YOGAJOURNAL.COM / 50 / FEBRUARY 2018
15 VIRASANA Hero Pose, variation
Bring your knees together and sit back on
a block between your heels. Lift the skin
of your knees, and press the heels of your
hands into the heads of your femur bones
as you wiggle your waist long. Take your
arms into a big V above your head, mak-
ing cup shapes with your hands. Start to
pump your breath in and out in Kapala-
bhati Pranayama (Skull Shining Breath),
giving yourself a total count of 50–100
breaths. As you pump your breath, imag-
ine grace raining down from the universe
into your cup-shaped palms.16 BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA
Bellows Breath
Stay seated in Virasana and bring your hands
onto your shoulders, keeping your elbows
high. As you inhale, twist your torso to the left;
as you exhale, twist your torso to the right.
Continue to inhale and exhale for 1 minute,
twisting your torso to either side with each
inhalation and exhalation. Breathe forcefully
through your nose at the rate of one sec-
ond per inhale and one second per exhale.
Option: Finish your practice by resting in
Savasana.14 SETU BANDHA
SARVANGASANA
Bridge Pose, variation
Remove the blocks and lie down fl at on the
mat with the soles of your feet hip-width
apart. Lift your hips and place two blocks
on their highest setting, side by side, under
your sacrum. Lift your legs up, and wrap
your right leg over your left in Garudasana
(Eagle Pose). Then, drop your left foot down
to the mat, a few inches to the left. Breathe
into your outer right hip, psoas, and IT band.
Take 10 breaths here, then repeat on the
other side.HOME PRACTICE
PRACTICE WELL
11 AGNISTAMBHASANA
Fire Log Pose, variation
Sit on a bolster or stack of blankets so your
hips are higher than your knees, creating
space for your kidneys and lungs. Stack
your shins on top of one another with your
ankles over your knees, so that each foot
is just off each knee. Flex your feet to pro-
tect your knees and fold forward. As you
do this, avoid rounding your upper back.
Stay here for 5 breaths, then switch the
cross of your legs.12 GOMUKHASANA
Cow Face Pose, variation
From a seated position, cross your left
thigh over your right so that your knees
are directly on top of one another. Plug
your pubic bone down as you lift up
through your sternum, and fold forward.
Fit your left knee into your left armpit,
and swim your right arm up; then switch
the twist, swimming your right arm down
so your left knee fi ts into your right arm-
pit. Continue to swim your arms like this,
making the connection between armpit
and knee each time. Repeat 5 times, then
switch the cross of your legs and repeat
on the other side.13 MATSYASANA
Fish Pose, variation
From Sukhasana (Easy Pose), place two
blocks at the highest height under your
shoulder blades. Make an upside down T
shape with two more blocks, placing them
under your head. Let your arms open wide
and your legs lengthen outward. Rest deeply
into the earth. Take long, slow inhalations and
exhalations in this restorative pose. Stay here
for a minute or longer. Option: Try grabbing
opposite elbows with each hand and dropping
your arms behind your head.