Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

68

october 2017

yogajournal.com.au

INCHA MAYURASANA

orearm Balance

ot only is this a great pose for building upper-body

trength, but it also gives you a taste of what it feels like

o stack your shoulders above your elbows, your hips

over your shoulders, and your feet over your hips. Once

ou understand this stacking of the joints, you’ll find it

asier to straighten your arms and come into Handstand.

OW TO From Dolphin Pose, lift one leg up, return

to the starting position, and then lift up the other leg.

s you do this, keep both of your inner thighs moving

oward the space behind you (internally rotated). The

ext time you have one leg up, shift your gaze forward

nd look at a point between your hands. Then, lift high

onto the ball of your standing-leg foot and hop just a few

centimetres or so off the ground. Next, hop the same

foot a little higher off the mat, maybe all the way up so

that leg is stacked over the hip. Bring your other leg up

to meet it for the full expression of Pincha Mayurasana.

Keep in mind, you shouldn’t use momentum to launch

yourself up into this inversion. The goal is to float one

leg up, and then the other, and when you’re ready to

come down, to land lightly and with control. If you can

move slowly and land your foot with control during your

initial one-legged hops, it’s a sign you’re ready to come

up into the full inversion.

Keep your inner

thighs glued together

and internally rotated

when both legs are up.

To do this, imagine

someone put a $100

note between your

thighs and if you

hold onto it, you

can keep it.

Don’t let your

shoulders move in

front of your elbows—

a common mistake

practitioners make as they

hop one leg up. Move slowly

to keep your shoulders

stacked above your elbows

as you bring your

legs into the air.

ADHO MUKHA VRKSASANA

Handstand

While this is often the most fear-inducing inversion for

practitioners, it’s actually an advanced inversion with a

low chance of injury. After all, it doesn’t place as much

stress on your shoulders as Pincha Mayurasana, and

it’s one of the easiest inversions to fall out of and catch

yourself without causing serious damage to your head,

neck, or shoulders.

HOW TO Start in Downward-Facing Dog and walk

your feet about a foot closer to your hands, bending

your knees as much as needed if your hamstrings

are tight. Stack your joints here, making sure your

shoulders are above your wrists and your hips are above

your shoulders. Gaze at a point between your hands

and lift one leg straight up. Lower your leg, return to

the starting position, then lift the other leg skyward.

Bend your standing leg at the knee and hop your foot

a few centimetres off the floor, then 30 centimetres,

continuously hopping higher with control (read: not

using momentum!) until that leg is stacked over your

hips. When you’re ready, bring your standing leg up to

meet your floating leg.

T

Push your

hands firmly

into the ground to

feel even more lift

in your feet. Handstand

is all about rooting down

through your hands

to rise up and

balance.

Try not to arch

your back, which can be

especially tempting if your

feet are resting against a wall for

support. To avoid this, imagine

someone is about to punch

you in the stomach, which will

engage your core, tightening

inward and up and lengthening

your low back—taking

you out of that

banana shape.

Our Pro Teacher and model Caley Alyssa is a Los Angeles–based yoga

teacher. Learn more at caleyyoga.com.