Yoga Journal USA - Special Issue 1 2016

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO
SPECIAL ISSUE
YOGA AT HOME
Feel
your
best!
38 sequences
to calm,
strengthen
and heal
ESSENTIAL
POSES FOR A
STRONG
CORE
LIFT YOUR
MOOD
YOGA FOR FINDING

JOY & BALANCE
POSES TO SOOTHE
AN ACHING BACK
PLUS!
All-day
energy
15 POSES THAT REFRESH
GET-STARTED
FUNDAMENTALS
Find your yoga style

Create your own sequences
Build a solid foundation
PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA
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Cover Credits: Photo: Joe Hancock; model: Nancy-Kate Rau;

hair/makeup: Ashley Smith; prop stylist: Allie Liebgott; top:
Beyond Yoga; bottoms: Onzie
YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L
In This Issue
4 Editors Letter
45 SECTION 4: Wake UpAnd

Wind Down With Ease
7 SECTION 1: Ready, Set, Go!

8 Why Have a Home Practice?
A step-by-step guide to starting
a personal practice. BY JASON CRANDELL
PLUS: Yoga benefits, essential props,

home-practice roadblocks, and how
to bring your studio sessions home
19 SECTION 2: Build a Strong

Foundation
A fun way to find your ideal
yoga style, plus four foundational
practices
20 What Sequence Is Right for You

Today? A decision tree
22 Salute the Sun
46 Wake Up Gently
BY KIRA SLOANE
48 Get an Energy Boost

50 Find Your Focus
BY GINA CAPUTO
BY TIFFANY CRUIKSHANK
52 Stretch Away Stiffness

BY PAIGE ELENSON
26 Embrace the Unfamiliar

BY CLAIRE MISSINGHAM
28 Warm Yourself Up
BY LARISSA HALL CARLSON
56 Restore Yourself
BY CORA WEN
60 Feel Calm and Centered
Sequences to make you feel

betterand stronger
90 Breathe Easy
BY MARLA APT
94 Cleanse Your System

BY BARON BAPTISTE
98 Support Your Spine

BY DEBORAH BURKMAN
BY ALANNA KAIVALYA
100 Take Care of Your Back

63 SECTION 5: Feel Happy
and Confident
Sequences to boost your mood
and self-assurance
64 Give Yourself a Break
BY LILIAS FOLAN
66 Take Care of You, Too

BY CHELSEA JACKSON ROBERTS
70 Let Go of Stress
Mix-and-Match
A menu of warm-ups, standing
poses, arm balances, inversions,
backbends, twists, forward bends,
and closing poses to choose from
89 SECTION 6: Live Healthy
96 Open Up Tight Hips
BY DEBORAH BURKMAN
32 The ABCs of Sequencing
34 Build Your Own Sequence:
BY BARON BAPTISTE
BY CLAIRE MISSINGHAM
58 Shed the Days Stress
68 Find Your Bliss
BY JASON CRANDELL
86 Prep for Success
BY NIKKI COSTELLO
BY SRI DHARMA MITTRA
BY BARBARA BENAGH
31 SECTION 3: Create Your

Own Practice
Learn the basics so you can
create a personal practice.
84 Stand Your Ground
92 Turn Back the Clock
54 Quiet Your Busy Mind
BY RICHARD ROSEN
BY LARISSA HALL CARLSON
BY PATRICIA WALDEN
BY ANDREA FERRETTI
102 Power Up Your Core

BY JOHN SCHUMACHER
104 Tone Your Abs
BY ANA FORREST
106 Open Yourself Up
BY ANNIE CARPENTER
108 Flip for Wild Thing Pose

BY AMY IPPOLITI
BY TIAS LITTLE
BY BIBI MCGILL
72 Have a Little Fun
BY SIANNA SHERMAN
74 Find Calm Amid Challenge

BY RICHARD ROSEN
76 Feel Unstoppable
110 Wring Out Your Angst

BY KATHRYN BUDIG
112 Power Up Your Legs

BY ELISE LORIMER
114 Strong-Arm Yourself

BY YOGI BHAJAN
78 Set a Goaland Meet It

BY ALEXANDRIA CROW
80 Cultivate Poise and Grace
116 Get Into Balance
BY DAREN FRIESEN
BY ALEXANDRIA CROW
118 Index to Sequences

120 Closing Thoughts
This publication contains stories reprinted from previous issues of Yoga Journal. Information that may have changed over time has not been updated. The exercise instructions and advice presented in this magazine
are designed for people who are in good health and physically fit. They are not intended to substitute for medical counseling. The creators, producers, participants, and distributors of Yoga Journal disclaim any liability
for loss or injury in connection with the exercises shown or the instruction and advice expressed herein.
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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: KATRINA LASHEA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN
24 Center Yourself
Morning and evening sequences
82 Grow Your Power
BY AME WREN
EDITORS LETTER
joke that goes

something like this: Whats the best way
to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice,
practice. I thought of it often as we were
creating this issue, because the best way to
really make yoga part of your life is to practice,
practice, practiceat home.
But the idea of establishing a home practice
can sound intimidating. Im sure youve heard
some of the myths: You have to practice at
least an hour a day! You must have a dedicated
yoga room! You need to know how to sequence
a class! Lets put those ideas to rest right now.
The truth is, establishing a home practice is easier than you think. In
fact, you already have all you really need: Dedication; at least 15 minutes
most days (you can nd that in your busy schedule, right?); and some
guidanceincluding practice sequencesto get you started, which
youre holding in your hands right now.
In this special issue, well tell you about the many benets of home
practice (page 8), as well as the simple props youll need (page 16). Next,
check out our decision tree (page 2o) to help you gure out what kind of
practiceMorning or evening? Vigorous or relaxing?you want. Then,
to get you warmed up, we offer four foundational practices (pages 2229)
that include basic poses you should be very familiar with from classes.
After that, youll nd a fun mix-and-match section; consider it
a menu of poses to choose from to create your own sequences. And
nally, in sections 4, 5, and 6, we offer 34 sequences created by wellknown yoga teachers, organized by topic: morning and evening
practices (starting on page 45); practices to boost your mood and make
you feel more condent (page 63); and nally, practices that focus on
your wellness, whether its opening tight hips, easing back pain, or
strengthening your core (page 89).
We cant promise that this issue will instantly turn you into the
Leonard Bernstein or Yo-Yo Ma of yoga (after all, they practiced for
decades). But we can promise that if you make home practice a regular
part of your life, youll nd that not only do you feel calmer and better,
but you also have greater condence and emotional well-being. Heres
to a rewarding new habit!
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THERES A WONDERFUL old
CARIN GORRELL, Editor in Chief
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IF YOURE A REGULAR AT THE YOGA STUDIO
BUT ARENT QUITE SURE HOW TO BUILD A HOME
PRACTICE, WE CAN HELP. IN THIS SECTION, WELL
INTRODUCE YOU TO THE MANY SURPRISING
BENEFITS OF ROLLING OUT YOUR MAT AT HOME
AND OFFER SOME TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED.
Why Have a
Home Practice?
THE FIRST DAY of
my teacher training
program, I experienced something
akin to an existential crisis. It didnt
have anything to do with awakening
kundalini or realizing my true Self.
Sadly, it was much more mundane:
It hit when I realized that in order
to participate in the program, I
had to agree to have my own home
practice. If you roll out your yoga
mat at home, I was told, youll nd
the freedom to experiment, to evolve,
and to become your own best teacher.
A few days later, when I unrolled
my sticky mat at home alone for
the rst time, I wanted to bolt.
Up until then, my idea of yoga was
attending a class, which is kind of
like being chauffeured around town,
sitting comfortably in the back seat,
enjoying the scenery. Practicing at
home was totally foreign to me. It
was as if someone handed me car
keys but no map. I recognized great
potential for freedom in my journey,
but I was reluctant to go it alone
I was scared Id get lost.
Since that day of reckoning, Ive

talked to enough friends and students
about home practices to know Im
not alone. Many of useven after
we realize its benetsresist. We tell
ourselves that we dont have enough
space or time, or that we simply
dont know what to do. Or we hold
a romanticized vision of the perfect
home practice and feel guilty when
our reality doesnt match the fantasy.
Im living proof that such
resistance, however natural, is not
impossible to overcome. Over time,
Ive grown to love my home practice.
Mark Whitwell, an internationally
known teacher from the Heart
of Yoga Association and a strong
proponent of personal practice,
describes it best: When you practice
at home, you get to explore the
exquisite relationship between the
body and the breath and life itself.
The whole reason for doing yoga
is to enjoy this relationship, this
natural intimacy with life.
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PHOTOS: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP AND BOTTOMS: UNDER ARMOUR
If youre like most people, doing yoga means going

to class. Having a home practice? Well, that feels
intimidating. Unattainable. Even lonely. But heres
the simple truth: Its not hard to launch a home
practice, and the benefits are huge. Its where you
will really learn to move at your own pace, listen
and respond to your body, and develop greater
consistency in your asanas. BY JASON CRANDELL
READY, SET, GO!
If your time on the mat is nourishing, your home practice will

become a refuge rather than another item on your to-do list. And it
will take you places you may never have thought to go.
The key to feeling the way

Whitwell does is dropping selfimposed expectations. Your practice
should be something you look forward
to, and your expectations need to be
realistic. You dont have to practice
for an hour and a half doing the
full primary series of Ashtanga
on bamboo oors, surrounded by
fountains and statues of Ganesh.
You dont eventhough there are
folks who surely disagree with me
have to practice in utter silence,
lled with restraint and completely
undistracted. For most of us, thats
not possible. But if your time on
the mat is nourishing, your home
practice will become a refuge rather
than another item on your to-do list.
And it will take you places you may
never have thought to go.
With that in mind, heres a
step-by-step guide to get you started
on your own home practice:
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1. Make a date (even a short

one) with your mat.
10
Most yoga classes are 6o to 9o

minutes long, so you might assume
you need to practice that long at
home, too. But its ne to practice
for smaller chunks of time. Start
with 3o minutes three to four times
a week. If thats not possible, try 15
to 2o minutes, an amount of time
you can probably t in most days.
When my time is constrained and
I cant indulge in a full practice, I aim
for 2o minutes twice a daymaybe
Sun Salutations in the morning and

calming forward bends to nish my
day. These short intervals give me
what I need to feel balanced and
refreshed in the morning and quiet
and calm before I head to bed. (See
Section 4, pages 4561, for a variety
of morning and evening practices.)
Most teachers agree that a
2o-minute practice every day is
more valuable than an hour and
a half twice a week; the body and
mind learn better from repetition
than occasional dabbling.
If your time is limited,
practicing for 15 to 2o minutes
provides ample time to align your
day and come home to your body,
says international yoga teacher Sarah
Powers. Doing a little bit of yoga
every day is ideal for managing daily
stress, bringing yourself into your
body, and settling your mind.
Regular mat time also builds a
habit that soon becomes ingrained.
When you do yoga at home every
day, its like taking a shower, says
Whitwell. You wouldnt dream of
not taking a shower, and you dont
congratulate yourself for doing it
every day. So doing a daily practice
doesnt have to be a heroic activity
you impose on yourself. Its just
a simple, natural pleasure. If
necessary, write your practice
into your calendarin pen.
When life gets hectic, integrate
your practice when you can. If you
have 4o minutes while your clothes
READY, SET, GO!
10 Benefits of a Home Practice

1. You can tailor your practice to fit your mood. If youre tired, do a restorative practice.
If youre feeling strong, choose a strenuous one.
2. You can practice daily. Even if youre juggling a hectic schedule and think you dont have
time to practice, take a deep, cleansing breath and think again. Yes, you might not have time to go
to class, but you can still roll out your mat at home for 10 minutes. Or 15. Or 30. Your body and mind
will thank you.
3. You can set your own personal goals. Maybe its a 21-day challenge. Maybe its working
your way up to a difficult pose. But practicing toward your goal, not a teachers, is a great motivator.
And once you reach it, you may just realize that you are capable of more than youd thought.
4. It can provide instant stress relief. If youre in the middle of a conflict at home or at work,
a vigorous practice can clear your mind. If you wake up already feeling exhausted by the day in front
of you, it can create fortitude.
5. You can be yourself. When youre at home, you dont have to worry about striving to please
a teacher or impress your fellow students. The only person you are performing for is yourself. Even
though we all know yoga is not intended to be competitive, it can be hard to maintain your inner
focus when your neighbor in class is opening into a gorgeous backbend that feels totally out of
your reach. The truth is, actually achieving that backend is not important. Working with your own
backbends, at your own pace, is.
6. There are no distractions. That means you can focus on how your body is feeling and
your mind is reacting. Without your teachers voice guiding your every move, you can more easily
go inside and witness what is happening in your body, emotions, and mind. Youll feel what your
body craves or rebels against, hear your minds chatter, and become aware of your current mood.
7. Youll develop more inner awareness. As you do, youll get better at tailoring your
practice to meet your needs, and over time, become your own best teacher. As yoga teacher Mark
Whitwell says, Doing yoga at home is profoundly different from doing it under the direction of
someone else in class. When youre doing someone elses yoga, youre not doing your own yoga.
Its a huge evolutionary step to learn how to practice for yourself.
8. You can focus on perfecting specific poses. Home practices allow you to work on poses
that challenge you for as long as you likein privacy. Just learned a new pose? Home practice is
where you can refine it or make adjustments to help you get where you want.
9. Its portable. You can take your practice on the road. Rodney Yee, who teaches yoga around
the world, has a faithful routine for when hes on the go. Ill start my practice with a template
of familiar and satisfying hip openers, he says. Then, as my body wakes up, Ill listen to what is
happening inside and decide where to go next. Some days its twists and backbends or pranayama
and restoratives; other days Ill go straight to inversions.
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10. Its free! Going to a class taught by an experienced, hands-on teacher is a wonderful way
to learn and perfect your practice, but most of us are on a budget, right?
11
READY, SET, GO!
Five Big Home Practice Wreckers

Ooh, LookShiny! Distractions
Whatever you do, do not put your smartphone at the

front of your mat so you can see it light up with incoming messages. Youll be tempted to stop
and look at it during every Chaturanga or Cobra, telling yourself it will only take a second. But if
you let yourself stop mid-practice to answer an email once, youll do it again. And before you know
it, youll be at your desk, back at work, vowing to pick up where you left off on the mat tomorrow.
The Loosey-Goosey Approach
If youre relying on the spirit moving you to unroll your

mat, you might wait a long timeespecially if youre busy. Its great to follow your intuition once
youve started practicing, but if its not based on some kind of structure, its not likely to turn into a
longstanding daily practice. Schedule it in. Dont wait until you feel desperate to move and de-stress.
Procrastination
Heres how this works: You know you should practice at your designated time,
but youre on a roll with the project youve been working on, or your stomach is rumbling and you
need a snack, or Netflix just released the next season of your favorite show. There will always be
other things to do; learn to make yoga your favorite way to procrastinate other to-dos.
The Slippery Slope
This one comes after procrastinating and missing your practice. You start to
think, I missed it yesterday, so whats one more day going to hurt? And so begins a cycle that can
go on for weeks, or even months. Remember that the sooner you get back on your mat, the faster
that slope levels out.
Looking for Inspiration in All the Wrong Places
yogajournal.com
Reading an article about someone elses

yoga experience is not the same as practicing yourself. Trust us on this one. You may be able to find
inspiration from others, but it only becomes tangible when you find inspiration on your own mat
through your own experiences.
12
are in the washer, terric. But if you

only have the energy and time for
a 1o-minute restorative pose while
dinner is in the oven, thats OK, too.
Instead of falling off the wagon, use
your practice to sustain you when
times are tough. Youll feel good and
be more likely to come back to longer
practice times when youre able.
dedicating space to your practice

is a way to acknowledge your
commitment to yoga. You are
literally making room for it in your
life. And really any space will do.
Big or small doesnt matter, says
Jagatjoti S. Khalsa, a Portland,
Oregonbased innovation director
and author of Altar Your Space.
2. Make a space.
3. Have a plan.
A designated yoga area can help

you cultivate awareness; as you
practice in the same spot day after
day, you will notice how the light
shifts in different seasons, how your
body feels on different days, how
your mind greets the same space
with new thoughts. Fundamentally,
Set a timer for the amount of time

that you can commit and practice
at least that long. Although you
may begin your practice reluctantly,
Powers says, youll nd that 15
minutes go by quickly, and you might
actually want to spend more time on
your mat.
4. Keep it simple.
When youre ready to build a
sequence from scratch, tune in to
which body parts are calling out
to you. Do you want to open your
achy hips or stretch your shoulders?
Would it be fun to focus on forward
bends or backbends? Look at the
yoga categoriesstanding poses,

forward bends, twists, backbends,
shoulder openers, inversionsand
pick poses from each. For example, if
your hips are achy and your shoulders
are sore from sitting at the keyboard
all day, do four hip-opening poses,
four shoulder-opening poses, and
some seated twists. (See Section 3,
starting on page 31, for help on mixing
and matching poses to create your own
sequence.)
Finally, Sun Salutations are a
great standalone series of poses to
do at any time, whether you do them
vigorously or gently (see pages 2223
for a simple Sun Salutation sequence).
They warm you up and work your
continued on page 16
yogajournal.com
Its also helpful to decide which

poseor sequenceyoud like to
work on before heading to your mat.
For guidance, choose from among
this issues 38 sequences designed
by well-known yoga teachers, which
focus on everything from waking up
refreshed in the morning to calming
frazzled nerves to building strength
or curing an aching back.
13
Bringing Your
Classwork Home
One important way that home practices
add value is to complement, round out,
and refine the work you do in class. Here
are a few tips to help you do so:
Seek out the right teachers. The best

yoga teachers actually want you to be better
than them. If you find a teacher you like,
schedule a private session and ask for help
developing sequences to do at home that
cater to your needs, whether that is working
on a health condition or focusing on a
particular pose or group of poses.
Keep a journal by your mat during

class. Write down aspects of a sequence
that you enjoy, as well as poses that you find
challenging. Then make a note of how you
feel after class: Energized? Relaxed? Less
anxious? Revisit poses youd like to improve,
and sequences that made you feel physically
and emotionally balanced.
Remember that you are your own

best guru. So pay attention as teachers
demonstrate poses, verbalize poses, and
assist or adjust you in poses, but bear in mind
that no one but you really knows how a pose
feels in your body.
Finally, consider teacher training.

Even if you dont ever intend to teach a class
yourself, training is a great way to advance
your personal practice.
READY, SET, GO!
The Essential Props Youll Need

A yoga prop isnt like training wheels on a bicyclesomething that only
beginners use to keep from crashing to the ground. Rather, props are tools
that give yoga practitioners of all levels more stability, better alignmentand,
ultimately, freedom. Here are the basics that you need:
A yoga mat: It will provide cushioning and, just as important, a nonslip surface for sweaty feet
and hands.
One or two blocks: Super-versatile, wood, foam, or cork blocks offer

three different heights to help you position yourself comfortably: When you
feel tight, they bring the floor up to you in forward or side bends. They can
also be squeezed between the thighs to provide proper engagement of
the legs, and they can offer comfort, safety, and reassurance in poses
like Pigeon or Bridge.
Straps: If you have tight shoulders or hamstrings, straps extend your

reach, effectively making your arms longer in poses like Cow Face, and
can be looped around the upper arms or legs to prevent them from
sliding apart.
Blankets: Multipurpose props, tight-weave blankets can
be folded into crisp layers to provide extra cushioning for your lower back,
shoulders, or hips. They will also keep you warm in Savasana.
PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: EMILY LYTLE; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: ANNA MITTON AND KRISTEN McGUCKIN;
TOP: LORNA JANE; BOTTOMS: GRACED BY GRIT
A bolster: It provides comfort and support in restorative poses like

Savasana or Childs Pose, as well as floor poses like Legs-up-the-Wall that
call for longer hold times.
And a few optional ones...

A chair for support in backbends, a small sandbag to help ground you during certain floor
postures, and an eye pillow to help calm you during restorative poses or Savasana. Finally, dont
forget a glass of water.
yogajournal.com
whole body, so they dont require

specic preparation or cooling down.
16
original sequence. (You can nd four

foundational practices in Section 2,
on pages 2229.)
5. Try to have a default

sequence.
6. Pace yourself.
Once youve been practicing at home

for awhile, you might notice that you
naturally gravitate toward a group
of poses over and over again. Make
this grouping your go-to routine
for the days youre too busy or too
uninspired to come up with an
Whether you practice for 15 minutes

or two hours, its important to have
a beginning and an end to each
session. Begin by getting quiet.
Devote a few minuteseither while
seated or while standing in Tadasana
(Mountain Pose)to bring your
READY, SET, GO!
focus to your breath, to meditate,

or just to feel still. Pause from your
busy day and come into the present
moment. Likewise, nish your
practice quietly by doing a few easy
supine posesperhaps a restorative
pose like Viparita Karani (Legs-upthe-Wall Pose)and then go into
Savasana (Corpse Pose), lying on
your back with your legs relaxed,
your eyes closed, and your palms
face up. Stay for at least ve minutes
and come out of it slowly, allowing
yourself to ease back into the rest of
your day.
7. Dont be afraid to
bend the rules.
Yoga teacher Rodney Yee suggests

that one way to make sure you get
to your home mat is to practice
regularly with a friend. Find
someone who keeps you on the mat
and keeps you responsible for your
practice, he suggests. And let it
be a source of fun. When you feel
how much your yoga practice does
for you, youll realize that its a good
thing to do every day, because youll
have a happier life.
9. Just do it.
When I encourage people to practice
at home, they look at me as if Ive
just handed them a 5o-pound bag
of cement and told them to lug it up
a steep hill. Whats worse, they look
guilty because they havent started
hauling yet. Heres the secret: There
isnt any cement, and the hill isnt
so steep. Whats more, the hill has
many paths worth exploring.
My advice is to just do it. Because
practicing at home teaches you
to witness yourself from moment
to moment, to become more
responsive to your own needs, and
to deepen your knowledge of yoga.
Plus, it just feels good. Start by
doing what you can, where you can,
when you can. Dont let the idea of
a perfect practice prevent you from
falling in love with the practice that
you haveor the practice that is
just a few steps away.
Additional reporting: Sherise Dorf
yogajournal.com
When I started my home practice, I

let myself listen to NPR until it was
time for Savasana. I still occasionally
integrate other things into my
practice that give me joy, likeI
confesswatching sports. When
I allowed myself to incorporate my
practice into the rest of my life,
I realized that I had time to practice.
If you enjoy watching CSI or reading
the Sunday New York Times, why not
pair it with a forward-bend sequence
instead of lying on the couch? If you
need a little music to get going, pop
in a CD or re up Spotify until it has
served its purpose. Practicing like
this may not bring you the depth
of awareness that a quieter, more
meditative practice will, but it will
get you on your mat. You neednt be
self-indulgent all the time, but if you
want to consistently connect to your
body, it helps to have a practice that
you look forward to.
8. Enlist the help of a friend.
17
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Build a Strong
Foundation
PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YO
LIKE YOUR HOME ITSELF, HOME PRACTICES ARE

STRONGEST IF THEYRE BASED ON A ROCK-SOLID
FOUNDATION. TO GET STARTED, USE THE DECISION TREE
ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES AS A GUIDE TO THE
SEQUENCES IN THIS ISSUE, INCLUDING THE FOUR
BASIC PRACTICES IN THIS SECTION.
START BY
CHOOSING
TIME OF
DAY
What Sequence Is Right for You Today?
MORNING
NEED HELP
GETTING GOING?
MIDDAY
USE THESE TO
PREP FOR A BIG
DAY AHEAD.
WANT TO FOCUS
ON YOUR MIND?
Get an
Energy Boost
p. 48
BLEARY-EYED
OR ACHY?
Find Your Focus

p. 50
NEED TO CLEAR
YOUR HEAD?
Wake Up Gently
p. 46
Cultivate
Poise and Grace
p. 80
FEELING LOW
ENERGY?
Stretch
Away Stiffness
p. 52
IS STRESS YOUR
MAIN CONCERN?
Salute the Sun

p. 22
Warm Yourself Up
p. 28
Let Go of Stress
p. 70
GET A SHOT OF
CONFIDENCE.
Wring Out Your

Stress
p. 110
Give Yourself a Break

p. 64
Take Care of You, Too
p. 66
Have a Little Fun
p. 72
WANT TO GET
IN TOUCH WITH
YOUR INNER
CHILD?
Set a Goaland Meet It

p. 78
Grow Your Power
p. 82
Prep for Success
p. 86
ILLUSTRATIONS: VECTORSTOCK
HERES SOME
INSPIRATION
TO THROW
OFF YOUR COZY
COVERS.
yogajournal.com
Find Your Bliss

p. 68
20
Breathe Easy
p. 90
JUST GIVE
YOURSELF
A BIG HUG.
Turn Back the Clock

p. 92
With 38 practices in this issue, its hard to know where to begin.

Let this decision tree help guide you to the perfect one.
EVENING
DO YOU HAVE
MUSCULAR OR
JOINT ISSUES?
FEEL BALANCED
INSIDE.
JUST LOOKING
FOR A GOOD
WORKOUT?
IS IT YOUR
BACK?
Embrace the Unfamiliar

p. 26
Find Calm Amid Challenge
p. 74
Cleanse Your System
p. 94
WANT TO
UNWIND BUT
STILL HAVE A
FEW THINGS
TO DO BEFORE
BED?
LETS WORK ON
THE HIPS.
Open Up Tight Hips

p. 96
WANT TO
FOCUS ON
STRENGTHENING
YOUR LEGS?
YOUR CORE?
YOUR ARMS?
Support Your Spine

p. 98
Take Care of Your Back
p. 100
Power Up Your Legs

p. 112
THESE WILL
TAKE YOU
STRAIGHT FROM
THE MAT TO
DREAMLAND.
Get Into Balance

p. 116
Stand Your Ground
p. 84
Center Yourself
p. 24
Tone Your Abs

p. 104
Shed the
Days Stress
p. 58
Power Up Your Core

p. 102
Feel Calm and Centered

p. 60
Quiet Your Busy Mind

p. 54
Restore Yourself
p. 56
Strong-Arm
Yourself
p. 114
BE A
SUPERHERO:
EXERCISE YOUR
WHOLE BODY.
Open Yourself Up
p. 106
Flip for Wild Thing Pose
p. 108
yogajournal.com
Feel Unstoppable
p. 76
21
Salute the Sun
Level: Beginner
This Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) is a great basic practice.

Depending on how many times you repeat the sequence,
it can serve as either a minipractice on days when your time
is short or a warm-up for a longer session.
AS YOU PRACTICE You can alter this Sun Salutation by playing with its pace.
If you move through the sequence rapidly (by transitioning into the next pose
each time you inhale or exhale), youll warm up fairly quickly. Start with five or
six repetitions and gradually build to 12. Or try moving slowly and deliberately,
and youll feel how the sequence becomes a sort of moving meditation. As
you practice this way, center your awareness on some point in your body (such
as your third eye or your heart) and challenge yourself to keep your focus there
for the duration of the practice.
Good for: Easing morning aches

Props needed: Two blocks
Intention: Gratitude for a new day
Reection: Visualize one being
(a person or animal) and feel deeply
thankful for them in your heart.
Additional benets: Moves all
the major joints and muscle groups
1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Stand with
2. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)
3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
your feet together and parallel to each other.

Stretch your arms (but not rigidly) alongside
your torso, palms forward, shoulders relaxed.
Inhale and sweep your arms overhead in wide

arcs. If your shoulders are tight, keep your
hands apart and gaze straight ahead. Otherwise, bring your palms together, drop your
head back, and gaze up at your thumbs.
Exhaling, release your arms in wide arcs as

you fold forward. Bend your knees if you feel
pressure on your lower back, and support your
hands on blocks if they dont reach the floor.
Release your neck so your head hangs heavily
from your upper spine.
yogajournal.com
Sun Salutations serve as an all-purpose tool, kind of like a hammer

thats also a saw and a screwdriver, Rosen says.
22
PHOTOS: DAVID MARTINEZ; MODEL: CLAIRE MISSINGHAM; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETTEN CHASTON
Sequence by Richard Rosen; model: Claire Missingham
BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION
tips down into the floor or a block, straighten

your elbows, then lift your front torso away
from your thighs. Lengthen the front of your
torso as you arch evenly along the entire length
of your spine.
7. Plank Pose Inhale and bring your torso forward until your shoulders are over your wrists.
Your arms will be perpendicular to the floor. Try
not to let your upper back collapse between the
shoulder blades: Press your outer arms inward,
and thenagainst this resistancespread
your shoulder blades apart. Firm your tailbone
against your pelvis and press your thighs up.
5. Alanasana (High Lunge) Exhale and step

your right foot back into a lunge. Center your
left knee over the heel so that your shin is perpendicular to the floor, and bring your left thigh
parallel to the floor. Firm your tailbone against
your pelvis and press your right thigh up
against the resistance. Inhale, and reach back
through your right heel. Lengthen the torso
along the front of the left thigh. Look forward
without strain.
6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Exhale and step your left
foot back to Down Dog. Spread your palms and
soles. Press the front of your thighs back as you
press your inner hands firmly against the floor.
Imagine that your torso is being stretched like
a rubber band between the arms and legs.
8. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed

Staff Pose) Exhale as you bend your elbows
9. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Inhale, straighten your
and lower to Chaturanga with your torso and

legs parallel to the floor. Keep your shoulders
lifted, away from the floor, and down, away
from your ears. Lift the thighs away from the
floor, lengthen your tailbone toward your
heels, and draw the lower ribs away from
the floor to avoid collapsing your lower back.
Look at the floor or slightly forward. If you cant
maintain your alignment, place your knees on
the floor until you have built more strength.
arms, and sweep your chest forward into Up

Dog. Keep your legs active, firm your tailbone
toward your heels, and press your front thighs
upward. Draw your shoulders away from your
ears. Look straight ahead or slightly upward.
10. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Exhale

back to Down Dog. To finish the Sun Salutation, step the right foot forward
into a Lunge, then step the left foot to meet it and inhale into Ardha Uttanasana and exhale into Uttanasana. Inhale into Urdhva Hastasana and exhale
to Tadasana. Observe your body and breath. As you repeat the sequence,
alternate legs in High Lunge each time. End in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
4. Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing

Forward Bend) Inhale and push your finger-
23
Center Yourself
Level: Beginner
This simple sequence will soften spots that tend to cling

to tension (lower backs, hips, thighs) and ground you with
squats, passive backbends, mild inversions, and twists.
Good for: Calming frazzled nerves

Props needed: Two blocks, a blanket,
and a bolster
Intention: Comfort
AS YOU PRACTICE Energetically, these poses aim to rebalance apana vayu
(downward-moving energy), allowing the mind to calm and the body to relax.
This is the perfect sequence to settle frayed nerves because it includes a balance of restorative poses that invite you to rest and a few poses that require
gentle effort and balance.
Reection: Put a priority on your

comfort. Reflect on what it feels like to
be at ease in mind and body.
Additional benets: Lengthens
the front and back of the body in
equal measure
24
1. Matsyasana (Fish Pose), supported variation Rest your head on a block in its highest
2. Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose),

supported Place a bolster lengthwise at one
position and your mid-upper back on a block

at its middle height. Bend your knees, and place
the soles of your feet on the floor. Relax your
shoulder blades, and breathe for one to
three minutes.
end of your mat and a folded blanket on its far

end. Sit between your heels with the bolster
behind you, and lie back on it, head resting on
the blanket. Stay here for one to three minutes.
4. Malasana (Garland Pose) Step your

feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees,
and sink into a squat. Balance between the
heels and balls of your feet. Press your palms
together at heart level; press your elbows
against your inner knees.
5. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend),

variation From standing, place your hands
6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), variation Step or hop
on the mat, lift your hips, straighten your legs,

and fold forward. Cross your right leg behind
your left. Lengthen up through your tailbone
and down through your crown. Repeat on the
other side.
back to Down Dog. Cross your right leg behind

your left. Lengthen up through your tailbone
and down through your heels. Hang your
head. At the end of each exhalation, pause
for one to two seconds.
3. Vrksasana (Tree Pose), variation Come

to standing. Balance on your right leg; place
your left foot against your inner right thigh
(avoid the knee). Interlace your fingers; press
your palms up overhead. Pause for one to two
seconds at the end of each exhalation. Repeat
on the other side.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: LARISSA HALL CARLSON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN;
GREEN BLOCK: PRANA; CORK BLOCK: GAIAM; BLANKETS, BOLSTER: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.
yogajournal.com
Sequence and modeling by Larissa Hall Carlson
Lengthen back through your inner right

leg, and reach through your right heel.
8. Pigeon Pose Lower your right knee to

the mat between your hands. Extend through
your left leg, and balance your weight between
your hips. Elongate your spine; rest your forehead on a block. Breathe gently into your lower
back. Repeat poses 6 to 8 on the other side.
9. Balasana (Childs Pose), variation

Lower your hips onto your heels, and press
back to Childs Pose with straight arms. Walk
your hands to the left until you feel a good
stretch along your right torso. Gently breathe.
Repeat on other side.
10. Makarasana (Dolphin Pose) Come to

all fours and then onto your forearms. Interlace your fingers, curl your toes under, lift your
knees and hips, and straighten your legs. Hang
your head, and lift your tailbone to lengthen
the spine. Pause at the end of each exhalation.
top of your left, keeping your sitting bones

rooted between your feet. Gently twist to the
right. Relax your jaw and shoulders. Change
the cross of your legs; repeat on the other side.
Unwind your legs, and extend them in front of

you. Place your hands on the floor behind your
hips with fingers pointing toward your seat. Lift
your hips, and press the balls of your feet into
the floor. Drop your head.
13. Sucirandhrasana (Eye-of-the-Needle

Pose) Lie on your back; bend both knees.
14. Ardha Pavanamuktasana (Half WindRelieving Pose) Extend your legs flat onto
15. Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved

Abdomen Pose) Bend your knees, and draw
Stack your right ankle on top of your left thigh.

Interlace your fingers behind the left thigh. Flex
your ankles, and guide your legs toward your
torso. Repeat on the other side.
the floor. Bring your right leg toward your

chest, and interlace your fingers behind your
right thigh. Relax and lengthen through both
heels. Repeat on the other side.
your legs in toward your chest. Lower your legs

to the right. Hold onto your top leg with your
right hand. Relax your shoulder blades; breathe
into your left side. Repeat on the other side,
then rest in Savasana.
11. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), variation Sit down, and stack your right knee on
12. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose)
yogajournal.com
7. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana

(Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog
Pose) Lift your right leg to hip height.
25
Break free from a rut with a practice that offers subtle

variations to common poses.
yogajournal.com
Good for: Releasing tension in your

hips and shoulders
Props needed: None
AS YOU PRACTICE When you consciously change a habitual action, its natu-
Intention: Knowledge
ral to feel a moment of discomfort or uncertainty. Be patient with yourself as

you move through these poses, and observe any unease. Remind yourself
that bringing awareness to your new habits can open you up to new ways
of doing things, on and off your mat.
Reection: Bow to your innate intelligence. No one is wise by birth, for

wisdom results from ones own efforts.
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the father
of modern yoga
Sequence by Claire Missingham; model: Jason Bowman
26
Level: Beginner
Additional benets: Strengthens

the transverse and oblique abdominals;
lengthens and strengthens the hip flexors
1. Siddhasana (Adepts Pose), variation
3. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)
Sit cross-legged with an open chest and tall

spine. Interlace your hands. (Remember which
leg is in front and which fingers are on top for
later.) Stretch your arms overhead and turn
your palms up.
Stand up with your feet hip-distance apart.

Interlace your fingers (with the atypical fingers
on top) behind you. Relax your neck, fold over
your legs, and bring your hands over. To exit,
slowly roll up to standing.
On an inhalation, step your right foot back into

a lunge. With control, turn your right heel down
and your toes out 45 degrees. Reach your arms
overhead while you lift your chest.
4. Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved

Side Angle Pose), variation Exhale, and
5. Plank Pose Release the twist. Place your
6. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), variation) Roll onto the outside of your left foot.
bring your hands to prayer position at your

chest. Hook your right elbow outside your left
knee to come into a twist. Gaze up over your
left shoulder.
palms flat on the mat on either side of your

front foot, and step back into Plank Pose. Draw
your belly in and lengthen through your spine,
reaching your head forward and extending
your heels back.
Stack your hips, and reach your tailbone toward

your heels. Raise your right arm, and gaze at
the top middle finger. To exit, roll down onto
your toes, and return the upper hand to mat.
Repeat poses 3 to 6 on other side.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: JASON BOWMAN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: VERONICA SJOEN; BLANKET: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.
Embrace the Unfamiliar
7. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged

Standing Forward Bend) Come up to stand-
8. Vatayanasana with Garudasana (Horse

Pose with arms in Eagle Pose) Slowly roll
ing, and take a big step out to the side. Interlace

your fingers behind you the opposite of how
you did it in pose 1. Hinge at your hips to fold
forward, and bring your clasped hands over
toward the floor.
up, turn your feet out, and sit low. Raise your
arms in front, elbows bent. Cross your right
elbow on top of your left, and wrap your forearms and hands. Gently sway your body six
times. Then switch arms.
10. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your

stomach and reach back to hold onto your
inner ankles. Press your belly, thighs, and groin
into the mat. Feel your spine move forward,
and contract your hamstrings and glutes.
Keep your neck long with the gaze gently
forward, your thighs firm, and your tailbone
tucked under.

Pose) Release your ankles, and come down
to the mat. Place your palms by your shoulders,
and press back into Downward-Facing Dog.
Raise your left leg, keeping your hips parallel.
to parallel to the front edge of the mat. Press

your pelvis to the floor or to stacked blankets
under your left thigh. Square your hips, and lift
your belly. Press your fingertips into the floor
firmly to expand your chest up.
13. Parivrtta Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

(Revolved One-Legged King Pigeon
Pose) Bring your right elbow to the outside
14. Vikasitakamalasana (Blossoming Lotus

Pose) Come to sit with the soles of your
15. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward

Bend) Extend your legs forward on the mat,
feet together. Root your sitting bones down.

Raise your feet, thread your forearms under
your knees, and join thumbs and forefingers
together. Exit and come back to sitting.
and flex your feet. Take your first two fingers

around your big toes. Inhale, and lift your heart.
Exhale, lengthen your spine, and fold over your
legs for 10 breaths. Rest in Savasana.
12. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged

King Pigeon Pose) Bring your left shin close
yogajournal.com
of your left knee, palms together in prayer position, and twist to the left from deep in your
belly. Come out of the twist, and repeat poses
11 to 13 on the other side.
9. Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose)

Come to kneeling. Draw up and in through
your navel. Raise your left arm back, and place
your right hand on the sole of your right foot.
Focus on the length in your sides without twisting your hips. Inhale to come up. Then repeat
on the other side.
27
Warm Yourself Up
This invigorating sequence of balancing and twisting
postures will stoke your inner fire, known as agni.
Level: Beginner
Good for: Giving yourself a big hug
Props needed: One block
Intention: Anjali Mudra. Bring the
rising heat throughout your body, breathe through your nose while slightly
constricting your throat to create the smooth, rhythmic, ocean-sounding
Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath). Breathe softly and steadily, emphasizing
complete exhalations.
yogajournal.com
Sequence by Larissa Hall Carlson; model: Katrina Lashea
28
palms together and let the thumbs softly

touch the chest. Then bring the thumbs
lightly to touch the center of the brow.
Reection: If you work on yoga, yoga

will work on you. Baba Hari Dass, Indian
yoga master and monk
the quadriceps, core, and back
1. Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Shift your weight

to your left foot. Bring the sole of your right
foot to your left inner thigh. Press your palms
together overhead. Take 10 to 15 breaths, pausing at the end of each exhalation. Exit and
repeat on the second side.
3. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Fold

forward from your hips. Lower your hands
to the floor, bending your knees if you need to.
Lengthen up through your tailbone and down
through your crown.
Step your left foot back, and lower your knee

to the mat. Press palms together at your heart.
Twist right from your waist to hook your left
elbow onto the outside of your right knee.
4. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) Place your left hand outside your
5. Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair

Pose) Stand up. Bend your knees toward
6. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), variation
right foot. Come onto your left toes. Straighten

your legs and spin your left heel down. Twist
right, and extend your right arm up. Exit the
pose, and step feet together. Repeat poses
2 to 4 on the other side.
a right angle, and keep your weight on your

heels. Press your palms together. Twist right,
and hook your left elbow outside your right
knee. Breathe down toward your belly and
into your midback.
Keep your knees bent, and unwind from the

twist. Lift your arms to shoulder height, and
extend them out in front of you with palms
facing each other. Lengthen your spine, and
broaden your collarbones. Lift your heels.
Relax your gaze and jaw.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: KATRINA LASHEA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN
AS YOU PRACTICE To help you stay mentally calm and clear and spread the
7. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Lower your

heels to the mat. Straighten your legs, and
stand upright. Extend your arms overhead,
and relax your shoulders. Balance your weight
evenly between the balls of your feet and
heels. Lengthen through the crown of your
head and fingers.
10. Malasana (Garland Pose) Step your

feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees,
and come into a squat. Press your palms gently together at your heart level, and press your
elbows into your inner knees.
13. Anantasana (Side-Reclining Leg Lift),

variation Lie on your left side with your head
cradled in your hand. With your right hand on
the floor in front for balance, lengthen through
the heels, and lift your legs as high as possible.
Come down, and repeat on the other side.
8. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana III

(Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose III)
9. Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved

Half Moon Pose) Release your right foot,
Interlace your fingers under your right knee,

hugging it toward your chest. Grasp your right
foot with your left hand. Straighten your right
leg (as much as possible), and twist right. Your
right arm should extend at shoulder height.
and unwind the twist. Fold forward from your

hips. Lift your right leg to hip height, and place
your right hand in front of your left foot or
on a block. Twist left, and raise your left arm.
Release the pose. Repeat poses 5 to 9 on the
other side.
11. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvajas Twist),

variation Come to sit. Bend your knees,
12. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank

Pose) Extend your legs out in front of you.
and swing your feet outside your left hip. Place

your left hand on your right knee and your right
hand on the floor behind your right hip. Twist
with an even spine to the right. Come out of
the twist, and repeat on the other side.
Place your hands behind you, fingers pointing

to your hips. Lift your hips, and press the balls
of your feet into the mat. If comfortable, drop
the crown of your head back.
14. Salabhasana (Locust Pose), variation
15. Balasana (Childs Pose), variation
Lie on your belly. Press your pubic bone down,

and lift your head and chest. Interlace your
fingers behind you, and draw your shoulder
blades together. Lift your legs and arms up
and back. Exit and rest for a moment.
Begin to press back into Balasana, pausing partway to place your fists against your belly. Then
fold over your thighs. Relax your belly, and fill
your back body for 10 to 15 breaths. Close by
resting in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
29
Create
Your Own
Practice
WANT TO PERSONALIZE YOUR HOME

PRACTICE TO FIT YOUR NEEDS, MOODS, AND
ABILITIES? IN THIS SECTION, WELL TEACH
YOU THE BASICS OF SEQUENCING, FOLLOWED
BY A MIX-AND-MATCH MENU OF ESSENTIAL
POSES TO CHOOSE FROM.
THE MAJOR POSE GROUPS
The ABCs of
Sequencing
Learn the building blocks of sequencing, along with
the reasons behind using postures from the major pose
groups, and you can prepare a home practice that fits
your needs and flows seamlessly from beginning
to end. BY JASON CRANDELL
can be uncertain about which poses to choose

for a home practice and in what order to put them together. Mastering
the rened and subtle art of sequencing takes years of studyand for
experienced teachers, sequencing is one of the most nuanced and powerful
tools they have at their disposal for creating unique, transformative classes.
But if you are a new home practitioner, you can learn some basic building
blocks that will allow you to start putting together sequences of your own
and to approach your home practice with condence.
One way to begin creating your own at-home sequences is to familiarize
yourself with a basic template that can be modied in various ways. In
this section, you will nd a well-rounded sequence structure made up of
these fundamental pose groups: warm-ups, standing poses, arm balances,
inversions, backbends, and poses for winding down, including twists,
seated forward bends, and closing poses like Savasana. The pose categories
progress according to their intensity and the amount of preparation they
require. Each category prepares your body and mind for the next so that
your practice feels like it has a beginning, a middle, and an end that ow
seamlessly together. By following this methodology, you will create a
sequence that warms you up slowly and safely, builds in intensity before
peaking with challenging postures, and then slowly brings you back down
to a quiet, relaxed nish.
You can make your practice longer or shorter, as time permits. And
once you understand the postural categories and the energetic effects they
have on your body, you can start to experiment with creating sequences
that suit your needs on a given day, whether its focusing on a particular
area of your body or working up to a challenging pose.
yogajournal.com
EVEN ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS
32
The opening poses of a sequence wake up

the major muscle groups and provide a transition from the busyness of your day to a more
internally focused practice. It also helps if they
include breath awareness and contemplative
elements that help you direct your attention to
what is happening inside your heart and mind.
Standing Poses
Standing poses create strength, stamina, and
flexibility throughout the entire body. They
work the major muscle groups, such as the
quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings, and core.
Standing poses are the foundation of your
practice and build awareness of the equal
distribution of energy throughout your body.
PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODELS: EMILY LYTLE AND DAN CARBONELL; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: ANNA MITTON AND KRISTEN McGUCKIN
Warm-Ups
Inversions
These poses not only develop strength in the arms and shoulders
but also create muscle tone in the abdomen. Starting with poses
that place some of the weight in the arms and shoulders but keep
your feet on the ground will develop your balance and strength
for more advanced arm balances with the feet off the ground.
Getting upside down is a key element of a well-rounded practice.

These poses are stimulating to the nervous system and physically
demanding; thus, they are placed in the middle of the practice
rather than at the end.
Backbends
Twists
Along with inversions, backbends are the most demanding in

a sequence. Backbends stretch the front of the body, strengthen
the back of the body, and balance the effects of time spent sitting
in chairs. Most people find backbending postures stimulating,
providing a burst of physical and mental energy.
Twists relieve tension inand gently stretchthe spine, hips, and

shoulders. These poses usually produce a balanced, energetic tone
that is closer to the grounding quality of forward bends than the
stimulating nature of backbends.
Seated Forward Bends
Closing Poses
Forward bends typically have a calming effect on the mind,

emotions, and nerves, which is why they are often practiced toward
the end of a sequence. These postures facilitate deep relaxation
by stretching the muscles of the back and decreasing the stimulation of the sensory organs. When choosing forward bends, its ideal
to pick at least one posture that stretches the hamstrings and one
that opens the outer hips to promote greater balance in your body.
Closing postures complete a sequence by quieting the mind and

relaxing the body. The closing postures like Savasana help you
surrender and absorb the practice. Youll want to spend at least 6 to
10 minutes total in Savasana or another closer. And dont skimp
on your closing poseits a must.
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Arm Balances
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B UILD YOUR OW N S EQ U E N C E : M I X- AN D - M ATC H
Step 1: Warm-Ups
No matter what sequence you do, its important to begin with a few gentle warm-up poses
that move the major muscles, lubricate the joints, expand the breath, and begin to train your
mind to coordinate breath with movement. Try to do all of these, in this order:
1. Tadasana, with Sun Breath

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and scoop
your arms out wide, gathering up energy on
an inhale until youre reaching all the way above
you. Exhale and release your arms out wide
and back down to your sides. Reach the arms
out directly in front of you and rotate the wrists
with the fingers extended. Then clasp the
thumbs and rotate the wrists in both directions.
Bend the elbows, bring the fingertips to the
shoulders, and squeeze the elbows together
in front of you. Inhale and reach up, describing big circles and exhaling as the elbows reach
toward the back. Repeat several times.
4. Childs Pose
2. Forward Bend
Take your knees a few inches wider apart than

in Cat-Cow and let your big toes touch. Sit your
hips back on your heels, bring your forehead to
touch the floor, and reach your arms out in front
of you. Let 5 to 10 deep breaths expand throughout your back.
On an inhale, extend the arms overhead. Exhale

and hinge forward at the hips. Bend the knees,
inhale, and come up halfway. Exhale and fold
again. Repeat three to five times. When you
fold forward the last time, straighten your knees
slightly to stretch your hamstrings.
5. Neck and Side Stretches

Sit cross-legged or on your knees. Place your
right hand on the floor and sidebend to the right,
lifting your left arm over your head to stretch
the left side of your body. Hold for three deep
breaths. Come back to center and repeat on the
other side. Next, take a gentle twist to the right,
looking over your right shoulder. Stay in the
twist and look to the left. Come back to the center and repeat the twist to the left, looking left
and then right. Return to center. Let your right
ear come to your right shoulder, stretching the
left side of the neck. Stay for several breaths,
then take your left ear to your left shoulder for
several breaths.
3. Cat/Cow Stretches
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Come to hands and knees on the floor. Exhale

and draw your belly in as you lift your spine to
the ceiling like a cat. Inhale and reach your tailbone and sitting bones back, lifting your heart
forward and up. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
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TADASANA
B UIL D YOUR OWN S EQ UE N CE : M I X-A N D -M ATCH
Step 2: Standing Poses

Now that you have warmed up, these fundamental postures will help you start moving your
body in all directions, building strength and stamina, increasing your flexibility, and preparing
you for more challenging poses. Do three to fouryogis choice.
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)

From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), inhale and step your left foot back into a
lunge. With control, turn your left heel down and your toes out 45 degrees.
Reach your arms overhead while you lift your chest. Repeat on the
other side.
Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Beginning in Tadasana with your feet together, lift your arms overhead.
Bend your knees, coming as close as you can to a right angle; keep your
weight in your heels. Take a couple more breaths. On an inhalation, press
down to rise up. Straighten your legs and lower your arms, returning
to Tadasana.
Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Start in Tadasana with your feet together. Shift your weight to your left foot,
and bring the sole of your right foot to your left inner thigh or calf (never
your knee). Bring the palms together in front of the heart or raise them over
your head. Take 10 to 15 breaths, pausing at the end of each exhalation. Exit
and repeat on the second side.
EXTENDED
TRIANGLE POSE
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)

Starting in Tadasana, step your feet about four feet apart. Turn your left foot
in about 30 degrees and your right foot out to 90 degrees. On an exhale,
bring your right thigh to a 90-degree angle, stacking the knee over the ankle
and keeping the hips square to the long edge of the mat. Open your arms
to shoulder height, parallel to the ground, and gaze over your right hand.
Repeat on the other side.
Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)

With your legs wide apart, extend your arms into a T; turn your right foot out
to 90 degrees and your left foot slightly in. Bend your right knee 90 degrees
and bring your right hand to the floor or a block. Reach your left arm toward
the ceiling and then alongside your ear, turning your chest upward and gazing past your left thumb. Inhale to come up and switch sides.
Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)
EXTENDED SIDE
ANGLE POSE
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From Tadasana, step your feet about four feet apart, then turn your left foot
in slightly and your right foot out to 90 degrees. Exhale and flex your torso
to the right, bending from the hip joint. Rest your right hand on your shin
or ankle, and stretch your left arm toward the ceiling. Gaze softly at the left
thumb. Inhale to come up and switch sides.
36
WARRIOR POSE I
CHAIR POSE
PICK
3 OR 4
WARRIOR POSE II
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TREE POSE
37
Step 3: Arm Balances

These challenging poses will help you build important arm, wrist, and shoulder
strength, give your core a good workout, and improve your balance. Choose any two.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)
Starting on all fours, spread your palms and turn your toes under. Exhale
and lift your knees from the floor. On an exhalation, push your top thighs
back, stretch your heels toward the floor, and straighten your knees as you
press your inner hands into the floor, your head between your upper arms.
Take 10 or more breaths before lowering yourself into Childs Pose.
From Plank, roll onto the outside of your right foot and stack your left foot
on top of your right. Swing your left hand onto your left hip and support the
weight of your body on the outer right foot and right hand. Stretch your left
arm toward the ceiling, in line with your shoulders. After several breaths,
return to Plank.
Plank Pose
Bakasana (Crane Pose)
Start on all fours, with your wrists under your shoulders. Step one leg
straight back, then the other. Draw your belly in and lengthen your spine,
reaching your head forward as you reach your heels back. Firm your legs,
lift your kneecaps, and reach your tailbone back.
Squat, with your feet about hip-width apart. After pushing the backs
of your arms into your knees, plant your hands flat on the floor in front of
you. Tip forward until both feet lift off the floor. Once you get comfortable
with balance, begin to experiment with lifting your belly and pelvic floor,
and straightening the arms. Hold for as long as you can.
SIDE PLANK POSE
DOWNWARD-FACING
DOG POSE
PICK 2
CRANE POSE
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PLANK POSE
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BUIL D YOUR OW N S EQ UE N CE : MI X-A N D -MATCH
Step 4: Inversions
Go upside down and you will relieve back pain, improve your balance,
and send circulation to your brain, clearing your mind. Try any two from the poses below.
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)
Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose)
Lie down with your knees bent, your feet hip-distance apart. Move your
feet closer to your buttocks, then raise your hips. Clasp your hands under
your back on the floor, and get on top of your shoulders. Press down
through your heels as you lift the bottom of your buttocks even higher.
To finish, exhale, release your hands, and lower to the floor.
Sit on your shins in Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana). Exhale and grab your
heels with the backs of the hands facing out. Bend forward, placing the
top of your head on the mat. Breathe.
Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand)

Starting on all fours, place your forearms tightly on the floor in front of you,
your fingers interlaced. Place the crown of your head on the floor, inside
your arms. Straighten your legs, then walk them in toward your head, until
your hips are above your shoulders. Bend your knees and use your core
to lift your legs off the floor. Slowly straighten your legs.
Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand)

Lie with a folded blanket under your shoulders, your head on the floor,
and lift your legs overhead until they touch the floor behind you. Place your
hands on your midback, fingertips facing up, and lift your legs skyward.
RABBIT POSE
BRIDGE POSE
PICK
2
SUPPORTED
SHOULDERSTAND
SUPPORTED
HEADSTAND
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PICK 2
39
Step 5: Backbends
Give your spine a nice stretch, open your hips, and expand your shoulders and chest,
opening yourself up to the world. Chose two of these backbends.
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Kneel, with legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips, inhale, and
draw your elbows toward each other, your rib cage expanding. Keeping
your chest raised and your core and glutes engaged, press your hands into
the heels of your feet while draping the fingers over the soles. Gently lower
your head and neck and gaze at the tip of your nose. Inhale to come up.
Lie on your mat, with a blanket under your pelvis if needed. Bend your
knees and grab the outside of your ankles. Inhale and lift your legs and
chest off the ground. Press your shins into your hands and your pelvis into
the ground while your chest reaches forward. Gaze forward and hold for
five breaths. Release the pose, and lie back on the mat.
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward-Facing Bow Pose)
Lie on your belly, placing your palms on the floor just behind your shoulders. Gently lift your navel and then your chest, straightening your arms as
much as you can without straining your back. Inhale as you lift your chest;
exhale as you ground your feet and legs and reach your tailbone back.
Come out of the pose gently to allow your spine to decompress.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Bend
your elbows and place your hands on the mat next to your ears, fingers
pointing at your feet. Inhale, and straighten your arms and legs as you lift
your back off the ground. Maintain for several breaths. Tuck your chin to
your chest to protect your neck when you come back down.
CAMEL POSE
BOW POSE
PICK 2
UPWARD-FACING BOW POSE
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COBRA POSE
40
BUILD YOUR OW N S EQ UE N CE : MI X-A N D -MATCH
Step 6: Twists
Not only will these poses stretch your coreboth front and backbut they will also aid
digestion and leave you feeling ready to take on the world. Choose just one.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)
Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose)
Sit with both legs straight in front of you, then cross your left foot over your
right thigh and place it on the floor outside your right knee. Fold your right
leg in, the foot outside your left hip. Twist your torso as you place your left
hand on the floor behind you and your right elbow outside your left thigh.
Lie on your back, bend your knees, and draw your legs in toward your
chest. Lower both legs to the left. Extend your arms out to the sides, and
turn your gaze to the right. Relax your shoulder blades; breathe into your
right side. Switch sides.
HALF LORD OF THE FISHES POSE
PICK 1
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REVOLVED ABDOMEN POSE
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Step 7: Seated Forward Bends

Now that your mind is more settled and your body stretched and relaxed, these quieter seated folds
will help you lengthen your spine, stretch your legs, and calm your mind. Try two of these.
Balasana (Childs Pose)
Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)
Come to all fours, opening your knees the width of your mat. Bring your big
toes together and exhale, reaching your hips toward your heels as you fold
forward and extend your arms on the floor in front of you, palms down and
the center of your brow on the earth. Take a few breaths to center yourself.
Sitting with your legs extended in front of you, bend your left knee, placing your left foot against your inner right thigh. Fold forward over your right
leg, grasping the inside right foot with both hands or a strap. If possible, rest
your forehead on your shin. Breathe deeply. Change sides.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
Sitting with both legs extended in front of you, bend your left leg back
until you are sitting on your left foot. Bend your right leg, stacking your
right knee on top of your left. Bring both sitting bones to the floor, raise
your right arm, and bring your right hand to your upper back. Bend your
left arm underneath your shoulder to your back, and clasp your hands.
Bow forward if that is available in your body. Repeat on the other side.
Sit with your legs straight in front of you. Turn the top thighs in slightly and
press them down into the floor. Inhale and lean forward from the hip joints.
Take the sides of your feet with your hands. With each inhalation, lift and
lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation, release a little
more into the forward bend.
CHILDS POSE
HEAD-OF-THE-KNEE POSE
PICK 2
SEATED FORWARD BEND
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COW FACE POSE
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BUIL D YOUR OW N S EQ UE N CE : M I X-A N D -M ATCH
Step 8: Closing Poses

Dont forget to close out your practice: Ending on a calm, restorative note is absolutely crucial.
This is when you truly recharge your mind, body, and spirit. Do either of the poses below.
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Viparita Kavani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keeping your head centered, extend
your arms to the sides, tuck in your shoulder blades, and bring a little lift to
your chest without arching your back. Allow the inner legs to roll outward
and relax completely. Close your eyes and relax your facial muscles, then
the rest of your body, from your head to your feet. Stay here for at least
10 minutes, or as long as you can.
Facing a wall, lower your shoulders and head to the floor, with your hips
elevated slightly on a bolster or blanket. Stretch your legs up the wall, with
the feet together or hip-distance apart. Find a comfortable position for your
arms at your side, with palms turned up; relax your arms and shoulders.
Hold the pose for at least 10 minutes.
CORPSE POSE
LEGS-UP-THE-WALL POSE
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PICK 1
43
Wake Up
And Wind Down
With Ease
BOOKEND YOUR BUSY DAYS WITH YOGA:

THE EIGHT PRACTICES FOR A.M. AND P.M.
IN THIS SECTION WILL CHARGE UP YOUR
BATTERIES IN THE MORNINGTHEN HELP
YOU DECOMPRESS AT NIGHT.
Wake Up Gently
Level: Beginner
If youre still groggy after you hit the alarm button, slowly
awaken your spine and hips and breathe life into stiff joints
with this easy, fun sequence.
Props needed: One blanket
Good for: Shaking off sluggishness

Intention: Tenderness. Are your
thoughts kind and gentle?
AS YOU PRACTICE Use your face to measure tension in your body. Kira Sloane,
Reection: Practice ahimsa (non-
who designed the sequence, calls the face the dashboard of the pranic system. When your face is tight, your body is, too, which limits the flow of prana,
or life force. Start the sequence with your face soft and check in often to find
out if tension is accumulating there.
harming) on yourself, and it will naturally

extend to others. Love everyone, including yourself, said Baba Hari Dass, Indian
yoga master.
Additional benets: Warms up

the spine and hips
1. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) Sit with the soles of your
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feet together about 20 inches from your groin. Let your knees drop out to
the sides. (If your knees are higher than the tips of your hip bones, sit on
a folded blanket.) Walk your hands forward, letting your back softly round.
Drop your head for a neck stretch. If thats uncomfortable, support your
head with your hands. Breathe into the back body. Stay for five minutes.
46
3. Hammock Pose (Prasarita Padottanasana, variation) Stand sideways

on your mat with your legs wide apart, toes turned in and lifted to engage
the inner arches. Walk your hands forward and draw the tailbone back. Let
your upper back be like a hammock and your heart relax downward. Wake
the legs by isometrically squeezing your heels together on the inhalation
and pressing them apart on the exhalation. Then relax and use your awareness and breath to connect with prana flowing up and down your legs.
Stay for five breaths.
2. Cowboy Negotiation Pose (Malasana, variation) Take a wide squat

with your feet turned out. If your heels lift, place a blanket or a rolled mat
underneath them. Bring your weight into your left leg as you press your
right knee away from your midline to create space in your hips. Stay for
five breaths, then do the other side.
4. Goddess Pose With Uddiyana Banda (Upward Abdominal Lock)

Keep your wide stance and turn your feet out. Bend your knees over your
toes. Straighten your legs and reach your arms overhead. Inhale deeply;
as you exhale, bring your hands to your thighs, bend your knees, and stick
out your tongue. Curl your tailbone under. At the bottom of the exhalation,
draw your chin toward your chest and your navel toward your spine. Hold
the breath out as your sway your hips side to side. After a few seconds,
inhale, bring your arms overhead, and straighten your legs. Take a clearing
breath in between holds. Do five rounds.
PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW; MODEL: KIRA SLOANE; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD; BLANKET: HUGGER MUGGER
Sequence and modeling by Kira Sloane
WAKE UPAND WIND DOWN WITH EASE
5. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) With your legs straight and your
arms overhead, inhale; on your exhalation, open up into Warrior II. Repeat
this movement five times, until you eventually land in the right shape. Try
softening your elbows and turning your palms up, connecting with the
flow of prana from your heart out through your hands. Stay for 10 breaths,
then repeat on the other side.
6. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), with external rotation From Warrior
7. Rounded Plank Pose Transition into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down-
8. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) From Rounded Plank, bend your elbows
ward-Facing Dog Pose). Draw your tailbone under and round your back
as you bring your shoulders over your wrists. Breathe into your full, open
back. Feel the work in the belly; relax your neck and head. Stay for at least
five breaths here.
and lower your hips to the floor. Roll your shoulders back and down, and
lift your heart. Slowly turn your head from side to side to stretch your neck.
Stay for 10 breaths, then lower down and rest.
9. Rocket Cat (Bitilasana, variation) Curl your toes under and press
your hips back as if to move into Balasana (Childs Pose), but pause halfway.
Exhale through your mouth and stick out your tongue. Alternate leaning
right and left for 10 breaths to stretch.
10. Slumpy Swami Twist Find a comfortable cross-legged position
like Sukhasana (Easy Pose). With your right hand on the floor behind you,
place your left hand on your right knee. Inhale and exhale, curling your
tailbone under and rounding your back. Exhale, draw your lower belly
back, and twist your rib cage to the right. If you feel open, reach your left
arm across your right knee and dip in deeper. After five breaths, relax,
inhale, and slowly unwind. Switch legs and repeat on the other side. To
finish, stay seated cross-legged, allowing for a few deep inhalations, followed by audible exhalations. Feel your neck lengthen, your jaw relax
and your mouth soften.
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II, windmill your hands to the floor and come into Low Lunge. Stay for a few
rounds of breath, draw your hips back on the inhalation, and sink forward
on the exhalation. Turn your front foot out to externally rotate the hip. Relax
your jaw and walk your hands back. If your hands are far from the floor, use
blocks for support. Do both sides.
47
Get an Energy Boost

By combining stretches, core activation, and deep
breathing, this sequence will release tension so you
start your day feeling refreshed.
Level: Beginner
Good for: Counteracting a rough night
of sleep
Props needed: A block

Intention: No ego
hip-opening stretches as you build up to the peak pose, an exciting variation

of Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose). This will help connect you to your
core and root you down so you can expand outward with stability and
strength. Meanwhile, breathe deeply throughout the sequence to further
awaken your sense of vitality and inner purpose.
Sequence and modeling by Gina Caputo
1. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (ThreeLegged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Begin
with hands shoulder-width apart and feet hipwidth apart. Actively reach your heels down as
you lift your sitting bones up and elongate the
spine. On a deep inhale, lift your right leg. Keep
your shoulders squared.
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4. Ardha Hanumanasana (Half Monkey

God Pose) Turn toward your front leg, and
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straighten it. Lengthen your spine over your

leg, with your fingertips on the floor. Bend
your elbows (not your neck), and hinge from
the hips to fold deeper. Keep your hips square.
Reection: What does it feel like to

create, be, and dissolve each pose without
an agenda? In order to see, you have to
stop being in the middle of the picture,
said Sri Aurobindo, Indian philosopher,
yogi, and poet.
Additional benets: Opens up
your heart center; frees your hip flexors;
lengthens your hamstrings
3. Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose)
2. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Step your

right foot forward, and place your back knee
down behind your hips. Place your hands onto
your front knee, and sink your hips, drawing your belly away from your front thigh and
pressing your shoulders back. Gently rock forward and back.
Turn to your left, pivoting your back shin. Place

your left hand alongside your sacrum and your
right hand on your front knee. Engage your
core to lift your sternum, and elongate the
inseam of your right leg.
5. Cat-Cow Pose Bring your right knee back
6. Tabletop, variation Extend your right arm
in line with the left, coming to all fours. Inhale

and lift your sternum, sitting bones, and chin.
Exhale and tuck your chin, round your spine,
and tuck your sitting bones. Breathe, and
explore your fullest range of motion.
forward and your left leg back. Keep your hips

square to the mat by dialing your outer left
hip down and your inner left thigh up. Engage
your core, and elongate from fingertips to the
sole of your foot. Hug your muscles toward
the midline.
PHOTOS: RICHARD CUMMINGS; MODEL: GINA CAPUTO; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: JEN MURPHY
AS YOU PRACTICE Allow yourself to pause and explore these heart- and
8. Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog

Pose, variation From Downward-Facing Dog,
Bend your left knee and reach your right

arm back to clasp the big-toe side of your left
foot. Reengage your core, and press your foot
into your hand. Lift up. Joyously breathe
and expand.
inhale and extend your right leg back and up.

Open your hips, keeping your arms straight and
your shoulders square. Bend your right knee,
reaching it up and away.
10. Prasarita Padottanasana III (WideLegged Standing Forward Bend III)
11. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle

Pose) Release your hands to the floor, pivot
Pivot a quarter turn to the left. Straighten both

legs, and reach your hands behind you; clasp
hands or use a strap. Keep both arms straight,
without locking your elbows. Fold forward,
keeping legs and core engaged.
your right foot, and place your right hand on

your shin. Sweep your left arm back and up.
Keep a strong center, and expand out through
all four limbs and the crown of your head.
13. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)
14. Marichyasana III Come to the floor and sit
Release your foot and step back softly into Warrior II. Feel how strong and grounded your legs
and feet are. Release both hands toward the
floor, plant the hands, and step back into Downward-Facing Dog. Repeat poses 1 to 13 on the
other side.
down. Extend your right leg forward and bend

your left leg, placing the foot in front of your
hip. Anchor both sitting bones down; extend
up and twist to the left. Lengthen and breathe
into your right side. Repeat on the other side.
9. High Lunge Step your right foot forward inside your right thumb. Extend forward
through your front shin and back through your
back heel. Square your hips, lifting your back
thigh as you do. Take a deep breath here.
12. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

Shift your weight into your right foot, and walk
your fingers forward to the floor or a block. Lift
your left leg, extending out through your heel.
Roll your left shoulder and elbow back, and lift
your left hip over your right. Engage your core.
15. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining

Bound Angle Pose) Relax back onto the floor
with the soles of your feet together and your
knees bent out to the sides. Take several radiant
breaths. Feel your heart, seat of your brilliance,
and your core, seat of your fortitude.
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7. Ardha Dhanurasana (Half Bow Pose)
49
Find Your Focus
Level: Intermediate
AS YOU PRACTICE Try to stay relaxed during both the intense and easier stages
of the intervals. Notice if youre collecting tension in your body (like your neck
or shoulders), and consciously soften those areas. Surrender to the intervals
instead of feeling consumed by them. Relax into the restorative postures, and
trust your ability to ride the peaks and valleys of the practice.
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Sequence and modeling by Tiffany Cruikshank
50
Good for: Boosting mental clarity and

physical strength
Props needed: Two blankets,
two blocks, and one bolster
Intention: Surrender
Reection: Summon the courage
to let something go and rediscover the
energy you were using to hold on to it.
The ultimate act of power is surrender,
said Krishna Das, kirtan artist.
Additional benets: Opens hips;
strengthens inner thighs, glutes, and core
1. Supine Core Lie back, arms at your sides,

and bend your knees, bringing them over your
hips. Exhale, extend your left leg, and reach
your arms overhead. Hover the left leg above
the floor for 15 seconds, drawing your lower
ribs down and keeping the lower back still.
Switch legs.
2. Alanasana (High Lunge) From Adho
4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation) From Downward Dog, step your right
5. Pigeon Pose Release your hands to the
6. Turbo Dog Come to hands and knees,
floor. Lower your right knee to the floor, keeping your heel close to your pelvis. Fold forward
and walk your hands forward. If you feel any
knee strain, place support under your right hip.
Hold for two minutes, then switch sides.
and squeeze your elbows like youre holding

a beach ball between them. Lift your hips into
Downward Dog but keep your elbows bent and
lifted off the floor. Drop your head between
your arms and hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
foot forward into Warrior I, clasping the hands

behind the back, and fold forward to the inside
of your right leg. Rest the belly on the thigh
or inside the thigh. Hold for one minute, then
switch sides.
Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog

Pose), step your right foot forward. Bring your
torso upright as you lift your arms overhead.
Draw the front ribs back, lengthen your tailbone, and engage your lower belly. Hold one
minute; switch sides.
3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), variation From Downward Dog, lift your left leg, look between your
hands, and hug the upper arm bones toward
each other. Lower the left leg, then lift the right.
Switch sides several times, bending the knees
and hopping from side to side. Continue for
one to two minutes.
PHOTOS: DAVID MARTINEZ; MODEL: TIFFANY CRUIKSHANK; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: JOSEFINE WISSENBERG/AUBRI BALK INC.; PROPS: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.
Need to bring your A-game to the work day ahead?

Try this invigorating practice, in which youll alternate short
bursts of movement with stillness for yin/yang balance.
same hopping or bouncing cycle described in

step 3, switching the legs. Hold for 30 to 60
seconds on each side.

Standing Forward Bend) From Goddess
Pose, straighten your legs and turn your feet
forward so theyre parallel. Fold forward; place
your hands on the floor or on blocks. Hold for
one minute. Step back into Downward Dog.
13. Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported

Shoulderstand) Lie on your back and bring
your legs overhead until they touch the floor
behind you in Halasana (Plow Pose). Place your
hands on your midback, fingertips facing up,
and return your legs skyward. Breathe. Hold for
two to three minutes.
8. Skater Pose From standing, step your

legs about three to four feet apart and turn your
feet out 45 degrees. Bend your right knee and
lean to your right. Put the weight into your right
heel and sit low with the knee above the ankle;
take your arms to the right. Hold for 30 to
60 seconds.
9. Goddess Pose Bring your hips back to center. With feet slightly turned out, bend both
knees and sit the hips down. Make sure that
your knees are directly over your ankles. Raise
your arms straight up and hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat poses 8 and 9.
11. Plank Pose, variation From Downward
12. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow

Pose) Lie on your back. Bend your knees
Dog, come to your forearms, clasp your hands,

and tuck your toes. Engage your legs and lower
your torso to Plank. Press your forearms down
to create space between your shoulder blades.
Move the sternum forward. Hold for 30 to
60 seconds.
14. Matsyasana (Fish Pose) From Supported

Shoulderstand, slowly lower your hips and legs
to the floor. Once supine, with forearms flat on
the floor, press into the elbows to lift the chest,
and lightly rest the top of your head on the
floor. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width

apart. Place your hands next to your ears, and
inhale to press up. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths,
lower, and repeat. (For an easier position,
lift into Bridge Pose.)

Bound Angle Pose) Lie back on a bolster
(or pillows) so your middle and upper back are
supported. Rest your head on a folded blanket.
Press the soles of your feet together, and let
your knees rest on a block or pillows. Hold for
five minutes.
yogajournal.com
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), variation Repeat the
51
Stretch Away Stiffness
Level: Intermediate
Do you sleep on your side, your spine rounded into

the fetal position? Then use this challenging set of poses
to stretch and open your chest, back, and hips.
Props needed: None
AS YOU PRACTICE Move with your breath, inhaling when the spine extends and
exhaling when it flexes. Poses 1 to 10 lengthen the spine and flanks, preparing
for the High Crescent Twist and core-toning dancing lunges.
Good for: Energizing

Intention: Fearlessness
Reection: See change as the
opportunity for growth. Yoga is the
practice of radical transformation,
said Georg Feuerstein, German Indologist.
the front spine; strengthens the core
Sequence by Paige Elenson; model: Walter Mugwe
yogajournal.com
stacking your shoulders over your wrists and

your hips over your knees. Begin to move your
spine in a rhythmic motion: With every inhalation, arch your back and lift your sitting bones
and chest into Cow; with every exhalation,
round your back and tuck your chin and pelvis into Cat.
52
4. Flip Dog From Downward Dog, lift your

right leg and arm and pivot on your left foot.
Spin your torso and hips open to the ceiling,
and lower your right foot down to the side of
your left foot. Reach your right arm toward the
wall behind you. Keep your feet parallel, pressing firmly into the floor. Return to Downward
Dog and do Flip Dog on the other side.
2. Tabletop, variation From all fours, lift your

belly in toward your spine. Extend your right
leg and left arm. Bend your right leg and take
hold of your foot with your left hand. Kick your
foot into your hand as you twist and open your
chest into a backbend. Try gazing up. Repeat on
the other side, then come into Down Dog.
5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Un-flip

your Dog and roll your heels to the right. Shift
your weight into your right hand and the outer
edge of your right foot. Stack your left foot
on top of your right. Press your feet and hand
down as you lift your hips and extend your left
arm up. (If this is too intense, lower your bottom knee to the floor.) Return to Downward
Dog and repeat on the left.
3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), knee-to-nose variation From Downward Dog, lift your right leg
up high behind you, then round your spine as
you draw your knee to your chest. Keep your
pelvis low and round your upper spine toward
the sky. Hug your right thigh to your chest and
your knee to your nose. Keep pressing the floor
with your hands. Return to Downward Dog and
then repeat with the left leg.
6. Plank Pose From Downward Dog, lower

your hips until your torso is parallel with the
floor, shoulders over wrists. Keep your legs
and core engaged; press your hands and feet
into your mat. Press out through the heels to
activate your legs and reach forward with the
crown of your head.
PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: WALTER MUGWE; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER
1. Bitilasana-Marjaryasana (Cat-Cow
Pose) Come onto your hands and knees,

Staff Pose) From Plank, shift your weight
8. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) From Chaturanga, press
9. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) From Upward Dog,
forward, bend your elbows, and lower halfway down, keeping your elbows by your sides.
Press your hands into the floor, push back
through your heels, and engage your core. If
this is too intense, modify the pose by lowering
your knees to the floor.
your hands and the tops of your feet down, to

bring your thigh bones off the floor as you lift
your torso. Draw your upper arm bones toward
your back to open your heart. Keep your neck
long as you gaze up.
roll over the tops of your feet, press into

your hands, and lift your hips high. Spread
your fingers wide, work to ground through
the four corners of each foot, lift your sitting
bones to the ceiling, and draw the pit of your
belly and low ribs toward your spine.
10. Alanasana (High Crescent Lunge),

variation From Downward Dog, step your left
11. Parivrtta Alanasana (High Crescent

Twist) From High Crescent Lunge with the left
12. Dancing Lunges Start in a Low Lunge
foot between your hands. Fire up your back leg

and soften your pelvis toward the floor, stretching your back hip flexor. Lift the sides of your
waist, then lift the front of your pelvis as your
tailbone descends. Bring your arms alongside
your ears and gaze up. Exhaling, release and
switch sides.
foot forward, bring your hands to your heart

center and twist your belly and chest to the left.
Press your right upper arm into the outside of
your outer left thigh. Press your palms together
and draw your shoulder blades toward the center of your spine. Turn your gaze upward and
smile. Switch sides. Repeat Poses 6 to 11 four
more times.
13. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge

Pose) From Downward Dog, walk or jump

Pose) Bring your hands alongside your ears,

Bound Angle Pose) Bring the soles of your
forward and come to sit. Recline on your back

and bend your knees, with your ankles directly
under your knees. Press the four corners of
each foot down and lift your hips as high as
you can. Clasp your hands together and press
your upper arms down as you lift your chest.
palms down, fingers facing your feet. Press

your hands and feet down as you lift your hips
and torso up. Straighten your arms and relax
your head down. Breathe into your upper
chest, open your heart, and shine! If youre not
comfortable practicing Upward Bow, practice
Bridge again.
feet together, allowing your thighs to drop

toward the floor in a gentle hip opening. Place
your left hand on your heart and your right
hand on your low belly. Close your eyes and
let your belly expand as you inhale; sink as you
exhale. Breathe in new life for the day ahead.
yogajournal.com
with your right leg forward. Shift your gaze

forward and bring your weight onto your fingertips. Squeeze in your lower belly for power
and lightly hop your left foot forward (shifting
your gaze down when it lands), while simultaneously extending the right leg back. Continue
this hop-switch action, rapidly alternating legs
in a joyful dance that builds your inner fire.
53
Take a break from striving with this forward-bending

practice, which will keep you close to the earth and
help calm your thoughts.
AS YOU PRACTICE Make sure the room is at a comfortable temperature,
Level: Beginner
Good for: Relieving tension in your core
and hips
Props needed: Two blankets,

one strap, one bolster
Intention: Groundedness
and take time to steady your mind by finding a relaxed breathing

rhythm and focusing on your exhalation.
Reection: On and off the mat,

imagine deep roots connecting the
base of your spine to the very center
of the earth.
Sequence by Barbara Benagh; model: Keith Borden
Additional benets: Relaxes your

back muscles; warms up your hip joints;
gives a gentle abdominal massage

Bound Angle Pose) Lie on your back, with
2. Ardha Ananda Balasana (Half Happy

Baby Pose) Reclining in Supta Baddha Kona-
3. Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) From Ardha Ananda
the soles of the feet together and the knees

open wide, each resting on a blanket, and
with your arms by your sides, palms facing up.
Allow the muscles of the abdomen and inner
thighs to relax toward the floor.
sana, draw your right knee into your chest

and extend your left leg straight along the
floor. Raise your flexed right foot up toward
the ceiling until the knee is bent at a 90-degree
angle. Clasp the foot with both hands, and on
an exhalation, gently draw it straight down
toward the floor.
Balasana, release your hands and place a strap

around the sole of your right foot. Strongly
press the top of your sacrum against the floor
to ground the pose before straightening the
right leg. If you can straighten your leg without pain and without compromising your alignment, clasp the big toe with the thumb and
index and middle fingers of your right hand.
Repeat poses 2 and 3 on the other side.
yogajournal.com
Forward bends are, by their nature, introspective and meditative,

says Benagh. They are calming to the nerves, soothing,
and grounding. These poses teach us that yoga is as much about
surrender as effort.
54
PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: KEITH BORDEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD
4. Balasana (Childs Pose) From Supta
5. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
Padangusthasana, lower your leg and move

into a kneeling position, sitting on your feet.
Fold forward from your hips, allowing your
torso to rest on your thighs and keeping your
knees hip-width apart. Rest your head on
your hands or on a bolster in front of you.
Coming out of Balasana, sit up and bring

the soles of your feet together. Open your
knees wide, resting them on blankets if
you experience any pain in the knees. On
an exhalation, hinge forward from your hips,
bring your torso and forehead toward the
ground, and allow your spine to gently flex
into a curve. Rest your head on the floor, on
your hands, or on a bolster.
7. Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee

Pose) From Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, release
8. Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle

Seated Forward Bend) Sit with your legs
the twist of the upper spine, and hold your

right foot with both hands or a strap. Fold the
torso forward over the leg, allowing your back
to round slightly. Repeat poses 6 and 7 on the
other side.
spread wide and your torso upright and lifted.

Hinge forward from the hips, making sure your
kneecaps face the ceiling. If your torso doesnt
reach the ground, support your upper body
with your arms or a bolster.
III, release the twist and stretch both legs straight out in front of you with
the inner edges of the feet either touching or hip-width apart. Fold forward
from your hips, holding the outside of each foot or looping a strap around
the feet. Allow your belly to release toward your thighs, and rest your head
on your shins, allowing the back to slightly round if necessary. If your
head doesnt reach your shins, place several folded blankets on top
of your legs to act as a headrest.
extend your right leg out in front of you and

hold the outside of the foot with your left hand.
Support your left knee with a blanket if you
experience pain in the knee. Lengthen your
spine up through the crown of your head and
turn your torso to the right. Hinge forward from
the hips, folding only as far as possible without
letting the spine curve. Stretch your right arm
out behind you at a 45-degree angle.
9. Marichyasana III, variation From

Upavistha Konasana, lift your torso and bring
your legs together. Bend your right knee, placing your right foot flat on the floor by your left
calf for a variation on the pose. Twist from your
core, using your left upper arm as leverage by
pressing against the outside of your right knee.
After You Finish Use the internal calm you have cultivated to practice a
backbend like Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) and see if you can
be at ease with it. Breathe deeply, allowing the breath to maintain the sense
of quiet and peace in your body. Take Savasana (Corpse Pose) for a minimum of five minutes, and unfold into the ultimate asana of undoing.
yogajournal.com
10. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) From Marichyasana
6. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Side Headof-the-Knee Pose) From Baddha Konasana,
55
Restore Yourself
Level: Beginner
At the end of a day that feels 28 hours long, give yourself

a post-dinner break with this soothing sequence.
Good for: Calming your nerves

Props needed: One bolster,
two blankets, and one eyebag
AS YOU PRACTICE Set aside at least 20 minutes and choose a place to practice
Intention: Effortlessness
where youll be warm and uninterrupted. Encourage a smooth, natural rhythm

in your breath. Slowly open your body and let the gifts of the practicea wellrested and invigorated body, mind, and spiritbe yours. Do restorative yoga
at least once a week, to give your nervous system a complete reset.
Reection: Give thanks for the day.

Release the effort of thinking about past
or future events.
Additional benets: Decompresses
the spine; opens the hips
Sequence by Cora Wen; model: Sean Halleen
1. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvajas Twist), variation From Dandasana

(Staff Pose), take your right foot to your left inner thigh and your left foot
behind you. Put a folded blanket under your right sitting bone to balance
your pelvis if your left hip lifts up. Keep the fronts of your ankles open.
Twist your torso to the right, turn your head to the left, and breathe freely.
Release the twist, switch legs, and repeat on the other side.
2. Supported Chest Opener Sit at one end of a bolster. Bend your
3. Salamba Supta Virasana (Supported Reclining Hero Pose)
4. Ankle-to-Knee Pose Take a simple cross-legged position. Put your

right ankle on your left knee and shift your left foot forward under your
right knee, stacking both shins like two logs. (If this is too intense, go back
to a simple cross-legged position.) To move into a deeper stretch in your
outer hips and inner thighs, slowly fold forward. Let your breath move
freely; release and switch sides.
56
PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: SEAN HALLEEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: BRYNN DOERING/ARTMIX
yogajournal.com
Sit in front of the bolster, with your feet just outside your hips. If you feel
strain in your knees, sit up on a block. Lie back. Release your arms by your
sides. Add folded blankets to the bolster to relieve any discomfort in your
lower back. To come up, press your hands into the floor and lift to a
seated position.
knees, feet hip-distance apart, and lie back. Feel your spine, shoulders,
and neck completely supported. Lift your arms overhead, clasp your
elbows, and rest your forearms on the bolster. If your shoulders feel
strained, open your arms out to the sides. To release, roll to one side
and come up to a seated position.
5. Salamba Adho Mukha Svanasana (Supported Downward-Facing

Dog Pose) Come onto all fours with the end of the bolster beneath your
6. Salamba Prasarita Padottanasana (Supported Wide-Legged

Standing Forward Bend) From Down Dog, move your props out of
breastbone. Pull your navel in toward your spine and lift up and back into
Down Dog. Rest your forehead on the bolster. Feel free to remove the
bolster and use a folded blanket or block instead to create length in your
neck. Lift your tailbone away from your head as you lengthen the backs
of your legs.
the way, step your right foot forward between your hands, and pivot on
your feet into a wide straddle, with your feet slightly pigeon-toed. Rest
the crown of your head on the bolster. Lift your belly toward your spine
and soften the backs of your legs. Relax your shoulders and arms, and
allow your abdominal organs to receive an internal massage from the
forward fold. To release, pivot on your heels, walk your torso back over
your right leg, and step back to Down Dog.
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose),

variation Step your left foot behind and to the outside of your right foot.
8. Salamba Balasana (Supported Childs Pose) Sit on your heels with

your knees wide and bring the bolster in toward your belly. Fold forward
with a rounded spine. Rest your right cheek on the bolster, changing the
direction your head is turned halfway through your hold. Let the shape
of the pose gently stretch your lower back.
Bend your right knee and lift your right heel as you twist to the left, reaching your left heel toward the floor. Extend your left fingertips toward the
front left corner of your mat, lifting your palm to increase the stretch. Turn
the left side of your belly up and peek under your left armpit. Release the
twist and repeat on the other side.
9. Salamba Bharadvajasana (Supported Bharadvajas Pose)
10. Salamba Savasana (Supported Corpse Pose) Lie on your back

with the bolster under your knees. Let your legs and feet fall to the sides
naturally and relax your entire body. Soften your eyes, ears, nose, tongue,
and even your skin, letting the organs of perception dissolve. Listen to your
breath and bring your awareness inward. Release completely into resting
for 5 to 10 minutes.
yogajournal.com
Lift your torso up and sit with your right hip snug up against the bolster.
Bend both knees, taking your shins to the left and resting your left ankle
in the right arch. Lift your sternum as you twist your belly toward the right
and lie on the support. Rest your right cheek on the bolster or continue the
twist by turning your head to the right. This twist is strong. Stay for less
than three minutes on each side to avoid the strain of overstretching.
57
Shed the Days Stress

Release tension and find stillness at the end of a hectic
day with poses and breathwork that revive your spirit.
Level: Beginnerintermediate
Good for: Restoring energy
Intention: Breathe
AS YOU PRACTICE Take long, slow breaths to move prana downward. On your
inhalations, fill your lungs to near capacity a middle ground breath thats
not too long (which can create tension) and not too short (which may not sustain your energy). Let the breath create a sense of spaciousness and opening in
your chest, and try releasing long, grounding exhalations. Hold each pose for
three to five breaths, unless otherwise noted.
Reection: As you inhale, silently

repeat the sound So, and as you exhale,
silently repeat the sound Hum. So Hum
means I am That, That I am in Sanskrit.
Additional benets: Stretches
the back, hips, and hamstrings
1. Siddhasana (Adepts Pose), variation
yogajournal.com
After warming up with several rounds of

Cat-Cow Pose, sit cross-legged with your right
leg in front. Hinge at your hips as you walk the
hands forward. Pull your shoulder blades down
your back, and extend your sternum forward.
Come up, switch legs, and repeat.
58
4. Cat-CowPose Come to your hands and

knees. Inhale, extend your spine forward, and
draw your head up and back. Exhale, round
your spine, and drop your head, like a cat arching its back. Repeat Cat-Cow 5 to 10 times, and
then come upright to a kneeling position.
2. Siddhasana, with Garudasana arms

(Adepts Pose, with Eagle Pose arms) Sit
cross-legged, right leg in front. Raise your arms
in front of you, elbows at right angles. Cross
your left elbow on top of your right, wrap your
forearms, and press your palms and forearms
together. Repeat on the second side.
5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), variation Extend your left leg to the side as your
right hand comes to the floor on your right.
Extend your left arm up and over your left ear.
Make sure your body moves sideways, not forward or back. Inhale to come upright.
3. Balasana (Childs Pose) Come to your

hands and knees, big toes pointed and touching, knees hip-width apart. Sit back on your
heels as you reach your arms forward, palms
down. Rest your forehead on the ground.
6. Parighasana (Gate Pose), variation

Exhale, place your left hand on your left thigh,
and bring your right arm up and over your right
ear. Press down through your right shin as you
lift up through the spine. Repeat poses 5 and 6
on the other side.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: DEBORAH BURKMAN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TRICIA TURNER/ARTIST UNTIED; BOLSTER AND BLANKET: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.
Sequence and modeling by Deborah Burkman
8. Pigeon Pose Bring your right leg forward,

the shin at a slight angle. Lower your hips, and
extend your left leg behind. Rest your torso
over your right leg, keeping your hips level.
After a few breaths, step back into Down Dog.
9. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-

right foot forward between your hands. Drop
your left knee to the ground. Inhale, and reach
your arms up. Exhale, reach your tailbone
down. Step back into Downward Dog, then
switch sides.
11. Balasana (Childs Pose) From Downward

Pose) Sit with your legs extended. Press
13. Marichyasana III Inhale to come up.

Bend) Sit with your legs extended, inner legs

Pose) Lift your hips into Bridge Pose, with
and feet touching. Inhale, reach forward, and

grab your feet with both hands. Exhale, and
fold over your legs. Be sure to extend from
your hips, and keep your torso elongated.
your feet hip-width apart and knees stacked

over your ankles. Interlace your fingers behind
your back, and extend your arms toward your
feet. Exhale to release. End with Savasana.
knees. On an exhalation, lift your hips up to

the sky. Try to evenly distribute your weight
between your arms and legs. Press your arms
forward as you pull your thighbones back.
Exhale, and place your right foot on the ground.

Inhale, and rest your right hand behind your
hip and raise your left arm. Exhale, twist to the
right, and hook your left arm across the right
leg. Release, and repeat poses 12 and 13 on
second side.
Dog, bring your knees to the ground, hip-width

apart. Take your hips to your heels, with your
toes pointed. Reach your arms forward, and
rest your forehead on the ground.
Facing Dog Pose) From Pigeon, tuck the toes

under and step back into Downward Dog. Take
long, deep breaths, focusing on the exhalation
and lengthening your spine.
your right foot into your left inner thigh. Inhale,

and sit tall. Exhale, and fold the torso over your
left leg, holding onto your foot or a yoga strap.
Keep your shoulders square to the ground.
yogajournal.com
7. AdhoMukhaSvanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come to your hands and
59

Pull your attention away from workday concerns with
this vigorous sequence, which will help you feel more
empowered and clear headed.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Helping to refocus
Props needed: One strap and
one block
Intention: Acceptance
AS YOU PRACTICE This sequence takes an active approach to forward bends.
To protect the lower back, engage the muscles of the lower abdomen. Imagine that your body is a tube of toothpaste and the only way you can get the
last dollop on your brush is to firmly squeeze the lower belly as you gradually
fold forward. As you practice, hold each pose for three to five breaths.
Reection: All you need to do yoga

is to be exactly as you are in this moment.
Anonymous
Additional benets: Opens the
hips; lengthens the hamstrings and
adductors

Standing Forward Bend) From Tadasana,
2. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A

(Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose A)
3. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B

(Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose B) Keep
jump your feet wide. With your hands at your

waist, hinge at the hips to fold forward. Lower
hands to the floor. Let the crown of your head
relax down.
From Tadasana, lift your right knee toward

your chest. Grasp your right big toe with the
first two fingers of your right hand. Stand tall,
and extend your right leg forward. Use a
strap if needed.
hold of your right big toe as you slowly open

your right leg to the right. Keep your left hand
on your left hip, and root down through the
left foot for balance. Use a strap if needed.
5. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch)
6. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Release your
Press palms together or hold opposite elbows

behind your back. Take a long step back with
your left foot. Keep your legs straight, lift your
chest, and fold over your right leg.
hands to the floor, and bend your right knee.

Lower your left knee to the floor. Sweep your
arms overhead. Sink the hips. Continue to lift
your lower belly and engage the pelvic floor
to support the low back.
yogajournal.com
4. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana C

(Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose C) Bring
60
your right leg back to front. Let go of the big

toe, but hold the right leg parallel to the floor.
Keep your torso upright and legs active. Repeat
poses 24 on the left side.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: ALANNA KAIVALYA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TRICIA TURNER/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence and modeling by Alanna Kaivalya
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Step back to Downward

Bend) From Downward-Facing Dog, come
Dog. Draw your heels down and press the tops

of your thighs toward the wall behind you.
Jump forward to Tadasana. Repeat poses 57
on left side.
to a seated position, and extend your legs forward. Engage your thigh muscles and abdominals to lengthen your torso over the legs.

Pose) Come back to a seated position, bend
11. Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle

Seated Forward Bend) Open legs wide. Flex
your right knee to the chest, and allow it to fall

open. Fold forward over your left leg. Engage
the lower abdomen. Use a strap if needed.
your feet and engage the legs, keeping knees

pointing upward. Walk hands forward, lengthening your torso while lowering it. If you can,
grab your feet.
13. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvaja s Pose)
14. Krounchasana (Heron Pose) Place a
15. Reverse Tabletop From sitting, bend
From sitting, bend your right knee and place

the right foot by the right hip. Place the left foot
inside the right thigh. Lengthen your spine.
Twist left. Turn the head to look right.
block under your left sitting bone. Lift the left

knee and hold the left foot with both hands.
Engage the lower belly and extend the left
leg toward the ceiling. Use a strap if needed.
Repeat poses 1314 on the other side.
your knees, plant your feet on the floor, and

place your hands on the floor behind you.
Lift your hips, bringing your torso and thighs
parallel to the floor. Reach the crown of the
head back.

Sit up, and place your palms on the floor just
behind your hips, fingers pointing forward. Lift
your pelvis, point your toes, and press the balls
of your feet downward.
12. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose)
16. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Bring the
soles of your feet together, opening your knees to the sides. Use props to
support your knees, if desired. Lie back with your hands by your sides, palms
up. Rest for several minutes.
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From sitting, bend your knees, lift your toes off

the mat, and straighten your legs. Reach hands
forward. If your lower back is rounding, keep
your knees bent. Repeat three times.
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PROMOTION
5 myths about yoga festivals & events

Lets set the record straight about what really goes on at yoga festivals and events.
No, you dont have to speak Sanskrit fluently or walk on your hands.
MYTH #1: Yoga events are only for advanced yoga students and teachers. This couldnt be further from the truth.
Whether youre brand new to the practice or have been teaching for a decade, yoga festivals and events like
Yoga Journal LIVE! have something for everyone.
MYTH #2: Yoga events are all super serious, intense workshops for die-hard yogis. No wayunless you consider
happy hour and shopping serious endeavors (which some of you might)! Beyond the intense yoga offerings,
theres so much more fun to be had at yoga festivals.
MYTH #3: You need to be in top physical condition to attend a yoga conference. One of the enticing elements of a big
yoga event like YJ LIVE! is the sheer number of different types of workshops and offerings. If you wanted to
practice physical yoga all day every day for three days, you could; or you could choose to do very little asana
and never break a sweat. A balance in between appeals to many.
MYTH #4: Yoga students should stick to studying with one teacher. While this may have been true back in the day,
with the number of events, workshops, and online resources now available for studentsyou will miss out
if you dont take advantage of it all. That doesnt mean you should give up your main teacher, but why not
supplement your regular classes?
MYTH #5: Yoga events are too expensive and not worth the money for a casual yogi like me. Think again: YJ
LIVE! offers a range of priced packages, including a single-class pass, three-class pack, a day pass, a main
weekend pass, and a full event pass. Anyone and everyone is also invited to come and take any number
of complimentary community classes offered by YJ LIVE! presenters and stay for more fun, shopping, and
demos in the Yoga Market.
Yoga Journal LIVE! New York

April 8-11, 2016
Join the worlds top yoga instructors
Elena Brower
Kathryn Budig
Seane Corn
Gary Kraftsow
Shiva Rea
Rodney Yee
And many more!
LEARN MORE AT YJEVENTS.COM
Use code: YJFUN to save 15%
Feel Happy
and Condent
CHASE THE BLUES AWAY, FIND JOY AND CALM,

AND GIVE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM A BOOST
WITH THE 12 EMPOWERING, PICK-ME-UP
SEQUENCES IN THIS SECTION.
Give Yourself a Break

Stop all the overthinking and harsh self-judgments!
This sequence is full of fun poses to help you reconnect
with the joy and juiciness of the present moment.
AS YOU PRACTICE While paying attention to physical alignment, Lilias Folan asks
you to observe your thoughts and cultivate gratitude and a sense of wonder
throughout the practice. And if a postures uncomfortable, adjust it to honor
your body. Dont omitadapt, she says, until you can softly smile while
in a pose.
Level: Beginner
Good for: Helping you find your
inner smile
Props needed: One blanket,

one block
Intention: Light
Reection: Imagine a white-golden
shimmering light washing over you,
filling every space of your being.
your sides; relaxes your jaw muscles
Sequence by Lilias Folan; model: Kate Vogt
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are coming home each time you do this pose.

Feel a sense of relief, contentment, and smiling
heart energy as you ground your feet, lengthen
your spine, lower your shoulders, soften your
eyes, and lift the corners of your lips. Bring your
palms together at your heart and focus inward.
Ask yourself, What am I grateful for? Let sweet
memories and thoughts come to you. As you
inhale, feel a warm, healing energy fill your
chest. As you exhale, say to yourself, Finally,
I return home to my heart. Enjoy for five breaths.
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2. Parsva Tadasana (Sidebending Mountain Pose) Inhale and raise your hands to the
ceiling. As you exhale, slide your hips and rib
cage left as you lean your torso to the right
to form a standing sidebend. Root both feet
into the floor. Relax your shoulders and enjoy
the stretch for three breaths. Return to center.
Repeat on the other side. Do each side three
times, then return to Tadasana.
3. Five-Pointed Star From Tadasana, bring

your feet 3 to 3 feet apart. Inhale and lift both
arms out to your sides and parallel to the floor.
As you exhale, check your alignment. Keep
your spine long and your tailbone down. Let
your head float above your shoulders. When
you exhale, extend the energy out through the
five pointsfeet, hands, and top of the head
for three full breaths.
As you work your physical body in this sequence, become aware

of your witness self, that ever-present friend. You feel more
and think less, Folan says. And you eventually come to a still,
quiet place thats quite joyful.
PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW; MODEL: KATE VOGT; STYLIST: SHARON MALONEY/FORD ARTISTS, SF
1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) In a sense, you
FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT
4. Anjaneyasana, variation (Hug a Tree

Lunge) From Five-Pointed Star, turn your
5. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Turn your feet to the right again,
6. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) Take this challenging pose slowly
left foot in and right foot out. Bend your right

knee 90 degrees, turn your torso to the right,
and fold forward over your right thigh. Place
your left hand on the floor, close to your foot,
for balance. Wrap your right arm around your
right thigh and hug your thigh. Start gentle
resistance by pulling your chest away from
your thigh, yet keep contact and hold for six
breaths. Relax and breathe. As you exhale,
turn your feet the other way. Bend and fold
over your left knee for six breaths.
fold over your right leg, and place your right

hand on your shin, on a block, or on the floor.
Slowly straighten your right leg. As you inhale,
slowly raise your left arm up to the ceiling. Gaze
forward and dont strain your neck. Extend the
sides of your torso parallel to the floor. Remember to breathe. Stay for five breaths. Repeat on
the left side.
and in pieces. Come back to Extended Triangle

on the right side. Place a block near the inner
edge of your right foot, then bring your left
hand to the block. Gaze at your left hand. Rest
your right arm on your lower back. Breathing
smoothly, open your chest and gently coax
your belly to revolve right. Keep your inner
thighs moving toward each other. Then, sweep
your right arm to the ceiling. Hold the pose for
two or three breaths. Repeat on the other side.
Remove the block as you progress or move it
to the outer edge of your front foot for more
challenge. Return to Five-Pointed Star.
8. Utkata Konasana (Victory Goddess)
From Five-Pointed Star, turn your right foot

out, left heel in. Bend your right knee and lean
over your right thigh. Place a block on the floor
about a foot in front of your right pinkie toe.
Lean onto the block with your right hand and
lightly rest your left hand on your lower back.
Inhale and lift your left leg up parallel to the
floor, with your foot flexed. Gaze downward.
Slowly straighten your standing leg and stack
your hips. Steady yourself before you rotate
your chest open and raise your left arm. Hold
for two or three breaths. Come out of the pose
as beautifully as you went into it. Return to FivePointed Star. Repeat on the other side.
This joyful pose will remind you not to take

yourself too seriously. From Five-Pointed Star,
turn both your feet out. Bend your knees into
a comfortable squat. Then, bend your elbows,
inhale, and stretch your palms open so your
thumbs touch your shoulders. Release jaw,
face, and neck tension: Open your mouth, lift
your eyebrows, stretch out your tongue, and
waggle it, as you exhale forcefully with a sound
for 10 seconds. Release, stand tall, and observe
your body and mind.
9. Gomukhasana, variation (Smiling CowFace Pose) Sit comfortably cross-legged, or
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cross the right knee and stack it over the left

with the feet open to the sides. Stay here to
stretch the right hip for 10 breaths, then switch
sides for another 10 breaths. Relax in Savasana
for several minutes and bask in joy.
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Take Care of You, Too

Helping others is both energizing and exhausting. This
balancing, restorative practice gives you permission to show
compassion to yourself, so you can continue to help others.
Good for: Recharging your batteries
one block
Intention: Compassion
AS YOU PRACTICE Remain focused on staying grounded through the sitting
bones. Lengthen the spine when you inhale and visualize more space
between each vertebra. To gauge how long youre in each pose, remember
that 8 to 10 long inhales and exhales equal about one minute.
Reection: Everyone experiences

suffering. That knowledge is the basis of
compassion, and the seed of kindness.
Additional benets: Opens up the
shoulders and hips; lengthens the spine
1. Seated Cat-Cow Pose Come to Sukhasana
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(Easy Pose), close your eyes, and ground

through your sitting bones. Place your hands
on your knees. Deeply inhale to lean forward,
rolling your shoulders back and bringing your
heart forward. Then exhale to softly press your
chin into your throat and roll your spine into
gentle flexion, engaging your abdominal muscles. Drink in through an open heart on the
inhalation, and pour out by engaging muscular
energy as you exhale.
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4. Seated Forward Fold with Mudra From

Anjali Mudra, inhale to again extend both arms
skyward. Exhale to reach both arms behind
your lower back. Interlace your fingers. Gently press your shoulder blades into your back.
Drinking in the breath, lift the chest upward.
As you pour the breath out, bow forward and
stretch your arms toward your head, releasing
your forehead to the ground.
2. Seated Half Moon Pose Open your eyes

and place your right fingertips beside your right
hip. Walk the fingers out, pressing the right
shoulder blade into your back by externally
rotating the shoulder. Inhale to extend your
left arm up and exhale to reach it to the right,
rotating your left shoulder back and expanding
your left rib cage. Inhale, and shift your gaze
skyward; exhale, rotate your head, and gaze at
the ground. Exhale to release and switch sides,
including the cross of your legs.
3. Seated Spinal Twist Bring your hands to
5. Cat-Cow Pose Come to all fours, placing
6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) From Tabletop, curl your
your wrists beneath your shoulders and your

knees directly below your hips. Curl your toes
under and spread your fingers wide, with the
index and middle fingers pointing forward.
Inhale deeply to lift the heart and hips. Exhale
to round the spine, engaging your abdominal
muscles and curling your chin to your throat.
Stay for 16 to 20 breaths or two minutes.
Anjali Mudra at the center of your chest. On an

inhalation, extend both arms up. On an exhalation, place your left hand on your right knee
and your right hand on the ground behind you.
Inhale to imagine your breath traveling up
your spine and extending through the crown
of your head. Exhale to press your navel
toward your spine, externally rotate your right
shoulder, and lift through the heart. Inhale back
to center. Repeat Poses 2 and 3 on other side.
toes under and press through all four corners of

both palms to lift your hips, coming into Down
Dog. Press through your heels, internally rotate
your thighs, and press your heart toward your
legs. Practice expanding your chest with every
inhalation, drinking in, and with every exhalation, pouring out as the body stretches.
PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: CHELSEA JACKSON ROBERTS; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: DANICA JARDIEN
Sequence and modeling by Chelsea Jackson Roberts

Pose) From Down Dog, inhale to extend your
right leg back, keeping the quadriceps engaged
and pressing through the heel of your right
foot. Ground through your left foot, pressing
into the big-toe mound. Allow the shoulders
and hips to remain level, without opening the
body to the right.

Pose) Come back to Down Dog and inhale to
extend your right leg back, keeping the quadriceps engaged and pressing through the heel of
your right foot. Ground through your left foot,
pressing into the left big-toe mound. Allow the
shoulders and hips to remain level, without
opening the body to the right.
13. Balasana (Childs Pose) Exhale to Tabletop; open your knees the width of your mat.
Bring your big toes together and slowly exhale,
reaching your hips toward your heels and
ankles as you fold forward and extend your
arms alongside your hips. As you inhale, allow
your rib cage to expand. As you exhale, soften
through the heart and ground through the
hips. After a minute, inhale to a seated pose.
9. Pigeon Pose Come to Down Dog, then
right foot forward between your hands,

stacking your right knee over your right ankle.
Engage your inner thighs, curl the left toes
under, press into the big-toe mound of your
left foot, and lift onto your fingertips. As you
inhale and drink in, roll your shoulders back
and open your heart. As you exhale and pour
out, surrender deeply into the hip stretch.
bring your right foot forward, resting the shin

as close to perpendicular to the front of your
mat as possible. Activate your right toes and
square both hips and shoulders as you lift onto
fingertips. Inhale to roll your shoulders back as
you puff your chest. Exhale to surrender and
fold as your heart pours out toward the earth.
11. Wild Thing Open your hips, stacking the
right hip over the left. Bend your right knee and
eventually place the ball of your right foot on
the ground behind you, turning your hips and
chest toward the ceiling. Keep pressing through
all four corners of the left palm and extend the
right arm alongside your right ear. Inhale back
to Three-Legged Down Dog, and exhale to
Down Dog.
Pivot your back heel and plant your left foot

at a 30-degree angle. Inhale to lift your torso
and cartwheel your arms open, bringing them
parallel to the ground. Rotate your shoulders,
extending through your fingertips. Breathe
as you expand through your rib cage. Exhale
as you bring your right thigh parallel to the
ground. Repeat Poses 7 to 12 on the other side.

Pose) Lower to your back. Bend your knees,
15. Savasana (Corpse Pose) Lie comfort-
placing your feet under them. Press into your

feet and inhale to lift the hips and open the
heart. Interlace your fingers, pressing your
hands down. Inhale, expanding through the
ribs; exhale. If your knees splay, squeeze a
block between your thighs. Exhale, release
your hands, and lower down.
ably on your mat, turning the palms open.

Press the back of your head into the ground
as you deeply inhale and focus on drinking in
breath. On an exhalation, close your eyes and
place your intention on pouring out, or offering
unconditional love. If you prefer, use a folded
blanket under your torso and head.
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67
Find Your Bliss
Often, we think of ourselves as having just a front and

backbut our sides play an important role, too. This
sidebending practice will leave you content, if not elated.
out your body and access your core, which connects and supports other
musculature. In each pose, extend your front body and use your breath
to expand the side ribs (the way helium expands a balloon), sensing the
effect on your diaphragm, internal organs, ribs, and connective tissues.
Sequence by Tias Little; model: Matt Champoux
1. Preparatory Sidebend Interlock your fingers behind your head. Slide your left elbow
toward the wall behind you as you pivot your
right elbow toward your hip. Keep your elbows
on the floor, and push out through your left
heel. Alternate right and left six times, breathing deeply.
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4. Sukhasana (Easy Pose), variation
68
Slowly sit up, cross your legs, and place your

feet under your knees. Fold forward, and
lengthen over your right knee. Aim your breath
along the left flank and buttock. Hold for two
minutes, then switch sides.
2. Supta Garudasana (Reclining Eagle

Pose), variation Cross your left knee over
your right leg then lower both knees left as you
inhale, letting gravity provide traction. Looking
right, return upright on an exhale. Repeat six
times; after doing three, rotate your head right.
Switch sides.
Intention: Bliss
Reection: The sensations that
remain after your practice are the real yoga.
Master your breath, let the self be in bliss,
contemplate on the sublime within you,
said Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, father of
modern yoga.
Additional benets: Activates your
core; opens your chest; brings a feeling of
spaciousness
3. Balasana (Childs Pose), variation Come

to your knees, set them hip-width apart, and
lengthen forward. Sweep your trunk over your
right knee, shifting your belly right. Remain
stable in your pelvis to get a deeper side-body
stretch. Hold for two minutes; switch sides.
5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come up, and step back
6. Parsva Tadasana (Sidebending Mountain Pose) Step forward and stand up.
into Down Dog. Set your feet as wide as your

mat. Lengthen your spine forward, while drawing back your legs. Stretch your torsos two
sides congruently. Hold for two minutes.
Squeeze a block between your inner thighs,

and with your arms raised, catch your left wrist
and sidebend right. Hold for one minute;
switch sides.
PHOTOS: RICK CUMMINGS; MODEL: MATT CHAMPOUX; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: SALLY WALKER MINA WITH ALCHEMY; BLOCK: MANDUKA
AS YOU PRACTICE Root through your legs to better align muscles through-
Good for: Adjusting your mood
floor. Stack your left hip over your left knee,

extending your right leg to the side. Reach your
left arm up and to the right, spinning your ribs
upward and stretching and elongating your
waist. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

Forward Bend), variation Angle your feet
8. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Spread your feet three to four feet
9. Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side

Angle Pose) Set your feet four to six inches
apart, then turn your right foot out and your left
foot in. Rock your pelvis toward your back leg,
and draw the left side of your waist away from
the pelvis. Extend your arms as pictured. Hold
for one minute; switch sides.
wider than Triangle. Place a block inside your

right foot, sidebend to your right, and rest your
hand on the block. Spiral your trunk toward the
sky. Hold for one minute; switch sides.
11. Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)
12. Parsva Upavistha Konasana (Sidebending Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend)
inward; fold forward. Center yourself, then

swing to your right and hold your right ankle;
pull to sidebend your left trunk. Hold for two
minutes; switch sides.
Sit down and draw your left heel to your groin.

Push your right heel forward. Clasp your right
foot with your left hand and draw your right
ribs back, left ribs forward. Feel the twist deep
inside. Hold for two minutes; switch sides.
13. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved

Head-of-the-Knee Pose) Draw your left foot
14. Parivrtta Paschimottanasana (Revolved

Seated Forward Bend) With legs straight in

Pose) Raise your hips and prop up your
to your inner thigh, and press your right thigh

down. Sidebend as in the previous pose. Raise
your navel, spiral your trunk, and expand and
broaden your abdomen. Hold for one minute;
switch sides.
front of you, push out through both heels, and

press your thighbones down. Latch your right
elbow outside your left shin, grab your feet,
twist, and elongate your left side. Hold for one
minute; switch sides.
sacrum with a block. Keep your thighs and

inner feet parallel; lengthen the tailbone. Set
your arms to the side, palms up. Elongate your
torso and relax your internal organs. Hold for
three to five minutes. To close, rest in Savasana.
Sit up and spread your legs, pressing both

thighbones down. Sidebend, and latch your
right hand to the inside of your right foot;
extend your left arm. Revolve your trunk
skyward. Hold for one minute; switch sides.
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7. Parighasana (Gate Pose) Kneel on the
69
Let Go of Stress
Level: Intermediate
With this sequence, youll redirect any tense energy as you

relax the neck, shoulders, and hips.
Good for: Finding inner calm

Props needed: Optional blanket
for seated poses
AS YOU PRACTICE Set an intention at the beginning of your practice
Intention: Love
something you want to create for yourself or something you want to let go of.
Keep your awareness on your breath, taking long, smooth, even inhalations
and exhalations. When your practice gets challenging, think kind and loving
thoughts about yourself to stay calm.
Reection: Learn to love what life

brings. Love is the strongest medicine,
said Neem Karoli Baba, Hindu mystic.
Additional benets: Relaxes
neck tension; opens shoulders;
strengthens quads
70
1. Padmasana (Lotus Pose) Sit in Lotus or

another comfortable position with your eyes
closed. Root through your sitting bones and
lengthen your spine. Place your left hand on
your heart, to calm your nerves and send healing energy to your endocrine system. Place
your right hand about three inches below your
belly button, ring finger above the end of the
vagus nerve, which starts in the brain and
helps control heart rate and breath.
2. Spinal Warm-Up Interlace your fingers
3. Neck Stretches Sit tall, keeping your eyes
above your head, pointing the index fingers

upward. Inhale and lengthen the spine. Exhale
and round the back, pressing your palms away
from you as you bring your arms level with
your shoulders and your chin to your chest.
Return to the beginning; repeat this warm-up
five times.
closed, and release your right ear toward your

right shoulder. Ground down through your left
palm. If it does not cause strain, gently bring
your right hand to the left side of your head for
a little more stretch. Slowly release to a neutral
position and repeat on the other side.
4. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Bend

both legs, stacking your right knee on top of
your left. Flex both feet and keep them close
to your hips, with your sit bones grounding
down. Clasp your hands at the center of your
back; if you cant reach, use a strap or grab
your clothes. Keep the back of the neck and
spine long. Repeat on the other side.
5. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)
6. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose),

variation Exhale and slide the left hand down
Come to standing, balls of the feet together,

heels slightly separated. If you are tight in the
hips, bring your feet hip-distance apart. Inhale
as you bring your palms to touch above your
head. Lift the heart, draw the shoulders away
from your ears and the navel in toward your
spine, and lengthen the tailbone.
the left leg. Press into the right foot and bring
the right arm up and over to the left. Breathe
into the right side body. Keep the heart directed
toward the heavens. Inhale and come back to
center with both arms up. Repeat on the other
side, then come to Tadasana.
PHOTOS: CHRIS HORNBECKER; MODEL: BIBI MCGILL; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: KELLY PEACH
yogajournal.com
Sequence and modeling by Bibi McGill
10. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) From Tadasana, step your left foot
back four feet, lining up your front and back
heels. Bring hands to hips, squared to the front
of your mat. Inhale and raise your left arm by
your left ear. Reach forward, finding length in
your spine. Press into your feet; place your left
hand to the inside or outside of your right foot.
Raise your right arm and gaze. Inhale to unwind
and come up. Repeat on the other side.
13. Navasana (Boat Pose) Come to a seated

position. Balance your weight on your sitting
bones and, with knees bent, bring your calves
parallel to the floor or extend legs straight.
Keep your heart open and the back of your
neck and spine long. Draw your shoulders back
and extend both arms forward with your palms
facing up. Point your toes or flex through the
heels, and breathe.
8. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Stand with your

feet together, then inhale, drop the hips, and
bend your knees. Bring the arms above your
head. Squeeze the ankles, knees, and thighs
together. Lift the chest, bringing the backs
of your shoulders against an imaginary wall
behind you. Maintain an even breath.

Pose) Inhale to lengthen the spine; exhale to
11. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Come

into Plank Pose. Bring your left hand underneath your face and begin to shift your weight
into that hand, stacking your right side on top
of your left side. Reach your right arm up, opening the chest. Bring the inner edges of your feet
together and lift the hips, keeping the spine
long. To modify, bend the right leg and place
the sole of the right foot on the ground in front
of you. Repeat on the other side.
12. Vrksasana (Tree Pose), with Lotus

Mudra From standing, shift your weight into

Bend) Extend your legs in front of you, with
the feet touching. Flex the feet, pushing out
through the heels. Inhale and bring the arms
above the head. Exhale and maintain the
length in your spine as you slowly reach for
your knees, shins, ankles, or beyond the feet,
keeping the navel drawn in toward the spine.
With each inhalation, create length; with each
exhalation, fold deeper from the hip crease.
twist to the right, hooking the left elbow outside the right knee. Press palms together at the
heart center. To keep knees even, shift the left
hip back. Inhale back to center and repeat on
the left side.
your left leg. Bring the right foot into the left hip
crease or left ankle, calf, or upper inner thigh,
avoiding the knee. Stand tall, drawing the navel
in toward your spine. Find a drishti, or gazing
point, in front of you. Set your hands in Lotus
Mudra at the heart center, then bring above
your head. Switch sides.
15. Padmasana (Lotus Pose) Come into full

Lotus Pose with the left leg on top. Inhale as
you lengthen the spine and draw the shoulders
away from the ears.
yogajournal.com

Inhale into Urdhva Hastasana; exhale as you
swan-dive forward with a long spine. Let the
head be heavy; bend the knees as needed.
For a deeper stretch, grab the ankles, forearms
behind calves. To come out, bend your knees
and roll up one vertebra at a time.
71
Have a Little Fun
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Discovering yourself
Lighten your heart and build self-awareness and

self-confidence with this backbending sequence.

Intention: Innocence
AS YOU PRACTICE First, establish the basic form of your backbend: Widen the
inner thighs and pelvic bones as you root your tailbone down to keep your
lower back spacious and prevent compression as you arch up and back. As you
move through the sequence, pause at the beginning of each pose to feel your
breath and to settle into the foundation of the pose. Hold each pose for five
breaths, moving your breath into the back of your body.
Reection: Make your practice playful

and childlike. See what it feels like to practice with no expectations.
Additional benets: Extends the
front of the spine; opens the chest and
hips; stimulates the thyroid
72
1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) After several rounds of Cat-Cow Pose, come onto all fours, with your wrist creases
parallel to the front of the mat. Claw the ground with your fingers so that
the muscles on the underside of the forearms tone and lift. Breathe into
your back, feeling it broaden with every inhalation. On an exhalation,
release your heart toward the ground, softening between your shoulder
blades without collapsing in your lower back or armpits. With strong arms
and a soft heart, lift your hips and straighten your legs for five breaths.
2. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (One-Legged DownwardFacing Dog), variation On an inhalation, lift your left leg toward the sky.
3. Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose) From Downward Dog, step or
4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation Return to your
hop forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), and inhale as you
come up to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). From there stand sideways on
your mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel. Turn your right foot out
and your left foot in. Bend your right knee and place your right arm on
your thigh or bring the fingertips to the floor or a block outside your right
foot. Press the top of your left thighbone back and scoop the right buttock
under, as you open your torso to the left. Extend your left arm alongside
your ear and stay for five breaths. On an inhalation come up to standing,
and then repeat on the other side.
wide stance. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in until your pelvis
squares toward the front foot. On an exhalation, slide the left hand down
your back leg as you curl your torso into a backbend. Rest your left hand
on your hamstring or upper calf as you continue to bend back, extending
the right arm alongside your ear. After five breaths, inhale and bring your
torso upright. Exhale as you switch sides.
Bend your left knee and turn your hips so your kneecap points to the left.
Stay here for five breaths. Then straighten your leg and rotate the thigh so
that the kneecap faces the ground. On an exhalation, lower the foot to the
floor and do the other side before returning to Downward-Facing Dog.
PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: DANA GREENBAUM SCHACHTER; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD
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Sequence by Sianna Sherman; model: Dana Greenbaum Schachter
5. Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose), variation From your wide
6. Pigeon Pose Come into Downward-Facing Dog. Bring the right knee
stance, walk or jump your feet together to stand in Tadasana. Bend your left
knee, bringing the heel in toward your left buttock. Take hold of the inside
of your foot with your left hand and raise your right arm up alongside your
ear. Square your hips toward the front of your mat, and on an exhalation,
tip your torso slightly forward as you stretch the left leg back and up. Stay
here for five breaths before releasing the left leg. Do both sides.
forward between your hands, rotate it out to the side, and place the outer
leg on the floor. Lower the left leg to the ground. Square your hips toward
the front of your mat, and on an inhalation, isometrically draw the knees
toward each other. Youll feel your muscles engage. On an exhalation, fold
forward and rest your forehead on the floor. After five deep breaths, inhale
to come up and move through Downward Dog to the other side.
7. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose),

variation Come back to Pigeon Pose with the right leg forward. Bend the
8. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your stomach. Bend both knees,

flex your feet, and hold on to your outer ankles. Keeping the thighbones
parallel to each other, press the ankles back and root your tailbone toward
the floor. On a deep inhalation, lift your head, torso, and legs to come into
Dhanurasana for five breaths.
9. Eka Hasta Ustrasana (One-Handed Camel Pose) Kneel with your

hands on your hips and lift through your chest. On an exhalation, curl into
your upper back as you simultaneously lift your right arm alongside your
ear and take your left hand to your left heel. Reach back as far as you comfortably can. Stay for five breaths. On an inhalation, bring your torso back
to upright. Sit on your heels, then repeat this side before moving on to the
second side. End with Savasana.
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left knee, and take hold of the foot with your left hand, keeping the right
hand on the floor. If possible, spin your hand over the top of the foot so
the fingers face forward. Lift the left side of your chest as you bend the left
elbow to bring the foot in toward the outer left hip. If you can balance, rest
your right hand on your right thigh. Stay for five breaths. Step back into
Downward-Facing Dog before doing the second side.
73
No doubt about it: Shoulderstand is intimidating.This

sequence will help you master the pose, which will help
soothe an agitated mind and energize a tired one.
AS YOU PRACTICE The reason so many of us find Supported Shoulderstand
uncomfortable is that we arent actually doing a Shoulderstandwere doing

a backstand. By taking your shoulders through internal and external rotation,
extension, and flexion in the sequence, youll expand the front of the chest and
loosen up the shoulders, creating the opening in the armpits thats needed to
stand on the top of the shoulders. When you can get up onto the shoulders,
teacher Richard Rosen says, the pose is almost effortless.
Sequence by Richard Rosen; model: Vickie Russell Bell
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1. Supported Chest Opener Begin to open

the armpits as you lie over a block placed horizontally on the mat at its lowest height and
directly below your shoulder blades. Bend your
knees, feet flat on the floor, and support your
head on a thickly folded blanket. Reach your
arms up and gently rock side to side, widening the shoulder blades. Hold each elbow and
reach your arms overhead, keeping your lower
front ribs dropped down as you straighten your
legs. Stay two to three minutes.
74
2. Dolphin Pose To initiate the external rotation of your upper arms, come into Dolphin
Pose. Roll onto your knees and take your forearms to the floor. Hold a block between your
palms, thumbs pointing up. Lift your knees
off the floor, keeping them slightly bent. With
your shoulders directly above the elbows,
press your inner wrists firmly down, and then
lift and widen the chest and shoulders, sending
your chest back toward your thighs. Press your
thighs back, straighten your knees, and externally rotate your arms by lifting your inner arms
up and around toward your outer arms. Stay
for one minute and then release your knees
to the floor.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Gaining a new perspective
Props needed: Two blankets, one
block, one strap, one chair, one additional
sticky mat
Intention: Embodiment
Reection: Explore resistance with
love and gentleness. Move your joints
every day. You have to find your own
tricks. Bury your mind deep in your heart,
and watch the body move by itself, says
yoga master Dharma Mittra.
Additional benets: Opens and
strengthens the shoulders; relieves mild
depression; alleviates insomnia; stimulates
the thyroid gland
3. Virasana (Hero Pose) with

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Sit down
with your knees together and your feet outside
your hips. If your sitting bones do not release
to the floor, place a block horizontally beneath
both sitting bones. Enjoy the increased range
of motion you find as you stretch your left arm
out to the side, palm facing back; take your
arm behind you, forearm parallel to your waist.
Slide the forearm up your back; reach up and
over with your right hand and hook your fingers, or use a strap if you cant reach. Hold
for one minute; release and switch sides.
As your chest expands and your breath ow increases

in this sequence, youll lift up with buoyancy and ease, able to
more fully enjoy the sweet shift of perspective that comes
from going upside down.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: VICKIE RUSSELL BELL; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED;
BLOCK: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.; BLANKETS: HUGGER MUGGER; MAT: GAIAM
4. Garudasana (Eagle Pose) arms Still in

Virasana, stretch your arms out in front of you,
palms down. Move your shoulder blades apart
from each other. Place the right elbow on top
of the left, bend the elbows, pass the right
hand in front of the left, and press the palms
together. Lift the elbows slightly. Hold for one
minute; then repeat on the second side.
5. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose),

variation Sit on the front edge of a folding
chair. Wrap your hands around the back edge
of the seat, thumbs pointing out to the sides,
and straighten your arms. Lift your buttocks
and step your feet forward, taking the torso and
thighs into one diagonal line. Keeping the chin
slightly tucked, widen your shoulder blades
across your back and feel expansion through
the chest. Hold for one minute.

Shoulderstand) Stack at least three blankets
variation of Bridge Pose to continue opening

your chest. Lie on your back with your knees
bent. Place your arms out to the sides, 12 to
18 inches from your torso, palms up. Lift your
lower torso off the floor, and rest your sacrum
and tailbone on a block. Start with the block at
the lowest height, adjusting it to a higher position if your lower back is free from compression. Stay for two to three minutes.
with a folded sticky mat on top. Lie down, resting your head on the floor, and your elbows
and upper arms on the sticky mat. Lift your
legs up and over into Halasana (Plow Pose).
Externally rotate the upper arms by lifting your
inner arms up and around toward your outer
arms, and shift the tops of your shoulders
toward your sacrum. Take your hands to your
back, working them closer to your shoulders.
Lift your torso and feet up, and press the tops
of the shoulders and the outer elbows down.
Hold for two to three minutes; release into
Halasana, and then to lying down. Gradually
increase your hold to five minutes over several
weeks of regular practice.
9. Matsyasana (Fish Pose) Feel the ultimate

freedom in your shoulders, neck, and chest
in this counterpose to Shoulderstand. Lie on
your back, knees bent; slide your hands, palms
down, below your buttocks. Press the forearms
into the floor, lift your head and chest, and
release the crown of your head onto the floor
or, if it doesnt reach, onto a folded blanket.
To go deeper, straighten your legs one at a
time. Stay for 30 to 60 seconds; lift your head
and chest, and release. To close, lie in Savasana
for a minimum of five minutes.
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7. Salamba Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

(Supported Bridge Pose) Use this supported
6. Shoulder Stretch, with chair Sit on the

chair, hands wrapped around the back edge of
the seat, as above. Slide your buttocks forward
and slowly drop down to a cross-legged position on the floor. Sit up on a block if the stretch
in your shoulders is too intense. Lift the front
of your torso and externally rotate the upper
arms. Hold for one minute; lean forward to
release your arms.
75
Feel Unstoppable
Level: Beginner
Good for: Animating yourself
This energizing Kundalini sequence will help you

get in touch with your body for maximum health.
Props needed: None

Intention: Satya (truthfulness)
AS YOU PRACTICE Dont eat for at least two hours before you practice this
sequence, and warm yourself up with a few stretches. Then as you do the
poses, chant Ong namo guru dev namo. That translates to I open myself
to the Divine Creativity of the Universe. To the Subtle Transparent Teacher
within and without, I bow. Chanting this mantra is like tuning the radio
to a certain wavelength, turning on the channel to Infinity. It extends
your mind from the daily earthly life to timelessness.
Reection: Move from your heart,

with honesty. Truthfulness keeps your
practice real and undistorted.
Additional benets: Mobilizes the
spine; tones the leg muscles; stretches
the jaw and throat
Sequence by Yogi Bhajan; model: Suze Q
1. Reclined Twist, variation Lying on your back, bend your right knee
and bring it across your body to the left side. Raise your right arm alongside
your ear. Your shoulders remain on the floor. Stretch to the left side and
then to the right, 21 times on each side.
2. Single-Leg Lift Still lying on your back, lift your left leg to 90 degrees
3. Single-Leg Lift, with Arm Still lying on your back, lift your arms and
4. Quad Stretch Lying on your stomach, reach back and grab your right
ankle and pull the leg down to touch your right buttock. Then release the
right ankle and grab the left ankle and stretch it down to touch the left
buttock. Continue, moving quickly and alternating legs for one minute.
76
PHOTOS: MARTY SCONDUTO; MODEL: SUZE Q; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD
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legs up to 90 degrees and then lower them and raise them again rapidly
for two minutes.
and lower it while lifting your right leg to 90 degrees. Continue alternate leg
lifts for 1 minutes.
5. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Still lying on your stomach, grab both

ankles and come up into Bow Pose. Roll on your stomach back and forth
like a hobbyhorse, extend your tongue out of your mouth, and do the
breath of fire for 1 minutes. (To do breath of fire, pump the breath in and
out through your nose. Your navel center will move in as you exhale and
out as you inhale. Start slowly, and gradually increase to 60 breaths per
minute. Keep your face and shoulders relaxed.)
6. Matsyasana (Fish Pose), variation Roll quickly onto your back and
7. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Come into Cobra Pose and begin moving
up and down from Cobra Pose to lying on the floor and back up into Cobra
Pose. Stick your tongue all the way out and breathe through your mouth.
Do 54 Cobra lifts.
8. Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose), variation Lying on your back,
9. Scissors Crisscross Lie back and, with your legs six inches off the
10. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Half Wheel Pose) Lying on your

back, come into Half Wheel Pose by grabbing your ankles and arching your
spine, resting your shoulders and head on the floor. Hold for 6 minutes.
Listen to relaxing, meditative music. Then turn on your belly and relax for
eight minutes.
bend your knees and hug them to your chest. Put your nose between your
knees and rock forward and back on your spine for two minutes.
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ground, crisscross your arms and legs back and forth for two minutes.
begin flopping your body all around and up and down for two minutes.
77
Set a Goaland Meet It
Level: Intermediate
To master the Pickup-Jumpback, you need upper-body,

hip-flexor, and core strengthbut also bravery and
a firm belief in yourself.
AS YOU PRACTICE You need patience and persistence for this sequence, Alexan-
dria Crow says, so its important to move slowly. You have to move at half the
pace that you want to. You also have to resist the urge to let go of muscle control and crash onto the floor. When you control the very last second of every
one of these poses, you start to dive into the unique strength it takes to do the
pickup-jumpback. Once you get a taste of this yoga move, youll feel stronger
and lighter in all of your arm balances.
Good for: Boosting your self-worth

Intention: Courage
Reection: Say silently to yourself,
I have inner strength, determination,
and endurance.
Additional benets: Develops
strong triceps and shoulders, as well
as a rock-solid core
78
1. Plank Pose Come to Plank Pose, shoulders directly over wrists. Press
your hands firmly down into the mat and hug your outer arms in toward
each other. Press the part of your spine between your shoulder blades
slightly up toward the ceiling. At the same time, pull your breastbone forward to keep your collarbones wide. Bring your navel in toward your spine
so that your lower back is supported. Stay here for 10 breaths. Exhale and
press back to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose).
2. Knee-to-Nose in Plank Inhale and shift back to Plank Pose. On your

next inhale, pick your left foot up off the mat. Exhale, and round your spine
as you draw your knee in toward your chest. Keep your hips low and in
line with the rest of your body. Round your upper spine toward the ceiling as much as possible. Bring your left thigh close to your chest and your
left heel close to your sitting bone. Repeat on the other side and then press
back to Down Dog.
3. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose), pushup variation Inhale to Plank Pose. Keep your collarbones and shoulder blades
4. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose) Hop to a seated position.

Bend your knees, and place your feet on the floor. Sit up tall on your sitting
bones and lift your chest. Grab the backs of your thighs and shift the weight
back just enough that your feet lift off the floor. Then straighten your legs,
spread your toes wide, and reach your arms forward. Stay for five breaths
and repeat five times, resting in a seated position between repetitions.
wide. Press your hands down as you hug your outer arms in. Draw your
navel toward your spine to support your lower back. Keeping your body
in a straight line, exhale and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Gaze slightly
forward, keeping your neck long. Inhale, and press back to Plank; then
exhale as you press back to Down Dog. Repeat five to eight times, ending
in Downward-Facing Dog Pose.
PHOTOS: JASPER JOHAL; MODEL: ALEXANDRIA CROW; STYLIST: JOSEPHINE SALVADOR; HAIR/MAKEUP: MANDY PEREZ/FACE ATELIER; BLOCKS: HUGGER MUGGER
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Sequence and modeling by Alexandria Crow
5. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose) Inhale and return to Navasana. As

you exhale, lower your legs and chest toward the floor to Ardha Navasana.
Keep your shoulders up off the floor, your belly engaged, knees straight.
Reach through your toes. Inhale, and, leading with your chest, come back
up to Navasana. Repeat this sequence five times. Then turn over and step
back to Downward-Facing Dog.
6. Lolasana (Pendant Pose) Lower onto your shins with your knees
7. Dandasana (Staff Pose), variation Hop to a seated position and

come into Dandasana. Place your hands slightly in front of your hips, fingers spread wide, palms pressing down firmly, and elbows straight. Press
your hands down so much that your sitting bones lift off the mat. Round
your back slightly, pressing your hands down even more, and pull your
navel back toward your spine. With your legs straight, pick up your right
foot for three breaths. Set it down and repeat on the left side. Repeat again,
this time trying to lift both feet off the mat simultaneously.
8. Utpluthih, variation Sit in Dandasana with blocks next to your hips.
touching. Place a block alongside each leg, halfway between your knees
and toes. Press your palms firmly into the blocks and straighten your
elbows. Round your back, pull your navel toward your spine, and bring
your thighs up to your chest. Keep your hips low, knees together and
tops of your feet on the floor. Pick up your right foot and bring your right
heel as close to your sitting bone as possible. Hold for five breaths and
switch legs. Repeat the pose once, trying to pick up both feet, even if
for a moment. Remove the blocks and press back to Downward Dog.
Cross your shinbones and pull your thighs toward your chest. Press your
hands down into the blocks, straighten your elbows, and lift your hips and
feet off the floor. Take five breaths and then rest. Repeat two more times.
thighs glued to your chest, heels pulled to your sitting bones. Press your
palms into the blocks and lift your hips and feet off the floor, rounding your
spine. Once airborne, stay in this compact shapeits the key to the pose.
Begin bending your elbows as you did in Chaturanga; once your feet have
cleared the ground and your elbows are bent to 90 degrees, broaden your
chest and trust yourself. In a quick but controlled motion, straighten your legs
and shoot them back, hip-distance apart, landing in Chaturanga. Inhale to
Upward-Facing Dog; exhale and press back to Downward Dog.
To Finish From Down Dog, come to Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Reconnect with
your natural, unmodified breath. Then recline into Savasana for five minutes.
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9. Pickup-Jumpback, on blocks Set yourself up again with shins crossed,
79
Cultivate Poise and Grace
Level: Intermediate
These balancing poses leave you feeling centered, calm,

and ready to conquer the world.
true north
AS YOU PRACTICE Rather than bearing your weight in your wrists, think
Intention: Focus
of lifting out of the wrists and drawing energy up through the arch of the
hand. When you stretch the hamstrings, draw the thighbones up and
into the hip joints to isolate the stretch in the belly of the muscles.
Reection: You are training your mind

in one-pointed attention, with the surprising result of happiness. Yoga aims for
complete awareness in everything you do,
said B.K.S. Iyengar, founder of the Iyengar
Yoga style.
1. Cat-Cow Pose, variation Come onto all

fours with fingers pointing backward. Inhale,
lift your gaze and sitting bones to the ceiling.
Exhale and round your spine, bringing your
gaze to the navel. Repeat five times.
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4. Malasana (Garland Pose), Wide Yogi

Squat Twist variation Step feet forward out-
80
side your hands. Lower your hips. Press your

right upper arm into the inside of your right
leg. Walk the right fingertips past the right toes.
Reach the left hand up. Return to center and do
the other side.
Props needed: None
Additional benets: Releases tension in the wrists and forearms; strengthens your core; stretches your hamstrings
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Turn your hands so that

variation Step the feet together and roll for-
your fingers point forward. Tuck the toes.

Inhale, and lift your sitting bones up and back.
Exhale, and lengthen the sides of your torso.
ward. Soften your knees to relax the hamstrings; rest your chest on your thighs.
5. Plank Pose Bend your knees, place your
6. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), variation Pivot to the outer edge of the right foot.
palms flat, and step back into Plank Pose. Lift

the sides of the waist to engage your core.
Lengthen through the spine, reaching the
crown of the head forward and extending your
heels back.
Step the left foot in front of the right knee. Press

through the right hand and left foot to lift the
hips; extend the left arm. Return to Plank and
do the other side.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: STACIE OVERBY; STYLIST: LISA MOIR/ARTIST UNTIED; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence by Ame Wren; model: Stacie Overby
Good for: Helping you find your own
palm flat, and step both feet back into Downward Dog. Lift your sitting bones. Press thumbs
and index fingers down. Roll the outer arms
toward ears.

Step your feet together and continue folding
forward. Spread your weight between the heel,
ball, and sides of feet. Release the crown of
your head toward the floor. After five breaths,
roll up to standing.
13. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Pivot

onto your outer right foot. Draw your left knee
in and clasp your left big toe; lift and extend
your left leg. (If the full pose is inaccessible,
repeat Pose 6.) Return to Plank; do other side.
8. Alasana (High Lunge) Step your right foot

forward. Inhaling, lift your torso up and reach
your arms overhead. Firm the lower belly and
reach your tailbone to the floor. Bend your
right knee to 90 degrees. Reach through the
back leg.
11. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana

(Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) Hug
12. Plank Pose Inhale and lift up onto your fingertips as you reach the heart toward the front
of your mat. Exhale and place your palms next
to your feet. Step back into Plank.
your right knee to your chest and rotate it to

the right. Clasp the right big toe with your
right hand and extend the leg. Gaze to the left.
Return to center, release your leg, and do the
other side.
Release your hands to the floor. Step the left

foot halfway forward and pivot the left heel
down. Straighten your right leg and fold forward. Bring your palms to the floor, fingers
pointing back. Repeat steps 8 and 9 on the
other side.
14. Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Return to
15. Balasana (Childs Pose) Roll down out
Plank and lie on your belly. Interlace your fingers behind your back. Inhale, drawing your
navel in. Exhale, and engage your hamstrings
to lift legs. Lift your upper chest.
of Salabhasana. Press up to all fours. Draw

knees together and sink hips back. Lower
your forehead to the mat and rest arms at
sides, palms-up to release wrists.
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7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Bring the left arm down,
81
Grow Your Power

With this sequence, the goal is to repeat poses and hold
them for long periods to help build your inner resolve.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Cultivating discipline and
building endurance
Props needed: Two optional blocks
AS YOU PRACTICE Some poses might be difficult to hold, but you can
Intention: Offering
repeat them to build tenacity. Aim to hold these poses, especially the three
Warrior Poses, for 20 seconds or as long as you can. Over time, increase
your hold times to build endurance. When you want to come out of a pose,
see if you can stay with the discomfort a few more seconds. There are
psychological benefits to challenging yourself to do something youve
never done before.
Reection: Give your practice to your

highest good. I dont stretch my body as
an object. I do yoga from the Self towards
the body, not the other way around, said
B.K.S. Iyengar, yoga teacher and founder of
the Iyengar Yoga style.
the legs; lengthens the front spine
82
1. Urdhva Hastasana in Tadasana (Upward

Salute in Mountain Pose) Standing in
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) On an exhalation, bend for-
Tadasana, raise your arms in front of you

so they are parallel with the floor. Hug your
upper arms toward each other and release
your shoulder blades down. Exhale as you
raise your arms over your head, lengthen
through the fingertips, and lift the sides of
the chest. Hold for 30 seconds.
ward, placing your hands on the ground a little

wider than shoulder-width apart. If your hands
dont touch the mat, bend your knees. Step
one leg back at a time into Downward-Facing
Dog. Lengthen the spine away from your arms
and lengthen your heels toward the floor. Hold
for one minute.
3. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Walk your feet

toward your hands and bend your legs so
that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Sweep
your arms up toward the sky, lifting your torso
and coming into Utkatasana. Press the tops
of your shins toward the back of the room,
keeping your weight on your heels. Hold for
20 to 60 seconds. On an inhalation, come
back to Tadasana.
Muscular action is the most direct expression of willpower

in our body, says Walden. These poses engage muscular action
and strength. From that you develop condence.
PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: DAVID SIRGANY; STYLIST: MAI-LEI PECORARI/ARTISTS SERVICES; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED
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Sequence by Patricia Walden; model: David Sirgany
5. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) Lower
6. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III)
On an inhalation, jump or step the feet roughly

four feet apart and extend the arms out to your
sides. Turn your left foot in 45 degrees and turn
your right foot out. Press the outer left heel
into the floor and lengthen all the way from
the heel to the left buttock, as you bend your
right leg to a 90-degree angle. Stretch your
arms out to the sides, moving your shoulder
blades into and down your back. Hold for 20
to 60 seconds. Switch sides.
your arms by your sides and rotate your torso

to the right. On an inhalation, raise your arms
up to the sky and come into Virabhadrasana I.
Raise your chin and look up, lifting your chest
from the base of your sternum. Hold for 20 to
60 seconds, then straighten the right knee and
move into the pose on your other side.
After doing Warrior I on the left side, parallel

your feet and turn your right foot out, left foot
in. Lean your torso over your right leg. Keep
moving forward and let your back leg lift off the
ground. Your torso and arms should be parallel with the ground. Your back kneecap points
toward the floor. Hold as long as you can.
On an exhalation, rise up and come back into
Tadasana. Step the feet wide again and do the
left side, ending in Tadasana.

Staff Pose) Lie on your stomach with your
8. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Lower from Chaturanga
9. Ustrasana (Camel Pose) Kneel with
elbows bent and your hands on the ground

beside your ribs. Place your feet a foot apart
and tuck your toes under. Hug your elbows
into the sides of your chest and lift your head
and shoulders up. Take a deep inhalation; with
a sharp exhalation, lift your body off the floor,
hovering a few inches above the ground.
Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Dandasana onto the floor. On an exhalation,

press down through the palms, straighten your
arms, and lift your chest, hips, and knees. Roll
your shoulders back and rise up through the
base of your sternum. Hold for one minute.
Draw yourself back into Childs Pose.
10. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) Lie on your back and
bend your knees, your feet hip-width apart and close to your buttocks.
Place your palms on the mat outside your shoulders with your fingers
pointing toward your feet. Press down and, on an exhalation, raise yourself off the floor, coming onto the crown of your head. Straighten your
arms fully to lift your head off the floor. Use a block if needed between the
thighs. Hold for 30 seconds, then come down slowly. Rest in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
your hands on your waist. Draw your tailbone

down and lift the top of your chest. Arch back,
continuing to draw your tailbone down. Take
your hands to your heels and press down
through your hands to lift up through your
chest. Hold for 20 seconds. To come up, place
your hands on your hips, inhale, and lift from
your sternum.
83
Stand Your Ground

Slow down and come home to yourself on the mat with
this sequence of simple yet effective standing poses.
Level: Beginner
Good for: Reinforcing alignment
Intention: Mindfulness
AS YOU PRACTICE Set the intention of creating a firm, grounded base
from your feet up into your legs and hips. Move your legs more slowly
and deliberately than you would normally, and focus your awareness
on the details of your alignment to help draw your attention inward.
Ground into the legs to sink deeper into yourself.
Reection: Observe your thoughts

without judgment, but with your
full attention.
the ankles, arches, and quads; opens
the hips
1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Join the inner
2. Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Bend your right
edges of your feet. Stand upright. Lift your toes

and move your thighs back toward your heels.
Spread your toes and expand the soles of your
feet. Inhale, and broaden your chest and collarbones. Exhale, and allow your attention to
reside in the firm, steady support of your legs.
knee and hold your ankle with your right hand.

Turn your knee to the right and place the sole
of the foot high against the inner left thigh.
Press your heel strongly into your thigh, securing the legs together. Reach your arms up
and lengthen both sides of your torso evenly.
Breathe freely. Switch sides; return to Tadasana.
3. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Jump or step your feet wide apart.
Turn your right leg out and bring your left foot
slightly in. Exhale, and extend your torso to the
right, placing your right hand on the floor or on
your shinbone. Use a block if needed. Lift the
arches, ankles, knees, and thighs, and press
down through the heels. Exhale, and turn your
chest toward the ceiling. Extend your left arm
directly over the right shoulder. Stay for one
minute. Inhale to come up, then switch sides.
yogajournal.com
The legs hold you up. They take you where you want to go,
says Costello. When you focus on the legs, you go back to the source
of your power and strength.
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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: LAURA CHRISTENSEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence by Nikki Costello; model: Laura Christensen

Angle Pose) Come back into Virabhadrasana
II on the right side. Exhale, and take the right
hand to the floor or onto a block. Extend your
left arm straight up; externally rotate the left
arm and extend it over your left ear. Press your
left heel down, feeling a stretch from your left
heel to your fingertips. Stay for one minute.
Inhale to come up; switch sides.
Take Utthita Parsvakonasana on the right side,

with your left hand on your waist. Place the
right hand on the floor or block about a foot in
front of your right leg. Shift your body forward
and lift your left leg up until it is parallel to the
floor. Straighten the right leg. Extend the left
arm up and turn the chest, waist, and head to
look up. Repeat on the other side.
Position your legs as in Virabhadrasana I but

keep the front legs straight. Inhale and lift the
sides of your torso evenly. Exhale, and extend
your torso forward until it is parallel to the floor.
Bring your fingertips to the floor on either side
of the front foot. Walk your hands forward and
take your head toward your shin. Stay for 1 minute. Inhale, slowly come up, and repeat on
the left side.
6. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) Place

your hands on your waist. Turn your right foot
out and bring your left foot in. Rotate the back
of your left leg from the inner thigh to the outer
thigh. Then turn the shoulders, torso, and pelvis to the right. Bend the right knee deeply.
Extend the arms up. Stay for one minute. Inhale
to come up; switch sides.

Standing Forward Bend) Stand with your
legs wide apart and place your hands on
your waist. Exhale, and bend forward until
your torso is parallel to the floor. Place your
fingertips on the floor beneath your shoulders. Reestablish your legs by lifting the arches,
ankles, knees, and thighs. Walk your hands
back toward your feet, press the palms to the
floor, and bend your elbows. Lower your head
to the floor or support it with a block. Stay for
two minutes. Inhale to come up.
10. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Bring

your feet together and come to the top of your mat. Bend forward, place
your hands on the mat, then step back, one leg at a time, into Downward
Dog. Spread your palms and feet as you lift up through your arms and legs.
Move your thighs back. Drop the heels and head toward the floor, breathing evenly. Close by coming into Savasana.
yogajournal.com
4. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) Place

your hands on your waist while keeping your
chest lifted. Turn your right leg to the right
and bring your left foot slightly in. Exhale, and
bend your right leg at a right angle. Spread the
weight evenly through both feet. Extend your
arms to shoulder height and turn your head to
look beyond your right hand. Stay for one minute. Inhale to come up; switch sides.
85
Prep for Success

This heat-building flow practice weaves together strong
standing poses, balancing poses, and twists to re-energize.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Building arm strength
bending, backbending, and twisting movements to create a feeling of fluidity,

suppleness, and power along your spine. Work with your body at your own
pace. If your breath becomes strained or rapid, move more slowly or come
into Childs Pose to rest.
Sequence by Baron Baptiste; model: Jeremy Simon
1. Adho Mukha Svanasana(DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Press your hands into the
mat and lift your hips to the upper-back corner
of the room. Reach your sitting bones to the
ceiling. Root your heels toward the earth. Press
your thighs toward the wall behind you.
yogajournal.com
4. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Spin
86
onto the outer edge of your right foot. Root

your right hand down as you reach your left
hand up. Return to Down Dog. Then repeat the
sequence from Flip Dog through Vasisthasana
on the other side.
2. Flip Dog From Down Dog, lift your right leg

and bend your knee. With control, bring your
right foot to the floor so that you flip over, landing face-up. Reach your right hand toward the
wall at the front of your mat. As you inhale, flip
back over into Downward Dog.
5. Adho Mukha Svanasana(DownwardFacing Dog Pose) After you do Vasisthasana

on the second side, return to Down Dog.
Breathe deeply, finding length and evenness
in your spine.
Intention: Tapas (discipline)

Reection: Discipline creates
the habit of right action.
Additional benets: Stimulates the
flow of prana, or life force, through the
body, cleaning out your old energy and
providing new energy
3. Plank Pose Press down through your

hands, reach back through your heels, and
draw your belly back toward your spine for
support in this challenging pose. Stay for
two breaths.
6. Bakasana (Crane Pose) Move your hands

back about 12 inches. Bring your feet together,
bend your knees, tilt your weight forward, and
rest your knees in your armpits as you lift your
feet. Use a block if needed, under the head.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: JEREMY SIMON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: RENEE RAEL/ARTIST UNTIED
AS YOU PRACTICE When you move through the sequence, allow the forward
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana(DownwardFacing Dog Pose) From Crane, bring your

Side Angle Pose), variation Step your right
feet down and walk your hands forward to

Down Dog.
foot forward into a lunge. Twist your left elbow

outside your right knee, hands together. Inhale;
exhale and rotate your chest toward the sky.
10. Viparita Virabhadrasana (Reverse Warrior) Tilt your arms back, bringing your left
11. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle

Pose) Straighten your right leg. Reach your
12. Adho Mukha Svanasana(DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Step back into Downward
hand to your left thigh and reaching your right

fingertips overhead. Stay deep in your lunge,
your right knee stacked over your right ankle.
right arm forward and rest your right hand on

the ground or a block. Reach your left fingertips
up. Keep both sides of your torso long as you
turn your heart to the ceiling.
Dog. Then repeat Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

through Triangle on the second side, finishing
in Downward Dog.
14. Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)
15. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of

the Fishes Pose) From Side Crane, sit on
From Chair, twist to the right, bring your hands

to the floor, bend your elbows, and rest your
right knee on your left elbow. Shift your weight
forward to balance. Use a block if needed.
Come back to Chair; do other side.
your mat with your right knee pointing toward

the ceiling and your left foot outside your right
hip. Inhale and lengthen your spine. Then
exhale and twist. Switch sides. To finish,
rest in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
13. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Jump to the

head of your mat, feet together. Bend your
knees deeply, as though you were reaching
for a chair at the back of your mat. Reach your
arms forward and up, abdominals pulling in
toward your spine.
Spin your back foot down and open to Warrior

II. Create a wide base and power through your
back leg as you bend your right knee deeply.
87
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Live Healthy
WHETHER YOU WANT TO RELIEVE AN ACHY

BACK, OPEN UP TIGHT HIPS, OR POWER UP YOUR
LEGS, ARMS, OR CORE, THE 14 SEQUENCES IN
THIS SECTION WILL HELP YOU FEEL YOUR
BEST FROM HEAD TO TOE.
Breathe Easy
Level: Intermediate
Do you suffer from bad allergies or stuffy sinuses? Open up

your airways with this therapeutic Iyengar Yoga sequence.
Good for: Boosting respiratory health

Props needed: Two blankets, one
bolster, one block, and one chair
AS YOU PRACTICE In all of these poses, your shoulder blades should move
Intention: Practice
away from your head and forward toward your chest. When the proper
shoulder-blade action falls into place, you will feel a sense of spaciousness
and relaxation in the neck and shoulders, which will encourage the sinuses
to open. Once that happens, you can focus on draining the sinuses with
inverted poses. Even in those poses, though, its important to keep your
shoulder blades engaged while your face stays soft.
Reection: Move and breathe

every day. Consciously thank yourself
for choosing yoga. Do your practice and
all is coming, said Sri K. Pattabhi Jois,
Indian yoga teacher.
Additional benets: Opens up the
shoulders and chest; lengthens the hamstrings and hip flexors
1. Balasana (Childs Pose) Sit on your heels

with your knees apart and your big toes touching. Extend your arms forward and rest your
head on the floor. If your head does not reach
the floor with ease, put a blanket or two underneath your forehead for support. Lengthen the
buttocks back while extending the chest and
ribs forward. Keep your neck soft and your
shoulders away from the ears.
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) With your hands and knees
on the floor, place a block underneath your
chest. Straighten your legs and lift into Downward-Facing Dog. Let your neck release down
so that your head can rest on the support.
If your head doesnt reach the block, place a
bolster or several folded blankets underneath it.

Separate your feet wider than hip-width apart
and bend forward. Place the crown of your
head on a support (try a block or even a chair).
Hold your ankles with your hands and separate
your elbows. Even though your head is resting on the prop, keep your weight in your feet.
Your neck should feel long, your chest broad.
yogajournal.com
In these poses, you really have to look for that feeling of calm and
softness, despite the fact that you are working, says Apt.
While the upper back and shoulder blades work, the head, neck,
throat, and eyes should remain relaxed.
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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: MARLA APT; STYLIST: MICAH BISHOP/ARTIST UNTIED; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD; BLANKETS: YELLOW: PROP CITY; PLAID: HUGGER MUGGER
Sequence and modeling by Marla Apt
LIVE HEALTHY
4. Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose)

Sit in Virasana (Hero Pose). Lie back on a bolster. If your knees splay apart or hurt, use more
support under your back. If your head tilts
backward, place a blanket underneath it. Extend
your arms overhead and clasp your elbows
with your hands.
7. Chatush Padasana (Four-Footed Pose)
6. Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) If this pose is new, do not attempt
on a folding chair, with your legs threaded

through the opening above the chair seat.
Lie back, placing your upper back on the edge
of the chair seat. Extend your legs and place
your heels on a block. Pull on the chair with
your arms to open your chest. Rest the crown
of your head on a prop, keeping your neck
relaxed. Bend your knees and lift your torso
up to come out of the pose.
it without the supervision of an experienced

teacher; it is not for beginners or those with
neck injuries. Try it at a wall if you cannot balance in the middle of the room. Place your forearms on the floor, with your elbows directly
underneath your shoulders, and then interlock your fingers. Place your head on the floor
between your hands. Straighten your legs and
walk your feet closer to your head. Gently lift
your legs up into Headstand. Keep the shoulders lifted while you come down, then rest
your head on the floor for a minute in Balasana.

Shoulderstand) Place a chair with a rolled
9. Halasana (Plow Pose) From Salamba
blanket or a bolster behind your blankets.

Then lie back on the blankets and lift your torso
and legs up toward the ceiling directly above
your shoulders. With your elbows bent, cradle your upper back (near the shoulder blades)
with your hands; dont let your elbows splay
too much. Relax the neck and throat and look
at your chest as you walk your hands farther
down your back toward the floor.
Sarvangasana, take your legs overhead and rest

your thighs on a support. Relax your arms by
the sides of your head. Keep your throat passive and your eyes, temples, and cheeks soft.
To close the practice, rest in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
Place three blankets on a mat and lie over the

blankets with your shoulders in line with their
top edges. With your feet hip-width apart, bend
your knees and clasp your ankles with your
hands, place and hold a belt around the ankles,
or grasp the sides of your mat. Press your heels
into the floor, lift your pelvis up toward the ceiling, and roll the outer edges of your shoulders
down into the floor. Lift the upper back away
from the floor and open the chest.
5. Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (TwoLegged Inverted Staff Pose) Sit backward
91
Turn Back the Clock

To maintain a feeling of youth, try this practice of forward
bends, backbends, and twists, which will help you stay agile.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Promoting spinal health
Props needed: None
Intention: Santosha (contentment)
sound of it going mentally with each pose. Warm up your spine by moving it
forward, backward, sideways, and into twists, synching your breath with
the movement.
Sequence by Sri Dharma Mittra; model: Yogi Varuna
1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose); Hasta

Prasarita Tadasana (Wide-Legged RaisedArm Mountain Pose) Build heat with jump-
yogajournal.com
ing jacks. Starting in Mountain Pose, inhale to

swing your arms up and clap your palms overhead while jumping your feet out wide. Exhale
to move back to Mountain Pose. Continue,
breathing just through your nose.
92
2. Tadasana (Mountain Pose), variation) Interlace your fingers behind your back.
Squeeze your buttocks, shoulder blades, and
forearms together. Push your pelvis and hands
away from each other, and bring your chin
toward your chest. Inhale to come back to
Tadasana, but keep your fingers interlaced.
4. Kapyasana (Monkey Pose), variation Bend your left knee and lower your right

Side Angle Pose), variation Release your
foot and knee to the floor, coming into a Low

Lunge. Exhale to release your hands. Reach
your left hand between your shoulder blades,
palm facing out. Raise your right arm overhead,
then reach down and hook your left fingers
with your right, pressing the back of your head
against your right arm. Gaze up.
arms and bring them parallel to the ground.

Move your left foot in so your left shin, left
thigh, right thigh, and the floor create a square.
Place your right upper arm against your outer
left thigh. Push your palms together and twist
from the base of the spine through the crown
of the head. Look up. Exhale to release the twist.
Reection: Observe being neutral,

a perfect balance that is not pulled
between extremes. Reduce your wants
and lead a happy and contented life,
says Sri Dharma Mittra, yoga teacher.
Additional benets: Lubricates
your joints; stimulates your glands
3. Pattan Vrksasana (Toppling Tree Pose)

Bend forward until your belly nearly touches
your left thigh. Then slowly raise your right
leg, both arms, and your head. Point your right
toes, gaze at the ground about four feet ahead
of the left toes, and concentrate on finding
stillness.
6. Utthan Pristhasana (Lizard Pose)

Move your left foot forward, keeping your
lower left leg perpendicular to the floor. Bring
your forearms to the floor inside your left foot
and let the left thigh relax. If you are more flexible, you can take your elbows wider and bring
your chest and chin to the ground. The top
of your right thigh should face the ground.
Gaze forward while you hold the pose.
PHOTOS: CHRIS FANNING; MODEL: YOGI VARUNA; STYLIST: SARAH PARLOW; GROOMING: GREGG HUBBARD WITH BERNSTEIN & ANDRIULLI
AS YOU PRACTICE Begin and end the sequence by chanting Om, and keep the
7. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Tuck your right toes under
8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) On an exhalation, take

Pose) From your back, bend your knees and
and move your left foot back into Chaturanga

Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). Then
press your hands into the ground as you backbend into Upward-Facing Dog. Your thighs
should be close to the floor, but your legs
shouldnt touch it. Gaze straight ahead.
your hips up and move the top of your head

near or onto the floor. Your feet should be
three to five inches apart, with the heels down.
Keep pushing your shoulder region down
toward the ground. (In Dharma Yoga, this pose
is used to open the chest and shoulders.)
place your feet on the ground, heels near your

seat. Bring your hands to the floor by your ears,
fingers facing your feet. Press into your fingertips and raise your pelvis. Place the top of your
head on the ground. Inhale to come all the
way up, pushing your feet down to get your
arms perpendicular to the floor. To release,
slowly lower down and bring your knees to
your chest.
10. Vyaghrasana (Tiger Pose) Roll onto your

stomach and come to Tabletop. Tuck your toes
under and raise your left leg as high as it will go
with the toes pointed, simultaneously looking
up as far as you can. After holding, lower your
left leg and head back down so you are gazing ahead. Repeat with your right leg. Untuck
your toes, bring your feet close together, sit
on your heels, and lower your forehead to the
ground. Rest in Childs Pose for two to three
long breaths.
12. Ustrasana (Camel Pose) Kneel, tuck your

toes under, and bring your hands to your lower
back. Arch your back and grab your ankles.
Lift your chest and push your arms toward
each other. Drop your head back. After holding, straighten up and bring your hands to your
lower back. Place the tops of your feet on the
ground, sit back on your heels, and bow forward into Childs Pose.
Bring your gaze between your hands. Exhale

to jump or step your feet between your hands.
Remain here with your chest and thighs
together. If possible, press your forehead
against your shins to feel a stretch along yourspine. After holding, bring your palms together
and raise your torso and arms to vertical and
then into a standing backbend. Inhale and
return to a vertical position, bringing your arms
to your sides in Mountain Pose.
13. Halasana (Plow Pose) Lie on your back.
14. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvajas Twist)
15. Savasana (Corpse Pose) Lie on your
Stretch your arms on the ground, alongside

your head, with your palms facing up. In one
long, fluid motion, raise your legs together off
the floor, then your back, until your toes or the
tops of your feet rest on the floor beyond your
head and arms. Rest in the pose. After holding, bring your arms back alongside your hips,
palms facing down. Raise your legs and slowly
roll out, returning legs to the ground.
Sit, extending your legs in front of you. Bend

your left leg so the heel is near your seat. Bend
your right knee and bring the outside of your
right foot onto the top of your upper left thigh,
close to your lower belly. Reach your right arm
back and around while twisting to the right.
Hold the right foot if possible. Place your left
hand on or under your right knee. Switch sides.
back. Imagine that during every exhalation,

your entire body is getting very heavy and all of
the flesh is rapidly sinking into the floor. Now
leave the body by itself and visualize a beautiful
blue-and-red sunset. Finally, enter the Temple of
the Soul in the heart region, touching boundless
consciousness. (In Dharma Yoga, this is the area
to the right of your heart.) Come out very slowly
and take a few simple stretches that feel good.
yogajournal.com
LIVE HEALTHY
93
Cleanse Your System

Revolve from the ground up with a twisting practice that
supports digestion and brings you into the present.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Nurturing intestinal health
Intention: Purity
AS YOU PRACTICE Begin all of the twists with an inhalation. Then on an
exhalation, take each twist a little deeper. Inhale and rise tall, imagining
that the breath puffs up small balloons between the vertebrae. Keep those
balloons filled as you exhale and continue to revolve around the spine once
more. Also, learn to hug in the muscles around the spine to initiate the twists,
allowing the larger back muscles to soften and thus avoiding tension in the
neck and shoulders.
Reection: Practicing with a clean

body and a tidy environment brings saucha, or purity, to the mind. Nourish your
body with clean foods after your practice.
the arms; opens the hips; increases range
of motion in the spine
yogajournal.com
1. Balasana (Childs Pose) From DownwardFacing Dog, come to your knees, fold forward,
arms extended in front, and then relax with the
center of your brow on the earth. Take a few
breaths to center yourself before moving on.
94

Pose) Bend your knees, and hook your left
elbow onto the outside of your right knee.
Keeping your pelvis neutral and knees and feet
square, sit low, and twist deeply from your
belly toward the right.
2. Parivrtta Adho Mukha Svanasana

(Revolved Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
Step back into a shorter Downward-Facing Dog
Pose, and bring your right hand to hold your
outer left ankle. Twist to the left. Allow your
head to hang, and gaze under your left arm.
Return to center to change sides.
3. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Come back

to center, and walk your feet to your hands.
Slowly rise to standing, hands at the chest in
Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal). Stand equally
on both legs, and feel the length in your spine.
5. Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)
6. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Slowly extend
Place hands on the floor. Tuck knees onto your

upper right arm, feet together. Come forward
to begin to lift your seat. Keep toes on mat, or
lift feet up completely. Use a block if needed.
Come down into a squat, feet touching and
hands on the floor.
your knees, raise your sitting bones, and come

up to stand with hands at your heart. Repeat
poses 4 to 6 on the other side.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: CLAIRE MISSINGHAM; STYLISTS: LYN HEINEKEN & TATIANA SAUNDERS; HAIR/MAKEUP: CASSIE CHAPMAN/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence and modeling by Claire Missingham
LIVE HEALTHY
10. Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana

(Revolved Wide-Legged Standing Forward
Bend) Come up slightly to center your right
palm below your nose. Rest your left hand on
your sacrum, and then extend your left arm
skyward. Twist from your belly, keeping your
pelvis neutral. Then switch sides.

the Fishes Pose) Bend your left knee, and
place your left foot outside your right hip. Place
your right foot outside your left knee. Inhale,
and reach your left hand up. Exhale, and twist to
the right. Untwist, and repeat on the other side.
8. Parivrtta Malasana (Revolved Garland

Pose) Separate your feet hip-distance apart,

Standing Forward Bend) From squatting,
bend your knees, and come down to a deep

squat. Bring your right arm between your legs,
and place your palm on the mat to the right of
your foot. Open your left arm to the sky. Then
repeat poses 7 and 8 on other side
stand up. Take a big step out to the right, feet

parallel. Fold forward with straight legs. Place
hands shoulder-width apart on the mat. Let the
top of your head drop to the floor, if possible;
use a block if needed.
11. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side

Stretch) Untwist, bring your feet together,
12. Ankle-to-Knee Pose, variation Sit, bend
and stand up. Take a step to the left, and face

your right leg. Turn your left foot in 25 degrees.
Draw your right hip back, and fold over your
right leg, hands on either side of your foot.
Stand up, and repeat on the other side.

Extend your legs in front. Bring your fingertips
behind, facing your seat. Adductors squeeze,
and inner ankles touch. Inhale, raise your pelvis, extend your arms down, point your toes,
and lift up into a backbend.
your knees, and place your feet on the mat.

Externally rotate your right leg, and stack your
right ankle on top of your left knee. Place hands
behind you. Then come out of the pose, and
switch legs before extending your legs in front.

Bend) Come down to sit with legs extended.
Flex your feet, inhale, and lift your heart.
Exhale, lengthen your spine, and fold forward.
Grab your big toes, or place your hands on
your shins. End in Savasana.
yogajournal.com

From Tadasana, raise your arms overhead, and
then fold forward over your legs. Place your
hands on your shins or on the floor.
95
Open Up Tight Hips

Hip-opening practices neednt be passive. This standing
sequence will also keep your legs and belly strong.
Level: Beginner
Good for: Building overall flexibility
Intention: Vigor
AS YOU PRACTICE Try not to overstretch your muscles or relax into your joints
in these poses. Imagine you are hugging muscle to bone. Actively engage your
muscles while you create conscious, intentional release.
Reection: Yoga is the art and

science of living, said Indra Devi, mother
of Western yoga.
Additional benets: Energizes
the spine
Sequence by Baron Baptiste; model: Tom Lee
yogajournal.com
see that your hands are shoulder-distance apart

and press them into the mat. Sink your heels
toward the ground and tilt your tailbone toward
the sky.
96
4. Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Swing your

right arm under your left, crossing at the
elbows. Bend your knees and cross your
right leg over your left, wrapping your right
foot behind the left calf. Hold for five breaths;
unwind and float your right foot back into a
High Lunge.
2. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) Step

your right foot forward into a lunge. Turn your
back heel to the floor, pressing the back edge
of your foot into the mat. Squeeze the muscles of your back thigh toward the bone as you
reach your arms overhead and lift your chest.
5. High Lunge, variation Bend your left knee

deeply until your front thigh is parallel to the
floor. Press strongly through your back heel.
Draw the pit of your belly in and up.

Open into Warrior II. Stack your front knee on
top of the ankle and activate your back leg.
Exhale and transition into Down Dog. Do the
left side of Warrior I and II; step back into Down
Dog, then step to the top of your mat and
come to standing.
6. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III),

with Eagle arms Wrap your right arm under
your left, bring your weight into your front leg,
and come into Warrior III. Draw your arms forward and press your right foot back.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: TOM LEE; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: TRICIA TURNER/ARTIST UNTIED
1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) In Downward-Facing Dog,
LIVE HEALTHY
8. Standing Splits Realign your hips and

shoulders as in Warrior III, keeping your right
leg active as you release both hands to the
floor. Root down into your standing foot as
you reach your left leg up. Wrap your right arm
around your standing calf. Relax into the pose.
9. Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved

Half Moon Pose) Square your hips toward
11. Malasana (Garland Pose) Open your

feet as wide as your mat and squat toward
the floor. With hands in prayer position, press
your elbows against the insides of your knees.
As your tailbone draws down toward the
ground, draw your chest and the crown of
your head up.
12. Bakasana (Crow Pose) From the squat,

reach forward and place your hands on the mat
a little wider apart than shoulder width. Pull
your belly into your spine, lift your hips, and tilt
your weight forward into your hands. Press the
inner edges of your feet together and fly!

Staff Pose) From Crow Pose, extend your
14. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Straighten your arms
15. Adho Mukha Svanasana Turn your toes
chest forward as you float your feet back into a

low Plank position. Take a chanceyou might
have to experience a few belly flops as you step
into the possibility of growing stronger.
and press the tops of your feet into the floor.

Broaden your collarbones. Tilt the corners of
your mouth up into a smile. Hold this pose for
a few breaths. Be still and open up.
Unbind your arms, stretching your left hand to

a block or to the floor and your right fingertips
to the ceiling as you stack your top hip over the
standing leg. Look up at your right fingertips
and shine out!

With your feet hip-width apart and parallel, fold
forward. Soften your knees and hang forward.
Observe the different sensations in your right
and left hips.
the floor and place your right hand on a block

or on the floor. Extend your left arm up. Inhale,
lengthen, and then twist your torso to the left.
Repeat poses 5 to 10 on the other side.
under and lift your hips up and back to Down

Dog. Jump forward. Return to standing and
repeat poses 5 through 9 on the left side. To
end, rest in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
97
Support Your Spine

Open yourself up with a revitalizing sequence that
strengthens the back of your body.
Level: Beginner
Good for: Creating gracefulness
Intention: Selflessness
down your back and draw your sternum forward to create an even arch.
You want a feeling of traction in the spine, as though its drawing forward
and away from the pelvis.
yogajournal.com
Sequence by Deborah Burkman; model Rachael Lincoln
98
1. Sphinx Pose Lie on your belly with forearms in front, palms down, elbows under
shoulders. Pull the shoulders down the back
as you reach the sternum forward. Press the
pubic bone to the ground. To release, bring the
hands by your sides and forehead to the mat.
2. Salabhasana A (Locust Pose A) Keep
4. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Place your hands by the
5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Exhale, and lift back as the
lower rib cage. Inhale, straighten the arms, and

press downward, pulling shoulder blades down
the back and your spine and sternum forward
and up. With toes pointed, thighs and knees lift.
hips reach up to the sky and the arms press forward and into the floor. Have equal weight on
your hands and feet. Use your arms to lengthen
your spine as you straighten your legs.
your hands by your sides, palms up, legs and

feet together. Pull your shoulders down your
back. Inhale, and lift your chest forward and up
as you raise your legs. Root your fingers and
pelvis into the ground.
Reection: Dedicate your practice

to someone else. Karma Yoga brings the
richness of seva, or selfless service. Who
will be the happiest person? The one
who brings happiness to others, said
Swami Satchidananda, yoga master.
the hamstrings and glutes; lengthens the
quads and hip flexors
3. Salabhasana B (Locust Pose B) Place

your hands by your lower rib cage, palms
down. Pull the shoulder blades down the back
as you reach the sternum forward and up. To
release, come down, forehead and arms resting on the floor.
6. Plank Pose Exhale, and shift your weight

forward, shoulders over wrists, heels over toes.
Engage the abdominals, and feel that your
spine keeps its natural curve. Dont let the low
back or head sink toward the floor. Keep your
shoulder blades down the back.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: RACHAEL LINCOLN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: RENEE RAEL/ARTIST UNTIED
AS YOU PRACTICE When you come into your backbends, pull your shoulders
LIVE HEALTHY
8. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Bend your
9. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) Come
knees and reach back to grab the outside of

your ankles. Inhale, and lift your legs and chest
off the ground. Press your shins into your
hands and your pelvis into the ground while
the chest reaches forward. Release the pose,
and lie down on the mat.
to hands and knees, and then sit back on your

heels with toes pointed. If needed for comfort,
use a block. Rest your hands on the tops of
your legs, and take a moment to gather your
energy for the next pose.
11. Balasana (Childs Pose) Come out of

Camel Pose, and sit back on your heels with
your toes pointed. Fold over your thighs as
you reach your arms in front. Rest your head
on the floor.

Pose) Lie on your back. Bend your knees,

Pose) Place your hands on the mat next to

Abdomen Pose), variation With arms out

Bend) Extend the legs in front, feet touch-
your ears, fingers pointed at your feet. Inhale,

and straighten your arms and legs as you lift
your back off the ground. To exit, tuck your
chin and lower down.
to the sides at shoulder height, bend your

knees with legs together. Lower the legs to
the right. Keep your shoulder blades and back
on the ground. Repeat on the left side before
coming up to sit.
ing. Inhale, and grasp the outside of your feet,

extending your spine. Exhale, and fold over
your legs. Stay here for 12 minutes before
releasing hands and sitting up. End by lying
in Savasana.
them near your sides, and draw your shoulders down your back. As you lower, try to keep
your body parallel to the ground. Pause for one
breath when the torso is at the height of your
elbows, and then come down to the ground.
10. Ustrasana (Camel Pose), variation Inhale, lift up off your heels, and press
your shins down as you lift the chest. Place
your hands on your hips, and press shoulders
and arms down as you lift the chest, bend backward, and move your hips forward.
feet directly under them. Inhale, and lift your

pelvis. Interlace your fingers under your body,
and straighten your arms toward the feet. To
exit, release down to the floor.
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Staff Pose) Bend your elbows, hugging
99
Take Care of Your Back
Level: Beginner
Use these poses to align your spine and pelvis and

loosen up tension in your back, chest, and hips.
from head to toe
Good for: Supporting good posture

Props needed: One strap, one blanket
AS YOU PRACTICE Whether your back pain is acute or chronic, talk to your
Intention: Abundance
doctor before you start any new exercise routine. Then approach this sequence
as a form of self-care: Go easy, soothing your nerves, mind, and body. Use
deep, fluid breaths to move from pose to pose. If you feel any strain in your
lower back, reduce your range of motion or skip the pose.
Reection: See yourself as a magical

alchemist who turns prana (life force)
into gold.
the legs
100
1. Supta Padangusthasana A (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose A) Lie on your
2. Supta Padangusthasana B (Reclining

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose B) Return to your
3. Supta Padangusthasana C (Reclining

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose C) Inhale to bring your
back, sliding a hand under your lower back

to make sure there is a gentle curve. Place a
strap around the arch of your right foot. Exhale
to straighten your right leg, bringing your leg
as high as possible to feel a gentle hamstring
stretch. Flex your feet. Exhale to release; switch
sides. Stay here for four breaths.
right side and take both strap ends in your right

hand, extending your left arm along the floor.
Exhale to lower your right leg to the right. Try
to keep your left hip on the floor and your left
kneecap pointing up. You should feel a stretch
in your inner right thigh, but no lower-back
strain. Inhale to lift your right leg back up;
exhale to release it to the floor. Switch sides.
right leg back to vertical. With the strap around

the arch of your foot, bring both ends into your
left hand. Place your right thumb on your right
hip crease and draw your hip down slightly so
that you maintain length and space in the lower
back. Exhale to draw your leg left across your
body; inhale to bring your leg back to vertical.
Release the strap and switch legs.
4. Ardha Apanasana (Half Knees-to-Chest

Pose) Lie on your back. On an exhalation,
5. Sucirandhrasana (Eye-of-the-Needle
Pose) Bring both knees in toward your
6. Marjaryasana and Bitilasana (Cat and

Cow Poses) Come onto your hands and
draw your right knee toward your chest and

hold your right shin with both hands. In this
and the following four poses, do not press your
lower back to the floor; instead, maintain a natural lumbar curve. Slowly inhale to release your
right leg back to the floor, then exhale to draw
in the left knee; inhale to release. Repeat, alternating right and left, four more times.
chest, then place your right ankle on your

left thigh, above the knee. Hold your left thigh.
To increase the stretch, bring your left thigh
forward and press your right knee away from
your torso. Keep your shoulders relaxed.
Exhale to release, then switch sides. After finishing on the left, roll to one side and come
to a seated position.
knees, with your shoulders over your wrists

and your hips over your knees. Inhale to gently
drop your lower belly and lift your sitting bones
and sternum, or chest; then exhale to round
your back and gaze toward your navel. The aim
is to gently stretch and increase circulation to
the back muscles. Do five slow rounds.
PHOTOS: RICK CUMMINGS; MODEL: MATT KAPINUS; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER
yogajournal.com
Sequence by Andrea Ferretti; model: Matt Kapinus
LIVE HEALTHY
your hips up and back. If you feel any tightness

along the backs of your legs, keep your knees
bent. Try to make your spine as long as possible
by pressing into the pads of the palms, reaching through your arms, and lengthening the
sides of your body. Keep your ears in line with
your upper arms and gaze at your upper thighs.
8. Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Lower to your

belly with your arms resting along your sides.
Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels by
pulling your navel back, then inhale to lift your
arms, legs, and head off the floor, thumbs
pointing down and toes reaching for the wall
behind you. Squeeze your inner thighs toward
each other, to engage your inner thighs. Stay
here for four breaths, then lower down and
repeat three more times.
10. Marichyasana III Sit with your legs

extended in front of you. Bend your right knee
and place the sole of the right foot on the floor
next to your inner left thigh. Inhale to gently
twist to the right to release muscles along the
right side of your spine. Press your right fingertips into the ground behind you to stay tall.
Hold your outer right leg with your left hand.
Exhale to release and switch sides.

Pose) Lie on your back with your knees bent,
13. Alanasana (High Lunge) Come back to

a lunge on your right side, but straighten your
left leg to intensify the stretch along your left
hip and torso. Put your hands on your hips;
try to keep your right knee over the right ankle
and your right quadriceps parallel to the floor
as you extend through your back heel. Inhale
to lift your sternum and lengthen your spine.
To come out of the pose, exhale to Low Lunge.
Repeat on the left side.

Angle Pose) Return to High Lunge, right foot
feet on the floor. With your tailbone reaching

toward your heels, inhale to press into your feet
and lift your pelvis and back off the floor. Interlace your fingers, pressing your shoulders into
the floor as you lift your heart. Hug your inner
thighs together, but keep your knees over your
heels. Take five breaths.
forward. Place your left heel on the floor; turn

your pelvis left and reach your arms out into
Warrior II. Place your right forearm on your right
thigh. Reach your left arm along your ear and
gaze forward; do not fold forward. Feel a stretch
along your left side and pull your navel back,
feeling your tailbone lengthen toward your
heels. Exhale back to High Lunge; switch sides.
9. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged

King Pigeon Pose) Come back to your hands
and knees. Bring your right knee behind your
right wrist, sliding your right foot to the left
and your left leg back. If needed, place a folded
blanket under your right hip. Press your fingertips into the ground alongside your hips,
and reach your tailbone down. Return to your
hands and knees; switch sides.
12. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Come back

to hands and knees and step your right foot
forward between your hands. Tuck your back
toes and bring your hands to your front knee.
Lengthen your tailbone toward the ground and
feel a stretch along the front of your left hip
and leg, and in your lower abdomen. Breathe.
Exhale and bring your hands down, then move
through hands and knees and switch sides.
15. Supine Twist Draw both knees to your

chest and drop them to the right, keeping them
in line with your hips. Place your right hand on
your left knee to ground your knees; look over
your left shoulder (your left shoulder can come
up, as long as you dont feel strain). If your
lower back feels tight, shift your hips to the left
or move your knees toward your feet. Come
back to center on an inhalation. Switch sides.
End in Savasana.
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7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Tuck your toes and lift
101
Power Up Your Core
Level: Intermediate
With this sequence, take a playful approach to building

strength and flexibility in your middle, both front and back.
Props needed: One strap
Good for: Stoking your inner fire

Intention: Warmth
AS YOU PRACTICE When you reach the last four poses, tuck your abdominals
up and in toward your spine. Yoga students are often instructed to lengthen the
spine, but here move your sacrum away from your lumbar spine and tuck
inward as you round or curl. One easy way to do it is to visualize wrapping
yourself around a beachball.
Reection: Feel the power of creating

heat from the inside out.
the hip flexors and quadriceps; increases
arm and shoulder mobility and strength
1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Stand with the
2. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) From Tadasana,
3. Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Leg Lifts)
inner edges of your feet touching each other.

Spread the balls of your feet, press your heels
firmly into the floor, and lengthen your inner
ankles upward. Draw your tailbone down and
forward into the pelvis and move your groins
back. Reach toward the floor with your arms.
Stay for one minute.
lift your arms overhead. Bend your knees so

your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible. Keep your heels heavy and continue to
move your tailbone down and forward. Lift
your abdomen and chest away from the inner
groins and reach up through your arms. Stay
for 30 to 60 seconds.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your

feet on the floor. Stretch your arms overhead
and place the backs of your hands on the floor.
Raise your knees to your chest and stretch
your legs perpendicular to the ceiling (90
degrees). Press the sides of your waist toward
the floor. Lower your legs halfway to the floor
(45 degrees) while moving your tailbone away
from your lower back and pressing your low
back into the floor. Hold for three breaths, then
raise your legs back to 90 degrees. Keep the
sides of your waist down to avoid back strain.
Repeat 3 to 10 times. As you get stronger, you
can lower the legs from 45 degrees all the way
to just above the floor.
yogajournal.com
Kids will try to stand on their heads,

laugh, and have funnot get madand
try again, says Schumacher, who advises
infusing challenging practices with
a spirit of playfulness.
102
PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: DAVID NELSON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence by John Schumacher; model: David Nelson
LIVE HEALTHY
5. Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) Still on your back,
stretch your arms out to your sides, palms up.

Bend your knees and lift them to your chest.
Keep shoulder blades on the floor and knees
together. Tilt your knees to the right. When you
feel your left waist begin to lift, revolve your
abdomen back to the left and lower your left
waist toward the floor. Go as far to the right
as you can, revolving the abdomen to the left.
Stay for 30 to 60 seconds. Come to center
and change sides. Repeat three times.
keep your left leg on the floor and raise your

right leg. With your right hand, catch your big
toe, or place a strap around the ball of your
foot, and stretch the leg straight up. Place your
left hand on your left thigh. Pull your straight
right leg toward your head. Slide your left hand
down your left thigh toward your knee and lift
your chest toward your right leg. Stay for one
to two minutes. Come down and change sides.
7. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose)
8. Lolasana (Pendant Pose) Sit in Dandasana
Sit in Dandasana and interlock your fingers

behind your head. Tilt your pelvis back, lower
your sacrum halfway to the floor, and move
your tailbone toward your heels. Lift your
side ribs and move your sternum toward your
feet. Your spine will flex in this pose. Hold for
30 seconds. Keeping your legs straight, lift
your feet to chest level, keeping your lower
back slightly rounded.
with hands pressed to the floor. Lift your buttocks, bend your right knee, and sit on your
right foot. Lean back, lift your right knee, bend
your left knee, and tuck your left calf under
your right shin with your feet as close together
as possible and toes pointed back. Lean forward and lift the side of your waist toward the
ceiling. Press your palms down and lift your
legs toward your chest. Engage your core by
lifting your navel to your spine. Hold as long as
you can and repeat a few times.
6. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose) Sit

in Dandasana (Staff Pose), with your hands on
the floor by your hips. Stretch your legs straight
on the floor. Lean back and raise your straight
legs until your feet are at eye level. Balance just
behind your sitting bones and raise your arms
to shoulder level, with your palms facing each
other. Lift your chest and hold for as long as
you can (up to one minute).
9. Malasana (Garland Pose) Stand in

Tadasana. Bend your knees and squat, keeping
your feet together but separating your knees.
Lean forward and lower your waist between
your thighs. Wrap your arms around your
shins, press your upper shins into your armpits,
and grasp your ankles. Pull your head toward
your feet and roll your tailbone toward your
heels. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
10. Bakasana (Crane Pose) Come into a squat. Lift your heels, lean
forward, and bring the backs of your arms onto your shins near your knees.
Place your palms shoulder-width apart, lean farther forward, and lift your
feet off the floor. Pull your heels toward your buttocks and roll your tailbone toward your heels. Lift your upper back toward the ceiling and stretch
your arms. Hold for as long as you can and do a couple of repetitions.
End in Savasana.
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Abdomen Pose) Lying on your back,
103
Tone Your Abs
Level: Intermediate
Hate ab work? We get itbut do it anyway. This tough

workout will not only strengthen your overall practice but
make you feel ready to meet lifes challenges.
Good for: Finding your center

one extra mat
Intention: Appreciation
AS YOU PRACTICE Keep a few things in mind: Press the lower ribs, lower back,
and top rim of the sacrum firmly into the floor. To avoid bruising, use sufficient
paddinga blanket or a folded-over mat. Keep your feet active, relax your
neck, and breathe deeply. You might feel sore the next day, but thats OK.
Reection: Consciously thank

yourself for choosing yoga.
Additional benets: Alleviates
back pain; aids digestion; lengthens
and strengthens the inner thighs
Sequence by Ana Forrest; model: Ann Hyde
in Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose). Take

four breaths with each arm position. First, place
your left hand on the floor one foot from your
left hip. Inhale and stretch your right arm up
over your ear, root your right sitting bone, and
lean left. Exhale, pulling the left shoulder away
from the left ear. Inhale and stretch your right
ribs. Exhale. Relax your neck. Now, stretch your
right arm to the right until the fingertips are
one foot above the floor, and breathe for four
breaths. Bring your torso back to center and use
your left hand to gently guide your head up.
2. Elbow to Knee Lie on your back and bend

your knees to 90 degrees. Clasp your hands
under your head. Inhale and lift your head and
shoulders. Hold your inhalation as you curl
your tailbone up. As you exhale, reach both
elbows toward your right knee and straighten
your left leg. At the end of your exhalation, pull
your belly in. Keep your head up as you inhale
back to center, and bend both knees. Hold
your inhalation and lift your tailbone. Exhale
and reach both elbows toward your left knee;
straighten the right leg. Beginners, do 5 repetitions per side; intermediates, do 8 to 10.
3. Abs with a Mat Roll up a mat, lie back,

and place the mat between your legs. Clasp
your hands behind your head and lift your legs.
Inhale, press your lower back into the floor, lift
your tailbone, and squeeze the mat. Exhale,
curl your head and shoulders up, lift your tailbone again, squeeze the mat, and pull your
belly in. Inhale and slowly lower your head and
pelvis. Beginners, do 3 to 5 times; intermediates, do 5 to 10.
yogajournal.com
If the core is weak, abs arent doing their work and other
parts of the body are adversely affected, says Forrest.
104
PHOTOS: JUAN STEPHENS/XPOSURE PHOTO; MODEL: ANN HYDE
1. Seated Sidebend Bring your feet together
LIVE HEALTHY
4. Straddle Lifting Through Clasp your

hands behind your head. Inhale and lift your
legs. Exhale and let your legs open to a wide
straddle. Inhale and lift your head and shoulders. Exhale, curl your tailbone up, and pull
your belly in. Inhale and keep your head up.
Beginners, repeat the curl three to five times;
intermediates, do eight to 10. Release by bringing your legs together and down.
5. Frog Lifting Through Clasp your hands

behind your head. Inhale and lift your legs
so your shins are parallel to the floor. Exhale
as you separate the legs into a Frog position,
with knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flexed.
Inhale and curl your head and shoulders up.
Exhale and pull your belly in. Inhale, release
your pelvis down, keeping your head up, and
repeat. Beginners, do 3 to 5 reps; intermediates,
do 8 to 10.
6. Twisted Root Cross your left thigh over the

right; bring the left ankle under the right calf
so your legs are in Garudasana (Eagle Pose).
Bring your feet up, thighs above the lower
belly, and bend both knees. Clasp your hands
behind your head, inhale, and curl your head
and shoulders up. Exhale, curl your tailbone,
squeeze your thighs and sitting bones toward
each other, lift your knees up, and pull your
belly in. Inhale and lower your pelvis, but keep
your head up. Repeat three times.

Pose) Lie on your back and place your feet on
8. Dolphin Come onto your forearms and

knees. Inhale and broaden your upper back.
Exhale and wrap your shoulder blades toward
your armpits, activating your back, chest,
and armpit muscles. Inhale and curl your toes
under; exhale and straighten your legs. Inhale,
press your forearms into the floor, and lift
the weight of the torso out of the shoulders.
Exhale, reach your heels down toward the
floor, and relax your neck. The head should be
off the floor. Beginners, do 5 to 8 breaths; intermediates, do 10 to 15. Release to Childs Pose.
9. Agni Sari in Goddess Pose Stand with

your feet three feet apart and bend your knees.
Press the heels of your hands into the crease
of your thighs. Exhale through your mouth,
hold the breath out, and bring your chin toward
your chest. Pull your belly back from the roots
of your pelvis into Uddiyana Bandha. Relax
your belly but hold the breath. Continue: Pull
the belly in and relax it, repeating until you
must inhale. Thats one round. Beginners, do
two to three rounds; intermediates, four to six.
End in Savasana.
yogajournal.com
the floor, with your heels below your knees.

Keep your feet hip-distance apart. Exhale, tilt
the tailbone up, lift your pelvis, then pull the
ribs up. Inhale and lift the chest toward your
face. Exhale and press down through the feet.
Tilt the tailbone up more. Relax your neck,
face, eyes, and brain. Beginners, hold for 5 to 8
breaths; intermediates, for 10 to 15. To release,
place your upper back on the floor, then your
middle back, and finally your low back. Keep
tucking your tailbone up as you gradually
lower your spine.
105
Open Yourself Up
Level: Intermediate
As you finish this chest-expanding, backbending sequence,

youll feel more receptive to all that life has to offer.
Good for: Promoting upper-back health

Intention: Unity
AS YOU PRACTICE First, encourage soft receptivity in the front part of your
body. Then integrate this softness with the strength of your back muscles,
and enjoy a gentle opening into deeper backbends. Move with the pulse
of your breath throughout the sequence, and when the practice progresses
to more challenging poses, engage the muscles of your back body while
retaining the receptivity of your front body.
Reection: Experience a heightened

awareness of your connection to all other
beings. It is best to focus on our Oneness,
to re-emphasize what is the same about
each of us rather than dwell on what is different, said the Dalai Lama.
Additional benets: Relaxes
the neck
1. Savasana (Corpse Pose), variation Lie over a rolled blanket with the
2. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose), variation From supported
support under the bottom of your shoulder blades. Adjust the height of the
roll to provide a soft stretch across your chest. Allow the top of your upper
arms to drop onto the earth and release your legs down onto your mat for
two to three minutes.
Savasana, extend your legs forward and ground your thighs down. Interlace your hands behind your head and let your head rest into your hands.
Keep your neck relaxed, and on an exhalation, use your upper-abdominal
muscles to lift your head, neck, and upper back. On an inhalation, slowly
roll back down. Take 10 cycles, moving slowly with your breath.
3. Bidilasana-Marjareyasana (Cat-Cow Pose) Roll onto your side and

come onto all fours. On an inhalation, stretch your heart and tailbone away
from each other, lifting your head slightly. On an exhalation, round your
spine, contracting the abdominal wall, letting your head and tailbone curl
inward. Repeat slowly for 10 cycles of breath.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) From all
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fours, curl your toes under and lift your hips up and back to Down Dog.
Press your thighs straight back and lengthen your lower back. Push your
hands into the floor and firm your arms. Breathe into the space between
your shoulder blades, releasing the back of your heart toward the front of
your heart for 10 breaths.
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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: ALIKA MEDEIROS; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence by Annie Carpenter; model: Alika Medeiros
5. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), low variation From Down Dog, come

forward into Plank, and lie on your belly. Firm your legs and press the tops
of your feet down. Lengthen your tailbone back toward your feet. Place
your hands near your bottom ribs; inhale and coil your spine inward, lifting
your chest forward and up. On an exhalation, slowly roll down. Pulse up
and down eight times; then release and lift back to Down Dog.
6. High Lunge Step your right foot forward, keep your back heel up, and
bend your front leg to a right angle. Let your back knee bend softly and lift
your hip points up away from your thighs. Interlace your fingers behind
you and reach your shoulders back. Dig the bottoms of your shoulder
blades in and open your chest wide. Feel your heart lift and your side waist
release back for eight breaths. Step back to Down Dog and switch sides.
7. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) From Down Dog, step your right

foot forward, turning your back heel down. Keep your front knee at a right
angle and lift your torso and arms up. Create length in your lower back by
snaking your tailbone down toward the ground. Take eight breaths, step
back to Down Dog, and switch sides.
8. Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx Pose) Lie on your belly; come up

onto your forearms, elbows under your shoulders. Reach back through
your legs to lengthen your spine forward and ground the tops of your feet.
Press your forearms down and pull them back, opening your heart. Slide
your shoulder blades down and press them in, curling the back body into
the front body for 10 breaths. To release, stretch your arms forward, bend
your elbows, and rest your head on your forearms.
9. Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose) Lift back into Sphinx. Bend your
10. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Begin with Low Cobra: Place your
right knee, reach back with your right hand, and press your right foot down
toward the outside of your hip. Keep your foot close to your hip and, if possible, spin your right hand, wrapping your fingers over your toes. Lengthen
your tailbone back and draw your left waist back to keep your torso even.
Stay for eight slow breaths, release, and change sides. Rest your forehead
on your forearms to release.
hands by your ribs and lengthen your torso forward and up. Firm your back
body in and up toward your chest to support you. Keeping both thighs
grounded, drive your hands down and, if possible, straighten your arms
into Full Cobra. Coil your spine into your chest, widening your upper back
into your cobra hood. Take eight breaths. On your last exhalation, stick
your tongue out, hissing with joy. Roll down slowly. End in Savasana.
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LIVE HEALTHY
107
Level: Intermediate
Fire up the strength in your arms, with the goal of expanding

into a final pose that evokes freedom and ecstasy.
heart health
Good for: Supporting lung and

Props needed: One block, one strap
AS YOU PRACTICE Remember that if the stability in your hands and wrists is
Intention: Spaciousness
weak, you limit your ability to support yourself adequately and move with a full
range of motion. In addition to preparing your arms to support the weight of
your body, this sequence opens the front of your legs, hips, and torso through
backbends, providing just enough heat to encourage your chest and heart to
open in the final pose.
Reection: Get out of your head and

into your heart. Feel the space you have
created around the front, sides, and back
of your heart.
the quadriceps, belly, and chest; increases
shoulder flexibility
1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come onto all fours, then

variation Walk toward your hands, feet

Angle Pose) Step your right foot forward,
lift your hips and knees and step your feet back
to open your chest and hamstrings. Lift your
armpits and lengthen your side body. Claw the
floor with your finger pads to feel tone in your
arms, which will support you in opening more
freely. From your heart, stretch down to your
hands, then fully up through your spine, and
down your legs into the feet for five breaths.
shoulder-width apart, and fold forward. Interlace your fingers behind your back and bend
your elbows shoulder-width apart. Use gravity to lengthen your armpits toward the floor.
Move the head of your arm bones and your
throat toward the back of your body as you
reach your arms overhead. Keep your elbows
bent and your legs strong. Hold for five
breaths, release your hands, and step back
to Down Dog.
turn your left heel down, and hug your legs

in toward your midline. Extend your left arm
in front of you and up alongside your left ear.
Then turn your belly and chest up to the sky.
Keep your right hand by your right foot or on
a block, or take your right forearm to your right
thigh for more space in your torso. After five
breaths, step back to Down Dog. Repeat on
the left side.
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We have an expression in Anusara: Strong arms,

soft heart, says Ippoliti.
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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: KENNY GRAHAM; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: MEAGANNE McCANDESS/ARTIST UNTIED
Sequence by Amy Ippoliti; model: Kenny Graham
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5. Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose)
6. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation
stomach with your hands shoulder-width apart,

elbows bent, and hands under your shoulders.
Spread your fingers and claw your finger pads
down, energetically dragging your hands backward as you lift your armpits. Pull the heads of
your arm bones up and back, and lift your head
and chest for five breaths. Move your shoulder
blades down and in toward your heart. Root
your pelvis back through your legs, and curl
up through your spine. Stay for five breaths.
Release and push back to Down Dog.
Come back to your stomach, prop yourself

on your forearms, and melt your heart toward
the floor. Bend your right knee and reach back
with your right hand to hold your foot. If possible, pivot your right hand so that your fingers
face forward as you press your right foot down
toward your outer right hip. Scoop your tailbone down. To stretch even deeper, lift off your
left forearm and onto your left hand. After five
breaths, release, switch sides, and then step
back to Down Dog.
Step your right foot forward into a Low Lunge,

left knee on the floor. Twist to the right, bend
your left knee, and hold the outside of your left
foot with your right hand; use a strap if needed.
To go deeper, take your left foot in toward your
outer left hip, place your left forearm on the
floor, lean back, and curl your shoulder blades
in toward your heart. Root down through your
legs and open up through your whole torso.
Stay for five breaths. Step back to Down Dog
and take the other side.
7. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your
8. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Come
9. Wild Thing From Down Dog, come into
stomach, rest your forehead on the floor, and

enjoy your breath. Allow the muscles on either
side of your spine to settle and expand laterally.
Keep that softness, then bend both knees and
hold on to the tops of your feet. Root your tailbone toward the floor, keep your thighs parallel, and press your feet back. On an inhalation,
lift your head, torso, and legs up into Dhanurasana. Hold for five breaths, release, and
step back to Down Dog.
forward into Plank, with your shoulders stacked

above your wrists. Take your right hand slightly
ahead of your shoulder and shift your weight
onto your right hand as you turn your chest
up and stack your feet. Secure both shoulder
blades onto your back, open your torso, and lift
your left arm up. Hold for five breaths, release
your left arm down, and step back to Down
Dog. Repeat on the other side.
Vasisthasana on your right side. Step your left

foot behind you, keep your right leg straight,
and push your hips up away from the floor.
Scoop your tailbone and use your legs to keep
lifting your hips. Curl your head back, lift your
left side body, and keep your left upper arm
moving toward your shoulder socket. Extend
your left arm over your head and curve into a
rapturous backbend. Have fun. Be wild. Taste
your freedom. Then release, step back to Down
Dog, and switch sides. End in Savasana.
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4. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Lie on your
109
Wring Out Your Angst

Unwind your spine to clear your body and mind with
a sequence of twists and chest openers.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Building midback health
Intention: Flexibility
AS YOU PRACTICE Let the twisting action come from the upper back and ribs
as opposed to the lower back. If you feel stress in the neck, gaze downward;
you should be able to maintain your twist without turning your neck to look
up. As you twist, keep your pelvis squared to the front of the mat and your
hips level.
Reection: Let the mind mimic the

movements of the spine; visualize the
synapses creating space and connections.
Additional benets: Increases
shoulder range of motion
110
1. Puppy stretch Come onto hands and
2. Thread the Needle Return to all fours.
knees. Keep hips over knees as you walk the

hands forward and melt the heart and chin
toward the mat, opening the throat and chest.
Dont worry if you dont come all the way
to the floor.
Turn the right palm up and slide it under your

left armpit. Twist to the left as you lower onto
your right shoulder. Resist the left hip back.
Press into the left hand to come up and do
the other side.
4. Makrasana (Dolphin Pose) Come up

off your heels and place your forearms parallel to each other on the floor. Curl your toes
under, straighten your legs, and walk the feet
in toward the hands, keeping the shoulders
over the elbows.
5. Parivrtta Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose, with a twist) Release
to all fours and lift into Downward Dog. Reach
your left hand to the right shin and twist to the
left. Hold for three breaths. Repeat on the other
side and return to Downward Dog.
3. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), with

Virasana (Hero Pose) legs Return to all
fours; sit back on your heels. Place the left arm
behind the back, palm out. Raise the right arm,
bend the elbow, and clasp fingers. Release; do
the other side.
6. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), variation

Step to the front of your mat. Bend your
knees, sink your hips, and reach your arms
straight up. Hook your thumbs together and
try to pull them apart.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: STACIE OVERBY; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: LISA STRUTZ/AUBRI BALK, INC.
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Sequence by Kathryn Budig; model: Stacie Overby
LIVE HEALTHY
7. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), with a Twist

Side Angle Pose) Look down. Step the left
9. Three-Legged Downward Dog,

variation Release hands to the floor; step back
leg back, landing on the ball of the foot with

feet hip-width apart. Square your hips. Twist
into the upper back by strongly pressing the
palms together.
to Downward Dog. Lift your right leg and rotate

the pelvis left, stacking your right hip over your
left. Bend your right knee.
to the mat. Pivot to the outer edge of your

left foot. Spin your heart to the sky. Straighten
your left leg and root down through the outside edge of the left foot. Place your right palm
on your heart.
11. Kapotasana (Pigeon Pose) Return to

Downward Dog. Bring your right knee forward
and your shin as close to parallel to the front
edge of the mat as you can. Keep the back leg
straight, toes pressing down. Square hips and
walk the torso forward.
12. Parivrtta Kapotasana (Revolved Pigeon

Pose) Keep the front leg where it is and lift
13. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Release the twist. Place the

the Fishes Pose) Step forward and sit. Place
15. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle

Pose) Release the twist. Join the soles of the
palms on the floor in front, tuck the left toes

under, and step your right leg back into Downward Dog. Repeat poses 513 on the other side.
the left foot outside the right hip and your right
foot outside the left knee. Twist to the right.
Release the twist and repeat on the other side.
feet, knees bent. Open your feet like a book and

lift the heart as you inhale. Exhale and extend
the chest forward. End in Savasana.
Release the thumbs and inhale. As you exhale,

revolve your ribs to the right and drop your
left elbow to your right thigh, pressing the
palms together.
your torso. Turn your chest to the left and place

your right elbow into the sole of your right foot.
Press the palms into each other, driving the left
elbow up to the sky.
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10. Wild Thing Lightly drop your right foot
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Power Up Your Legs

This flowing sequence of postures, which alternate between
dynamic movement and stillness, will help you feel rooted to
the earth and also connected to the sun.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Making you feel grounded
during chaotic times
Props needed: None

Intention: Roots
AS YOU PRACTICE Throughout the sequence, imagine drawing energy in
through your feet and your crown, and feel how the earth and sun connect in
your center. Most important, be compassionate with yourself, especially during
the more intense poses.
Reection: Witness yourself sitting

quietly with your eyes closed. Visualize a
cord connecting your root chakra to the
center of the earth.
Additional benets: Develops
strong arches and ankles
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1. Standing Sidebend Stand with your feet

hip-width apart. Anchor both feet equally into
the ground. Raise your arms overhead, turn
your left palm out, flex the left wrist, and grab
it with the right hand. Inhale and lengthen
skyward; exhale and lean to the right, gently
lengthening your left arm with your right hand.
Breathe deeply into your left side. Take three
breaths. Lift back to center and repeat on the
other side.
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2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Kneeling on all fours, press
3. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose), variation Step your right foot between your hands;
into your palms, curl your toes under, and lift

your knees, drawing your hips up and back.
Balance between grounding into the earth with
your hands and your feet, drawing awareness
in through the bones of your arms and legs.
Breathe easily and fully, releasing tension and
finding grace.
rotate your left foot out and place your heel on

the floor. Harness the power and stability of
your legs and core to draw the right hip back
and the left hip forward. Lift your arms by the
sides of your waist and connect to your core.
From the back shin, extend your arms forward;
gaze forward. Feel a line of energy from your
back leg through your belly, front spine, heart,
and pinkies. Maintain inner awareness and take
five breaths. Repeat on the other side.
If you can learn to harness your energy and nd your center during
dynamic poses, you can nd that same quiet, still place when the external
world threatens to throw you off balance, says Lorimer.
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: ELISE LORIMER; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETTEN CHASTEN
Sequence and modeling by Elise Lorimer
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4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)
5. Riding the Wave Exhale, take your hands
6. Elephant Pose From Down Dog, walk
Youll flow between poses 4 and 5 to open and

lubricate your hips. From Extended Warrior,
inhale, lift your torso, and bring your arms
up overhead.
to the floor inside your right foot, turn to the

left side, and draw your left heel slightly in.
Keep your hands on the floor for support if
you need to. Inhale and return to Warrior I,
spinning the left heel down and dialing your
right hip back under you. Flow between Warrior I and this position five times on each side.
Then come to Down Dog for five breaths.
your hands toward your feet and roll up to

standing. Bend your knees. From your core, lift
your torso. Press your palms together, place the
tips of the thumbs on your third eye, and draw
your elbows together. Your arms act as your
elephant trunk. Release your shoulder blades
down your back and lift your breastbone and
elbows. Gaze in front of you. After five breaths,
stand and lower your palms to your heart for
a few more breaths. Repeat three times.

Standing Forward Bend) Step your feet
8. Chest-Opening Twist From Prasarita
9. Goddess Pose, with twist Stand with

your feet a little wider than your hips and turn
your feet out about 45 degrees. Gently press
your hands on the insides of your knees while
dropping your coccyx down. Extend your
spine forward, parallel to the floor. Inhale and
draw the belly toward the spine; exhale and
rotate your torso and heart to the right, left
shoulder down, broadening across your chest.
Inhale and return to center. Exhale and rotate
to the left. Connect to the ease and balance in
your body as it moves through the transitions.
Repeat 5 times.
wide apart. Interlace your fingers behind you.

Inhale and lift your chest; then exhale and fold
forward, bringing your hands over your head
toward the floor. Ground through your feet
and shinbones; release tension from your neck
and shoulders. Stay for five to 10 breaths.
Padottanasana, place your hands on the floor

and turn your heels slightly in. Bend your right
knee deeply; turn your left toes up. Hover your
sitting bones above the earth and get heavy in
your coccyx. Tuck your right arm around your
right shinbone. Take your left arm behind you
and clasp your left wrist with your right hand.
(Or place the fingertips on the floor in front of
you.) Breathe. Repeat on the other side.
and squat on the floor with your left leg extended and left toes pointing
skyward. Lengthen your spine, hold your right ankle with your left hand,
and lift your right arm overhead. Press your right knee away from your
midline. Draw your left shoulder in front of your left leg and roll the right
side of your heart to the sky. Take five breaths; when ready, repeat on
the other side. End in Savasana.
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10. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-of-the-Knee Pose),

variation From Goddess, jump your feet wider, bend your right knee,
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Strong-Arm Yourself
Level: Beginner
Counteract repetitive stress with this sequence, which will

ease tension in the arms, shoulders, and wrists.
or driving
Good for: Easing days spent at a desk

AS YOU PRACTICE Yoga teacher Daren Friesen recommends blending sthira
Intention: Chant Om. Draw out the
(steadiness) and sukha (ease) while doing the poses. If you feel unstable or
sense that you are overworking, bring your attention to your breath, gaze,
and spine. Feel grounded and connected to the earth, he says, while at
the same time feeling long and tall through your spine.
sound, using your entire exhale to complete it.
Additional benets: Flexes and

extends the spine; opens the wrists
1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) In Downward-Facing Dog, set your hands shoulder-width apart, aligning them so
the middle fingers are straight and parallel to each other. Press down on
the root of the forefinger, thumb, and inner heel of each hand. Move the
weight of the pose back into your legs while contracting the quadriceps
and pressing the heels more back than down. Focus your gaze at a spot
between your shins and feel simultaneously grounded and light.
2. Tabletop, variation Lower your knees to the mat and rotate your
hands outward all the way until the fingers point toward the knees. Take
a deep breath and lean your hips back toward your heels, but keep your
palms on the floor. Feel how the warm sensation brings awareness to
the inner arms. If you like, play with the pose by placing the hands
closer together.
3. Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose), variation Sit on your shins in Vajrasana
4. Garudasana (Eagle Pose), variation Sit on your shins and open your
arms wide. Cross one over the other, bend the elbows, and press your
palms together. Lift your arms up and press your hands forward to create
a deep stretch at the junction of the shoulders and upper torso. Focus on
your exhalation, releasing tension. When youre ready, reverse the wrap of
your arms and repeat on the other side.
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(Thunderbolt Pose), then place the top of your head on the mat in front of
your knees. Interlace your fingers together behind your back, roll the shoulders down the back, away from the ears, then lift your arms over your
head. Breathe deeply, then reverse the clasp of your hands and stay here
for five more breaths.
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PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW/SANDBOX STUDIOS; MODEL: JANE DOBSON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD
Sequence by Daren Friesen; model: Jane Dobson
Reection: Reflect on the soothing,

primordial, reverberating vibrations of Om.
Mantras are passwords that transform the
mundane into the sacred, said Deva
Premal, kirtan musician.
LIVE HEALTHY
cross one leg over the other. Remember this rule: Whichever leg is over,
place the same sides arm under. Reach the bottom arm behind you and
bend the elbow so your forearm rests along your spine. Reach the top arm
up, centering the elbow over the armpit, and bend the elbow so that your
hands meet. If your hands dont touch, use a strap. Remember to breathe
smoothly and evenly. After five breaths, release your arms, recross your
legs, and do the other side.
6. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank), variation Sit with your legs

stretched out in front of you. Reach your arms behind your back and place
your palms on the floor, thumbs touching and fingers pointing toward the
hips. For tight or bulky shoulders, move the hands farther apart. Simultaneously lift your chest and bend your elbows, making the exhalation longer
than the inhalation. Move the hands a bit wider and reverse the position by
turning them out and pressing your pinkies together. Again, lift your chest
and tuck your chin as you breathe deeply and freely.
7. Marichyasana I (Marichis Pose), variation Bend your left knee

and place your foot flat on the floor in front of your sitting bone. Lean forward as far as you can, wrap your left arm in front of and around your left
knee, and grab your right wrist (remember this: the wrapper is the grabber). Press down through both sitting bones, lift the sternum, and draw
the navel to the spine as you twist to the left. Repeat on the other side.
8. Shoulder Opener This position internally rotates your arms and

stretches your shoulders and wrists. While sitting, bend your knees and
place your feet on the floor, wider than hip-distance apart. Press each
elbow against the inside of its respective knee. From there, bend both
elbows and fold your forearms toward your torso. Press the elbows against
your knees, and press the back of your hands against the sides of your
body. Slide the hands up to increase the challenge or down to reduce it.
To increase the stretch, squeeze your knees gently together and breathe
to release tension.
9. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lie on your back, bend
10. Sukhasana (Easy Pose) Sit in a cross-legged position. Cross one

wrist over the other, hands pointing down, then interlace the fingers. Take
a deep breath and roll the hands in toward you, then up and away from
your torso, as you try to straighten your arms. Keep your shoulders down,
away from your ears. Go as deep as you can without straining the arms or
the breath. Release, switch the grip, then repeat. End in Savasana.
your knees, and place your feet on the ground hip-width apart. Raise your
arms above your head, and rotate them so that your palms are flat on
the floor with the pinkies on the inside, thumbs on the outside. Lift your
hips into Bridge Pose. Quietly observe the deep flow of energy and blood
through the arms and shoulders.
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5. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Swivel your hips to one side and
115
Get Into Balance

Approach this sequence with perseverance and joy, as you
build the needed strength for a challenging arm balance.
Level: Intermediate
Good for: Gaining confidence
Intention: Joy
AS YOU PRACTICE Work with poses 1 to 10 over time to develop strength
for the rest of the arm balances in the sequence, avoiding injury by keeping your shoulders and elbows aligned. As you move into the penultimate
pose, Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose), position your arms as you would in
Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose).
Reection: Find joy in what you have.

Joy comes from having no desires.
the core
1. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) Step

or jump your feet wide apart and come into
Warrior II on your right side. Hug your right hip
in toward the midline of your body; broaden
your collarbones. After five breaths, inhale to
come up; repeat on the other side.
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4. Plank Pose Come into Plank. Press firmly
116
through your hands and hug your outer arms

in. See that your shoulders are over your wrists,
your navel and waist are lifting, and your body
is in one long line. Broaden your collarbones
and your shoulder blades.
2 Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side

Angle Pose), variation Exhale as you bring
3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Firmly press into your
your right hand to the floor or a block. Sweep

your left arm behind you, holding your right
thigh. (Place the back of the hand against your
sacrum if you cant bind.) Inhale and come up;
exhale and do the second side.
hands, hugging your outer arms in as you

spread your shoulder blades. Press the creases
of your hips back to lengthen your spine.

Staff Pose) From Plank, exhale, shift your
6. Eka Pada Bakasana (One-Legged Crane

Pose), variation From Plank Pose, pick your
weight slightly forward, and bend your elbows

alongside your torso. Inhale back up to Plank.
Repeat eight times, making sure that you dont
bend your elbows past 90 degrees.
left foot off the mat, allow your hip to externally

rotate, exhale, and bring your knee toward the
outer upper arm. Stay for five breaths; come
back to Plank Pose and switch sides.
PHOTOS: JASPER JOHAL; MODEL: ALEXANDRIA CROW; STYLIST: JOSEPHINE SALVAD;

HAIR/MAKEUP: MANDY PEREZ/FACE ATELIER; BLOCKS: HUGGER MUGGER
Sequence and modeling by Alexandria Crow
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come back to Down Dog,
8. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation Bring your left foot forward into a Low
9. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Lift your kneecaps, draw
pressing your entire palms down. Hug your

outer arms in and roll them down toward the
ground. Press your thighs back to lengthen
the spine fully.
Lunge. Bring both forearms onto the floor.

If space allows, tuck your left shoulder under
your left knee. Hug the inner thigh toward
your shoulder; keep your chest broad. Do
both sides, coming to Down Dog in between.
the inner thighs back without rotating your

knees, and lengthen your legs by pressing
the center of your heels down into the mat.
10. Lolasana (Pendant Pose) Lower your
11. Dandasana (Staff Pose), variation Sit
12. Dandasana, variation From Dandasana,
knees to the floor and place a block on either

side of your hips. Plant your hands on the
blocks and hug your thighs toward your chest.
Bring one heel up to your sitting bone; lower it.
Repeat with the other heel. Then try lifting both
feet at once.
back down and swing your legs around until

they are stretched out in front of you. Plant
your hands on the blocks, exhale, and lift your
hips, shifting them slightly back. Pick up one
heel, then the other. If you can, lift both heels
at once, and then release.
bend your left knee and hold on to your left

foot. Draw the leg up and back until you can
tuck your left shoulder underneath your left
leg. Hug the inner thigh toward the shoulder
and keep your chest wide.
13. Dandasana Pickup From the previous
14. Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose)
pose, plant your hands next to your hips. Keep

hugging your inner thigh toward your shoulder; press down, straighten your elbows, and
lift your hips and extended leg.
Cross your right ankle over the left and

straighten your legs as much as possible.
Squeeze your left shoulder with your inner
thighs. Press your hands down and pick up
your hips. Shift your upper body into the shape
of Chaturanga. Try to repeat on the other side.

Pose) Lie on your back. Press through both
feet; lift your hips. Press your outer upper arms

down. Draw your tailbone toward the backs of
your knees to lengthen your lower back. Exhale
and slowly lower down. End in Savasana.
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LIVE HEALTHY
117
Index to Sequences
Your map to all 38 beneficial home practices in this issue
ELEVATE YOUR MOOD/PLAY
Cleanse Your System
Salute the Sun
.............................
22
Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Open Up Tight Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Center Yourself
............................
24
Give Yourself a Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Support Your Spine
Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Take Care of You, Too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Take Care of Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

102
54
Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Power Up Your Core
Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Wring Out Your Angst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
...................
Power Up Your Legs
Shed the Days Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

...............
60

Let Go of Stress
..........................
70
Center Yourself
............................
Warm Yourself Up
........................
24
28
Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
CLEAR YOUR HEAD & FIND FOCUS

Warm Yourself Up
........................
28
...................
....................
112
FOCUS ON YOUR BREATH
...................
54
EXPAND YOUR CHEST AND

HEART CENTER
Embrace the Unfamiliar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
..................
52
Breathe for Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
90
Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Breathe Easy
..............................
Grow Your Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

OPEN AND WARM UP YOUR HIPS
Breathe Easy
Turn Back the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
CULTIVATE BALANCE/IMPROVE
ALIGNMENT
Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Open Yourself Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Set a Goaland Meet It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Flip for Wild Thing Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

..............................
90
..................
52
Stand Your Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
...................
54
Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Restore Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
MOBILIZE YOUR SHOULDERS
60
SUPPORT DIGESTION AND CLEANSE

...................
54
Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

yogajournal.com
98
.....................
118
94
...................
............
74

Cleanse Your System
...................
94
...............
Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Let Go of Stress
..........................
70
Let Go of Stress
..........................
............
70
74
Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Breathe Easy
Breathe Easy
..............................
90
..............................
90
PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: STACIE OVERBY; STYLIST: LISA MOIR/ARTIST UNTIED; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED
REDUCE STRESS/FEEL CALMER
STRETCH YOUR SIDES
BOLSTER YOUR CONFIDENCE
STRENGTHEN YOUR ARMS
Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
112
....................
RESTORE AND RECHARGE

Warm Yourself Up
............
74
Feel Unstoppable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Power Up Your Core
Strong-Arm Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Get Into Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
28
Grow Your Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Flip for Wild Thing Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
..................
94
...................
Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
........................
Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Cleanse Your System
52
...................
102
SHAKE THINGS UP
STRENGTHEN AND STRETCH

YOUR LEGS
ACTIVATE AND TONE YOUR CORE
Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Open Yourself Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
...............
60
Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
..........................
70
SUPPORT AND STRETCH YOUR BACK
Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Cleanse Your System
52

............
74
Let Go of Stress
..................
Grow Your Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Power Up Your Core
Tone Your Abs
...............
60

Cleanse Your System
...................
94

Support Your Spine
.....................
98

Tone Your Abs
...........................
104
Open Yourself Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Strong-Arm Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Breathe Easy
..............................
Cleanse Your System
...................
90
...................
94
...................
102
...........................
104
Get Into Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
94

Support Your Spine
.....................
98

...................
102
...........................
104
Power Up Your Core

Tone Your Abs

Power Up Your Legs
............
....................
108
112
yogajournal.com
Power Up Your Legs
119
Yoga is the journey

of the self through the self to the self.
THE BHAGAVAD GITA
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2016 Rising Tide

Yoga Journal USA - Special Issue 1 2016

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A COMPLETE GUIDE TO

YOGA FOR FINDING

Find your yoga style

Cover Credits: Photo: Joe Hancock; model: Nancy-Kate Rau;

45 SECTION 4: Wake UpAnd

7 SECTION 1: Ready, Set, Go!

PLUS: Yoga benefits, essential props,

19 SECTION 2: Build a Strong

20 What Sequence Is Right for You

22 Salute the Sun

48 Get an Energy Boost

52 Stretch Away Stiffness

26 Embrace the Unfamiliar

60 Feel Calm and Centered

Sequences to make you feel

94 Cleanse Your System

98 Support Your Spine

100 Take Care of Your Back

64 Give Yourself a Break

66 Take Care of You, Too

89 SECTION 6: Live Healthy

96 Open Up Tight Hips

32 The ABCs of Sequencing

34 Build Your Own Sequence:

58 Shed the Days Stress

68 Find Your Bliss

86 Prep for Success

BY SRI DHARMA MITTRA

31 SECTION 3: Create Your

84 Stand Your Ground

92 Turn Back the Clock

54 Quiet Your Busy Mind

102 Power Up Your Core

104 Tone Your Abs

106 Open Yourself Up

108 Flip for Wild Thing Pose

72 Have a Little Fun

74 Find Calm Amid Challenge

110 Wring Out Your Angst

112 Power Up Your Legs

114 Strong-Arm Yourself

78 Set a Goaland Meet It

80 Cultivate Poise and Grace

116 Get Into Balance

118 Index to Sequences

Morning and evening sequences

82 Grow Your Power

joke that goes

THERES A WONDERFUL old

CARIN GORRELL, Editor in Chief

SPECIAL-ISSUE EDITOR | Alison Gwinn

SPECIAL-ISSUE ART DIRECTOR | Anita Koury

GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR | Barb Van Sickle

DIGITAL DIRECTOR | Tim Zura

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER | Haley Brockmeier

YOGA BUSINESS WEST COAST | Cheryl Kogut Hawker

x307 Alyson Smith 312-494-1919 x306

DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED MARKETING | Greg Brenton

2520 55th Street, #200 Boulder, Colorado 80301

CHAIRMAN | Efrem Zimbalist III

PHOTO: JEFF NELSON; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER

EDITOR IN CHIEF | Carin Gorrell

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