THE ESSENTIAL YOGA POSES
- Start in Warrior II.
Straighten your front leg.
- Shift your hips back and
reach forward as far as
you can. When you can’t
reach any further, leave
your torso where it is and
let your bottom hand come
down to rest either on your
thigh, shin, or ankle or the
ground. Reach straight up
with your other hand. Stack
your shoulders on top of
each other.
- Lengthen through both
sides of your waist. Repeat
on the other side.
GAZE: Top hand
PRECEDING POSES: Warrior II
COUNTERPOSES: Down Dog
PRECAUTIONS: If you tend
to hyperextend your knees,
meaning they go past straight,
bend your front leg a tiny bit
and press through your big toe
to protect your knee joint.
TIP: To lengthen through b oth
sides of the waist , contract the
top side of your waist as if you’re
doing a tiny side crunch—bringing
your lower ribs toward your top
hip, relax the lower side waist.
