Iyasejfairjan2017

January 2017 Home Practice: Beginner

Courtesy of:

Sequence and drawings created by: Juliana Fair, CIYT, Intermediate Senior I Juliana Fair is a highly skilled teacher of Iyengar yoga. Using a straightforward and humorous teaching style, Juliana allows students to progress with safety, as they address the special issues and strengths of their own bodies. She builds her students’ confidence, and at the same time encourages them to learn about their potential and to go beyond their limitations. These days, Juliana resides in Northern Virginia and teaches primarily in the Washington, DC area. She continues to teach at conferences and workshops around the United States and abroad. Her most recent undertaking is assisting aspiring teachers during the assessment process to become certified Iyengar yoga teachers.

For more information visit Juliana’s website: yoga-onthemove.com, Facebook Page: Juliana Fair ­ Iyengar Yoga, or YouTube Channel: Juliana Fair ­ Iyengar Yoga.

Approximate Time: 1 Hour Props required: Sticky mat, 1 yoga strap, 2 blocks, 3 blankets, and a wall

Tadasana    

Stand tall with back against wall. Head perpendicular...don't push it back onto wall.

Be on heels.

Elbows straight with palms facing side thigh.

Shoulders broad and back.

Urdhva Hastasana    

Maintain back on wall as you raise your arms straight up with straight elbows.

Keep weight on the heels; thighs firm.

2 Hand positions: (a) palms forward & (b) palms facing each other 4x Alternating hand positions (a) to (b)

Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana   

Interlock fingers and raise arms up; keep palms flat and press to ceiling, straight elbows.

Keep back and buttocks on the wall.

Change interlock and repeat x 2

Gomukhasana   

Take right arm up the back as far as possible without rolling point of right shoulder forward. Take left arm up, bend and catch right hand.

Use strap if necessary.

Change sides and repeat x 2

Garudasana   

Bend right arm to 90° and move a little to center of body; cross the left arm over right and entwine forearms bringing the palms together with the thumb side facing your face.

Draw shoulders down, maintaining height of elbows.

Change sides and repeat x 2.

Ardha Uttanasana       

Press whole hand into wall, fingers spread to extend backwards towards hips.

Lengthen side trunk.

Shoulder blades move into body.

Press thigh muscle onto bones of legs, knees straight, sit bones moving towards wall behind you.

If shoulders are tight, raise hands higher on wall.

If hamstrings (back thighs) tight, bend knees.

1x with palms facing up & 1x with palms facing out

Adhomukhasvanasana   

Hands turned out, thumb and index finger at the wall.

Bend knees to further lengthen spine/side trunk.

Maintain the extra length and straighten legs by moving the buttocks up and calves down towards heels, heels towards floor.

Uttanasana – bound hands  

Resting If back issues ­ place hands on chair, bench, or wall

Adhomukhasvanasana   

Heels at the wall Push hands into floor to move weight to leg side.

Press legs to wall, knee caps lifted.

Adhomukhavirasana  

Have knees apart, either side of trunk.

Press buttocks to heels

Tadasana  

Away from wall.

Bring memory of the tadasana from when standing with back to wall.

Utthita Hasta Padasana    

Hands at hips.

Outer edges of feet parallel to short edge of mat.

Press outer edges of feet firmly to floor and lift inner arches of feet up.

Pressurize hands into hips to bring more length to spine, chest up.

Utthita Hasta Padasana   

Maintain foot action as above and feel as you lift the arches up, the inner thighs are activated and the thigh bones move horizontally.

Outer thighs, suck up to outer hips; make hips compact.

Hands interlocked overhead.

Parsva Hasta Padasana   

Turn right leg out 90° from the source of the leg, knee caps up.

Turn left foot in slightly.

Press down into left leg; the weight should be even over the 2 legs.

Virabhadrasana II  

Keep outer edge of left foot grounded as you bend the right knee to 90°.

Move head of right femur bone well down to achieve the 90°.

Tadasana 

Resting.

Utthita Parsvakonasana   

Hand to little toe side of the foot.

1x each side.

Observe how bent knee has the tendency to come forward.

To correct this, place a block on big toe side of foot for 2nd attempt.

Utthita Parsvakonasana   

Place hand on block in a manner to press against the knee, holding in a straight line over 2nd toe of right foot.

Roll right buttock from back to front to open right groin.

Maintain outer edge of left foot firmly on ground throughout.

Baddha Hasta Tadasana 

Legs apart, outer foot straight (little toe and outer heel in line)

Uttanasana-Bound Hands  

Resting.

If back issues ­ place hands on chair, bench, or wall

Tadasana 

Resting.

Vimanasana    

Turn right leg and hips to face the right.

Rotate left (back) leg from inner back thigh to outer back thigh to allow left hip to come forward.

From side of breastbone extend arms out to sides.

Lift pelvis. Tailbone down to floor.

Virabhadrasana I   

Maintain back leg rotation from above.

Raise the arms up strongly and bend front leg.

Lift pelvis. Tailbone down to floor.

Tadasana 

Stand tall.

Urdhva Hastasana   

(a)

Raise arms up strongly, feel length of side trunk.

Palms facing each other, reach to the ceiling.

Trunk up, chest up, shoulders down.

Utkatasana   

Hands on hips. Chest lifted.

Bend knees as if sitting backward onto a chair.

Keep arches of feet lifted.

(b)

Utkatasana    

Synchronize (a) to (b).

Raise arms up as you did in urdhva hastasana, bend knees and sit backward as if on a chair.

Sit as low as possible without leaning forward.

Extend from heel to toes.

Parsvottanasana      

Concave back, hands on appropriate height support, e.g. wall, table, chair, blocks.

Hips level.

Do not jam neck by throwing head up.

Legs straight, knee caps up by engaging front thigh muscles.

Back outer heel firmly grounded.

Front foot inner edge straight & firmly grounded.

Baddha Hasta Tadasana (a) to Baddha Hasta Uttanasana (b) 

(a)

 

Raise arms, bend and hold right elbow with left hand and left elbow with right hand.

Extend elbows up to ceiling.

Bend at hips and extend trunk down.

(b)

Ardha Halasana ­ If this pose is not practiced, go to Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (see below) • Neatly stack 3 blankets. Measure distance from wall by sitting with feet to wall and place edge of blankets 3" closer to wall than level of inner thigh.

• Head on floor with shoulders 3" in from front edge of blankets. With the help of arms, swing the legs over to touch wall or chair.

• Use a strap on the arms to help hold the back/ torso up.

• Lift trunk up to ceiling, and press heels into wall, legs straight, thighs firm.

Eka Pada Halasana • • • •

From Ardha Halasana, keep left leg firmly moving into wall and bring right leg to perpendicular.

Extend inner groin to inner heel up to ceiling.

Bring right leg back to wall and repeat on the left.

Bring leg back to wall, take strap off, & come down from the pose with control.

Urdhva Prasarita Padasana • • • •

Tailbone to floor. Legs straight.

Firm abdominals.

Shoulders firmly to floor.

If too difficult, do one leg at a time with bottom leg straight or bent.

Dandasana • •

Legs straight and pressing down to floor.

Pressurize hands to floor to lift spine up. Chest up.

Urdhva Hasta Dandasana • • •

Maintain strong straight legs and upright spine.

Raise arms up.

Repeat x 2.

Padangusthasana Dandasana • • •

Can use strap just around feet. Hold strap, lift spine/trunk up, and move shoulder blades into body.

Alternate way: place strap around sacrum and around feet.

Draw on strap until you feel it firmly drawing sacrum into body allowing the spine to lift with ease.

Concave back.

Swastikasana • •

Bending forward from hips, reach up wall keeping front and back body equal length.

Repeat x2, alternating cross of legs

Parivrtta Swastikasana • • • •

Place left hand on right outer knee and right hand on floor close behind body. Use the leverage of the arms to help twist to right.

Change position of hands and twist to left. Repeat with opposite crossing of legs.

2x right crossing 2x left crossing

Sethubandha Sarvangasana • • • • • • •

Lie on floor with knees bent close to wall so the toes only are turned up the wall.

Buttocks close to heels.

Press feet into floor to lift the buttocks up into a bridge position.

Tailbone to back of knees Lift shoulder blades up and into back body.

Arms pressing down to floor will assist the lift.

Repeat 4x

Salamba Urdhva Prasarita Padasana • •

Sit sideways near wall and swing legs up, lie back.

Get as close to the wall as possible, maintaining all of pelvis on the floor. Buttocks are not to be swinging. If this is the case move back until hips/pelvis are on the floor.

Savasana •

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5 minutes