Australian Yoga Journal - April 2018

YOGAPEDIA

r r ti

60

april 2018

yogajournal.com.au

PHOTOS: RICK CUMMINGS; MODEL: OLIVIA HSU; STYLIST: JESSICA JEANNE EATON;HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER; TOP AND BOTTOMS: PRANA; JEWELRY: BRONWEN

Utthita = Extended · Parsva = Side

Kona = Angle · Asana = Pose

Extended Side Angle Pose

Utthita Parsvakonasana

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Our Pro Teacher and model Olivia Hsu has been studying Ashtanga Yoga for more than two decades. She’s studied with Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor (and is

now a senior teacher for them), as well as with Tim Miller. As a professional rock climber, Hsu understands the balance between maintaining a dedicated yoga prac-

tice and other athletic passions. When she’s not scaling a rock face, she can be found traveling around the world leading yoga retreats and workshops.

Utthita Parsvakonasana

to Visvamitrasana

Poses of the month

DON’T bring your right knee past your

foot, which can put unnecessary pressure

DON’T lock up your pelvis as you

sidebend, which can cause a pinching

in your hip and lead to wear on the

cartilage around your hip joint.

Instead, allow your pelvis to rotate.

Instruction

1 Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose).

On an exhalation, step your feet 3–4 feet

apart. If you feel as though your feet are

slipping, shorten your stance slightly.

(If your legs are too far apart, it’s difficult

to find stability. As you gain flexibility,

you can widen your stance.) Rest your

hands on your hips. Turn your right foot

out so that your toes face the front of your

mat; turn your left foot slightly in.

Align your right heel with your left heel.

2 Engage your quadriceps muscles by

lifting your kneecaps toward your thighs.

Bend your right knee to bring your

right shin and thigh to a 90-degree

angle with your right kneecap in line

with your right ankle.

3 On an inhalation, extend your arms out to

your sides. Then, reach them up overhead

and lengthen through your sides. Allow your

pelvis to shift: Rotate your left hip slightly

forward, and shift your right hip back as you

begin to fold to the right. Keep your torso

and spine long as you side bend.

4 Place your right hand to the outside of your

right foot. Sweep and extend your left arm

over your left ear, maintaining a straight line

from your left foot all the way up to your left

fingertips. Your palm should be facing down.

Attempt to widen your collarbones to create

space between your left shoulder and left ear.

5 Press through your outer left foot. Keep

your head neutral, or turn it to gaze at your

left thumb. Hold here for 5–10 breaths.

Repeat on the other side.

By Olivia Hsu

Benefit

Strengthens your legs, knees, and ankles; stretches your

hamstrings, adductors (groin muscles), lats (latissimus

dorsi—back muscles that help stabilise your spine); tones

your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor.