3 Single-legged Balancing Yoga Poses

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balance poses yoga, Eagle pose, single-legged balancing postures, standing bow pulling pose, Tree Pose, yoga balance, Yoga Holiday With Paul, yoga postures, Yoga With Paul

Balance is essential. Without it, we wobble all over. Yoga is a great tool for improving our physical balance and regular practice also helps balance our lives in general.

In this blog we’ll look at 3 single-legged balance poses. These postures have a range of benefits. Physically, they strengthen major and minor muscle groups in the legs, helping avoid common problems such as weak ankles; the improve core strength; and they teach us to regulate our breathing.

Mentally and emotionally, they increase focus and concentration; give us a sense of achievement; and help promote calm, mindful movements.

If you’re new to single-legged balancing poses, don’t worry. It is normal to fall out! The point of practicing these postures is to always challenge ourselves to go a little bit further in our practice. That might mean holding the posture for three seconds, or for 90 seconds, depending on your level. How long doesn’t matter. It’s the effort that counts.

Getting our Eagle on at Yoga Holiday With Paul!

Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

In this pose you challenge your body to stand on one leg while maintaining a tall, straight posture like a tree. To begin, create a firm base by locking the knee of your standing leg, which activates your muscles and mind. Then you find your balance as you bring your other leg up. Once in the posture breathe deeply, extending your spine and growing upward with each breath.

Eagle pose (Garudasana)

Eagle pose is a balance posture that stretches all your muscles and joints. The ankle of your standing leg is working hard to keep your body connected and balanced, which strengthens the muscles in your lower leg and helps support the Achilles tendon. This is a challenging pose so start with a few seconds and gradually increase your time in the posture. Keep the weight evenly distributed on the foot and your hips straight. Wrapping the second leg creates a deep stretch in the muscles and connective tissue.

Standing bow pulling pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana)

Standing bow pulling pose builds balance, strength, flexibility and concentration. One particular challenge is keeping the hips level throughout the posture. To achieve this, begin square to the mirror, with your right hand holding your right ankle from the inside and left arm straight up, palm forward. As you kick back your body tilts forward. There should be a twist in the upper body, with your two shoulders coming into one line. Kick into the hand until you can see your foot in the mirror at the centre of your head. Keep the hips level to the ground. This pose is a continuous challenge so don’t be discouraged if you go up and come down multiple times. Just try!

What’s your favourite balancing pose? Share in the comments!

 

Advanced Side Plank Tips

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asanas, how to do side plank, side plank pose, strengthening yoga, Vasisthasana, yoga postures, yoga teacher, Yoga With Paul

The beauty of yoga is that the practice is always growing. Once you learn a pose, you can continue to build on it with challenging variations.

Side plank pose (Vasisthasana) is a terrific way to build arm, wrist, shoulder, core and leg strength. As a balancing pose, it challenges you to develop greater stability and confidence while strengthening major muscle groups.

You can move into side plank from plank pose. You want to glue your legs together and roll onto the outer edge of your right foot, stacking your left leg and foot on top. Then press down through the inner edge of your right hand and inhale your left arm up, stacking the shoulders and hips.

Once you feel strong in this posture, you can move on to the full expression of vasisthanasana that challenges your arms, core and legs.

To get into the advanced pose, bring the foot of your upper leg onto the inner thigh, taking care the hips are lifted high and pushing through the lower leg to keep it strong.

Then exhale and bend your upper leg, bringing the thigh towards the chest. Hook your big toe with your fingers, inhale and extend your leg straight upwards.

Functional Yoga: Pull-up Basics

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Yoga develops total body strength and stamina, making it a great stepping stone to functional moves like press-ups and pull-ups. In flow yoga we do a lot of press-ups in the form of chaturanga. But we don’t really do moves that focus on pulling.

Adding pull-ups to your training repertoire is a fantastic way to benefit everything from your grip strength to your large back muscles. However, they will probably take a while to master. Like any challenging move, they require practice and persistence. When you put in the effort, though, you will be rewarded with increased strength and confidence.

Photo by Martine Jacobsen on Unsplash

If you’re a beginner you need to get your body accustomed to the movement. Two ways to do this are the straight-arm hang and the shoulder-pull.

The first element, as the name suggests, is simply suspending and holding your body weight. This can be surprisingly challenging! To do this, find a comfortable grip where your hands are more than shoulder width apart. Ease your feet off the ground until your whole weight is on your arms — try to not jerk as that could strain your shoulders. Start with five or 10 seconds, whatever is comfortable. Keep breathing evenly in and out through your nose. Gradually increase the time you hold on.

Once you’ve built up a strong grip and can hang for 30-40 seconds, move on to lifting your weight with your shoulder blades. To do this, hang in the same position, letting your shoulders rise naturally. Then pull your scapula downwards and gently release back into a relaxed position. This works the larger muscles in your back and prepares your body for the next stage of the pull-up.

Stay tuned for more pull-up tips!

3 Strength Poses for Handstand

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Handstands, like headstands, are a powerful, energising part of yoga practice. They enable us to literally see the world from a different perspective, while building tremendous strength through core, arms, legs and shoulders.

Handstands are also a playful pose that many of us enjoyed as kids. They’re a light-hearted way to defy gravity, a chance to have some fun.

For a lot of us, though, getting our adult bodies into inversions — especially handstands — is a challenge. Here are three yoga poses to help you develop the strength, balance and confidence that lead to headstand.

Downward-facing dog

Downward dog is an essential introduction to your handstand practice as it builds tremendous strength in your arms and shoulders. To get the maximum benefit ensure that when you are in the full expression you contract your outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. This creates correct muscle alignment and builds strength.

Plank

Core strength is vital in order to have the power you need to kick into handstand and the control to maintain your balance. Practice plank pose regularly, working up from one minute to three, four or even five. When you are in plank continuously check in with yourself to ensure your belly is tight, your back firm, and your body aligned evenly over your hands. Add side plank to your practice for greater power and balance.

L-shaped handstand

Practicing L-shaped handstands against the wall prepares your body for the final expression of a full handstand. To begin, kneel on all fours with your feet flat against a wall and your shoulders stacked over your wrists. Rise into a shortened downward dog,  then bring one leg up at a time so your foot is in line with your hips and your knees  are bent. Gradually straighten your legs until your upper body is balanced on your arms. Remember to engage your abs and lift your shoulders up away from your ears. As you begin to feel confident, you can experiment with lifting alternate legs off the wall.

Questions about handstand? Ask in the comments or Tweet @YogaWithPaul

Revolved Abdomen Pose

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Revolved abdomen pose (Jathara Parivartanasana) is one you may not be familiar with if you stick with the 26 postures of hot yoga, but it has many benefits. It is an on-your-back floor pose, so you can include it before savasana at the end of your practice.

Benefits of revolved abdomen pose include greater flexibility of your spine and abs, relaxed hips, better circulation and improved digestion. The twist wrings out your internal organs, improving their function, while strengthening your abdominals.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Start by lying flat on your back. Draw your knees to your chest then take several even breaths to expand your lower back.
2. Stretch your arms out, palms facing the ceiling.
3. As you exhale bring your knees down to the right and draw toward your right elbow.
4. Activate your extended left arm as a counterbalance to ensure the rotation is happening through your core, rather than you simply rolling onto your side.
5. Stay here for five to ten breaths. With each exhale consciously revolve your abdomen to the left, away from your knees. Keep your lower back engaged to deepen the twist.
6. Return your knees to centre, swing them to the left, and repeat on the left side.

Afterwards, your core and spine should feel flexible and energised. This is a great posture for end-of-the-day practice to fully revitalise your internal organs and expel tension from the belly and spine.

Questions? Ask in the comments or Tweet @YogaWithPaul

 

Tips to Master Crow Pose

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In yoga, there is always another pose to master. Crow pose (kakasana) is a forearm balance pose which challenges you to develop tremendous concentration, core strength and confidence. A lot of students have a tough time to start with because they’re afraid of face-planting onto the mat! The Yoga Journal has three great quick tips for developing your confidence and technique so you can fly in this pose.

To come into Crow Pose from standing, squat down and place your hands flat on your mat about shoulder-width apart with the fingers spread wide. Now, keep the hands and feet where they are but lift the hips way up toward the sky, bend the knees and lift the heels off the floor so just the balls of the feet are down. Gently press the knees in to the backs of the triceps and begin to shift your weight into the fingertips, picking one foot at a time off the floor. Bend the elbows if necessary for balance. Use the core to draw the navel in toward the spine to stabilize and find that “lift” in the center of the body that eventually allows you to straighten the elbows and hold. Be sure to bring your gaze just between the hands to maintain balance.

Fear: “But what if I face-plant?!”

Modification: Block under forehead

The biggest fear in Crow? The face-plant! When you’re trying to find your center of gravity, it’s pretty easy to lose sight of your focal point and fall forward. Before you come into Crow, place a foam block about 4–5 inches in front of your fingertips at the center of your mat. As you practice coming into Crow, let yourself lean forward without fear, knowing your forehead will touch a squishy block before hitting the mat or hardwood. Much nicer, trust me! This modification not only creates a safety net but also quickly gives you feedback when you’re slightly off center. Play it safe without missing out on the fun of trying.

Head to the Yoga Journal for more great tips on Crow Pose

Questions about a pose? Ask in the comments or Tweet @YogaWithPaul

 

4 Yoga Poses for Digestion

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Bikram postures, cobra pose, holiday yoga, hot yoga postures, London yoga, wind-removing pose, yoga digestion, yoga teacher, Yoga With Paul

Digestive upset is common in December. By the time you’ve hit the end of the festive run of roast potatoes, mince pies, turkey, bread sauce, chocolates, trifle and whatnot you may be feeling heavier than usual, or suffering from bloating, indigestion, or constipation…

Whatever the issue, doing these four simple yoga poses will soothe your system, boost digestive function, and help you feel more like yourself.

Wind-removing pose: Do this any time to gently stimulate your digestion and encourage elimination. If you’re doing it at home, hold it for longer than you would in class, breathing mindfully and deeply to get the best massage for your colon.

Hands to feet pulling pose: This is another wonderful massage for your internal organs. Pulling your body tight against your thighs means no room for light or air anywhere on the outside, and no room for excess on the inside either! Bend your knees as much as you need to to keep a good compression between your abdomen and thighs.

Cobra pose: Lying on your belly puts gentle pressure on your stomach and digestive system, encouraging the movement of any trapped wind. As you rise, really contract your back and leg muscles to strengthen this massage.

Savasana: Embrace the benefits of stillness. Whether you’ve over-eaten, drunk too much, or simply gotten stressed out by everything, taking a few minutes to relax in corpse pose, breathing evenly in and out through your nose, is a great way to calm the body and bring it back into balance.

How do you combat Christmas pudding syndrome? Share in the comments!

Core Yoga Poses

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Building and maintaining strong core muscles improves your health, posture and sense of well-being. We spend a lot of time, in Bikram yoga in particular, working on the muscles surrounding the spine and on the abdominals.

At every point in the class, I encourage you to focus on holding in your stomach and maintaining correct posture and alignment to get all your muscles working. These poses are especially important in the sequence for improving your core.

Awkward:

Tip: Draw your navel back to your spine and hold it in as you move through the posture.

Balancing Stick:Tip: Actively tighten your abdominals as you stretch forward and back.

Triangle:

Tip: Pull your belly in tight before you move your arms.

Cobra:

Tip: Keep heels and knees together and tighten your butt to get maximum lift.

Spine Twisting:

Tip: Take a deep conscious inhalation and contract your abs as you begin the stretch. Hold them in throughout.

Questions? Ask in the comments!