Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

YOGAPEDIA

your practice

82

october 2017

yogajournal.com.au

PHOTOS: IAN SPANIER; MODEL: KOREN PAALMAN; STYLIST: MAHAIR/MAKEUP: LAURA DEE SHELLEY; TOP: KIRA GRACE; BOTTO

Bharadvaja=aVedic sage · asana = pose

Bharadvaja

Bharadvajasana II

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Our Pro Iyengar Yoga instructor Koren Paalman studied with B.K.S. Iyengar and his daughter Geeta, and has been teaching yoga since 1995 to both adults and youths

in a variety of settings. In 2007, Paalman founded Conscious Grieving, a grief-support service that combines yoga with other modalities in individual consultations and

workshops nationally. Learn more at korenyoga.com.

How to move from

Bharadvajasana II to Tolasana

Poses of the month

Benefit

Brings flexibility to your knees, ankles, and feet; increases mobility in

your shoulders and spine; focuses awareness on your core

DON’T let your Virasana leg decentralise

or stray too far from the centreline of the

pose. To protect your knee from injury,

keep it in line with your hip.

DON’T let your Padmasana leg lift off the

floor. When it hangs unsupported, you risk

injury to your hip, knee, and ankle. Instead,

add support or come out of the pose.

By Koren Paalman

Instruction

1 Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose),

extending out through your inner

heels and bringing your mid-thighs

down toward the floor.

Lift your chest and roll your shoulders

back and down. Take your right hand

to the inside of your right knee and

move your knee out to the side.

Lean forward and carefully place your

right foot at your left hip crease in

Ardha Padmasana (Half Lotus Pose).

Extend from your right inner groin to

your right inner knee, roll your inner

knee toward your outer knee, then

draw your outer knee toward your

outer hip. Your overall goal is exterior

rotation of the right thigh.

2 Lean to the right and bend your

left leg back into Virasana (Hero Pose)

so that your inner left calf touches

your left outer thigh. Roll your left

calf flesh out to bring your thighbone

and shinbone closer together. Lift

and move your right buttock closer to

your left buttock. Keep your left knee

in line with your left hip and then, if

possible, manually position your right

leg so that the knee aligns with its

own hip.

3 As you inhale, lift your abdomen

and chest. As you exhale, turn to

the right, and place the back of your

left hand on your right outer knee.

Tuck your fingers under your knee,

pointing your fingers to the left.

4 Exhale and reach your right hand

behind your back to clasp your right

foot. Inhaling, lift your abdomen and

chest again. Exhaling, turn to the right

and gaze forward, or look over your

right shoulder as much as you can

without straining your neck.

5 Stay here for 30 seconds to a

minute. To come out, carefully bring

your right leg to the floor and then

extend both legs back to Dandasana.

Repeat on the other side.