78
august/september 2015yogajournal.com.auYOGAPEDIA
practise well
Urdhva Hastasana
modifi cations,
page 76Urdhva
Hastasana,
page 75Find your edge and shift your weight
into your hands as you move step by step
into Adho Mukha Vrksasana
Benefit
Energizes, builds confidence, hones attention and focus,
shifts perspective, strengthens your upper body, and
reverses the effects of gravity (compression and
shortening) on your spineInstruction
1 Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana. Bring your feet together
at the midline; spread your palms and press them into the
floor. Stretch through the sides of the waist and fortify
your legs. Start to lift the heels, shifting some of your
weight into the balls of the feet.2 Step your right foot forward halfway to your hands and
bring your shoulders over your wrists. Allow your right
knee to bend. Keep the ball of the right foot on
the floor but lift the heel. Press down firmly through your
hands and lift your left leg into Standing Splits.
Remember to lift your left inner thigh toward the ceiling
and make your leg straight, like an arrow. Wrap your biceps
forward. Push firmly down into your hands and make your
arms completely straight, like pillars. Find
a focal point, or drishti, on the ground, a few inches in
front of your hands.3 Keep your arms firm. Bend the right knee deeply and
take a small hop off the right foot. It is paramount that as
you transition weight onto your hands, you lift up through
the inner left thigh (as opposed to reaching the left leg
behind you). Draw the lower belly in to support the pelvis.
Do not aim to get your legs overhead; instead, aim to place
your pelvis over your chest and shoulders. When you lead
with your legs and not your pelvis, you will often
backbend and find balance elusive. Eventually, you will be
able to bring the right leg parallel to the floor into an
inverted Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana. At this stage,
don’t lift the right leg higher—it will serve as an
anchor and keep you from flipping over. Once you have
the right leg parallel to the floor, internally rotate the
thighs, drawing them energetically into the midline.
Your legs should feel like scissor blades: bolted firmly into
their common point (the pelvis) and moving along, but not
away from, the midline.