Yoga_Journal_USA_Special_Issue_-_Yoga_Today_2017

warming

standing & balancing

inversions, twists &

forward bends

meditationrelaxation &

self care 101

SET IT UP
❉ Stand with your back to a wall.
❉ Step your feet together, or keep them
a few inches apart if you feel unsteady.
❉ Lift your arms to shoulder height
and spread them shoulder-width apart.
❉ Straighten your arms, but draw the heads
of your shoulders back into the wall.

REFINE Notice that your shoulders and
upper back are touching the wall; your
lower back and neck are not—these are
places where your spine naturally curves
toward the front of the body. Work to main-
tain (but not exaggerate) these natural
curves as you lift your arms. Notice that
when you reach your arms up, your ribs
and spine will want to follow the arms, jut-
ting forward and producing discomfort in
the lower back. Engage your core muscles
to stabilize yourself, and gently draw your
lower ribs toward the wall. Experiment
with how high you can take your arms
overhead while keeping your ribs in con-
tact with the wall behind you.

FINISH
Take at least 5 full breaths here, expanding
your chest and grounding your legs. On
an exhalation, lower your arms and relax.

Align your upper body

Open your chest

and shoulders

while stabilizing

your spine with a

strong core.

STEP 2

SET IT UP

❉ Begin in Tadasana with your feet

together. Spread your weight evenly

through your feet.

❉ Lift your arms to shoulder height

directly in front of your body. Draw the

shoulders back, opening your chest.

❉ Now lift your arms overhead as high

as you can without letting your lower

ribs pop out.

❉ Bend your knees, coming as close as

you can to a right angle while keeping

your weight in your heels.

REFINE Recall the feeling of your

back against the wall in Step 1 (see page

26 ) and try to re-create that feeling

now. The more deeply you descend as

you bend your legs, the more you’ll need

to lift your lower belly to maintain the

balanced curves in your spine. Remem-

ber to zip your pubis up toward your

navel and to pull in your lower ribs. Keep

stretching up through your straight

arms even as you reach down with your

strong legs and press firmly through

your heels. Let your gaze rest on a point

just in front of your mat.

FINISH Take a couple more breaths

if you can, and on an inhalation, press

down to rise up. Straighten your legs

and lower your arms, returning to

Tadasana. Pause and feel the effects

of this powerful pose. ✤

Utkatasana

In Sanskrit, the word for dedicated practice is abhyasa. It means

making an effort to reach a goal, wholeheartedly and consistently

over time. In yoga, this implies discipline, but it is also a move-

ment toward effortlessness. “Practice” means staying aware of

the present moment. This awareness is quickly lost if you get

too interested in achieving a pose. Effortlessness arises when

you let go of the outcome of practice. You have to make yourself

show up, which is hard, but if you stay interested in the practice

itself rather than the goal, effortlessness will come.

Elements of practice

FINAL POSE

YOGA TODAY YOGAJOURNAL.COM 27