Featured Sequence Challenging Balance Practice

by Baxter

Last May I offered up an Easy Balance Practice for you to play with in your home practice. Since then, I have continued to study the subject of balance and have come across a recurring theme in non-yoga fields, such as sports medicine and biomechanics, which is the importance of variability. It seems that it is very important for maintaining and improving balance to change up the way you do balance activities as a way to keep your brain and body in sync. Changing up the way you do balance activities can come in the form of extending the time you hold a balance pose or in changing your body position a bit from the typical way you might do a pose. I was so intrigued by the concept of variability, I decided to try and invent a new balance pose each week of 2015: so far, 3 new balance poses! I will share those with you in a future post!

However, for today, I’d like to simply take a step forward from Easy Balance Sequence. In this Challenging Balance Practice, I will stick to some tried and true yoga asana, but I will occasionally suggest slight variations that will increase the challenge of the pose. So let’s dive in.

Challenging Balance Practice

1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana) to Arms Overhead Pose (Urdva Hastasana), with heels lifted

Start in Mountain Pose with a block between your thighs, on its narrow or middle width, depending on which one allows your feet to be about hips-distance apart. Squeeze the block with your inner leg muscles and become more aware of the soles of your feet on the floor, getting the right amount of squeeze to bring a sense of evenness to the inner and outer edges of your feet. Maintain the pose for about 16 breaths.

Then, grab a second block and place that between your hands, leaving the first block to use between your thighs. Now, with the first block between your thighs and a second block between your hands, come back into a strong Mountain pose. Then, on an inhalation, take your arms overhead into Arms Overhead pose with the block firmly held between your hands. Now the fun begins. Keeping your weight evenly across the balls of both feet, lift your heels 2-3 inches off the floor and maintain that position while breathing appropriately. Keep your gaze forward and slight ly down, fixing it on something that will not move. See how long you can stay up before you lose your balance, fatigue your legs muscles, or feel too wobbly in your ankles. Then come down, bringing your arms down as well. Repeat one more time, seeing if you can match the amount of time you achieved the first time. Over the course of several weeks, try to hold the pose a bit longer each practice.

2. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

In the Easy Balance Practice, I had you practice with a wall just behind your back so you could lean back against it if you started to lose your balance. Today, I want you to start working further away from the wall or in the center of the room. When you do come up into the Tree pose, start with your arms out to your sides, as in Warrior 2 pose. Once you get steady there, take your arms directly overhead. See how long you can remain relatively steady before coming down with a sense of control. Repeat on the second side.

To add a challenge, try Tree pose with a block between your hands and take your arms up and overhead. Also, gradually advance the amount of time you spend in the pose as you get better at it.

3. Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

In the Easy Balance Practice, I had you do Triangle pose. The standing poses have a definite balancing component to them, even though both feet are on the ground. Today, let’s try a version of the Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana) where you are depending on just two limbs, your legs, to keep you balanced, instead of there. For the basic instructions on Extended Side Angle pose, see Featured Pose: Extended Side Angle Pose.

For this practice, instead of bringing your bottom hand to a block or the floor, place your bottom elbow on the top of your front leg thigh near the knee. Press down lightly with that arm into the leg, and let your legs do most of the work keeping you in the pose. See how long you can stay before your muscles begin to fatigue or your balance becomes wobbly and then exit as smoothly as you can. Repeat to the second side, noticing if one side is easy on your balance than the other. Do a short Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) after the second side, maybe 30 seconds, as a counter pose to side angle.  

4. Warrior 3 (Virabradrasana 3)

As a quick review, in our last sequence, I had you working on Warrior 3 at the Wall . To take it to the next step, I’d like you to work towards Warrior 3 away from the wall, starting with arms by yours sides reaching towards your lifted foot.

Once that version gets easy, advance to taking your arms out to your sides.

Finally, you can work toward the full pose, reaching forward with your arms.

Usually each variation becomes a bit more challenging for the balance. For all the details, see (Featured Pose: Warrior 3 ).

After you have tried this pose on each side, take a short Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) as a nice counter-pose. Then, from the forward bend, bend your knees, drop your hips into a brief squat, and then sit down on your mat.  

5. Full Boat Pose (Navasana)

Start by sitting with your legs extended straight in front of you. Then, as you did in the Easy Balance Sequence, move into Full Boat Pose by quickly cycling through variations 1, 2, and 3 to the place where you are balancing on your lower sacrum and buttocks muscles, your arms are reaching forward and your legs floating with the shins parallel with the floor.

To take it to the next level, begin to straighten your legs, with your big toes lined up in front of or just higher than the level of your eyes.

Maintain the full pose for 6-10 breaths or longer. Then come out of the pose, rest for a moment, and repeat one more time. To challenge yourself, vary the position of your arms, gradually bringing them up overhead as in Warrior 1 pose.

6. Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)

We have written a bit about the use of Side Angle Pose recently as it pertains to scoliosis (see Side Plank Pose (Vasithasana) ) So, follow Nina’s fine instructions on getting into Side Plank Plank pose by starting in Downward Facing Dog, swinging forward into High Plank pose, and then shifting into Side Plank pose.

However, for this sequence, instead of lifting or lowering your ribs or hips, make your body one long line from your feet to the crown of your head. Try it initially with your feet one in front of the other, and work towards the more challenging variation where your feet are stacked one on top of the other. Because this requires a lot of upper body strength in addition to balance, initially stay for shorter periods of time, maybe just a few breaths, and gradually work your way to longer holds. Try it on each side twice. 

7. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Take a well-deserved rest in Child’s Pose for up to 2 minutes, and move your fingers and wrists around to release any excess tension there.

8. Relaxation Pose (Savasana)

As you rest in Savasana, ideally for 5 to 10 minutes, pay attention to feeling the more subtle balance of your body lying on the floor, establishing an even balance between your shoulder blades, the back of your pelvis, the backs of your legs and arms, and the back of your head. Notice the areas of the body where you can still feel the residual effects of the poses you worked on today. Finally, let go of whatever judgments around success or failure may have come up with the challenge of balancing poses, and instead let your attention follow the easy movement of your breath for several minutes. 

I hope you enjoy this sequence. Regular practice will help you maintain and improve your balance.

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Featured Pose Chair Seated Forward Bend

by Baxter and Nina

This simple pose is another good antidote to sitting upright in your chair. An excellent hip opener, this forward bend counteracts the tightness of your hips that you develop from sitting with your legs straight in front of you, helping you to maintain mobility in your hip joints. The release in your hips can feel wonderful, and you may also feel a good stretch in your lower back and inner thighs. The pose also helps stretch and wake up your arms as you press them toward the floor.

By changing your relationship to gravity, this pose helps release tension you’re holding in your back, neck, and head. This can be particularly helpful if you’ve spent hours in front of your computer screen or driving, and your neck is stiff or even painful. The partial inversion also stimulates your circulatory system and can re-enliven you if you’re feeling sluggish, stimulates your circulatory system.

Because your knees are bent, this is a very accessible forward bend. If you are unable to enjoy straight leg forward bends, you may find this version pose some of the fabled quieting and soothing qualities that you've heard about but never before been able to experience. Try it sometime for stress or anxiety.

Like the other poses in our full-length office yoga sequence (coming soon!), you can do this pose almost anywhere there is a chair and in almost any attire, though probably not in a tight skirt!

Baxter prescribes this for:

• tight hips
• tension in the spine
• mental sluggishness or fatigue
• weakness in the arms (if you engage the arms)
• substitute for inverted poses for those who can’t do full inversions
• alternative for Standing Forward Bend poses for those who can’t bear weight on their legs
• arthritis (for maintaining joint mobility in the hips)
• anxiety or stress

Instructions: Sit near the front edge of your chair. Separate your feet so your thighbones are 90 degrees apart and position your knees directly over your ankles. Point feet your feet in the same direction as your thighbones, as shown in the photo, and place your hands on your knees. On an inhalation, establish the length of your spine.

On your exhalation, tip from your hips as much as you can to come into the forward fold with a straight back. When you reach your maximum (your pelvis stops moving), carefully allow your spine to round forward and bring your arms down between your legs. You can either push your palms firmly into the floor with your arms straight, lengthening from your pubic bone to your collarbones, or you can press your elbows into your inner thighs to create more widening or lengthening of your inner leg muscles.

Stay in the pose for one to two minutes. Come up on an inhalation, keeping your back relaxed and using your hands on your knees to assist if your lower back feels vulnerable. If you want to use this pose to increase your back strength, you can try coming up with your back straight.

If you have lower back issues or are very stiff in the hips, try a variation of this pose with your elbows on your knees come down about a quarter of the way.

Cautions: This is a relatively safe pose. However, if you have lower back disk disease or pain in your hip joints, approach the pose carefully. And if the pose aggravates your symptoms, come out immediately, and get advice from your teacher about how to get in and out of the pose safely. If you feel excessive pressure in your head, don’t stay in the pose very long.

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Featured Pose Seated Forward Bend Paschimottanasana

by Baxter 

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) provides an excellent stretch for the muscles and fascia of your entire back body, from your heels to the back of your head. In general, many of you will also find the pose soothing to your nervous system and quieting for your mind and emotions, so it’s a good pose to include at the end of a practice, to prepare you for relaxation or meditation. The exception to this that some of you who experience intense stretch sensations in your back body in the pose due to muscle tightness may feel agitated instead. Two of our variations below, however, can help even some of you stiffer people find a more peaceful experience. 

I prescribe this pose for:

• Improving flexibility in the spine, hips, hamstrings and calves 
• Stimulating your digestive system 
• Soothing your nervous system 
• Quieting your mind 
• Managing stress 
• Reducing anxiety 
• Improving insomnia 

Cautions: Two vulnerable areas can potentially be aggravated or injured in this pose: the lower back and the starting point of the hamstrings near your sitting bones. Therefore, if you have lower back disc problems, lower back pain, or a torn hamstring tendon, you should avoid this pose altogether. Those with osteoporosis and osteopenia should only do versions 2 and 4, and those with wedge fractures also should only do version 2. See Friday Practice Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine for more info. And if the pose worsens symptoms of depression, don’t practice it. Pregnant women in the second or third trimesters should practice only version 4 of the pose or substitute with Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend (Upavista Konasana). 

 

1. Classic Version

If you typically use support in seated poses, set up a folded blanket on your mat to support your hips and if you can’t easily reach your feet in this pose, place a strap where you can easily grab it. Then, sit either on the edge of the folded blanket or directly on the mat with your legs straight out in front of you. With knees straight, either bend your ankles and feet forward to a 45-degree angle (which can help with hamstring and calf muscle tightness) or flex your feet to a 90-degree angle. 

Elongate your spine, and then on an inhalation take your arms overhead. On your exhalation, tip forward from your hips. When your hips stop rotating forward, release your arms and reach your hands towards your feet. When you come to a comfortable limit, either bring your hands on to your feet if you are flexible enough or place the strap around your feet as shown in the photo above if you are less flexible (if you don’t have a strap, you can place your hands on the outsides of your legs—this could be your knees if you are really tight). 

With your hands in position, mindfully release your spine into a forward bend. Keep your arms firm to stabilize your forward bend, but do not use them to pull your chest closer to your thighs; this could strain your lower back or worse. Instead, with each round of breath, invite your body to release into the forward fold. Look for a reasonable stretch sensation along the backs of your legs and spine, letting your internal experience of sensation be your guide rather than the desire to look like a photo in a yoga magazine. 

Start by holding the pose for about one minute or 16 rounds of breath, and gradually work up to longer holds, as long as 2-4 minutes. To come out of the pose, strongly engage your leg muscles and, on an inhalation, release your hands and come back up to an upright position as you sweep your arms towards the sky. Then, exhale and release your arms to your sides. If you are tight, try bending your knees to release the tension in the backs of your legs. 

2. Straight Back (Extended Spine) 

This variation is excellent for those who cannot safely round their spines, such as those with lower back pain, disc issues, or osteopenia or osteoporosis with or without wedge fractures (see See Friday Practice Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine for more info). 

If you use a blanket and/or strap in the classic version, use them in this version as well. Enter the pose as with the classic version, but after tipping initially from your hips and bringing your hands into position, instead of rounding your spine forward, keep your spine extended as you would if you were trying to do a slight backbend. Keep your head and neck in a neutral position, aligned with your spine rather than thrown back. 

Use the same timing for this variation as for the classic version. And come out of the pose in the same way. 

3. Knee Support 

This variation is excellent for those of you who are very tight in hamstrings and buttocks because practicing with bent knees takes tension out of those muscles and allows you to tip your hips more easily over your legs (you probably won’t need a strap!). And, for others, this variation is as relaxing and restorative as version 4. 

Before coming into the pose, place a round bolster or a thick blanket roll underneath your knees, so your knees are bent and your legs are relaxed and completely supported. From there, follow the instructions for the classic version. 

4. Restorative Version 

Using a chair to support your head and arms allows you to experience the quieting nature of this pose without any strain. So this version is appropriate for anyone who wants to practice Seated Forward Bend as a restorative pose, either as part of a restorative sequence or simply on its own. This variation is also for those who cannot safely round their spines (except those with or at risk of wedge fractures), as well as for those with tight hamstrings and buttocks. 

Start by sitting in front of the chair (if the chair has a hard seat, place a folded blanket or sticky mat on it to create a softer surface). Sit on a folded blanket if you use one in the classic version. Then extend your legs straight in front of you and between the legs of the chair, so your feet and calves are under the chair seat. (You will have to experiment with having the chair closer or farther away from your hips find a distance that allows either for a straight spine or for just a gentle rounding that does not stimulate much stretch in the back of the spine or legs.) 

Come into the pose as you did for the classic version, and as you extend your spine toward the chair, place your forearms on the chair seat near its front edge. Now release your neck and rest your head on your arms, gently rounding your spine only if necessary. (If the chair seat isn’t high enough for you, try adding a folded blanket on top of the seat.) 

Start by holding the pose for about one minute or 16 rounds of breath, although if you are very comfortable, you could stay for much longer, for 5 minutes or a bit more. Come out of the pose slowly by rolling your head and chest up to a sitting position. Then bend your knees a bit and use your hands to help you scoot back away from the chair. 

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Featured Pose Warrior 2 Virbrdrasana 2

by Baxter and Nina

This week’s featured pose is one of Baxter’s favorite poses for osteoporosis (see here). In addition to building bone strength, Warrior 2 strengthens your arm and leg muscles. This pose also improves your balance and stretches your inner thighs. The variations we describe below make it accessible to almost everyone (it can even be done on a chair). 

Baxter prescribes Warrior 2 for:

• osteoporosis
• balance problems
• anxiety (it burns off excess energy and is “grounding”)

General Instructions: Step your feet wide apart (about the length of your legs). Turn your right foot out about 90 degrees and your left foot in slightly, so the toes of your back foot line up with the long edge of your yoga mat. Inhale and extend your arms out to your sides. Then exhale and bend your right knee toward 90 degrees (but not further), making sure your right knee is aligned with your middle right toe. If it’s comfortable for you, turn your head to gaze over your right hand. Repeat the pose on your left side. 

Recommended Timing: 30 seconds (8 breaths) for beginners, working up to 1 minute (12 to 16 breaths).

Some Helpful Variations:

1. To build arm strength, leave your arms up while changing from the right side to the left.
2. If you have balance problems, practice with your back to a wall, with the hip of your front leg touching the wall. If balance is a serious concern, you can touch your hands to the wall as you bend your knee and while you stay in the pose.
3. If you are generally weak or tight in the hips, practice the pose with your back heel touching the wall. This is also useful to get a clear sense of the straightness of your back leg. 

Cautions: If you have knee problems, don’t bend your front knee quite as deeply. Make sure it stops just shy of being over the front ankle. In addition, standing with your feet a bit closer than the 4 to 4 1/2 feet apart that is usually recommended can also help. And if your knee is acutely painful, you could sit on a chair with your front thigh supported by the chair seat to take all weight off your front knee.

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Featured Sequence Mini Sun Salutation

by Baxter and Nina

The Mini Sun Salutation a simple, accessible version of the classic Sun Salutation, which skips the Plank or Pushup pose and the Upward-Facing Dog or Cobra pose that is usually included after the Downward-Facing Dog pose. This modified Sun Salutation is a great way to warm up for a full Sun Salutation, and provides a simple alternative for people who are just starting to learn this sequence.

Because you move quickly from one pose to another in this sequence, the mini Sun Salutation cultivates agility (Cultivating Agility with Yoga), one of our four essential physical skills for healthy aging. The sequence also benefits your cardiovascular system (see Yoga for Heart Health), both strengthening and stretching the muscles and connective tissue that your body’s blood vessels pass through, thus exercising your heart and encouraging more efficient flow through the piping of your system.

This sequence is also quite invigorating, and can uplift you if you’re feeling depressed or stimulate you if you’re feeling lethargic. If you’re feeling anxious, you can use a Sun Salutation to work off some of your excess energy before you move onto more relaxing poses (see 10 Ways to Soothe Anxiety with Yoga).

Mini Sun Salutation

1. Start by standing in Mountain pose (Tadasana) at the front of your mat, with your hands in Namaste position in front of your heart. Take a moment to check in with your body and your mind. For your first round, start out at a reasonable pace and let yourself warm up gradually. 

2. On an inhalation, take your arms overhead into Arms Overhead pose (Urdhva Hastasana).

3. On your exhalation, bend forward into Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) with your fingertips on the floor if possible. If you can’t reach the floor with straight legs, either place your hands on your shins or bend your knees slightly.

4. On your next inhalation, bend your left knee and step your right foot back onto a High Lunge pose. Keep your fingertips on the floor on either side of your front foot. If it is not possible for you to touch the floor, support both hands with blocks. 

5. As you exhale, step your left foot back in line with the right foot and come into Downward-Facing Dog. Consider staying for 3-5 breaths. Since Downward Dog is a partial inversion, you are assisting in the return of blood from the veins of the body back to the heart, as side benefit of most inversions for heart health!

6. On your next inhalation, swing your hips forward as you step your right foot to the front of your mat, coming into High Lunge once again. (Sorry, no photo yet of left foot forward in the lunge.)

7. On your exhalation, step your left foot forward to meet your right foot and come back to Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana). 

8. On your next inhalation, bend both knees and sweep your arms and torso up into Powerful pose (Utkatasana). 

9. Stay in Powerful Pose for a breath. Then, on your next inhalation, straighten your legs and body back to Arms Overhead pose.

10. On your exhalation, release your arms and bring your hands into Namaste position if front of your heart. Take a moment in Mountain pose to check in with your body and your mind before continuing onto the next side.

Repeat the sequence again, this time leading with your left foot. Since this part of the practice will likely get the heart rate up a bit, feel free to do several rounds—anywhere from two to six.

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