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february/march 2019yogajournal.com.au11 Low Lunge Jump Switches
Place 2 blocks vertically on middle height at the top of your
mat. Come to a Lunge with your right foot forward between
the blocks. Put your hands on the blocks, stacking your
shoulders above your wrists. Press your palms firmly into the
blocks, engaging your arms and protracting your shoulder
blades. Bend your back knee (it will act as a springboard), and
then jump, lifting your hips high and switching your legs—
landing your left foot between the blocks and your right leg
extended in a lunge. Straighten your legs on the jump, touch-
ing your big toes as they pass. Keep your arms straight and
your core engaged! Repeat 10 times.12 Prasarita Padottanasana I
Wide-Legged Forward Bend I
From Mountain Pose, step out into a wide-legged stance.
Your ankles should line up under your wrists when your
arms are extended from your sides. Keep your feet paral-
lel, and exhale to fold forward, lining up your fingers
with your toes (or using blocks beneath your palms). Stay
here for 5–8 breaths. Inhale to come up.9 Dynamic Parsvottanasana
Low Lunge to Side Stretch Pose, aka Pyramid Pose
Step your left leg back into a Lunge. Place your hands on blocks
on either side of your front foot (knee directly over your heel),
creating a 90-degree angle. Keep your back leg straight and
engaged, heel pressing back, quads active. On an exhalation,
straighten your right leg by pulling your hips up and back into
a long Pyramid Pose (pictured). Focus on opening your front
hamstrings. Your back heel can stay lifted and your inner thighs
should isometrically move toward each other. Re-bend, extend,
and repeat 3 times. Then, repeat on the other side..10 Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana
Standing Split (Jiva Squat)
From Low Lunge, walk your hands ahead of your front
foot (on the ground or on blocks). Press off your back
foot, lifting to a standing split. Try to keep your hips
even while finding height in your back leg. Don’t let
your lifted hip open. A slight bend in your front knee
is okay. Lower your torso toward your front shin. Curl
into a ball by lowering your lifted leg and drawing your
knee toward your nose. Bend your standing leg, lifting
your heel. On an inhale, lengthen back to Standing Split,
moving slightly deeper into the stretch. Repeat 5 times,
then switch sides.