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june / july 2018yogajournal.com.sgDON’Tallow your back foot’s inner arch to
collapse, which can put strain on your knee.
Instead, as you spin your back inner thigh
backward (in order to roll your back hip
forward) pull up with your inner arch and press
down with the outer border of your foot.DON’Tlet your front hip hike up toward your
shoulder or swing out to the side, which will
shorten your waist and distort your pelvis
and spine, putting you at risk for straining
your lower back or SI joint. Instead, maintain
the symmetry of your torso by imagining a
helpful hand at your outer hip, pinning it back
and in toward your midline.Parsva = Side·Ut = Intense (or superiority in power)·tan = Stretch·asana = poseYOGAPEDIA
rti ll
How to move from
Parsvottanasana to
Hanumanasana
BENEFITS Stretches your hamstrings; tones
your gluteus medius (outer hip muscles);
teaches important alignment principles and
actions for maintaining a balanced pelvisINSTRUCTIONS1 Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) facing the
front edge of your mat with your hands at your
hips. Keep your pelvis square to the wall in front
of you with the two sides of your torso equally
long. Step your right foot back about 4 feet. Place
it at a 45-degree angle, and line up your heels (or
widen your stance if you have trouble balancing
or squaring your hips).
2 Root down with your left big-toe mound as
you pin your left outer hip back and in toward
your right heel. Pull up with your right inner arch,
and press your right femur back as you spin your
inner thigh back.
3 Spread your arms out wide to your sides, and
bring your palms together behind your back. PHOTOS: KEN MARCOU; MODEL: NATASHA RIZOPOULOS; HAIR/MAKEUP: SONJA GJOKAJ; CLOTHING: HARD TAIL FOREVERParsvottanasana
BY NATASHA RIZOPOULOS
Inhale, lengthen your spine, and draw the heads
of your upper arms back.
4 Engage your quadriceps by pulling your
kneecaps up, but don’t lock your knees. Exhale,
hinge forward at your hips, and extend out over
your front thigh.
5 Imagine a bird’s-eye view of yourself. Are the
two sides of your waist equally long? Is your
sacrum (the flat triangular plate at the base of
your spine) parallel to the floor? You want to
maintain length in your spine and symmetry
in your torso. Recommit to directing your left
outer hip back and in toward your right heel to
lengthen your front waist; roll your right outer
hip forward and down toward your left big toe to
level your sacrum.
6 Stay for 5–8 breaths, using your final
exhalation to root down through your feet. On an
inhalation, use the strength of your legs to raise
your torso. Repeat on the other side.IntenseSide Stretch Pose