24
february / march 2018
yogajournal.com.sg
DON’Tlet your front ribs pop out and
your pelvis drop into an anterior tilt,
which can create “banana back.”
An exaggerated lumbar curve in
Upward Salute will cause you to lose
the rooting action of your tailbone
and decrease the power found in a
more streamlined spinal extension.
DON’Tlet your elbows bend
or your arms go wide, which
will result in a loss of length in
the sides of your waist.
Urdhva = Raised · Hasta = Hands · asana = pose
Upward Salute
YOGAPEDIA
rti ll
How to move from
Urdhva Hastasana to
Adho Mukha Vrksasana
BENEFITS Teaches
extension from the ground
up; lengthens your side
waist; strengthens your
arms and shoulders
INSTRUCTIONS
1 From standing, bring
the balls of your feet to
touch, leaving a narrow
space between your heels.
Ground down through the
four corners of each foot.
Lift and spread your toes—
this will help you lift your
arches and inner ankles and
get a sense of where your
midline is. Then engage
your quadriceps. Maintain
the lift in your arches and
legs as you release your
toes down.
2 Neutralize your pelvis by
anchoring your tailbone
toward your heels and
moving the tops of your
buttocks down. This helps
prevent an exaggerated
curve in the lumbar spine
and keeps the lower front
ribs from splaying out,
which can interfere with
maintaining a strong line of
extension in both Upward
Salute and Handstand.
3 Inhale your arms out to
your sides, parallel to the
floor. Exhale to externally
rotate from the top of your
humerus bones, where
your arms insert into your
shoulders. Draw the bottom
tips of your shoulder blades
toward your spine, widen
your collarbones, and
broaden your chest.
4 On an inhalation, raise
your arms alongside your
ears. On an exhalation, root
down through your feet.
5 Inhale to lengthen the
sides of your waist even
more and reach up through
the crown of your head.
Exhale to firm your arms
closer to your ears and
midline. Make sure your
lower ribs are not splaying
out. Keep your gaze at the
horizon, your chin level,
and your throat soft and
open. Hold here for 8
breaths before exhaling
your arms down.
PHOTOS: CHRIS FANNING; MODEL: NIKKI VILELLA; HAIR/MAKEUP: SUZANNE KATZ WITH WILHELMINA; TOP: ALTERNATIVE APPAREL; BOTTOMS: HARD TAIL FOREVER
Urdhva Hastasana
By Nikki Vilella