YogaJournalSingapore-February092018

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