#sunithalovesyoga

@miss_sunitha on Chair Pose 💺 ・・・ If you’ve been to a variety of yoga classes, you may have heard chair pose #utkatasana taught in different ways. Some people may have strong opinions of one compared to the other, but in my opinion they’re both perfect depending on what the intention of the pose is!... And really, you’ll see this in a lot of other poses too. . In chair pose, some teachers would insist: • knees back, in line with the ankles • tailbone tucked to keep the spine straight • triceps by the ear Nothing wrong with any of this. This version works the thighs, the length of the spine and the shoulders. So if the intention is to work all these things, then this would be perfect alignment cues. In fact, I use these cues a lot when I’m teaching chair pose as a prep for handstand or inversions. . So does that mean the chair pose on the right is wrong? . The one on the right is most commonly known as the chair pose traditionally taught in an Ashtanga practice: • natural curve of the spine is kept (no tuck and no arch) • knees aren’t too far back (to stretch the achilles) • palms together, arms straight (to stretch the side of the body) • gaze towards thumbs for drishti (to promote a one-pointed focused mind) . So why the difference? The intention of this pose in an Ashtanga practice is different. In the Ashtanga practice, the focus is on drishti and bandhas. As part of understanding the workings of bandhas, the practice focuses on learning to balance the grounding energy with uplifting energy (swipe right to see the difference). With the chair pose version on the left, the energy is balanced between forward and backwards, whereas in the version on the right, the energy is balanced between uplift and grounding. . Notice one common cue between both versions? Ribs in! Both require deep core activation... just maybe in slightly different ways. . So don’t be too quick to judge. Try them both and feel the difference for yourself. . . . Use the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga to check out more #yogatutorials. Video tutorials are on my IGTV. #yoga #yogatutorial https://www.instagram.com/p/BshrLJegcXc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dnoqntv85y5t

Prep and Counter Poses for Backbends are just as important as the backbend practice itself (in my opinion, at least) . These are some of my suggestions on what to work on before and after backbends. The pictures show an example of a relevant pose, but you can always experiment with other types of poses that fulfil similar intention. . Before your Backbend, start with these... 1️⃣ Pelvic floor awareness (aka mula bandha) - to practice safe backbends requires awareness of the pelvic floor. So spend some time in the beginning to create that awareness, and maintain that throughout the practice 2️⃣ Spine lengthening - active forward bends are great in creating length in the spine. Spend some time on this to prevent compression when working on backbends. 3️⃣ Spinal Twist - creating mobility in the spine before backbends is like oiling a machine 😉 4️⃣ Side Stretch - keep the chest lifted, and feel the stretch as you breath into the side body 5️⃣ Hip Flexors & Quad - keep these stretches active, so as the front of the body stretch, hug the outer hips in (keeping the hips square) for stability 6️⃣ Chest & Shoulders - both active and passive assisted stretches can help to create space in these areas. . Then after your Backbend, end with these... 1️⃣ Round the spine but with active core engagement - stay for a few breaths 2️⃣ Full Range Spinal Twist - this is where the hips might be slightly lifted to feel the twist equally along the spine 3️⃣ Targeted Spinal Twist - hops are grounded, the twist moves up more towards the middle and upper spine 4️⃣ Active Forward Fold - keep the pelvic floor engaged as you fold forward to lengthen the entire spine . Stay for each for as long as you need to, with a minimum of 5 breaths. . For more #yogatutorials, use the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga Or check out my IGTV . https://www.instagram.com/p/BtxlzEPHjxK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=oqm9kiuwti4l

Cat-Cow Pose is generally taught in most yoga classes as a spine warmup - inhalation to cow pose by arching the spine, and exhalation to cat pose by rounding the spine. . Take cat-cow one step further by working on spine isolation. First start the arch by isolating the arch in the lower back, then the middle back and finally to the upper back & neck. Keep everything the same, and start the round with the lower back, then middle back and finally the upper back & neck. . Don’t worry about how it looks, try to keep the awareness on each part of the spine, maybe even each vertebrae as you curve and arch the spine. Over time, try to make the movements a little smoother. . Swipe ▶️ for a video sample. You can also reverse the movements to challenge your awareness of your own spine isolation. . Do as many rounds as you wish. . Use the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga for more tutorials! https://www.instagram.com/p/BtP7YJHndNI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1o67yrn5vcnal

If you’ve been to a variety of yoga classes, you may have heard chair pose #utkatasana taught in different ways. Some people may have strong opinions of one compared to the other, but in my opinion they’re both perfect depending on what the intention of the pose is!... And really, you’ll see this in a lot of other poses too. . In chair pose, some teachers would insist: • knees back, in line with the ankles • tailbone tucked to keep the spine straight • triceps by the ear Nothing wrong with any of this. This version works the thighs, the length of the spine and the shoulders. So if the intention is to work all these things, then this would be perfect alignment cues. In fact, I use these cues a lot when I’m teaching chair pose as a prep for handstand or inversions. . So does that mean the chair pose on the right is wrong? . The one on the right would be the chair pose as traditionally taught in an Ashtanga practice: • natural curve of the spine is kept - no tuck and no arch • knees aren’t too far back (to stretch the achilles) • palms together, gazing towards thumbs for drishti (to promote a one-pointed focused mind) . So why the difference? The intention of this pose in an Ashtanga practice is different. In the Ashtanga practice, the focus is on drishti and bandhas. As part of understanding the workings of bandhas, the practice focuses on learning to balance the grounding energy with uplifting energy (swipe right to see the difference). With the chair pose version on the left, the energy is balanced between forward and backwards, whereas in the version on the right, the energy is balanced between uplift and grounding. . Notice one common cue between both versions? Ribs in! Both require deep core activation... just maybe in slightly different ways. . So don’t be too quick to judge. Try them both and feel the difference for yourself. . . . Use the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga to check out more #yogatutorials. Video tutorials are on my IGTV. https://www.instagram.com/p/BsVJoGbgUMw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=j7pxmei68wqw

Sun salutation is one of the best ways to start bringing awareness to the breath. Each movement is linked to an inhalation and exhalation as a way of cultivating moving meditation. . Sun Salutation A modified for Beginners . Start with the feet together, big toes touch. With the feet firmly and evenly grounded on the floor, start to lift the knee caps up, tailbone lengthening down, lower belly in. Chest lifted, but keeping the lower ribs in, and palms together to the heart center. Focus The eye gaze to the tip of the nose. . With an inhale lift the palms up. Keep the palms together, reach through the sides of the body while keeping the feet firmly and evenly grounded. Relax the neck and gaze to the thumbs. . As you exhale, fold forward. If the back is rounded, bend the knees. Inhale, half lift - again if the back is rounded, keep the knees bent. . Bring the palms to the floor, hold the breath and step the feet back to a plank pose. . With an exhalation, bring the knees down, chest between the palms while keeping the hips lifted, and chin down. Slide the knees back and chest forward with an inhale into cobra pose. Tuck the toes into downward facing dog. . After 5 breaths in downward facing dog, step the feet forward one by one. With an inhale lift the chest (bend the knees if you need to), and with and exhale fold forward. . Ground through the feet, inhale rise all the way up and reach through the fingers. And with an exhale palms together to the heart center. . Do as many rounds as you like, linking each movement to the breath. If you lose awareness of the breath, just notice it and without judgement bring the awareness back to the breath and continue where you left off. . Over time, start to even notice the depth of the breath in each movement. See if you can maintain the same depth of inhalation and exhalation throughout the flow. . . . For more tutorials, check out the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga and my IGTV. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bre7U3KAjkY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ptkcvmen92l5

Leg Behind Head is a pose that can take a while to figure out. Although it requires deep external rotation of the hips, it needs to be paired with hip stability and core awareness to do this pose safely. . I’ve included some useful prep poses, and you may notice some repetitive cues. It’s important to keep the awareness in equal parts flexibility and strength. . 1️⃣ External Hip Rotation Obviously there would be external hip rotation in this pose, but when we work on externally rotating one hip, be mindful of the other hip as well. As much as possible, try keeping the hips squared. You can do that by hugging the outer hips in. . 2️⃣ Hip Stability This is an important part of the pose that often gets forgotten. Every opening should be equally supported with stability. In all the poses here, even though the hip is rotating outwards, that outward rotation is supported by the outer hip/thigh pressing inwards. So in poses like lizard, side angle, marichyasana A, happy baby, etc., keep the awareness on the big toe mount of the foot by pressing it down (or up in happy baby) to create that slight inward rotation in the outer hip/thigh. . 3️⃣ Core! This pose is essentially a hip opener and a deep forward fold. The forward fold is deep enough that the spine would round a little to support the external rotation. To keep the lower back safe, the core needs to be active (mula bandha). In all deep forward bends, there should be a slight scoop in the lower belly (the space between the belly button and the pubic bone), almost as if you’re trying to bring your tail (if you had one!) between the legs. It’s this strong support in the core that not only keep the spine safe, but can also deepen the fold. . Lastly, although this pose is named ‘Leg Behind Head’, we’re actually trying to get the thigh behind the shoulder! If the foot is pressing into the head, it can create a lot of pressure on the neck and overall spine. So keep the hand supporting the foot, and work on rotating the top thigh back until the thigh can rest behind the shoulder. . Above all, be safe and listen to the body. . #sunithalovesyoga for more #yogatutorials https://www.instagram.com/p/BrEp7BygZzZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=69hr3gzoy31i

“You are only as young as your spine is flexible” . If you sit in front of a desk, computer, laptop or phone for hours in a day, the best thing you can do for your spine is to reverse those movements for at least a few minutes a day. . Passive poses like the ones shown here can help to create space in the front of the body, which would allow for increase mobility in the spine. Stay for 3 minutes in each pose, and keep the awareness on the breath - every inhalation feel the body expand creating space, and every exhalation allowing the body to soften. . Start with the upper back. Place a block between the shoulder blades, and another block to support the head. In the beginning, you could try keep both blocks at the same height. If it feels okay, you can reduce the height of the block under the head, which would deepen the stretch. . After 3 minutes, move on to the middle back by placing the block across the back, under the shoulder blades. Again you can use another block to support the head, in any height that is comfortable for you. Feel the ribs and chest expand with inhalations and allow the body to surrender with exhalations. . Then lie down flat on the back with knees bent, and lift the hips to place a block under the sacrum. Choose a block height that is comfortable for you, and again stay for 3 mins. . Once you’re done with all three, counter the bend by staying in a passive forward fold (normal forward fold, ragdoll or butterfly pose) for at least 1 minute. . . . For more yoga tutorials, use the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga or check out my IGTV . https://www.instagram.com/p/BqrWl09gVmi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9t5y8sjbkrtn

Working towards Tittibhasana/ Firefly Pose . This arm balance works equal parts strength and flexibility. Although the hips needs to be open enough to bring the thighs by the shoulder, the ability to stay in this pose is all about: 1️⃣ Stability in the hips - pressing the thighs inwards & hugging the outer hips in; and 2️⃣ Lift in the core - finding the lift in the base of the pelvic floor, and creating that slight scoop to lengthen the tailbone down, simultaneously engaging the lower belly. . The first 3 poses focuses on the flexibility aspect of the pose - hamstrings and outer hip. But even so, the above mentioned 2 stability points should still apply. Instead of letting the legs relax, work on pressing the thighs inwards, hugging the outer hip in. And in all these poses, the lift in the core should still be present (think mula bandha). . The 4th & 5th pose works some of the strength aspect that is usually forgotten in this pose - the strength of the hip flexors, and the lift in the core to keep the hips lifted. In both these poses, try to keep the legs relaxed and focus on originating the lift from the core. You can round the back a little and think about lengthening the tailbone down, almost like you’re scooping the lower belly in slightly. . Tortoise pose is a great prep pose without adding the arm balance element. Make sure the feet aren’t too wide apart (mat width apart), and keep working on pressing the thighs into the shoulders. And even here, the lower belly should be active to keep the spine supported. . Swipe ⬅️ to view a video of the last 3 variations. If it’s a challenge to keep the leg on the shoulder, bend the elbows to the sides a little to create a mini shelf. If placing the palms flat on the floor is a challenge, use blocks under the palm. . Work first on lifting one foot off, and trying to straighten the top leg. Also consider working on hip lifts - place a block under the bum, and work on lifting the hips and slowly lowering back down. This gives a good understanding on how to eventually lower the hips with control in the full pose. . And if it feels good, fly! . . . For more tutorials, use the hashtag #sunithalovesyoga or check out my IGTV https://www.instagram.com/p/BqJ3It0ga1x/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15qhceibgplkn