Video of the Week Dynamic Goddess Pose

In this dynamic pose, you move  between Starfish Pose and Goddess Pose. This provides a good stretch for your hips while strengthening your legs, shoulders, and arms. (Dynamic Goddess Pose is also part of a longer vinyasa called the Moon Salutation.) 

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More on Side Plank Pose and Scoliosis Double Curves Explanations Cautions

by Baxter

Standing Female Nude Seen from the Back by Vincent van Gogh

Since I wrote about the new study on using Side Plank pose (Vasishtansana) to improve scoliosis in my post Friday Q&A: How to Practice Side Plank Pose for Scoliosis, Nina has launched the Side Plank Pose Challenge, encouraging those with simple, one-sided scoliosis to join her in doing Side Plank pose every day, twice on the convex side of the curve (for example, if the scoliosis bows out to the right side, convex is to the right) and once on the concave side (left side, in this example). I’d remind folks that in the study just completed, the variation of the pose done on the convex side includes bowing the convex side of the body up towards the ceiling, away from the floor. Here is what I recommended last Friday:

1. First, do the convex side of Side Plank pose with the hip/side-body arch used in the study.
2. Do the pose on other side, but without the lift, focusing on keeping the two sides of your chest as parallel as possible.
3. Repeat the first side again, with the lift variation used in the study.

Let’s go into a little more detail today to help clear up any confusion you might have on how to approach this at home. The muscles on this convex side of the ribs and waist are lengthened and typically weaker then the concave side, so you will be employing concentric or isotonic muscle contraction to get into the pose. This means that the muscles that are located on the convex side of the torso and abdomen grossly shorten and tighten while you move into the pose, the idea being to strengthen these muscle while affecting the amount of the curve in your spine. Once you are in the pose and holding it for as long as you can (the average in the study was around 1.5 minutes), those muscles are then maintaining your position via muscle contraction known as isometric contraction, meaning the muscle is still actively contracting, but not grossly changing length. This can also contribute to strengthening those weaker, longer muscles on that convex side.

When you are doing the concave side, those side body muscles are already stronger and somewhat shortened compared with the convex side muscles. So we don’t want to encourage them to shorten any more with full concentric contraction as you did on the first side. I suggested above that you come into the more classic alignment of keeping the sides of your torso and waist parallel, which is really mimicking where you would like to see the spinal alignment end up over time. Going even further, I suppose one could argue that allowing the left side of the torso and waist to slightly bow toward the floor, then engaging the left side body muscles in isometric contraction to maintain that position might further the goal of gradually changing the curves of the scoliotic spine. I’d caution those that try this last idea out to make sure to keep the concave-side shoulder and shoulder blade areas strong and avoid sagging around the shoulder area.

If scoliosis—or life itself—were only so simple! As it turns out, some people with scoliosis will have a “double curve,” pictured as the variation on the far right of the illustration Nina shared last week (although the lower curve to the left is kind of subtle). 

In this situation, there will be a primary curve (typically on the right), and a secondary curve, often below the primary curve (typically on the left). Sometimes (could not find data on how often) this second curve is considered “compensatory,” meaning it is the spine and brain’s way of trying to balance out the top curve through the entire length of the spine. The obvious question arises, and several readers asked this: how should I approach the Side Plank pose practice if I have a double curve?

First off, since this condition has not been studied using Side Plank, anything I say about applying this particular pose to double curves is merely conjecture on my part. So keep that in mind! And it would be helpful for you to be evaluated or re-evaluated by your doctor or health care provider to document where your curvature is at the start of any experimentation you might undertake (even those of you joining Nina for her Side Plank Pose Challenge!). (When her chiropractor reviewed her old X-rays this week, Nina learned that what she thought was a right-sided curve was actually a low lumbar, left-sided curve!) And then you could return to have the angle of curve rechecked after some reasonable amount of time practicing Side Plank Pose.

Here are two possible ways to address the double curve:

• Since the secondary, lower curve may be compensatory, focusing on the primary, larger curve could positively affect both curves, bringing the double curve closer to vertical alignment. So you might just do what those with single curve to one side are doing.
• It could also be argued that when doing the Side Plank Pose on the convex side of the primary upper curve, you would accentuate the lift in the mid-ribcage area, and when doing it on the convex side of the lower curve, you would bow at the side-waist area.

Obviously, since no one has yet studied the double curve scientifically, you are on your own here. So go slow, make sure that you get good guidance on doing the pose correctly as to your arm and wrist positions, your bottom shoulder joint activity and the positioning of your feet. From there, make sure that if your double curve was causing pain prior to starting the Side Plank pose practice, that your practicing of the pose does not increase your baseline pain levels. That is an obvious indication to re-evaluate the safety of the pose for your unique scoliosis.

One of our readers and a student of mine, a graduate of the Piedmont Yoga Teacher Training, went so far as to email the author of the scoliosis study, Dr. Fishman, and received quite helpful information back. He acknowledged to her that double curves are more complicated to apply the Side Plank pose prescription to. And he actually offered to send her a yoga Rx if she ever has another spinal X-ray done and can send it to him. Wonderfully generous!

If those of you out there with a double curve decide to give this pose a try to see if it improves the curve of your scoliosis, please report your findings back to us—who knows, you might end up planting the seed for a new study on yoga for scoliosis!

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Featured Pose Triangle Pose

by Baxter

Triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana) is one of the most commonly practiced standing poses, and for good reasons! This accessible pose can help build upper and lower body strength, can increase upper and lower body flexibility, and can improve your balance. It is also easy to modify for those, like me, who lack the flexibility to bring the bottom hand to the floor. And if you have trouble with balance, you can do the pose with your back to the wall. Overall this pose creates a wonderful feeling of openness. Without being overly demanding, this pose can be energizing when you’re lethargic or uplifting when you’re feeling blue.

Because the poses stretches your legs and hips, it is a good way to warm up for seated forward bends and supported inverted poses. And because the pose lengthens your spine and is a mild twist, it is a good way to warm up for seated twists.

I prescribe this pose for: 

• general stiffness and tightness in legs and shoulders
• general muscular weakness
• improving core strength 
• improving balance

Even though this pose is commonly taught, there are some minor controversies out there in the yoga-sphere about how to do it “correctly,” so today I’m going to share my favorite way to do the pose. I'll start with instructions for getting into the pose, being in the pose, and getting out of the pose, then list the cautions you should consider before doing the pose at the end.

Instructions:

Moving Into the Pose. Start in Mountain pose (Tadasana) facing the long edge of your mat. 

1. Step your feet wide apart, somewhere between 4 and 5 feet, depending on how tall you are and how long your legs are.

2. Spinning on your right heel pad, turn your right foot AND leg out 90 degrees toward the right short edge of your mat. You can usually tell if you have your leg turned out correctly if your kneecap points in the same direction as your middle toe. (Depending on your particular anatomy, there are exceptions to this alignment, but it works most of the time.)

3. Next, pivoting on the ball of your left foot’s big toe, kick your left heel back an inch or two towards the left short edge of your mat. This will turn your left foot in a bit toward the front foot. (I know there are other ways to adjust the back foot, but I find this way the most efficient and stable for your balance.) Check to make sure that after you adjust both feet both heels still line up with one another relative to the long axis of your mat.

Also, once your legs have taken on the new relationship, your hips should have naturally rotated a bit towards your front foot. This means your left hip point has rotated around towards your inner right leg and your hip points are no longer parallel to the long edge of your mat, as they were when you started. I like this new arrangement, as it is pretty healthy for the front hip joint and the left sacroiliac joint! Now, the chest may have gone along for the ride, but see if you can easily rotate the chest back to the left a little so it squares back up with the long edge of your mat (but don’t take the hips along!).

4. After you’ve established your feet, inhale your arms up and out to your sides, parallel with the floor. Then as you exhale, reach out over your front leg like you have a letter in your right hand that you need to pass over a chasm to your beloved! This will encourage the right side of your waist and chest to stay long, and not shorten and curl towards the ceiling. It will also cause a slight shift of your pelvis initially back to the left bit, and then the right side of the pelvis will tip down a bit.

5. At this point, engage your legs to stay straight and strong as you place your right hand on a chair seat, a block, or the floor, depending on your flexibility. Your propping should allow the right side of your body to stay relatively long and straight—you might need to set up in front of mirror to actually see this alignment.

Keeping your hips in their new location (don’t let them spin up!), allow your upper belly and chest to rotate around the axis of your spine toward the long edge of the mat and possibly a bit more skyward. Stop this action if your feet become ungrounded, if your knees start to bend, or if your pelvis starts to spin up.

For Very Flexible People: Hand on the Floor

For Less Flexible People: Hand on a Prop

6. You can line your arms up with each other if your lower hand is on the floor or a low block, but the higher your propping the more variation you might need for your top arm. I see a lot of students jamming their left shoulders or throwing their top arm way back behind their chest. Instead, consider aligning your top arm with the top edge of your shoulders, even if it angles down a bit from vertical.

I prefer to have students keep their heads and necks lining up with the rest of their spine, but there are a lot of other ways this is taught. I won’t go into this here, but for the healthy aging neck, this way is pretty neutral in the joints. You can try to rotate your head to look up or even down (I like to vary my head position while in a longer hold).

Being in the Pose. To keep you grounded and stable in the pose, allow a downward movement of energy from your hips to your feet. At the same time, allow an upward energy starting in your feet, which gains support in your pelvis and then travels up through spine to the crown of the head. At the same time, spread your arms away from your heart toward your hands.

How long to stay in Triangle depends on many factors, but I start with dynamically entering and exiting the pose with the breath a few times, and then stay in the pose statically for just a few breaths or for as long as 2-3 minutes. The longer you are in it, the more stretch takes place in some areas and the more strength is required in others! Take your time advancing how long you stay in.

Leaving the Pose. Keep the strong, grounded feeling in your legs, and then on an inhalation, as if someone has grabbed your top hand and is assisting you up, pivot your hips and torso back to vertical. Then exhale your arms to yours sides and bring your feet back to parallel with each other before repeating the pose on the second side.

Cautions: People with a tendency to hyperextend their front knee should be careful to not to jam the front knee into a locked position. Instead, shift some weight from your front heel to the ball of your front foot and micro-bend your front knee. For people with low back pain or sacroiliac dysfunction, Triangle pose sometimes can aggravate your condition. So if you are experiencing low back or sacroiliac pain in the pose, come out of the Triangle pose immediately. Finally, Nina learned from one of her female teachers, that if done too often, Triangle pose can be risky for women’s hips. So Nina recommends doing this pose only a few times a week, not every single day.

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Featured Pose Reclined Leg Stretch Supta Padangusthasana

by Baxter

This classic stretch  pose is both a hip opener and a leg stretch, as it stretches your hips in several different directions while also stretching the backs of your legs and lengthening your lower back. It releases muscle tension in your legs and hips from sitting, standing, or walking. And because it releases physical stress from your lower body, it can be relaxing during stressful times or if you just tend to store stress in your body. Because the four versions get your hips moving through much of their range of motion, they are excellent for starting a longer practice or even just doing on their own as a mini practice.

Baxter prescribes this for:

• tightness in the backs of the thighs, the hips and the lower back
• chronic back pain
• releases tight muscles pulling on knees, and strengthens those that straighten the knees
• warming up for standing or seated forward bends, or for twists
• stress relief

Timing: If you are an experienced practitioner, hold the pose for 1-2 minutes. If you are new to the practice, start by holding this pose for 30 seconds, working up to 1-2 minutes over time. Rest for a few breaths afterwards in Relaxation pose before moving on to your next pose. To make the series into a mini practice, do the variations in order on one side, and then repeat on the second side.

Cautions: If you experience low back pain when you practice version 1 or 2, try bending your bottom leg and placing the sole of the feet on the floor. And if low back pain is an ongoing problem for you, we recommend that you skip version 4 entirely. For any version, if the pose causes hip or back pain, try backing off a bit to see if the pain resolves. If not, skip that version.

1. Leg Straight Up

This version stretches the back of your hip and hamstring muscles of your top leg (the back of your thigh) and to a lesser degree your calf, releasing tightness in these areas and providing relief from low back pain.

To come into the pose, start in Constructive Rest position, lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. With a strap in hand, bend your right knee into your chest, place the strap over the arch of the right foot and straighten the right knee, stretching your foot towards the ceiling, keeping some tension on the 2 sides of the strap, walking each hand up the sides of the strap until the arms are straight. Slide the bottom leg long on the floor, straightening the left knee and pressing out through the left heel. Adjust the angle of the right leg forward or back until you can easily keep the right knees straight and still have a feeling of stretch in the hamstring and calf of the right leg. Relax your shoulders, and make sure your lower spine is either softly touching the floor or slightly arched away from it (and is not jammed into floor or over-arched). After you have aligned yourself, bring your attention to the sensations in your body or follow your breath.

To come out of the pose, bend your right knee, slip the strap off your foot, and lower your right leg to the floor. Then strap aside and shake out both hands for a moment. Repeat on the second side. When you’ve finished both sides, bend both knees and come into Constructive Rest pose for a few breaths.

2. Leg to the Side  

This version focuses the stretch on the inner thigh muscles of your raised leg, releasing tight hip muscles. It also strengthens your core muscles, which helps relieve low back pain by improving spinal stability.

To come into the pose, start in version 1. Next, take both sides of the strap into your right hand and stretch your left arm out to your left side in a “T” position. Continue stretching out through your left leg as you slowly bring your right leg out to your right side and down towards the floor, stopping when your foot is one to two feet from the floor, according to your flexibility. Your hips will tip slightly to your right.

Bring your right elbow to the floor as you keep tension on the strap and press your right foot into it. To create more stretch around your hip, turn your right leg so your heel spins up and toes spin down. If holding your leg out to the side is painful or too much effort, place a block or folded blanket under your right thigh to support it. When you’re aligned, follow the instructions for the classic pose for finding a focus.

To come out of the pose, return to version 1 by lifting your leg back to vertical. Then follow the instructions for coming out of version 1. Repeat on the second side.  

3. Scissor Legs  

This variation stretches your outer hip and leg, which is particularly helpful walkers, hikers, runners and cyclists, who tend to be tight in these areas. Unlike version 4, this version doesn’t require twisting your spine, so it is safer for some with lower back pain.

To come into the pose, start in version 1. Next, take both sides of the strap into your left hand and extend your right arm out to the side in a “T” position. Keeping your lower back and pelvis on the floor, bring your right leg toward your left, about 6-12 inches across the mid-line of your body. Keep some tension on the strap and press your right foot into it.

To create more stretch around your hip, roll your outer right hip away from your waist so your right heel spins to the left and right toes spin to the right. When you’re aligned, follow the instructions for the classic pose for finding a focus.

To come out of the pose, return to the version 1 by bringing your leg back to vertical. Then follow the instructions for coming out of version 1. Repeat on the second side.

4. Twisting  

Like version 3, this version stretches your outer hip and leg along with your deep buttock muscles. But because this version is also a twist, it also opens your chest and releases tight back muscles.

To come into the pose, start by coming into version 1. Next, take both sides of the strap into your left hand and extend your right arm out to the side in a “T” position. Roll your hips and legs to the left, coming onto your outer left leg so your right hip is stacked on top of the left. Then swing your right leg directly out to the left so it is parallel to the floor, with your toes pointing to the wall behind you.

As you continue to reach your right arm out the side, try to keep both shoulder blades on the floor. If you can’t keep the right one on the floor due to tightness in your chest, allow it to remain a bit lifted. Keep some tension on the strap and press the right foot into it. To create more stretch for your right hip, leg, and buttock muscles, roll your right hip down toward your left foot and away from the right side of your waist. If holding your leg out to the side is painful or too much effort, place a block or folded blanket under your right foot to support it. When you’re aligned, follow the instructions for the classic pose for finding a focus.

To come out of the pose, return to version 1 by bringing your leg back to vertical. Then follow the instructions for coming out of version 1. Repeat on the second side.

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Weekly Balance Pose Tree to 3 to Tree Warrior 3 that is

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Featured Pose Reverse Prayer Pose

by Baxter and Nina

This pose from our office yoga series moves your shoulders into a position that you don’t take very often in your everyday life. Although this movement is not commonly needed, it’s still an important one because for the long-term health of your shoulders, you need to move them through their full range of motion. Unlike Prayer pose (Namaste) in front of your chest, Reverse Prayer pose (Paschima Namaskarana) takes your upper arms into internal rotation, creating an excellent stretch for your forearms that’s helpful for your elbows, wrists, and hands.

Although the classic version of the pose is difficult, if not impossible, for some people, a second variation, where you hold your elbows or forearms, makes the pose accessible to almost everyone.

This is an excellent counter pose for any work that involves the use of your hands whether it is manual labor or office computer work. And, as with all our office yoga poses, you can do it almost anywhere, in any attire. The pose also releases tension from your shoulders and collarbone area (an area where most people don’t even realize they hold a lot of tightness), providing physical relief as well as relaxation.

Those of you who have shoulder or arm injuries (such as, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome or rotator cuff injuries) should start by trying version 2. If you can do variation number comfortably, you can cautiously attempt version 1.

Baxter prescribes this pose for:

• stiff and tight shoulders 
• tight forearms and elbows 
• tight wrists and hands 
• counter-pose for activities that require griping your hands 
• stress relief of the shoulders and neck area (self massage!)

Instructions: For version 1, start by standing in Mountain pose, with your feet hips-distance apart. Bring your palms together into Prayer position (Namaste) in front of your chest, and press your palms together firmly. Take a moment to assess how flexible your wrists are in this position. 

Now bring your arms behind your back, with your fingertips pointing toward the floor and elbows slightly bent. Then move your hands a few inches away from your lower back and spin your fingertips up toward the ceiling. Allow the pinky side of your hands to lightly touch your lower back. At this point your elbows are bent and your upper arm bones are turning in quite a bit. Carefully wiggle and wriggle your hands up along the line of your spine as high as you can comfortably go or until your palms come completely together. If your palms can come together, try to bring the thumb sides of your hands closer to each other (as they tend to get pulled apart). 

Stay in the pose for approximately 30 seconds, working up to 2 minutes. To come out of the pose, carefully wiggle your hands down your back at least six inches or so before you release your hands down by your sides (this takes the tension out of your shoulders).

If you attempt version 1 and are unable to turn your fingertips up and keep them together, there may be too much tightness or tension anywhere from your shoulders to your wrists that prevents you from doing this safely. Choose version 2 instead.

For version 2, start by standing in Mountain pose, with your feet hips-distance apart. Take your arms out to your sides with your elbows bent to a 90-degree angle and your palms facing forward. Then spin your forearms forward and down (this is internal rotation) so your fingertips point down toward the floor. Bring your right forearm behind your back so the forearm rests on your lower back, then bring your left arm in as well, grabbing your left forearm or elbow with your right hand. Then spin your left hand around to grab your right forearm or elbow, as shown below.

Stay in the pose for 30 seconds, working up to 2 minutes. Then release your arms and repeat on the second side, bring your left arm behind your back first.

Cautions: If you have a history of shoulder joint dislocation, you should avoid the extreme internal rotation required by this pose. Or, if you want to try the pose, start with version 2. If you feel any dramatic movement in your upper arm bone, back off immediately. Likewise, if you have pain in your shoulder joint, elbow, or wrist. Those of you who have active rotator cuff injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome or tennis elbow should check with your teacher before practicing this pose.

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Video of the Week Downward Facing Dog Pose to High Lunge Version 2

This second version of Downward-Facing Dog pose to High Lunge presents the second easiest way to make this transition, allowing you to step your first foot as far forward as it can go without forcing it all the way between your hands. (Version 1 from last week showed the easiest way to make this transition.)

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Featured Pose Supported Plow Pose Arda Halasana

by Nina

In her interview with us (see Judith Lasater on Yoga and Aging), Judith Lasater mentioned the poses that she currently practices, citing "especially Viparita Karanai (Legs Up the Wall pose), Supported Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) on the chair and Supported Halasana (Plow pose) on the Halasana bench." In my post Judith Lasater's Favorite Poses, I talked about these poses and why, even though they may be a little tricky to learn, they're so worth the effort. Today, at long last, I'll actually get into the nitty gritty details of how to get into and out of Supported Halasana, which Judith does with the Halasana bench.

If you don't have a Halasana bench (very few of us do!), you need a chair that has no bar between the two front legs because you need to be able to get your head underneath the chair seat. And you also need a chair that either has no back panel or that has a space between the panel and the seat that is large enough to fit your legs through (I'm on the small side, so I use a chair that still has a back panel).

Start by placing two folded blankets (folded as if for Shoulderstand) with the folded ends against the chair legs. Place a folded yoga mat on the chair seat for cushioning. Then lie down on your back, with your shoulders a couple of inches from the folded edges of the blankets (your shoulders will move toward the edge of the blanket when you go up), your head underneath the chair seat, and your knees bent with the soles of your feet on the floor. Lengthen your arms along the floor, with your fingers reaching toward your toes.

To come up into the pose, press your hands into the floor and swing your legs up and onto the chair seat. Scoot your legs through the chair back until your thighs rest comfortably on the chair seat. If necessary, you can steady the chair as you scoot your legs through the chair back by taking your hands onto the front chair legs. When you are settled, bring your arms up toward the chair seat, bend your elbows, and rest your arms on the floor outside of the chair legs.

(With the Halasana bench, there is no chair back to worry about so it is easier to get in the pose, however, the bench has sides so your head is closed in by the box.)

Make sure that your thighs are relaxing onto the chair seat, and that your back is near vertical (it can be slightly rounded). If you are tall, you may need to add some height to the chair seat to support your thighs (that will mean getting out of the pose, adding blankets on top of the chair seat. This photo shows a second way to do the pose, with extra height on the seat (for a tall person) and bent knees:

Congratulations you've made it into a Supported Halasana! The pose should be quite comfortable. Ideally you should be able to remain in the pose for several minutes (I stay about four) to allow the relaxation response to take full effect. Hanging upside down from your hips will also provide a lovely release of your back, as your spine lengthens with gravity. However, if the pose is uncomfortable or causes you any pain, come out of it. Think about what kind of changes you might make to your propping. If you find that you just can't get comfortable, for example, if your neck is stiff and can't bend deeply, this pose might not be for you.

To come out of the pose, bring your hands back down by your buttocks. Then press your hands into the floor as you slowly scoot your legs off the chair seat and swing them down, with bent knees, back to the floor.

When your feet are back on the floor, slide out from under the chair so your head is on the blanket stack and your shoulders are resting on the floor. Then slowly roll over onto your side and rest there for a couple of breaths. When you're ready, slowly use your hands to push yourself up to a seated position, only raising your head when you are fully upright. Taking your time coming out of the pose helps you retain the quietness you cultivated while you were in the pose.

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Video of the Week Reclined Hand to Foot Pose Supta Padangusthasana

We have two videos today, demonstrating versions 1 and 2 of Supta Padangusthasana, which Baxter likes to call Strap to Foot pose. This is an excellent pose for starting a yoga practice, as it warms up hips and legs. It's also a good pose to practice after taking a walk, riding a bike, or any activity that makes your legs feel stiff, and for some people, it can help relieve low back pain.

Here is Version 1, with the leg straight up:


Here is Version 2, with the leg out to the side:


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Featured Pose Warrior 3 Wall Version

by Baxter and Nina

Warrior 3 is the third pose in our upper body strengthening series because this pose provides unique upper body strengthening with little or no weight bearing on your hands. Before providing instructions on how to do the full pose (coming soon), which can be quite challenging, we’re providing an alternative using the wall that is accessible to almost everyone.

Warrior 3 is unique in that in this pose you keep your torso, arms, and one leg parallel with the floor. In this position, gravity challenges you to keep yourself upright instead of folding over your front leg. All the musculature on the back of your body has to work actively to keep you in this position, including your hamstrings and buttocks along with all the spinal muscles up to the base of your neck. You are also building strength the arm muscles required to keep your arms overhead (the position known as flexion), including trapezius, anterior and posterior deltoid, serratus anterior.

To enhance the strength building aspect of the pose when you are using your hands on the wall, use the lightest touch possible on the wall so your arms still have to work to hold themselves up. Touching the wall with just your fingertips is the most effective, but you can still gain strength building with your palms lightly on the wall if you prefer full contact with the wall for support, balance, or even just a sense of security.

Instructions: Start by facing a wall, standing about one foot away. Place your hands on the wall shoulder-distance apart, either with palms or your fingertips on the wall. Depending on your hamstring and hip flexibility, your hands should be somewhere between shoulder height and elbow height. Next, bend your knees and push your hips back away from the wall, and, keeping your buttocks over your heels, slowly walk back until your arms and torso form one long line approximately parallel to the floor.

You are now in Half Downward-Facing Dog pose (see Featured Pose: Half Dog Pose at the Wall for photos and detailed instructions of moving into this pose). From here, push your fingertips or palms firmly into the wall as you press your sitting bones away from the wall. Then shift your left foot to the right, at the mid point between your feet, while allowing your hips to shift a little to the left so you are balancing on the left foot. Then swing your right leg up and back, in line with your arms and torso.

Be careful to avoid letting your chest sink toward the floor, because hanging from your shoulder joints puts a lot of strain on them. Instead of feeling a stretch in the shoulders, you want a feeling of even strength around your shoulder joints. So think about lifting your chest up into your shoulder blades, as opposed to dropping your chest down toward the floor and aim for a feeling of completely parallel line (if you are flexible) or an even slope (if your hamstrings are tight).

One you’re in the pose, try lightening the press of your hands on the wall so you can feel the work of your back body’s musculature keeping you in position. With your raised foot slightly pointed, lengthen through your hell away from the wall. Start by staying in the pose for six breaths or so and gradually over time work your way up to 1.5 to 2 minutes.

To come out of the pose, release your right leg down to the floor, bend your knees, and walk in toward the wall. Repeat on left other side.

Cautions: This pose requires a lot of back strength, so if you have lower back issues, you may need to modify the pose by placing your hands higher on the wall or by keeping your lifted leg slightly bent. If you have a hamstring strain, if you feel any strain in the standing leg, bend it slightly so you don’t aggravate your injury.

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Featured Pose Warrior 2 Pose Revisited

by Baxter

We wrote about Warrior 2 pose (Virabhadrasana 2), a staple of modern yoga asana practice quite a long while ago (October 20th, 2011, on our first month of the blog), but it is such a valuable pose I felt it was worth revisiting and updating, especially as we have some ideas for useful variations that we never described.

Warrior 2 is one of the most commonly taught and practiced yoga poses in our modern era, and is often one of the first standing poses taught to beginners. This is probably because you are mostly upright and therefore not to far away from the home base of Mountain pose. It is a pose that fosters both strength and flexibility, especially in the legs and shoulders, and begins to introduce just a bit of rotation or twist to the spine. Specifically, it will strengthen the hip flexors of the front leg, the knee extenders of the back leg, the muscles that help to keep the arms parallel to the floor, such as the deltoids, upper trapezius, and supraspinatus, to name just a few. It encourages lengthening of your inner thigh muscles of both legs in slightly different areas, as well as your back leg calf muscles.

Your spine rotates a bit in this pose, as your pelvis turns slightly towards your front foot, your thoracic spine turns toward the long axis of your mat, and your neck and head turn towards your front hand, so the pose is also a mild twist. Because you step the feet apart and one foot turns out and other turns in, it is one of the first balancing poses you are likely to meet if you are new to yoga. And if you step carefully in and out of the pose, or move from the starting position in and out with our breath (see Warrior 1 and 2 Mini Vinyasas), this pose also cultivates agility.

I prescribe this pose for:

• General strengthening 
• General stretching 
• Osteoporosis. The pose is weight bearing for the lower body, so strengths lower body bones. It also provides isometric work of the shoulders and upper back so it can improve the thoracic spine bone health.
• Improving balance and agility
• Improving mental focus (when held for longer periods of time)
• Improved overall muscular endurance (when held for longer periods of time)
• Anxiety (the pose burns off excess energy and is “grounding”) 
• Fatigue, sluggishness, or depression (standing poses can stimulate your nervous system) 

Cautions: For those with uncontrolled blood pressure or a history of heart disease, I recommend that you don’t hold the pose for more than a few breaths, as it can cause an increase in blood pressure and the workload of the heart. For those with balance issues, I recommend that you work with your back to a wall or start with the chair version shown below. If you have knee problems, don’t bend your front knee quite as deeply. Make sure it stops just shy of being over the front ankle.

Classic Version

Step your feet wide apart (about the length of your legs). Turn your right foot and leg out 90 degrees. Then turn your left foot in slightly, so the lateral edge of your back foot lines up with the short edge of your yoga mat, or even in a bit more than that. 

Inhale and extend your arms out to your sides, parallel with your shoulders. Then, exhale and bend your right knee toward 90 degrees (but not further), making sure your right knee is aligned with your middle right toe and positioned over the right ankle. 

Allow your hips to rotate around the vertical axis of your spine a bit towards your front foot. At the same time, rotate your chest towards the long axis of your mat. If it’s comfortable for you, turn your head to gaze over your right hand.

You can hold the pose for a few breaths initially, and gradually add more time in the pose as you feel ready, eventually up two minutes.

To come out, straighten your front leg, turn your feet parallel and relax your arms to your sides. Repeat on the second side.

First Variation: Feet Closer Together, Hands on Hips

Working with your feet slightly closer together and keeping your hands on your hips is a good variations for people newer to yoga, those with tight inner thigh muscles and connective tissue, and those with shoulder issues such as rotator cuff injury that make taking your arms to sides challenging or painful. It is also less challenging for balance then the first variation, so is a good place to start for those with balance challenges.

Instead of stepping the feet as wide as classic Warrior 2, step your feet only about three feet apart. Then adjust your front and back foot as in classic Warrior 2, but keep the hands on the hips, with the shoulder blades relaxed on the back chest.

From here, the rotations of the spine are as with the full version.

Second Variation: Warrior 2 with Chair

This variation of Warrior 2 is particularly helpful for those with balance issues, with other health issues that compromise endurance, or with injuries that could affect safely standing without pain, such as knee, hip and ankle injuries or arthritis. But it is also beneficial for people who have no restrictions, and you might find that it actually creates more sense of stretch to the muscles and connective tissue of the inner thighs.

Sit on the front edge of a chair. If you are taller or have long legs, you may need to use a blanket or lift under your front leg, so your thighs are not lower than your knees.

Swivel to your right, bringing your right sitting bone and the back of your right thigh along the front edge of the chair seat. Your left sitting bone may actually be slightly off the chair seat.

Bend your right knee so that the right knee is right above the ankle with the right foot turned out 90 degrees.

Slide your left leg back away from the right until you can fully straighten your left knee with the sole of your left foot on the floor. Note that your left leg will likely not stretch straight back as in the full pose, but will probably need to come towards the right long edge of the mat a few inches. From here, your arms and spinal movements are the same as the classic pose. 

Stay for several breaths, and gradually work up to 90-120 seconds with practice.

To come out of the pose, lower your arms, bend your back knee and swing both legs forward so you sit evenly on the front edge of the chair. Then repeat on the second side.

Third Variation: Reverse Warrior 2 (aka Exalted Warrior)

This variation challenges the stability of your legs and also adds some stretch and lengthening for your chest and arms on the front leg side. It will also add more challenge to your balance.

Come into classic Warrior 2 as described above.

Maintaining the alignment of your front knee, inhale and bring your right arm up towards the ceiling as you reach your left hand down toward the outer left thigh.

Keeping your right knee firm and steady, slowly slide your left hand further down your left leg as you side bend your torso over your left leg and continue to reach your right arm up and back. Stop when your body signals significant tightness. 

Lynda Bailo

Lynda Barrow

Your gaze can remain straight ahead, or for more challenge to your balance, you can carefully gaze up towards your top hand. Stay for just few breaths at first, working towards longer holds over time. 

To come out, start by tipping back into classic Warrior 2, then exit as described above. Then repeat on the second side.

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Neck Position in Camel Pose Ustrasana and Other Backbends

by Baxter and Janet Rae Humphrey

Margann Green, Age 77

We received this excellent set of safety recommendations for Camel pose for older adults from Janet Rae Humphrey, E-RYT, of YogaForStability.com in Scottsdale, Arizona, and wanted to share it with you all: 

Dear Nina and Baxter, 

As a yoga teacher who specializes in older adults ages 70 to 95, I would like to comment on your post Are Backbends Stimulating or Relaxing?

The photograph of Margann Green doing Camel inspires me to write about precautions that are necessary when teaching people over 70. At age 77 Margann’s ability to do a full Camel pose is remarkable and certainly shows the advantages practicing yoga as one ages. I see a distinct difference between the residents of senior living centers who have exercised all their lives and those who have not. The first group is far stronger, more flexible, and is less likely to use assistive devices. Those that begin a yoga practice in their later years also benefit greatly by the increased mobility that yoga offers. 

Camel is frequently performed and photographed with the chin up to the ceiling or the head tilting back even further. In yoga we follow the principle of doing no harm. Camel, therefore, as well as other poses, needs to be modified as we age. 

Baxter has identified how aging affects the cardiovascular system as follows:

• Baroreceptors (see Why You Should Love Your Baroreceptors) become less sensitive with aging, which can contribute to sudden drops in blood pressure when you move from reclining to sitting or standing, and general dizziness. 
• The walls of the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries, can get thicker with aging, which could contribute to slower exchange of fuel and waste into and out of our body’s tissues. 
• Both the main artery leaving the left heart, the aorta, and other arteries in the body start to have changes in their connective tissue layers. This can lead to the vessels becoming stiff and less flexible, which in turn can make the heart work harder. 
• Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) gradually narrows the blood vessels that lead to the brain and over time can completely block them.
• Strokes or mini strokes can result if normal blood flow to the brain is temporarily or permanently dramatically decreased  or stopped altogether, due to arteriosclerosis, arrhythmias, and other factors.

These types of changes may affect the ability to do and/or the safety of a person assuming certain physical positions or yoga poses. 

I worked in the neurology department at several teaching hospitals and have seen the damage done by someone over 70 tilting their head back. Think stretching a piece of rubber tubing with fluid running through it. The shape changes from round to flat and the opening is greatly restricted. When the stretching stops, the fluid gushes through with increased pressure. 

When the head is tilted back, the carotid arteries in the neck become flat and the flow of blood to the brain is restricted. This can lead to a stroke or transient ischemic attack. Furthermore, when the head is lifted, blood rushes to the head, increasing the blood pressure. This becomes more problematic with aging because the baroreceptors are less sensitive to changes in blood pressure, the walls of the blood vessels are thicker, fatty deposits in the vessels further restrict the blood flow, and the capillaries in the brain are more likely to burst when they are under high pressure. 

One of the more common places for older women to have a stroke is in the beauty parlor when their hair is being washed. I mentioned this in a class I taught and one of my older students said that was where she had a stroke. 

I encourage your readers who teach people 65 and above to remind students to keep their chins tucked and not allow their head to fall back during back bends. One way to do this is to put one hand behind the head to support the head during a backbend. 

A second reason for older adults not to tilt their head back is the changes in the discs between the vertebrae as we age. Baxter discuss these changes in his post Degenerative Disc Disease and Yoga: 

"Degenerative disc disease is a process of change to the cushion-like discs found between the vertebrae or spinal bones. It most commonly affects the discs in the neck/cervical region and the lumber/lower back region. There is some ongoing debate on whether the deterioration of the discs is a natural part of the aging process (since it is seen in people without symptoms of back or neck pain in gradually increasing percentages as we age) or whether it is directly related to an abnormal condition of change in the discs. It is really part of the general wear and tear arthritic changes we see in other joints, as the discs represent a unique kind of cushion structure that is similar to the cartilage caps found on the ends of other bones in major joints of movement. But it is different from the regular cartilage in other joints in that it is a larger structure, not adherent to the vertebrae above and below it, as well as having a unique structure that distributes the intense force of gravity that travels down the spine in a specialized way. 

Not only do the discs degenerate, but they also lose moisture and become thinner and denser. Their cushioning ability decreases. A sponge fresh from the package is tall, soft and pliable. An old sponge that has been sitting on the counter is thin, dense and hard. The same is true for the discs as we age. The thinning of the vertebral discs is the major reason why we become shorter as we age. The natural padding in the spine degenerates with age and the cervical vertebrae can be crushed together when the head is tilted back. Older adults, both men and women, have a much higher risk of osteoporosis and can easily get compression fractures of the spine. Forward bends and twists can be hazardous for someone with osteoporosis because these postures can cause painful compression fractures of the spine. "

Poses performed in a supine position can also cause neck problems in older adults. If the student has hyperkyphosis or a tight front chest, their shoulders will not reach the floor in the same way that the shoulders of a younger students do. Because of the excessive curving of the thoracic area, the student will be lying on their spine and just the tips of their shoulder blades. In this position the neck is elevated off the floor and the chin is higher than the forehead because the entire back of the head does not reach the floor. One end of a folded blanked can be rolled to go under the neck and the other side folded to support the head so the forehead and chin are at the same level thus maintaining the correct cervical curve. 

These precautions are most important for people over 70, but they are good to consider in regards to younger students who have neck injuries, arthritis of the spine, tight shoulders, over developed musculature of the shoulders, arterial sclerosis, high blood pressure or other medical conditions that could cause changes in the arteries and the shape of the upper back. 

I remind my students, “Keep your neck in a normal cervical curve and in line with your spine. Being safe is more important than looking like the picture in the yoga book.” 

—Janet Rae Humphrey, E-RYT

Thoughts on Janet’s advice: 

First off, I am grateful to Janet for sharing her wisdom and experience with us regarding safety precautions specifically for Camel pose (Ustrasana), in which the head and neck are often taken into extension along with the rest of the spine. And I generally agree with her recommendations for modifications for those over 70 and even for younger adults who may have skeletal issues like cervical problems, pronounced thoracic kyphosis (rounding of the upper back), or osteoporosis. 

Keep in mind, however, that these are not hard and fast rules, and that those who older and are healthy and without risk factors for such problems (no diabetes, hypertension, hardening of the arteries, history of past heart attacks or strokes, arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.) and have good flexibility and strength may still be able to approach the full pose, under expert guidance. 

One key factor to consider is how long you are in such poses. It seems the risks of serious adverse events rise the longer you are in such an extended position, for example, longer than 5-10 minutes. I’d recommend, if you choose to try Camel with some head and neck extension, that you do it for very brief timings, say 10-20 seconds, and use support to start with. Or, as I do now, do it with the chin tucked to the chest and enjoy the backbend in the rest of your spine! 

Also, please note that Janet is referring mostly to neck awareness and cautions for Camel pose, which involves dropping the head back in space into the pull of gravity. I don’t have the same concerns for backbends like Cobra (Bhujanghasana) and Locust (Salabasana), where you are lifting your neck up and so have different forces acting on the neck. Taking the head and neck into extension in these backbends is generally not going to put you at risk for strokes and compression fractures of the cervical area. 

—Baxter

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