Television yoga for tight front thighs
One of the most fruitful areas for a new yoga practitioner to explore is something I call television yoga. It’s not a formal practice. You don’t have to put on special clothes, roll out a mat or light a candle. And if you watch TV, talk on the phone, or sit and listen to music, […]
Sit Like a Pretzel to Stretch Your Hips
Rob a bank and you are likely to be punished by losing your freedom of movement. But for no greater crime than getting older, or sitting too much, or both, you can lose the freedom of movement in your hips. Even some otherwise beneficial acts, like running, cycling and playing team sports, can put you […]
Taking Rotated Triangle to the Wall
Feeling twisted out of shape isn’t fun, nor is it pleasant to find yourself all tied up in knots. But here’s a yoga paradox: the more strongly we twist, the more we unwind. Rotated triangle pose is an intense twist, but at the beginning less of our attention goes to twisting than to maintaining balance. […]
Drop a Block To Tune Your Triangle Pose
It’s a happy coincidence that just as the triangle is the first figure of plane geometry, Utthita Trikonasana (extended triangle pose) is often the first place where many of us feel the inner geometry of yoga – the understanding that as we align ourselves physically, we also somehow bring our minds and emotions into alignment […]
Crank Your Thighs in Bound Angle Pose To Protect Your Knees
Is it extreme to bind your upper thighs like a very tightly wrapped sausage and then crank them into the deepest external rotation you can manage? Yes, but it’s worth it. Hip joints are strong and well protected. Knees are much more vulnerable. When you increase your ability to externally rotate your thighs, your hips […]