AYGMyJune2015

Benefit

Establishes strength and

balance in the legs, and

helps you feel centred,

steady and grounded

Instruction

1 Stand with your

feet together, inner

ankles and inner knees

touching. Find a straight

line of energy through

the centre of the body,

from the inner arches

up through the crown

of the head. Bring the

hands together at the

centre of the chest in

Anjali Mudra. Exhale,

root down through

your feet and feel

steadiness, firmness and

grounding in Tadasana,

or Mountain Pose.

2 Shift your weight onto

your right foot. Bend left

knee, and move it into

the chest. Keeping a long

spine, reach down and

clasp left ankle. Place the

sole of the left foot on

the inner right thigh.

3 Lengthen your tailbone

towards the floor to

stand tall and bring your

drishti, or gaze, to the

wall directly in front of

you to help you balance.

4 Press your left foot

into the inner right thigh

and your right thigh into

your foot in an effort to

maintain your midline.

5 Square both hips to

the front of the room,

keeping your left knee

moving out to the left.

6 Firm your outer right

thigh by contracting the

quadriceps muscles,

or the front of the

thighs. Zip your belly

in and your lower ribs

together. Lift the chest

and bring the shoulder

blades down.

7 Take 5-10 deep breaths,

finding length on each

inhale and rooting down

with each exhale.

8 Exhale and release the

left leg back to Tadasana.

Repeat on the other side.

68

may/june 2015

yogajournal.com.au

yogapedia

practise well

Vrksasana

modifications

page 69

Svarga

Dvijasana prep

page 70

Svarga Dvijasana

pages 71-72

Vrksasana

vrksa = tree · asana = pose

Tree Pose

Vrksasana

How to move from Vrksasana

to Svarga Dvijasana

Poses of the month

By Claire Missingham

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Photos: Jeff Nelso

N; Model: Claire MissiN

ghaM

; stylist: eMily Choi; h

air/MakeuP

: a

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aN

a a

rya

N-s

afi

DON’T turn out

the foot on

the standing,

supporting leg.

this will misalign

the supporting knee

and hip.

DON’T place

your foot on the

opposite knee.

keep it above or

below the knee, on

the inner thigh or

side of the shin, to

protect the knee of

the standing leg.

yj43_68-72_pose of the month_270.indd 68 31/03/2015 12:39 pm