat near the feet (if you can get them there 😅). . I know this is just a little detail, and definitely more Ashtanga geekery from me 🤓, but I think it is important for 3 reasons: - 1️⃣The vinyasa cue, as taught by P Jois and now @sharathjoisr, is to lift only the head. - 2️⃣Since we’re not told to lift the hands in the vinyasa, coming onto the fingertips/moving the hands between Trini and Chatwari is an extra and unnecessary movement. When we place the hands on the floor in Dwe, the second vinyasa, there’s no point in lifting them and then putting them back down again. - 3️⃣Pressing the palms into the floor as you lift the head helps round the upper back and sets you up for the jump back to Chatwari in the next vinyasa. . . Join in on #AshtangaMondays! And make sure to check out beautiful demos and useful tips from @sirisyoga and @lottasebzdayoga. . Hosted by @sirisyoga @lottasebzdayoga @ashtangamondays @davidrobsonyoga . Gracious sponsors @omstarsofficial @liquidoactive @liforme . . #ashtanga #ashtangayoga #onebreathatatime #practiceandalliscoming #myyogalife #yogajourney #yoga #yogi #mysoretoronto #yogaeverydamnday #instayoga #instagood #yogainspiration #igyoga #learntofloat #yogachallenge #learntofall #ashtangayogato #shittygymnastics #dontsmashyourface #breathingmovingsystem #jumpback #vinyasa

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