YOGAJOURNAL.COM / 58 / DECEMBER 2017
Modify Urdhva Hastasana as necessary
to fi nd safe alignment for your body.
If you have trouble engaging
your legs and grounding
through your feet ...
TRY placing a block on its narrow side
between your inner upper thighs, close
to your pubic bone. Lift your toes and then
fi rm your inner thighs around the block. Lift
your quadriceps and roll your inner thighs
back—as if you were trying to pass the
block to someone—to create more space
in your low back. Then squeeze your outer
hips in and lengthen your tailbone down
toward the block. The dual action of inter-
nally rotating your inner thighs and strongly
rooting your tailbone will neutralize your
pelvis and help you fi nd strength in your
legs. The block gives you something to
squeeze into and helps you realize each
of these actions. Hold for 8 breaths before
exhaling to release your arms.Find your edge
You know you are at your edge when you
meet the boundaries of your comfort zone.
In order to grow, you need to explore those
boundaries with courage. There is an idea
in yoga that the heat of an experience is what
can transform you; the word that embodies this
idea is tapas. Handstand is a pose that
serves as the spark that initiates transformation
and growth, which stems from a broadening
of perspective. When you turn your world
upside down, you are pushed to your edge
in a way that insists you rediscover your center
of balance in order to thrive. When you are
inverted, fi nding and staying tethered to your
center and midline take eff ort, but the combina-
tion of a deep, internal focus and a willingness
to experiment can be the starting point.If you are having
trouble getting your arms
alongside your ears ...
TRY working your legs, chest, and
pelvis as you would in Tadasana,
and bring one arm at a time into Ardha
Gomukhasana arms (Half Cow Face
Pose arms). Limitation in this motion
could mean that you are tight in the
latissimus dorsi muscles (on the
mid- to lower back) and tricep muscles
(at the back of the upper arms). Lift
your left arm, externally rotate it, and
then bend at your elbow. Use your right
hand to gently draw your left elbow
behind your head. Rest your left hand
between your shoulder blades. Hold
here for 8 breaths before exhaling to
release your arms. Switch sides. Over
time, this will help you to bring your
arms alongside your ears.If your shoulders
and wrists feel tight ...
TRY Baddha Guliasana (Bound Fingers
Pose). Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
with your palms pressing together at the
center of your chest. Interlace your fi ngers
at their roots, so that the webbing con-
nects and forms a fi st. Invert your palms
so that they face the front of the room,
and extend through your elbows until the
arms are straight. On an inhalation, lift your
arms alongside your ears and hug them in
toward your midline. When you reach up,
extend all the way from the bottom sides
of the waist to the heels of your palms.
Do not overbend your fi ngers; instead,
open your wrists by pressing up through
the base of your palms. Hold for 8 breaths
before exhaling to release your hands and
lower your arms.YOGAPEDIA
PRACTICE WELL