spec 1

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO

SPECIAL ISSUE

YOGA AT HOME

Feel your best!

38 sequences to calm, strengthen and heal

ESSENTIAL POSES FOR A

STRONG CORE LIFT YOUR MOOD

YOGA FOR FINDING JOY & BALANCE POSES TO SOOTHE AN ACHING BACK

PLUS!

All-day energy 15 POSES THAT REFRESH GET-STARTED FUNDAMENTALS

Find your yoga style Create your own sequences Build a solid foundation

PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

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Cover Credits: Photo: Joe Hancock; model: Nancy-Kate Rau; hair/makeup: Ashley Smith; prop stylist: Allie Liebgott; top: Beyond Yoga; bottoms: Onzie

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YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

In This Issue 4 Editor’s Letter

45 SECTION 4: Wake Up—And Wind Down With Ease

7 SECTION 1: Ready, Set, Go! 8 Why Have a Home Practice?

A step-by-step guide to starting a personal practice. BY JASON CRANDELL

PLUS: Yoga benefits, essential props, home-practice roadblocks, and how to bring your studio sessions home

19 SECTION 2: Build a Strong Foundation A fun way to find your ideal yoga style, plus four foundational practices

20 What Sequence Is Right for You Today? A decision tree

22 Salute the Sun

46 Wake Up Gently

BY KIRA SLOANE

48 Get an Energy Boost 50 Find Your Focus

BY GINA CAPUTO

BY TIFFANY CRUIKSHANK

52 Stretch Away Stiffness

BY PAIGE ELENSON

26 Embrace the Unfamiliar

BY CLAIRE MISSINGHAM

28 Warm Yourself Up

BY LARISSA HALL CARLSON

56 Restore Yourself

BY CORA WEN

60 Feel Calm and Centered

Sequences to make you feel better—and stronger

90 Breathe Easy

BY MARLA APT

94 Cleanse Your System

BY BARON BAPTISTE

98 Support Your Spine

BY DEBORAH BURKMAN

BY ALANNA KAIVALYA

100 Take Care of Your Back 63 SECTION 5: Feel Happy and Confident Sequences to boost your mood and self-assurance

64 Give Yourself a Break

BY LILIAS FOLAN

66 Take Care of You, Too

BY CHELSEA JACKSON ROBERTS

70 Let Go of Stress

Mix-and-Match A menu of warm-ups, standing poses, arm balances, inversions, backbends, twists, forward bends, and closing poses to choose from

89 SECTION 6: Live Healthy

96 Open Up Tight Hips

BY DEBORAH BURKMAN

32 The ABCs of Sequencing

34 Build Your Own Sequence:

BY BARON BAPTISTE

BY CLAIRE MISSINGHAM

58 Shed the Day’s Stress

68 Find Your Bliss

BY JASON CRANDELL

86 Prep for Success

BY NIKKI COSTELLO

BY SRI DHARMA MITTRA

BY BARBARA BENAGH

31 SECTION 3: Create Your Own Practice Learn the basics so you can create a personal practice.

84 Stand Your Ground

92 Turn Back the Clock

54 Quiet Your Busy Mind

BY RICHARD ROSEN

BY LARISSA HALL CARLSON

BY PATRICIA WALDEN

BY ANDREA FERRETTI

102 Power Up Your Core

BY JOHN SCHUMACHER

104 Tone Your Abs

BY ANA FORREST

106 Open Yourself Up

BY ANNIE CARPENTER

108 Flip for ‘Wild Thing’ Pose

BY AMY IPPOLITI

BY TIAS LITTLE

BY BIBI MCGILL

72 Have a Little Fun

BY SIANNA SHERMAN

74 Find Calm Amid Challenge

BY RICHARD ROSEN

76 Feel Unstoppable

110 Wring Out Your Angst

BY KATHRYN BUDIG

112 Power Up Your Legs

BY ELISE LORIMER

114 Strong-Arm Yourself

BY YOGI BHAJAN

78 Set a Goal—and Meet It

BY ALEXANDRIA CROW

80 Cultivate Poise and Grace

116 Get Into Balance

BY DAREN FRIESEN

BY ALEXANDRIA CROW

118 Index to Sequences 120 Closing Thoughts

This publication contains stories reprinted from previous issues of Yoga Journal. Information that may have changed over time has not been updated. The exercise instructions and advice presented in this magazine are designed for people who are in good health and physically fit. They are not intended to substitute for medical counseling. The creators, producers, participants, and distributors of Yoga Journal disclaim any liability for loss or injury in connection with the exercises shown or the instruction and advice expressed herein.

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: KATRINA LASHEA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN

24 Center Yourself

Morning and evening sequences

82 Grow Your Power

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BY AME WREN

EDITOR’S LETTER

joke that goes something like this: “What’s the best way to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.” I thought of it often as we were creating this issue, because the best way to really make yoga part of your life is to practice, practice, practice—at home.

But the idea of establishing a home practice can sound intimidating. I’m sure you’ve heard some of the myths: You have to practice at least an hour a day! You must have a dedicated yoga room! You need to know how to sequence a class! Let’s put those ideas to rest right now.

The truth is, establishing a home practice is easier than you think. In fact, you already have all you really need: Dedication; at least 15 minutes most days (you can find that in your busy schedule, right?); and some guidance—including practice sequences—to get you started, which you’re holding in your hands right now.

In this special issue, we’ll tell you about the many benefits of home practice (page 8), as well as the simple props you’ll need (page 16). Next, check out our decision tree (page 2o) to help you figure out what kind of practice—Morning or evening? Vigorous or relaxing?—you want. Then, to get you warmed up, we offer four foundational practices (pages 22–29) that include basic poses you should be very familiar with from classes.

After that, you’ll find a fun mix-and-match section; consider it a menu of poses to choose from to create your own sequences. And finally, in sections 4, 5, and 6, we offer 34 sequences created by wellknown yoga teachers, organized by topic: morning and evening practices (starting on page 45); practices to boost your mood and make you feel more confident (page 63); and finally, practices that focus on your wellness, whether it’s opening tight hips, easing back pain, or strengthening your core (page 89).

We can’t promise that this issue will instantly turn you into the Leonard Bernstein or Yo-Yo Ma of yoga (after all, they practiced for decades). But we can promise that if you make home practice a regular part of your life, you’ll find that not only do you feel calmer and better, but you also have greater confidence and emotional well-being. Here’s to a rewarding new habit!

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THERE’S A WONDERFUL old

4

CARIN GORRELL, Editor in Chief

EDITORIAL

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PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

Ready, Set, Go! IF YOU’RE A REGULAR AT THE YOGA STUDIO BUT AREN’T QUITE SURE HOW TO BUILD A HOME PRACTICE, WE CAN HELP. IN THIS SECTION, WE’LL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE MANY SURPRISING BENEFITS OF ROLLING OUT YOUR MAT AT HOME AND OFFER SOME TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED.

Why Have a

Home Practice?

THE FIRST DAY of

my teacher training program, I experienced something akin to an existential crisis. It didn’t have anything to do with awakening kundalini or realizing my true Self.

Sadly, it was much more mundane: It hit when I realized that in order to participate in the program, I had to agree to have my own home practice. If you roll out your yoga mat at home, I was told, you’ll find the freedom to experiment, to evolve, and to become your own best teacher.

A few days later, when I unrolled my sticky mat at home alone for the first time, I wanted to bolt.

Up until then, my idea of yoga was attending a class, which is kind of like being chauffeured around town, sitting comfortably in the back seat, enjoying the scenery. Practicing at home was totally foreign to me. It was as if someone handed me car keys but no map. I recognized great potential for freedom in my journey, but I was reluctant to go it alone— I was scared I’d get lost.

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Since that day of reckoning, I’ve talked to enough friends and students about home practices to know I’m not alone. Many of us—even after we realize its benefits—resist. We tell ourselves that we don’t have enough space or time, or that we simply don’t know what to do. Or we hold a romanticized vision of the perfect home practice and feel guilty when our reality doesn’t match the fantasy.

I’m living proof that such resistance, however natural, is not impossible to overcome. Over time, I’ve grown to love my home practice.

Mark Whitwell, an internationally known teacher from the Heart of Yoga Association and a strong proponent of personal practice, describes it best: “When you practice at home, you get to explore the exquisite relationship between the body and the breath and life itself.

The whole reason for doing yoga is to enjoy this relationship, this natural intimacy with life.”

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PHOTOS: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP AND BOTTOMS: UNDER ARMOUR

If you’re like most people, doing yoga means going to class. Having a home practice? Well, that feels intimidating. Unattainable. Even lonely. But here’s the simple truth: It’s not hard to launch a home practice, and the benefits are huge. It’s where you will really learn to move at your own pace, listen and respond to your body, and develop greater consistency in your asanas. BY JASON CRANDELL

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READY, SET, GO!

“If your time on the mat is nourishing, your home practice will become a refuge rather than another item on your to-do list. And it will take you places you may never have thought to go.”

The key to feeling the way Whitwell does is dropping selfimposed expectations. Your practice should be something you look forward to, and your expectations need to be realistic. You don’t have to practice for an hour and a half doing the full primary series of Ashtanga on bamboo floors, surrounded by fountains and statues of Ganesh.

You don’t even—though there are folks who surely disagree with me— have to practice in utter silence, filled with restraint and completely undistracted. For most of us, that’s not possible. But if your time on the mat is nourishing, your home practice will become a refuge rather than another item on your to-do list.

And it will take you places you may never have thought to go.

With that in mind, here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started on your own home practice:

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1. Make a date (even a short one) with your mat.

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Most yoga classes are 6o to 9o minutes long, so you might assume you need to practice that long at home, too. But it’s fine to practice for smaller chunks of time. Start with 3o minutes three to four times a week. If that’s not possible, try 15 to 2o minutes, an amount of time you can probably fit in most days.

When my time is constrained and I can’t indulge in a full practice, I aim for 2o minutes twice a day—maybe

Sun Salutations in the morning and calming forward bends to finish my day. These short intervals give me what I need to feel balanced and refreshed in the morning and quiet and calm before I head to bed. (See Section 4, pages 45–61, for a variety of morning and evening practices.)

Most teachers agree that a 2o-minute practice every day is more valuable than an hour and a half twice a week; the body and mind learn better from repetition than occasional dabbling.

“If your time is limited, practicing for 15 to 2o minutes provides ample time to align your day and come home to your body,” says international yoga teacher Sarah Powers. Doing a little bit of yoga every day is ideal for managing daily stress, bringing yourself into your body, and settling your mind.

Regular mat time also builds a habit that soon becomes ingrained.

“When you do yoga at home every day, it’s like taking a shower,” says Whitwell. “You wouldn’t dream of not taking a shower, and you don’t congratulate yourself for doing it every day. So doing a daily practice doesn’t have to be a heroic activity you impose on yourself. It’s just a simple, natural pleasure.” If necessary, write your practice into your calendar—in pen.

When life gets hectic, integrate your practice when you can. If you have 4o minutes while your clothes

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

READY, SET, GO!

10 Benefits of a Home Practice 1. You can tailor your practice to fit your mood. If you’re tired, do a restorative practice.

If you’re feeling strong, choose a strenuous one.

2. You can practice daily. Even if you’re juggling a hectic schedule and think you don’t have time to practice, take a deep, cleansing breath and think again. Yes, you might not have time to go to class, but you can still roll out your mat at home for 10 minutes. Or 15. Or 30. Your body and mind will thank you.

3. You can set your own personal goals. Maybe it’s a 21-day challenge. Maybe it’s working your way up to a difficult pose. But practicing toward your goal, not a teacher’s, is a great motivator.

And once you reach it, you may just realize that you are capable of more than you’d thought.

4. It can provide instant stress relief. If you’re in the middle of a conflict at home or at work, a vigorous practice can clear your mind. If you wake up already feeling exhausted by the day in front of you, it can create fortitude.

5. You can be yourself. When you’re at home, you don’t have to worry about striving to please a teacher or impress your fellow students. The only person you are performing for is yourself. Even though we all know yoga is not intended to be competitive, it can be hard to maintain your inner focus when your neighbor in class is opening into a gorgeous backbend that feels totally out of your reach. The truth is, actually achieving that backend is not important. Working with your own backbends, at your own pace, is.

6. There are no distractions. That means you can focus on how your body is feeling and your mind is reacting. Without your teacher’s voice guiding your every move, you can more easily go inside and witness what is happening in your body, emotions, and mind. You’ll feel what your body craves or rebels against, hear your mind’s chatter, and become aware of your current mood.

7. You’ll develop more inner awareness. As you do, you’ll get better at tailoring your practice to meet your needs, and over time, become your own best teacher. As yoga teacher Mark Whitwell says, “Doing yoga at home is profoundly different from doing it under the direction of someone else in class. When you’re doing someone else’s yoga, you’re not doing your own yoga.

It’s a huge evolutionary step to learn how to practice for yourself.”

8. You can focus on perfecting specific poses. Home practices allow you to work on poses that challenge you for as long as you like—in privacy. Just learned a new pose? Home practice is where you can refine it or make adjustments to help you get where you want.

9. It’s portable. You can take your practice on the road. Rodney Yee, who teaches yoga around the world, has a faithful routine for when he’s on the go. “I’ll start my practice with a template of familiar and satisfying hip openers,” he says. “Then, as my body wakes up, I’ll listen to what is happening inside and decide where to go next. Some days it’s twists and backbends or pranayama and restoratives; other days I’ll go straight to inversions.”

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10. It’s free! Going to a class taught by an experienced, hands-on teacher is a wonderful way to learn and perfect your practice, but most of us are on a budget, right?

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READY, SET, GO!

Five Big Home Practice Wreckers “Ooh, Look—Shiny!” Distractions

Whatever you do, do not put your smartphone at the front of your mat so you can see it light up with incoming messages. You’ll be tempted to stop and look at it during every Chaturanga or Cobra, telling yourself it will “only take a second.” But if you let yourself stop mid-practice to answer an email once, you’ll do it again. And before you know it, you’ll be at your desk, back at work, vowing to pick up where you left off on the mat tomorrow.

The Loosey-Goosey Approach

If you’re relying on the spirit moving you to unroll your mat, you might wait a long time—especially if you’re busy. It’s great to follow your intuition once you’ve started practicing, but if it’s not based on some kind of structure, it’s not likely to turn into a longstanding daily practice. Schedule it in. Don’t wait until you feel desperate to move and de-stress.

Procrastination

Here’s how this works: You know you should practice at your designated time, but you’re on a roll with the project you’ve been working on, or your stomach is rumbling and you need a snack, or Netflix just released the next season of your favorite show. There will always be other things to do; learn to make yoga your favorite way to procrastinate other to-dos.

The Slippery Slope

This one comes after procrastinating and missing your practice. You start to think, “I missed it yesterday, so what’s one more day going to hurt?” And so begins a cycle that can go on for weeks, or even months. Remember that the sooner you get back on your mat, the faster that slope levels out.

Looking for Inspiration in All the Wrong Places

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Reading an article about someone else’s yoga experience is not the same as practicing yourself. Trust us on this one. You may be able to find inspiration from others, but it only becomes tangible when you find inspiration on your own mat through your own experiences.

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are in the washer, terrific. But if you only have the energy and time for a 1o-minute restorative pose while dinner is in the oven, that’s OK, too.

Instead of falling off the wagon, use your practice to sustain you when times are tough. You’ll feel good and be more likely to come back to longer practice times when you’re able.

dedicating space to your practice is a way to acknowledge your commitment to yoga. You are literally making room for it in your life. And really any space will do.

“Big or small doesn’t matter,” says Jagatjoti S. Khalsa, a Portland, Oregon–based innovation director and author of Altar Your Space.

2. Make a space.

3. Have a plan.

A designated yoga area can help you cultivate awareness; as you practice in the same spot day after day, you will notice how the light shifts in different seasons, how your body feels on different days, how your mind greets the same space with new thoughts. Fundamentally,

Set a timer for the amount of time that you can commit and practice at least that long. “Although you may begin your practice reluctantly,” Powers says, “you’ll find that 15 minutes go by quickly, and you might actually want to spend more time on your mat.”

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4. Keep it simple.

When you’re ready to build a sequence from scratch, tune in to which body parts are calling out to you. Do you want to open your achy hips or stretch your shoulders?

Would it be fun to focus on forward bends or backbends? Look at the

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

yoga categories—standing poses, forward bends, twists, backbends, shoulder openers, inversions—and pick poses from each. For example, if your hips are achy and your shoulders are sore from sitting at the keyboard all day, do four hip-opening poses, four shoulder-opening poses, and some seated twists. (See Section 3, starting on page 31, for help on mixing and matching poses to create your own sequence.)

Finally, Sun Salutations are a great standalone series of poses to do at any time, whether you do them vigorously or gently (see pages 22–23 for a simple Sun Salutation sequence).

They warm you up and work your continued on page 16

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It’s also helpful to decide which pose—or sequence—you’d like to work on before heading to your mat.

For guidance, choose from among this issue’s 38 sequences designed by well-known yoga teachers, which focus on everything from waking up refreshed in the morning to calming frazzled nerves to building strength or curing an aching back.

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Bringing Your Classwork Home One important way that home practices add value is to complement, round out, and refine the work you do in class. Here are a few tips to help you do so:

Seek out the right teachers. The best yoga teachers actually want you to be better than them. If you find a teacher you like, schedule a private session and ask for help developing sequences to do at home that cater to your needs, whether that is working on a health condition or focusing on a particular pose or group of poses.

Keep a journal by your mat during class. Write down aspects of a sequence that you enjoy, as well as poses that you find challenging. Then make a note of how you feel after class: Energized? Relaxed? Less anxious? Revisit poses you’d like to improve, and sequences that made you feel physically and emotionally balanced.

Remember that you are your own best guru. So pay attention as teachers demonstrate poses, verbalize poses, and assist or adjust you in poses, but bear in mind that no one but you really knows how a pose feels in your body.

Finally, consider teacher training.

Even if you don’t ever intend to teach a class yourself, training is a great way to advance your personal practice.

READY, SET, GO!

The Essential Props You’ll Need A yoga prop isn’t like training wheels on a bicycle—something that only beginners use to keep from crashing to the ground. Rather, props are tools that give yoga practitioners of all levels more stability, better alignment—and, ultimately, freedom. Here are the basics that you need: A yoga mat: It will provide cushioning and, just as important, a nonslip surface for sweaty feet and hands.

One or two blocks: Super-versatile, wood, foam, or cork blocks offer three different heights to help you position yourself comfortably: When you feel tight, they bring the floor up to you in forward or side bends. They can also be squeezed between the thighs to provide proper engagement of the legs, and they can offer comfort, safety, and reassurance in poses like Pigeon or Bridge.

Straps: If you have tight shoulders or hamstrings, straps extend your reach, effectively making your arms longer in poses like Cow Face, and can be looped around the upper arms or legs to prevent them from sliding apart.

Blankets: Multipurpose props, tight-weave blankets can be folded into crisp layers to provide extra cushioning for your lower back, shoulders, or hips. They will also keep you warm in Savasana.

PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: EMILY LYTLE; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: ANNA MITTON AND KRISTEN McGUCKIN; TOP: LORNA JANE; BOTTOMS: GRACED BY GRIT

A bolster: It provides comfort and support in restorative poses like Savasana or Child’s Pose, as well as floor poses like Legs-up-the-Wall that call for longer hold times.

And a few optional ones...

A chair for support in backbends, a small sandbag to help ground you during certain floor postures, and an eye pillow to help calm you during restorative poses or Savasana. Finally, don’t forget … a glass of water.

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whole body, so they don’t require specific preparation or cooling down.

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original sequence. (You can find four “foundational” practices in Section 2, on pages 22–29.)

5. Try to have a default sequence.

6. Pace yourself.

Once you’ve been practicing at home for awhile, you might notice that you naturally gravitate toward a group of poses over and over again. Make this grouping your go-to routine for the days you’re too busy or too uninspired to come up with an

Whether you practice for 15 minutes or two hours, it’s important to have a beginning and an end to each session. Begin by getting quiet.

Devote a few minutes—either while seated or while standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose)—to bring your

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READY, SET, GO!

focus to your breath, to meditate, or just to feel still. Pause from your busy day and come into the present moment. Likewise, finish your practice quietly by doing a few easy supine poses—perhaps a restorative pose like Viparita Karani (Legs-upthe-Wall Pose)—and then go into Savasana (Corpse Pose), lying on your back with your legs relaxed, your eyes closed, and your palms face up. Stay for at least five minutes and come out of it slowly, allowing yourself to ease back into the rest of your day.

7. Don’t be afraid to bend the rules.

Yoga teacher Rodney Yee suggests that one way to make sure you get to your home mat is to practice regularly with a friend. “Find someone who keeps you on the mat and keeps you responsible for your practice,” he suggests. “And let it be a source of fun. When you feel how much your yoga practice does for you, you’ll realize that it’s a good thing to do every day, because you’ll have a happier life.”

9. Just do it.

When I encourage people to practice at home, they look at me as if I’ve just handed them a 5o-pound bag of cement and told them to lug it up a steep hill. What’s worse, they look guilty because they haven’t started hauling yet. Here’s the secret: There isn’t any cement, and the hill isn’t so steep. What’s more, the hill has many paths worth exploring.

My advice is to just do it. Because practicing at home teaches you to witness yourself from moment to moment, to become more responsive to your own needs, and to deepen your knowledge of yoga.

Plus, it just feels good. Start by doing what you can, where you can, when you can. Don’t let the idea of a “perfect practice” prevent you from falling in love with the practice that you have—or the practice that is just a few steps away.

Additional reporting: Sherise Dorf

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When I started my home practice, I let myself listen to NPR until it was time for Savasana. I still occasionally integrate other things into my practice that give me joy, like—I confess—watching sports. When I allowed myself to incorporate my practice into the rest of my life, I realized that I had time to practice.

If you enjoy watching CSI or reading the Sunday New York Times, why not pair it with a forward-bend sequence instead of lying on the couch? If you need a little music to get going, pop in a CD or fire up Spotify until it has served its purpose. Practicing like this may not bring you the depth of awareness that a quieter, more meditative practice will, but it will get you on your mat. You needn’t be self-indulgent all the time, but if you want to consistently connect to your body, it helps to have a practice that you look forward to.

8. Enlist the help of a friend.

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Build a Strong Foundation

PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YO

LIKE YOUR HOME ITSELF, HOME PRACTICES ARE STRONGEST IF THEY’RE BASED ON A ROCK-SOLID FOUNDATION. TO GET STARTED, USE THE DECISION TREE ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES AS A GUIDE TO THE SEQUENCES IN THIS ISSUE, INCLUDING THE FOUR BASIC PRACTICES IN THIS SECTION.

START BY CHOOSING TIME OF DAY

What Sequence Is Right for You Today?

MORNING

NEED HELP GETTING GOING?

MIDDAY

USE THESE TO PREP FOR A BIG DAY AHEAD.

WANT TO FOCUS ON YOUR MIND?

Get an Energy Boost p. 48

BLEARY-EYED OR ACHY?

Find Your Focus p. 50

NEED TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD?

Wake Up Gently p. 46

Cultivate Poise and Grace p. 80

FEELING LOW ENERGY?

Stretch Away Stiffness p. 52

IS STRESS YOUR MAIN CONCERN?

Salute the Sun p. 22 Warm Yourself Up p. 28

Let Go of Stress p. 70 GET A SHOT OF CONFIDENCE.

Wring Out Your Stress p. 110

Give Yourself a Break p. 64 Take Care of You, Too p. 66 Have a Little Fun p. 72

WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR INNER CHILD?

Set a Goal—and Meet It p. 78 Grow Your Power p. 82 Prep for Success p. 86 ILLUSTRATIONS: VECTORSTOCK

HERE’S SOME INSPIRATION TO THROW OFF YOUR COZY COVERS.

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Find Your Bliss p. 68

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Breathe Easy p. 90

JUST GIVE YOURSELF A BIG HUG.

Turn Back the Clock p. 92

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

With 38 practices in this issue, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Let this decision tree help guide you to the perfect one.

EVENING DO YOU HAVE MUSCULAR OR JOINT ISSUES?

FEEL BALANCED INSIDE.

JUST LOOKING FOR A GOOD WORKOUT? IS IT YOUR BACK?

Embrace the Unfamiliar p. 26 Find Calm Amid Challenge p. 74 Cleanse Your System p. 94 WANT TO UNWIND BUT STILL HAVE A FEW THINGS TO DO BEFORE BED?

LET’S WORK ON THE HIPS.

Open Up Tight Hips p. 96

WANT TO FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING YOUR LEGS?

YOUR CORE?

YOUR ARMS?

Support Your Spine p. 98 Take Care of Your Back p. 100

Power Up Your Legs p. 112

THESE WILL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT FROM THE MAT TO DREAMLAND.

Get Into Balance p. 116 Stand Your Ground p. 84

Center Yourself p. 24

Tone Your Abs p. 104

Shed the Day’s Stress p. 58

Power Up Your Core p. 102

Feel Calm and Centered p. 60

Quiet Your Busy Mind p. 54 Restore Yourself p. 56

Strong-Arm Yourself p. 114

BE A SUPERHERO: EXERCISE YOUR WHOLE BODY.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

Open Yourself Up p. 106 Flip for ‘Wild Thing’ Pose p. 108

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Feel Unstoppable p. 76

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Salute the Sun

Level: Beginner

This Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) is a great basic practice.

Depending on how many times you repeat the sequence, it can serve as either a minipractice on days when your time is short or a warm-up for a longer session.

AS YOU PRACTICE You can alter this Sun Salutation by playing with its pace.

If you move through the sequence rapidly (by transitioning into the next pose each time you inhale or exhale), you’ll warm up fairly quickly. Start with five or six repetitions and gradually build to 12. Or try moving slowly and deliberately, and you’ll feel how the sequence becomes a sort of moving meditation. As you practice this way, center your awareness on some point in your body (such as your third eye or your heart) and challenge yourself to keep your focus there for the duration of the practice.

Good for: Easing morning aches Props needed: Two blocks Intention: Gratitude for a new day Reflection: Visualize one being (a person or animal) and feel deeply thankful for them in your heart.

Additional benefits: Moves all the major joints and muscle groups

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Stand with

2. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)

3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

your feet together and parallel to each other.

Stretch your arms (but not rigidly) alongside your torso, palms forward, shoulders relaxed.

Inhale and sweep your arms overhead in wide arcs. If your shoulders are tight, keep your hands apart and gaze straight ahead. Otherwise, bring your palms together, drop your head back, and gaze up at your thumbs.

Exhaling, release your arms in wide arcs as you fold forward. Bend your knees if you feel pressure on your lower back, and support your hands on blocks if they don’t reach the floor.

Release your neck so your head hangs heavily from your upper spine.

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“Sun Salutations serve as an all-purpose tool, kind of like a hammer that’s also a saw and a screwdriver,” Rosen says.

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YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: DAVID MARTINEZ; MODEL: CLAIRE MISSINGHAM; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETTEN CHASTON

Sequence by Richard Rosen; model: Claire Missingham

BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION

tips down into the floor or a block, straighten your elbows, then lift your front torso away from your thighs. Lengthen the front of your torso as you arch evenly along the entire length of your spine.

7. Plank Pose Inhale and bring your torso forward until your shoulders are over your wrists.

Your arms will be perpendicular to the floor. Try not to let your upper back collapse between the shoulder blades: Press your outer arms inward, and then—against this resistance—spread your shoulder blades apart. Firm your tailbone against your pelvis and press your thighs up.

5. Alanasana (High Lunge) Exhale and step your right foot back into a lunge. Center your left knee over the heel so that your shin is perpendicular to the floor, and bring your left thigh parallel to the floor. Firm your tailbone against your pelvis and press your right thigh up against the resistance. Inhale, and reach back through your right heel. Lengthen the torso along the front of the left thigh. Look forward without strain.

6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Exhale and step your left foot back to Down Dog. Spread your palms and soles. Press the front of your thighs back as you press your inner hands firmly against the floor.

Imagine that your torso is being stretched like a rubber band between the arms and legs.

8. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) Exhale as you bend your elbows

9. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Inhale, straighten your

and lower to Chaturanga with your torso and legs parallel to the floor. Keep your shoulders lifted, away from the floor, and down, away from your ears. Lift the thighs away from the floor, lengthen your tailbone toward your heels, and draw the lower ribs away from the floor to avoid collapsing your lower back.

Look at the floor or slightly forward. If you can’t maintain your alignment, place your knees on the floor until you have built more strength.

arms, and sweep your chest forward into Up Dog. Keep your legs active, firm your tailbone toward your heels, and press your front thighs upward. Draw your shoulders away from your ears. Look straight ahead or slightly upward.

10. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Exhale back to Down Dog. To finish the Sun Salutation, step the right foot forward into a Lunge, then step the left foot to meet it and inhale into Ardha Uttanasana and exhale into Uttanasana. Inhale into Urdhva Hastasana and exhale to Tadasana. Observe your body and breath. As you repeat the sequence, alternate legs in High Lunge each time. End in Savasana.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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4. Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend) Inhale and push your finger-

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Center Yourself

Level: Beginner

This simple sequence will soften spots that tend to cling to tension (lower backs, hips, thighs) and ground you with squats, passive backbends, mild inversions, and twists.

Good for: Calming frazzled nerves Props needed: Two blocks, a blanket, and a bolster

Intention: Comfort AS YOU PRACTICE Energetically, these poses aim to rebalance apana vayu

(downward-moving energy), allowing the mind to calm and the body to relax.

This is the perfect sequence to settle frayed nerves because it includes a balance of restorative poses that invite you to rest and a few poses that require gentle effort and balance.

Reection: Put a priority on your comfort. Reflect on what it feels like to be at ease in mind and body.

Additional beneďŹ ts: Lengthens the front and back of the body in equal measure

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1. Matsyasana (Fish Pose), supported variation Rest your head on a block in its highest

2. Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose), supported Place a bolster lengthwise at one

position and your mid-upper back on a block at its middle height. Bend your knees, and place the soles of your feet on the floor. Relax your shoulder blades, and breathe for one to three minutes.

end of your mat and a folded blanket on its far end. Sit between your heels with the bolster behind you, and lie back on it, head resting on the blanket. Stay here for one to three minutes.

4. Malasana (Garland Pose) Step your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, and sink into a squat. Balance between the heels and balls of your feet. Press your palms together at heart level; press your elbows against your inner knees.

5. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), variation From standing, place your hands

6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), variation Step or hop

on the mat, lift your hips, straighten your legs, and fold forward. Cross your right leg behind your left. Lengthen up through your tailbone and down through your crown. Repeat on the other side.

back to Down Dog. Cross your right leg behind your left. Lengthen up through your tailbone and down through your heels. Hang your head. At the end of each exhalation, pause for one to two seconds.

3. Vrksasana (Tree Pose), variation Come to standing. Balance on your right leg; place your left foot against your inner right thigh (avoid the knee). Interlace your fingers; press your palms up overhead. Pause for one to two seconds at the end of each exhalation. Repeat on the other side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: LARISSA HALL CARLSON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN; GREEN BLOCK: PRANA; CORK BLOCK: GAIAM; BLANKETS, BOLSTER: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.

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Sequence and modeling by Larissa Hall Carlson

BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION

Lengthen back through your inner right leg, and reach through your right heel.

8. Pigeon Pose Lower your right knee to the mat between your hands. Extend through your left leg, and balance your weight between your hips. Elongate your spine; rest your forehead on a block. Breathe gently into your lower back. Repeat poses 6 to 8 on the other side.

9. Balasana (Child’s Pose), variation Lower your hips onto your heels, and press back to Child’s Pose with straight arms. Walk your hands to the left until you feel a good stretch along your right torso. Gently breathe.

Repeat on other side.

10. Makarasana (Dolphin Pose) Come to all fours and then onto your forearms. Interlace your fingers, curl your toes under, lift your knees and hips, and straighten your legs. Hang your head, and lift your tailbone to lengthen the spine. Pause at the end of each exhalation.

top of your left, keeping your sitting bones rooted between your feet. Gently twist to the right. Relax your jaw and shoulders. Change the cross of your legs; repeat on the other side.

Unwind your legs, and extend them in front of you. Place your hands on the floor behind your hips with fingers pointing toward your seat. Lift your hips, and press the balls of your feet into the floor. Drop your head.

13. Sucirandhrasana (Eye-of-the-Needle Pose) Lie on your back; bend both knees.

14. Ardha Pavanamuktasana (Half WindRelieving Pose) Extend your legs flat onto

15. Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose) Bend your knees, and draw

Stack your right ankle on top of your left thigh.

Interlace your fingers behind the left thigh. Flex your ankles, and guide your legs toward your torso. Repeat on the other side.

the floor. Bring your right leg toward your chest, and interlace your fingers behind your right thigh. Relax and lengthen through both heels. Repeat on the other side.

your legs in toward your chest. Lower your legs to the right. Hold onto your top leg with your right hand. Relax your shoulder blades; breathe into your left side. Repeat on the other side, then rest in Savasana.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

11. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), variation Sit down, and stack your right knee on

12. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose)

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7. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Lift your right leg to hip height.

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Break free from a rut with a practice that offers subtle variations to common poses.

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Good for: Releasing tension in your hips and shoulders Props needed: None

AS YOU PRACTICE When you consciously change a habitual action, it’s natu-

Intention: Knowledge

ral to feel a moment of discomfort or uncertainty. Be patient with yourself as you move through these poses, and observe any unease. Remind yourself that bringing awareness to your new habits can open you up to new ways of doing things, on and off your mat.

Reflection: Bow to your innate intelligence. “No one is wise by birth, for wisdom results from one’s own efforts.”

—Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the father of modern yoga

Sequence by Claire Missingham; model: Jason Bowman

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Level: Beginner

Additional benefits: Strengthens the transverse and oblique abdominals; lengthens and strengthens the hip flexors

1. Siddhasana (Adept’s Pose), variation

2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

3. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)

Sit cross-legged with an open chest and tall spine. Interlace your hands. (Remember which leg is in front and which fingers are on top for later.) Stretch your arms overhead and turn your palms up.

Stand up with your feet hip-distance apart.

Interlace your fingers (with the atypical fingers on top) behind you. Relax your neck, fold over your legs, and bring your hands over. To exit, slowly roll up to standing.

On an inhalation, step your right foot back into a lunge. With control, turn your right heel down and your toes out 45 degrees. Reach your arms overhead while you lift your chest.

4. Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose), variation Exhale, and

5. Plank Pose Release the twist. Place your

6. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), variation) Roll onto the outside of your left foot.

bring your hands to prayer position at your chest. Hook your right elbow outside your left knee to come into a twist. Gaze up over your left shoulder.

palms flat on the mat on either side of your front foot, and step back into Plank Pose. Draw your belly in and lengthen through your spine, reaching your head forward and extending your heels back.

Stack your hips, and reach your tailbone toward your heels. Raise your right arm, and gaze at the top middle finger. To exit, roll down onto your toes, and return the upper hand to mat.

Repeat poses 3 to 6 on other side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: JASON BOWMAN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: VERONICA SJOEN; BLANKET: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.

Embrace the Unfamiliar

BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION

7. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) Come up to stand-

8. Vatayanasana with Garudasana (Horse Pose with arms in Eagle Pose) Slowly roll

ing, and take a big step out to the side. Interlace your fingers behind you the opposite of how you did it in pose 1. Hinge at your hips to fold forward, and bring your clasped hands over toward the floor.

up, turn your feet out, and sit low. Raise your arms in front, elbows bent. Cross your right elbow on top of your left, and wrap your forearms and hands. Gently sway your body six times. Then switch arms.

10. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your stomach and reach back to hold onto your inner ankles. Press your belly, thighs, and groin into the mat. Feel your spine move forward, and contract your hamstrings and glutes.

Keep your neck long with the gaze gently forward, your thighs firm, and your tailbone tucked under.

11. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Release your ankles, and come down to the mat. Place your palms by your shoulders, and press back into Downward-Facing Dog. Raise your left leg, keeping your hips parallel.

to parallel to the front edge of the mat. Press your pelvis to the floor or to stacked blankets under your left thigh. Square your hips, and lift your belly. Press your fingertips into the floor firmly to expand your chest up.

13. Parivrtta Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Revolved One-Legged King Pigeon Pose) Bring your right elbow to the outside

14. Vikasitakamalasana (Blossoming Lotus Pose) Come to sit with the soles of your

15. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Extend your legs forward on the mat,

feet together. Root your sitting bones down.

Raise your feet, thread your forearms under your knees, and join thumbs and forefingers together. Exit and come back to sitting.

and flex your feet. Take your first two fingers around your big toes. Inhale, and lift your heart.

Exhale, lengthen your spine, and fold over your legs for 10 breaths. Rest in Savasana.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

12. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose) Bring your left shin close

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of your left knee, palms together in prayer position, and twist to the left from deep in your belly. Come out of the twist, and repeat poses 11 to 13 on the other side.

9. Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose) Come to kneeling. Draw up and in through your navel. Raise your left arm back, and place your right hand on the sole of your right foot.

Focus on the length in your sides without twisting your hips. Inhale to come up. Then repeat on the other side.

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Warm Yourself Up This invigorating sequence of balancing and twisting postures will stoke your inner fire, known as agni.

Level: Beginner Good for: Giving yourself a big hug Props needed: One block Intention: Anjali Mudra. Bring the

rising heat throughout your body, breathe through your nose while slightly constricting your throat to create the smooth, rhythmic, ocean-sounding Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath). Breathe softly and steadily, emphasizing complete exhalations.

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Sequence by Larissa Hall Carlson; model: Katrina Lashea

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palms together and let the thumbs softly touch the chest. Then bring the thumbs lightly to touch the center of the brow.

Reflection: “If you work on yoga, yoga will work on you.” —Baba Hari Dass, Indian yoga master and monk Additional benefits: Strengthens the quadriceps, core, and back

1. Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Shift your weight to your left foot. Bring the sole of your right foot to your left inner thigh. Press your palms together overhead. Take 10 to 15 breaths, pausing at the end of each exhalation. Exit and repeat on the second side.

2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

3. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Fold forward from your hips. Lower your hands to the floor, bending your knees if you need to.

Lengthen up through your tailbone and down through your crown.

Step your left foot back, and lower your knee to the mat. Press palms together at your heart.

Twist right from your waist to hook your left elbow onto the outside of your right knee.

4. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) Place your left hand outside your

5. Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair Pose) Stand up. Bend your knees toward

6. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), variation

right foot. Come onto your left toes. Straighten your legs and spin your left heel down. Twist right, and extend your right arm up. Exit the pose, and step feet together. Repeat poses 2 to 4 on the other side.

a right angle, and keep your weight on your heels. Press your palms together. Twist right, and hook your left elbow outside your right knee. Breathe down toward your belly and into your midback.

Keep your knees bent, and unwind from the twist. Lift your arms to shoulder height, and extend them out in front of you with palms facing each other. Lengthen your spine, and broaden your collarbones. Lift your heels.

Relax your gaze and jaw.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: KATRINA LASHEA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN

AS YOU PRACTICE To help you stay mentally calm and clear and spread the

7. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Lower your heels to the mat. Straighten your legs, and stand upright. Extend your arms overhead, and relax your shoulders. Balance your weight evenly between the balls of your feet and heels. Lengthen through the crown of your head and fingers.

10. Malasana (Garland Pose) Step your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, and come into a squat. Press your palms gently together at your heart level, and press your elbows into your inner knees.

13. Anantasana (Side-Reclining Leg Lift), variation Lie on your left side with your head cradled in your hand. With your right hand on the floor in front for balance, lengthen through the heels, and lift your legs as high as possible.

Come down, and repeat on the other side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

8. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana III (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose III)

9. Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose) Release your right foot,

Interlace your fingers under your right knee, hugging it toward your chest. Grasp your right foot with your left hand. Straighten your right leg (as much as possible), and twist right. Your right arm should extend at shoulder height.

and unwind the twist. Fold forward from your hips. Lift your right leg to hip height, and place your right hand in front of your left foot or on a block. Twist left, and raise your left arm.

Release the pose. Repeat poses 5 to 9 on the other side.

11. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvaja’s Twist), variation Come to sit. Bend your knees,

12. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose) Extend your legs out in front of you.

and swing your feet outside your left hip. Place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the floor behind your right hip. Twist with an even spine to the right. Come out of the twist, and repeat on the other side.

Place your hands behind you, fingers pointing to your hips. Lift your hips, and press the balls of your feet into the mat. If comfortable, drop the crown of your head back.

14. Salabhasana (Locust Pose), variation

15. Balasana (Child’s Pose), variation

Lie on your belly. Press your pubic bone down, and lift your head and chest. Interlace your fingers behind you, and draw your shoulder blades together. Lift your legs and arms up and back. Exit and rest for a moment.

Begin to press back into Balasana, pausing partway to place your fists against your belly. Then fold over your thighs. Relax your belly, and fill your back body for 10 to 15 breaths. Close by resting in Savasana.

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BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION

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PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

Create Your Own Practice

WANT TO PERSONALIZE YOUR HOME PRACTICE TO FIT YOUR NEEDS, MOODS, AND ABILITIES? IN THIS SECTION, WE’LL TEACH YOU THE BASICS OF SEQUENCING, FOLLOWED

BY A MIX-AND-MATCH MENU OF ESSENTIAL POSES TO CHOOSE FROM.

THE MAJOR POSE GROUPS

The ABCs of Sequencing Learn the building blocks of sequencing, along with the reasons behind using postures from the major pose groups, and you can prepare a home practice that fits your needs and flows seamlessly from beginning to end. BY JASON CRANDELL

can be uncertain about which poses to choose for a home practice and in what order to put them together. Mastering the refined and subtle art of sequencing takes years of study—and for experienced teachers, sequencing is one of the most nuanced and powerful tools they have at their disposal for creating unique, transformative classes.

But if you are a new home practitioner, you can learn some basic building blocks that will allow you to start putting together sequences of your own and to approach your home practice with confidence.

One way to begin creating your own at-home sequences is to familiarize yourself with a basic template that can be modified in various ways. In this section, you will find a well-rounded sequence structure made up of these fundamental pose groups: warm-ups, standing poses, arm balances, inversions, backbends, and poses for winding down, including twists, seated forward bends, and closing poses like Savasana. The pose categories progress according to their intensity and the amount of preparation they require. Each category prepares your body and mind for the next so that your practice feels like it has a beginning, a middle, and an end that flow seamlessly together. By following this methodology, you will create a sequence that warms you up slowly and safely, builds in intensity before peaking with challenging postures, and then slowly brings you back down to a quiet, relaxed finish.

You can make your practice longer or shorter, as time permits. And once you understand the postural categories and the energetic effects they have on your body, you can start to experiment with creating sequences that suit your needs on a given day, whether it’s focusing on a particular area of your body or working up to a challenging pose.

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EVEN ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS

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The opening poses of a sequence wake up the major muscle groups and provide a transition from the busyness of your day to a more internally focused practice. It also helps if they include breath awareness and contemplative elements that help you direct your attention to what is happening inside your heart and mind.

Standing Poses Standing poses create strength, stamina, and flexibility throughout the entire body. They work the major muscle groups, such as the quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings, and core.

Standing poses are the foundation of your practice and build awareness of the equal distribution of energy throughout your body.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODELS: EMILY LYTLE AND DAN CARBONELL; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: ANNA MITTON AND KRISTEN McGUCKIN

Warm-Ups

Inversions

These poses not only develop strength in the arms and shoulders but also create muscle tone in the abdomen. Starting with poses that place some of the weight in the arms and shoulders but keep your feet on the ground will develop your balance and strength for more advanced arm balances with the feet off the ground.

Getting upside down is a key element of a well-rounded practice.

These poses are stimulating to the nervous system and physically demanding; thus, they are placed in the middle of the practice rather than at the end.

Backbends

Twists

Along with inversions, backbends are the most demanding in a sequence. Backbends stretch the front of the body, strengthen the back of the body, and balance the effects of time spent sitting in chairs. Most people find backbending postures stimulating, providing a burst of physical and mental energy.

Twists relieve tension in—and gently stretch—the spine, hips, and shoulders. These poses usually produce a balanced, energetic tone that is closer to the grounding quality of forward bends than the stimulating nature of backbends.

Seated Forward Bends

Closing Poses

Forward bends typically have a calming effect on the mind, emotions, and nerves, which is why they are often practiced toward the end of a sequence. These postures facilitate deep relaxation by stretching the muscles of the back and decreasing the stimulation of the sensory organs. When choosing forward bends, it’s ideal to pick at least one posture that stretches the hamstrings and one that opens the outer hips to promote greater balance in your body.

Closing postures complete a sequence by quieting the mind and relaxing the body. The closing postures like Savasana help you surrender and absorb the practice. You’ll want to spend at least 6 to 10 minutes total in Savasana or another closer. And don’t skimp on your closing pose—it’s a must.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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Arm Balances

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B UILD YOUR OW N S EQ U E N C E : M I X- AN D - M ATC H

Step 1: Warm-Ups No matter what sequence you do, it’s important to begin with a few gentle warm-up poses that move the major muscles, lubricate the joints, expand the breath, and begin to train your mind to coordinate breath with movement. Try to do all of these, in this order:

1. Tadasana, with Sun Breath Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and scoop your arms out wide, gathering up energy on an inhale until you’re reaching all the way above you. Exhale and release your arms out wide and back down to your sides. Reach the arms out directly in front of you and rotate the wrists with the fingers extended. Then clasp the thumbs and rotate the wrists in both directions.

Bend the elbows, bring the fingertips to the shoulders, and squeeze the elbows together in front of you. Inhale and reach up, describing big circles and exhaling as the elbows reach toward the back. Repeat several times.

4. Child’s Pose

2. Forward Bend

Take your knees a few inches wider apart than in Cat-Cow and let your big toes touch. Sit your hips back on your heels, bring your forehead to touch the floor, and reach your arms out in front of you. Let 5 to 10 deep breaths expand throughout your back.

On an inhale, extend the arms overhead. Exhale and hinge forward at the hips. Bend the knees, inhale, and come up halfway. Exhale and fold again. Repeat three to five times. When you fold forward the last time, straighten your knees slightly to stretch your hamstrings.

5. Neck and Side Stretches Sit cross-legged or on your knees. Place your right hand on the floor and sidebend to the right, lifting your left arm over your head to stretch the left side of your body. Hold for three deep breaths. Come back to center and repeat on the other side. Next, take a gentle twist to the right, looking over your right shoulder. Stay in the twist and look to the left. Come back to the center and repeat the twist to the left, looking left and then right. Return to center. Let your right ear come to your right shoulder, stretching the left side of the neck. Stay for several breaths, then take your left ear to your left shoulder for several breaths.

3. Cat/Cow Stretches

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Come to hands and knees on the floor. Exhale and draw your belly in as you lift your spine to the ceiling like a cat. Inhale and reach your tailbone and sitting bones back, lifting your heart forward and up. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

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TADASANA

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

B UIL D YOUR OWN S EQ UE N CE : M I X-A N D -M ATCH

Step 2: Standing Poses Now that you have warmed up, these fundamental postures will help you start moving your body in all directions, building strength and stamina, increasing your flexibility, and preparing you for more challenging poses. Do three to four—yogi’s choice.

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), inhale and step your left foot back into a lunge. With control, turn your left heel down and your toes out 45 degrees.

Reach your arms overhead while you lift your chest. Repeat on the other side.

Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Beginning in Tadasana with your feet together, lift your arms overhead.

Bend your knees, coming as close as you can to a right angle; keep your weight in your heels. Take a couple more breaths. On an inhalation, press down to rise up. Straighten your legs and lower your arms, returning to Tadasana.

Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Start in Tadasana with your feet together. Shift your weight to your left foot, and bring the sole of your right foot to your left inner thigh or calf (never your knee). Bring the palms together in front of the heart or raise them over your head. Take 10 to 15 breaths, pausing at the end of each exhalation. Exit and repeat on the second side.

EXTENDED TRIANGLE POSE

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) Starting in Tadasana, step your feet about four feet apart. Turn your left foot in about 30 degrees and your right foot out to 90 degrees. On an exhale, bring your right thigh to a 90-degree angle, stacking the knee over the ankle and keeping the hips square to the long edge of the mat. Open your arms to shoulder height, parallel to the ground, and gaze over your right hand.

Repeat on the other side.

Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) With your legs wide apart, extend your arms into a T; turn your right foot out to 90 degrees and your left foot slightly in. Bend your right knee 90 degrees and bring your right hand to the floor or a block. Reach your left arm toward the ceiling and then alongside your ear, turning your chest upward and gazing past your left thumb. Inhale to come up and switch sides.

Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)

EXTENDED SIDE ANGLE POSE

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From Tadasana, step your feet about four feet apart, then turn your left foot in slightly and your right foot out to 90 degrees. Exhale and flex your torso to the right, bending from the hip joint. Rest your right hand on your shin or ankle, and stretch your left arm toward the ceiling. Gaze softly at the left thumb. Inhale to come up and switch sides.

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WARRIOR POSE I

CHAIR POSE

PICK 3 OR 4

WARRIOR POSE II

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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TREE POSE

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Step 3: Arm Balances These challenging poses will help you build important arm, wrist, and shoulder strength, give your core a good workout, and improve your balance. Choose any two.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)

Starting on all fours, spread your palms and turn your toes under. Exhale and lift your knees from the floor. On an exhalation, push your top thighs back, stretch your heels toward the floor, and straighten your knees as you press your inner hands into the floor, your head between your upper arms.

Take 10 or more breaths before lowering yourself into Child’s Pose.

From Plank, roll onto the outside of your right foot and stack your left foot on top of your right. Swing your left hand onto your left hip and support the weight of your body on the outer right foot and right hand. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with your shoulders. After several breaths, return to Plank.

Plank Pose

Bakasana (Crane Pose)

Start on all fours, with your wrists under your shoulders. Step one leg straight back, then the other. Draw your belly in and lengthen your spine, reaching your head forward as you reach your heels back. Firm your legs, lift your kneecaps, and reach your tailbone back.

Squat, with your feet about hip-width apart. After pushing the backs of your arms into your knees, plant your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Tip forward until both feet lift off the floor. Once you get comfortable with balance, begin to experiment with lifting your belly and pelvic floor, and straightening the arms. Hold for as long as you can.

SIDE PLANK POSE

DOWNWARD-FACING DOG POSE

PICK 2

CRANE POSE

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PLANK POSE

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Step 4: Inversions Go upside down and you will relieve back pain, improve your balance, and send circulation to your brain, clearing your mind. Try any two from the poses below.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose)

Lie down with your knees bent, your feet hip-distance apart. Move your feet closer to your buttocks, then raise your hips. Clasp your hands under your back on the floor, and get on top of your shoulders. Press down through your heels as you lift the bottom of your buttocks even higher.

To finish, exhale, release your hands, and lower to the floor.

Sit on your shins in Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana). Exhale and grab your heels with the backs of the hands facing out. Bend forward, placing the top of your head on the mat. Breathe.

Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) Starting on all fours, place your forearms tightly on the floor in front of you, your fingers interlaced. Place the crown of your head on the floor, inside your arms. Straighten your legs, then walk them in toward your head, until your hips are above your shoulders. Bend your knees and use your core to lift your legs off the floor. Slowly straighten your legs.

Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) Lie with a folded blanket under your shoulders, your head on the floor, and lift your legs overhead until they touch the floor behind you. Place your hands on your midback, fingertips facing up, and lift your legs skyward.

RABBIT POSE

BRIDGE POSE

PICK 2

SUPPORTED SHOULDERSTAND

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

SUPPORTED HEADSTAND

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PICK 2

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Step 5: Backbends Give your spine a nice stretch, open your hips, and expand your shoulders and chest, opening yourself up to the world. Chose two of these backbends.

Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Kneel, with legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips, inhale, and draw your elbows toward each other, your rib cage expanding. Keeping your chest raised and your core and glutes engaged, press your hands into the heels of your feet while draping the fingers over the soles. Gently lower your head and neck and gaze at the tip of your nose. Inhale to come up.

Lie on your mat, with a blanket under your pelvis if needed. Bend your knees and grab the outside of your ankles. Inhale and lift your legs and chest off the ground. Press your shins into your hands and your pelvis into the ground while your chest reaches forward. Gaze forward and hold for five breaths. Release the pose, and lie back on the mat.

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward-Facing Bow Pose)

Lie on your belly, placing your palms on the floor just behind your shoulders. Gently lift your navel and then your chest, straightening your arms as much as you can without straining your back. Inhale as you lift your chest; exhale as you ground your feet and legs and reach your tailbone back.

Come out of the pose gently to allow your spine to decompress.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Bend your elbows and place your hands on the mat next to your ears, fingers pointing at your feet. Inhale, and straighten your arms and legs as you lift your back off the ground. Maintain for several breaths. Tuck your chin to your chest to protect your neck when you come back down.

CAMEL POSE

BOW POSE

PICK 2

UPWARD-FACING BOW POSE

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COBRA POSE

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Step 6: Twists Not only will these poses stretch your core—both front and back—but they will also aid digestion and leave you feeling ready to take on the world. Choose just one.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)

Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose)

Sit with both legs straight in front of you, then cross your left foot over your right thigh and place it on the floor outside your right knee. Fold your right leg in, the foot outside your left hip. Twist your torso as you place your left hand on the floor behind you and your right elbow outside your left thigh.

Repeat on the other side.

Lie on your back, bend your knees, and draw your legs in toward your chest. Lower both legs to the left. Extend your arms out to the sides, and turn your gaze to the right. Relax your shoulder blades; breathe into your right side. Switch sides.

HALF LORD OF THE FISHES POSE

PICK 1

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REVOLVED ABDOMEN POSE

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Step 7: Seated Forward Bends Now that your mind is more settled and your body stretched and relaxed, these quieter seated folds will help you lengthen your spine, stretch your legs, and calm your mind. Try two of these.

Balasana (Child’s Pose)

Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)

Come to all fours, opening your knees the width of your mat. Bring your big toes together and exhale, reaching your hips toward your heels as you fold forward and extend your arms on the floor in front of you, palms down and the center of your brow on the earth. Take a few breaths to center yourself.

Sitting with your legs extended in front of you, bend your left knee, placing your left foot against your inner right thigh. Fold forward over your right leg, grasping the inside right foot with both hands or a strap. If possible, rest your forehead on your shin. Breathe deeply. Change sides.

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Sitting with both legs extended in front of you, bend your left leg back until you are sitting on your left foot. Bend your right leg, stacking your right knee on top of your left. Bring both sitting bones to the floor, raise your right arm, and bring your right hand to your upper back. Bend your left arm underneath your shoulder to your back, and clasp your hands.

Bow forward if that is available in your body. Repeat on the other side.

Sit with your legs straight in front of you. Turn the top thighs in slightly and press them down into the floor. Inhale and lean forward from the hip joints.

Take the sides of your feet with your hands. With each inhalation, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation, release a little more into the forward bend.

CHILD’S POSE

HEAD-OF-THE-KNEE POSE

PICK 2

SEATED FORWARD BEND

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COW FACE POSE

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Step 8: Closing Poses Don’t forget to close out your practice: Ending on a calm, restorative note is absolutely crucial.

This is when you truly recharge your mind, body, and spirit. Do either of the poses below.

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Viparita Kavani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keeping your head centered, extend your arms to the sides, tuck in your shoulder blades, and bring a little lift to your chest without arching your back. Allow the inner legs to roll outward and relax completely. Close your eyes and relax your facial muscles, then the rest of your body, from your head to your feet. Stay here for at least 10 minutes, or as long as you can.

Facing a wall, lower your shoulders and head to the floor, with your hips elevated slightly on a bolster or blanket. Stretch your legs up the wall, with the feet together or hip-distance apart. Find a comfortable position for your arms at your side, with palms turned up; relax your arms and shoulders.

Hold the pose for at least 10 minutes.

CORPSE POSE

LEGS-UP-THE-WALL POSE

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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PICK 1

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Wake Up— And Wind Down With Ease

PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

BOOKEND YOUR BUSY DAYS WITH YOGA: THE EIGHT PRACTICES FOR A.M. AND P.M. IN THIS SECTION WILL CHARGE UP YOUR BATTERIES IN THE MORNING—THEN HELP YOU DECOMPRESS AT NIGHT.

Wake Up Gently

Level: Beginner

If you’re still groggy after you hit the alarm button, slowly awaken your spine and hips and breathe life into stiff joints with this easy, fun sequence.

Props needed: One blanket

Good for: Shaking off sluggishness Intention: Tenderness. Are your thoughts kind and gentle?

AS YOU PRACTICE Use your face to measure tension in your body. Kira Sloane,

Reflection: Practice ahimsa (non-

who designed the sequence, calls the face “the dashboard of the pranic system.” When your face is tight, your body is, too, which limits the flow of prana, or life force. Start the sequence with your face soft and check in often to find out if tension is accumulating there.

harming) on yourself, and it will naturally extend to others. “Love everyone, including yourself,” said Baba Hari Dass, Indian yoga master.

Additional benefits: Warms up the spine and hips

1. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) Sit with the soles of your

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feet together about 20 inches from your groin. Let your knees drop out to the sides. (If your knees are higher than the tips of your hip bones, sit on a folded blanket.) Walk your hands forward, letting your back softly round.

Drop your head for a neck stretch. If that’s uncomfortable, support your head with your hands. Breathe into the back body. Stay for five minutes.

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3. Hammock Pose (Prasarita Padottanasana, variation) Stand sideways on your mat with your legs wide apart, toes turned in and lifted to engage the inner arches. Walk your hands forward and draw the tailbone back. Let your upper back be like a hammock and your heart relax downward. Wake the legs by isometrically squeezing your heels together on the inhalation and pressing them apart on the exhalation. Then relax and use your awareness and breath to connect with prana flowing up and down your legs.

Stay for five breaths.

2. Cowboy Negotiation Pose (Malasana, variation) Take a wide squat with your feet turned out. If your heels lift, place a blanket or a rolled mat underneath them. Bring your weight into your left leg as you press your right knee away from your midline to create space in your hips. Stay for five breaths, then do the other side.

4. Goddess Pose With Uddiyana Banda (Upward Abdominal Lock) Keep your wide stance and turn your feet out. Bend your knees over your toes. Straighten your legs and reach your arms overhead. Inhale deeply; as you exhale, bring your hands to your thighs, bend your knees, and stick out your tongue. Curl your tailbone under. At the bottom of the exhalation, draw your chin toward your chest and your navel toward your spine. Hold the breath out as your sway your hips side to side. After a few seconds, inhale, bring your arms overhead, and straighten your legs. Take a clearing breath in between holds. Do five rounds.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW; MODEL: KIRA SLOANE; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD; BLANKET: HUGGER MUGGER

Sequence and modeling by Kira Sloane

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

5. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) With your legs straight and your arms overhead, inhale; on your exhalation, open up into Warrior II. Repeat this movement five times, until you eventually land in the right shape. Try softening your elbows and turning your palms up, connecting with the flow of prana from your heart out through your hands. Stay for 10 breaths, then repeat on the other side.

6. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), with external rotation From Warrior

7. Rounded Plank Pose Transition into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down-

8. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) From Rounded Plank, bend your elbows

ward-Facing Dog Pose). Draw your tailbone under and round your back as you bring your shoulders over your wrists. Breathe into your full, open back. Feel the work in the belly; relax your neck and head. Stay for at least five breaths here.

and lower your hips to the floor. Roll your shoulders back and down, and lift your heart. Slowly turn your head from side to side to stretch your neck.

Stay for 10 breaths, then lower down and rest.

9. Rocket Cat (Bitilasana, variation) Curl your toes under and press your hips back as if to move into Balasana (Child’s Pose), but pause halfway.

Exhale through your mouth and stick out your tongue. Alternate leaning right and left for 10 breaths to stretch.

10. Slumpy Swami Twist Find a comfortable cross-legged position

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like Sukhasana (Easy Pose). With your right hand on the floor behind you, place your left hand on your right knee. Inhale and exhale, curling your tailbone under and rounding your back. Exhale, draw your lower belly back, and twist your rib cage to the right. If you feel open, reach your left arm across your right knee and dip in deeper. After five breaths, relax, inhale, and slowly unwind. Switch legs and repeat on the other side. To finish, stay seated cross-legged, allowing for a few deep inhalations, followed by audible exhalations. Feel your neck lengthen, your jaw relax and your mouth soften.

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II, windmill your hands to the floor and come into Low Lunge. Stay for a few rounds of breath, draw your hips back on the inhalation, and sink forward on the exhalation. Turn your front foot out to externally rotate the hip. Relax your jaw and walk your hands back. If your hands are far from the floor, use blocks for support. Do both sides.

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Get an Energy Boost By combining stretches, core activation, and deep breathing, this sequence will release tension so you start your day feeling refreshed.

Level: Beginner Good for: Counteracting a rough night of sleep

Props needed: A block Intention: No ego

hip-opening stretches as you build up to the peak pose, an exciting variation of Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose). This will help connect you to your core and root you down so you can expand outward with stability and strength. Meanwhile, breathe deeply throughout the sequence to further awaken your sense of vitality and inner purpose.

Sequence and modeling by Gina Caputo

1. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (ThreeLegged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Begin with hands shoulder-width apart and feet hipwidth apart. Actively reach your heels down as you lift your sitting bones up and elongate the spine. On a deep inhale, lift your right leg. Keep your shoulders squared.

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4. Ardha Hanumanasana (Half Monkey God Pose) Turn toward your front leg, and

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straighten it. Lengthen your spine over your leg, with your fingertips on the floor. Bend your elbows (not your neck), and hinge from the hips to fold deeper. Keep your hips square.

Reflection: What does it feel like to create, be, and dissolve each pose without an agenda? “In order to see, you have to stop being in the middle of the picture,” said Sri Aurobindo, Indian philosopher, yogi, and poet.

Additional benefits: Opens up your heart center; frees your hip flexors; lengthens your hamstrings

3. Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose)

2. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Step your right foot forward, and place your back knee down behind your hips. Place your hands onto your front knee, and sink your hips, drawing your belly away from your front thigh and pressing your shoulders back. Gently rock forward and back.

Turn to your left, pivoting your back shin. Place your left hand alongside your sacrum and your right hand on your front knee. Engage your core to lift your sternum, and elongate the inseam of your right leg.

5. Cat-Cow Pose Bring your right knee back

6. Tabletop, variation Extend your right arm

in line with the left, coming to all fours. Inhale and lift your sternum, sitting bones, and chin.

Exhale and tuck your chin, round your spine, and tuck your sitting bones. Breathe, and explore your fullest range of motion.

forward and your left leg back. Keep your hips square to the mat by dialing your outer left hip down and your inner left thigh up. Engage your core, and elongate from fingertips to the sole of your foot. Hug your muscles toward the midline.

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PHOTOS: RICHARD CUMMINGS; MODEL: GINA CAPUTO; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: JEN MURPHY

AS YOU PRACTICE Allow yourself to pause and explore these heart- and

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

8. Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose, variation From Downward-Facing Dog,

Bend your left knee and reach your right arm back to clasp the big-toe side of your left foot. Reengage your core, and press your foot into your hand. Lift up. Joyously breathe and expand.

inhale and extend your right leg back and up.

Open your hips, keeping your arms straight and your shoulders square. Bend your right knee, reaching it up and away.

10. Prasarita Padottanasana III (WideLegged Standing Forward Bend III)

11. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Release your hands to the floor, pivot

Pivot a quarter turn to the left. Straighten both legs, and reach your hands behind you; clasp hands or use a strap. Keep both arms straight, without locking your elbows. Fold forward, keeping legs and core engaged.

your right foot, and place your right hand on your shin. Sweep your left arm back and up.

Keep a strong center, and expand out through all four limbs and the crown of your head.

13. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)

14. Marichyasana III Come to the floor and sit

Release your foot and step back softly into Warrior II. Feel how strong and grounded your legs and feet are. Release both hands toward the floor, plant the hands, and step back into Downward-Facing Dog. Repeat poses 1 to 13 on the other side.

down. Extend your right leg forward and bend your left leg, placing the foot in front of your hip. Anchor both sitting bones down; extend up and twist to the left. Lengthen and breathe into your right side. Repeat on the other side.

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9. High Lunge Step your right foot forward inside your right thumb. Extend forward through your front shin and back through your back heel. Square your hips, lifting your back thigh as you do. Take a deep breath here.

12. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) Shift your weight into your right foot, and walk your fingers forward to the floor or a block. Lift your left leg, extending out through your heel.

Roll your left shoulder and elbow back, and lift your left hip over your right. Engage your core.

15. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Relax back onto the floor with the soles of your feet together and your knees bent out to the sides. Take several radiant breaths. Feel your heart, seat of your brilliance, and your core, seat of your fortitude.

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7. Ardha Dhanurasana (Half Bow Pose)

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Find Your Focus

Level: Intermediate

AS YOU PRACTICE Try to stay relaxed during both the intense and easier stages

of the intervals. Notice if you’re collecting tension in your body (like your neck or shoulders), and consciously soften those areas. Surrender to the intervals instead of feeling consumed by them. Relax into the restorative postures, and trust your ability to ride the peaks and valleys of the practice.

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Sequence and modeling by Tiffany Cruikshank

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Good for: Boosting mental clarity and physical strength Props needed: Two blankets, two blocks, and one bolster Intention: Surrender Reflection: Summon the courage to let something go and rediscover the energy you were using to hold on to it.

“The ultimate act of power is surrender,” said Krishna Das, kirtan artist.

Additional benefits: Opens hips; strengthens inner thighs, glutes, and core

1. Supine Core Lie back, arms at your sides, and bend your knees, bringing them over your hips. Exhale, extend your left leg, and reach your arms overhead. Hover the left leg above the floor for 15 seconds, drawing your lower ribs down and keeping the lower back still.

Switch legs.

2. Alanasana (High Lunge) From Adho

4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation) From Downward Dog, step your right

5. Pigeon Pose Release your hands to the

6. Turbo Dog Come to hands and knees,

floor. Lower your right knee to the floor, keeping your heel close to your pelvis. Fold forward and walk your hands forward. If you feel any knee strain, place support under your right hip.

Hold for two minutes, then switch sides.

and squeeze your elbows like you’re holding a beach ball between them. Lift your hips into Downward Dog but keep your elbows bent and lifted off the floor. Drop your head between your arms and hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

foot forward into Warrior I, clasping the hands behind the back, and fold forward to the inside of your right leg. Rest the belly on the thigh or inside the thigh. Hold for one minute, then switch sides.

Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), step your right foot forward. Bring your torso upright as you lift your arms overhead.

Draw the front ribs back, lengthen your tailbone, and engage your lower belly. Hold one minute; switch sides.

3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), variation From Downward Dog, lift your left leg, look between your hands, and hug the upper arm bones toward each other. Lower the left leg, then lift the right.

Switch sides several times, bending the knees and hopping from side to side. Continue for one to two minutes.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: DAVID MARTINEZ; MODEL: TIFFANY CRUIKSHANK; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: JOSEFINE WISSENBERG/AUBRI BALK INC.; PROPS: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.

Need to bring your A-game to the work day ahead?

Try this invigorating practice, in which you’ll alternate short bursts of movement with stillness for yin/yang balance.

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

same hopping or bouncing cycle described in step 3, switching the legs. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds on each side.

10. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) From Goddess Pose, straighten your legs and turn your feet forward so they’re parallel. Fold forward; place your hands on the floor or on blocks. Hold for one minute. Step back into Downward Dog.

13. Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) Lie on your back and bring your legs overhead until they touch the floor behind you in Halasana (Plow Pose). Place your hands on your midback, fingertips facing up, and return your legs skyward. Breathe. Hold for two to three minutes.

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8. Skater Pose From standing, step your legs about three to four feet apart and turn your feet out 45 degrees. Bend your right knee and lean to your right. Put the weight into your right heel and sit low with the knee above the ankle; take your arms to the right. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

9. Goddess Pose Bring your hips back to center. With feet slightly turned out, bend both knees and sit the hips down. Make sure that your knees are directly over your ankles. Raise your arms straight up and hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat poses 8 and 9.

11. Plank Pose, variation From Downward

12. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) Lie on your back. Bend your knees

Dog, come to your forearms, clasp your hands, and tuck your toes. Engage your legs and lower your torso to Plank. Press your forearms down to create space between your shoulder blades.

Move the sternum forward. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

14. Matsyasana (Fish Pose) From Supported Shoulderstand, slowly lower your hips and legs to the floor. Once supine, with forearms flat on the floor, press into the elbows to lift the chest, and lightly rest the top of your head on the floor. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your hands next to your ears, and inhale to press up. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, lower, and repeat. (For an easier position, lift into Bridge Pose.)

15. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Lie back on a bolster (or pillows) so your middle and upper back are supported. Rest your head on a folded blanket.

Press the soles of your feet together, and let your knees rest on a block or pillows. Hold for five minutes.

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7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), variation Repeat the

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Stretch Away Stiffness

Level: Intermediate

Do you sleep on your side, your spine rounded into the fetal position? Then use this challenging set of poses to stretch and open your chest, back, and hips.

Props needed: None

AS YOU PRACTICE Move with your breath, inhaling when the spine extends and

exhaling when it flexes. Poses 1 to 10 lengthen the spine and flanks, preparing for the High Crescent Twist and core-toning dancing lunges.

Good for: Energizing Intention: Fearlessness Reflection: See change as the opportunity for growth. “Yoga is the practice of radical transformation,” said Georg Feuerstein, German Indologist.

Additional benefits: Lengthens the front spine; strengthens the core

Sequence by Paige Elenson; model: Walter Mugwe

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stacking your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Begin to move your spine in a rhythmic motion: With every inhalation, arch your back and lift your sitting bones and chest into Cow; with every exhalation, round your back and tuck your chin and pelvis into Cat.

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4. Flip Dog From Downward Dog, lift your right leg and arm and pivot on your left foot.

Spin your torso and hips open to the ceiling, and lower your right foot down to the side of your left foot. Reach your right arm toward the wall behind you. Keep your feet parallel, pressing firmly into the floor. Return to Downward Dog and do Flip Dog on the other side.

2. Tabletop, variation From all fours, lift your belly in toward your spine. Extend your right leg and left arm. Bend your right leg and take hold of your foot with your left hand. Kick your foot into your hand as you twist and open your chest into a backbend. Try gazing up. Repeat on the other side, then come into Down Dog.

5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Un-flip your Dog and roll your heels to the right. Shift your weight into your right hand and the outer edge of your right foot. Stack your left foot on top of your right. Press your feet and hand down as you lift your hips and extend your left arm up. (If this is too intense, lower your bottom knee to the floor.) Return to Downward Dog and repeat on the left.

3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose), knee-to-nose variation From Downward Dog, lift your right leg up high behind you, then round your spine as you draw your knee to your chest. Keep your pelvis low and round your upper spine toward the sky. Hug your right thigh to your chest and your knee to your nose. Keep pressing the floor with your hands. Return to Downward Dog and then repeat with the left leg.

6. Plank Pose From Downward Dog, lower your hips until your torso is parallel with the floor, shoulders over wrists. Keep your legs and core engaged; press your hands and feet into your mat. Press out through the heels to activate your legs and reach forward with the crown of your head.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: WALTER MUGWE; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER

1. Bitilasana-Marjaryasana (Cat-Cow Pose) Come onto your hands and knees,

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

7. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) From Plank, shift your weight

8. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) From Chaturanga, press

9. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) From Upward Dog,

forward, bend your elbows, and lower halfway down, keeping your elbows by your sides.

Press your hands into the floor, push back through your heels, and engage your core. If this is too intense, modify the pose by lowering your knees to the floor.

your hands and the tops of your feet down, to bring your thigh bones off the floor as you lift your torso. Draw your upper arm bones toward your back to open your heart. Keep your neck long as you gaze up.

roll over the tops of your feet, press into your hands, and lift your hips high. Spread your fingers wide, work to ground through the four corners of each foot, lift your sitting bones to the ceiling, and draw the pit of your belly and low ribs toward your spine.

10. Alanasana (High Crescent Lunge), variation From Downward Dog, step your left

11. Parivrtta Alanasana (High Crescent Twist) From High Crescent Lunge with the left

12. Dancing Lunges Start in a Low Lunge

foot between your hands. Fire up your back leg and soften your pelvis toward the floor, stretching your back hip flexor. Lift the sides of your waist, then lift the front of your pelvis as your tailbone descends. Bring your arms alongside your ears and gaze up. Exhaling, release and switch sides.

foot forward, bring your hands to your heart center and twist your belly and chest to the left.

Press your right upper arm into the outside of your outer left thigh. Press your palms together and draw your shoulder blades toward the center of your spine. Turn your gaze upward and smile. Switch sides. Repeat Poses 6 to 11 four more times.

13. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) From Downward Dog, walk or jump

14. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) Bring your hands alongside your ears,

15. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Bring the soles of your

forward and come to sit. Recline on your back and bend your knees, with your ankles directly under your knees. Press the four corners of each foot down and lift your hips as high as you can. Clasp your hands together and press your upper arms down as you lift your chest.

palms down, fingers facing your feet. Press your hands and feet down as you lift your hips and torso up. Straighten your arms and relax your head down. Breathe into your upper chest, open your heart, and shine! If you’re not comfortable practicing Upward Bow, practice Bridge again.

feet together, allowing your thighs to drop toward the floor in a gentle hip opening. Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your low belly. Close your eyes and let your belly expand as you inhale; sink as you exhale. Breathe in new life for the day ahead.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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with your right leg forward. Shift your gaze forward and bring your weight onto your fingertips. Squeeze in your lower belly for power and lightly hop your left foot forward (shifting your gaze down when it lands), while simultaneously extending the right leg back. Continue this hop-switch action, rapidly alternating legs in a joyful dance that builds your inner fire.

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Take a break from striving with this forward-bending practice, which will keep you close to the earth and help calm your thoughts.

AS YOU PRACTICE Make sure the room is at a comfortable temperature,

Level: Beginner Good for: Relieving tension in your core and hips

Props needed: Two blankets, one strap, one bolster Intention: Groundedness

and take time to steady your mind by finding a relaxed breathing rhythm and focusing on your exhalation.

Reflection: On and off the mat, imagine deep roots connecting the base of your spine to the very center of the earth.

Sequence by Barbara Benagh; model: Keith Borden

Additional benefits: Relaxes your back muscles; warms up your hip joints; gives a gentle abdominal massage

1. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Lie on your back, with

2. Ardha Ananda Balasana (Half Happy Baby Pose) Reclining in Supta Baddha Kona-

3. Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) From Ardha Ananda

the soles of the feet together and the knees open wide, each resting on a blanket, and with your arms by your sides, palms facing up.

Allow the muscles of the abdomen and inner thighs to relax toward the floor.

sana, draw your right knee into your chest and extend your left leg straight along the floor. Raise your flexed right foot up toward the ceiling until the knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. Clasp the foot with both hands, and on an exhalation, gently draw it straight down toward the floor.

Balasana, release your hands and place a strap around the sole of your right foot. Strongly press the top of your sacrum against the floor to ground the pose before straightening the right leg. If you can straighten your leg without pain and without compromising your alignment, clasp the big toe with the thumb and index and middle fingers of your right hand.

Repeat poses 2 and 3 on the other side.

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“Forward bends are, by their nature, introspective and meditative,” says Benagh. “They are calming to the nerves, soothing, and grounding. These poses teach us that yoga is as much about surrender as effort.”

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YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: KEITH BORDEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD

Quiet Your Busy Mind

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

4. Balasana (Child’s Pose) From Supta

5. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)

Padangusthasana, lower your leg and move into a kneeling position, sitting on your feet.

Fold forward from your hips, allowing your torso to rest on your thighs and keeping your knees hip-width apart. Rest your head on your hands or on a bolster in front of you.

Coming out of Balasana, sit up and bring the soles of your feet together. Open your knees wide, resting them on blankets if you experience any pain in the knees. On an exhalation, hinge forward from your hips, bring your torso and forehead toward the ground, and allow your spine to gently flex into a curve. Rest your head on the floor, on your hands, or on a bolster.

7. Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose) From Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, release

8. Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend) Sit with your legs

the twist of the upper spine, and hold your right foot with both hands or a strap. Fold the torso forward over the leg, allowing your back to round slightly. Repeat poses 6 and 7 on the other side.

spread wide and your torso upright and lifted.

Hinge forward from the hips, making sure your kneecaps face the ceiling. If your torso doesn’t reach the ground, support your upper body with your arms or a bolster.

III, release the twist and stretch both legs straight out in front of you with the inner edges of the feet either touching or hip-width apart. Fold forward from your hips, holding the outside of each foot or looping a strap around the feet. Allow your belly to release toward your thighs, and rest your head on your shins, allowing the back to slightly round if necessary. If your head doesn’t reach your shins, place several folded blankets on top of your legs to act as a headrest.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

extend your right leg out in front of you and hold the outside of the foot with your left hand.

Support your left knee with a blanket if you experience pain in the knee. Lengthen your spine up through the crown of your head and turn your torso to the right. Hinge forward from the hips, folding only as far as possible without letting the spine curve. Stretch your right arm out behind you at a 45-degree angle.

9. Marichyasana III, variation From Upavistha Konasana, lift your torso and bring your legs together. Bend your right knee, placing your right foot flat on the floor by your left calf for a variation on the pose. Twist from your core, using your left upper arm as leverage by pressing against the outside of your right knee.

Repeat on the other side.

After You Finish Use the internal calm you have cultivated to practice a backbend like Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) and see if you can be at ease with it. Breathe deeply, allowing the breath to maintain the sense of quiet and peace in your body. Take Savasana (Corpse Pose) for a minimum of five minutes, and unfold into the ultimate asana of undoing. yogajournal.com

10. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) From Marichyasana

6. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Side Headof-the-Knee Pose) From Baddha Konasana,

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Restore Yourself

Level: Beginner

At the end of a day that feels 28 hours long, give yourself a post-dinner break with this soothing sequence.

Good for: Calming your nerves Props needed: One bolster, two blankets, and one eyebag

AS YOU PRACTICE Set aside at least 20 minutes and choose a place to practice

Intention: Effortlessness

where you’ll be warm and uninterrupted. Encourage a smooth, natural rhythm in your breath. Slowly open your body and let the gifts of the practice—a wellrested and invigorated body, mind, and spirit—be yours. Do restorative yoga at least once a week, to give your nervous system a complete reset.

Reflection: Give thanks for the day.

Release the effort of thinking about past or future events.

Additional benefits: Decompresses the spine; opens the hips

Sequence by Cora Wen; model: Sean Halleen

1. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvaja’s Twist), variation From Dandasana (Staff Pose), take your right foot to your left inner thigh and your left foot behind you. Put a folded blanket under your right sitting bone to balance your pelvis if your left hip lifts up. Keep the fronts of your ankles open.

Twist your torso to the right, turn your head to the left, and breathe freely.

Release the twist, switch legs, and repeat on the other side.

2. Supported Chest Opener Sit at one end of a bolster. Bend your

3. Salamba Supta Virasana (Supported Reclining Hero Pose)

4. Ankle-to-Knee Pose Take a simple cross-legged position. Put your right ankle on your left knee and shift your left foot forward under your right knee, stacking both shins like two logs. (If this is too intense, go back to a simple cross-legged position.) To move into a deeper stretch in your outer hips and inner thighs, slowly fold forward. Let your breath move freely; release and switch sides.

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YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: SEAN HALLEEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: BRYNN DOERING/ARTMIX

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Sit in front of the bolster, with your feet just outside your hips. If you feel strain in your knees, sit up on a block. Lie back. Release your arms by your sides. Add folded blankets to the bolster to relieve any discomfort in your lower back. To come up, press your hands into the floor and lift to a seated position.

knees, feet hip-distance apart, and lie back. Feel your spine, shoulders, and neck completely supported. Lift your arms overhead, clasp your elbows, and rest your forearms on the bolster. If your shoulders feel strained, open your arms out to the sides. To release, roll to one side and come up to a seated position.

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

5. Salamba Adho Mukha Svanasana (Supported Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Come onto all fours with the end of the bolster beneath your

6. Salamba Prasarita Padottanasana (Supported Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) From Down Dog, move your props out of

breastbone. Pull your navel in toward your spine and lift up and back into Down Dog. Rest your forehead on the bolster. Feel free to remove the bolster and use a folded blanket or block instead to create length in your neck. Lift your tailbone away from your head as you lengthen the backs of your legs.

the way, step your right foot forward between your hands, and pivot on your feet into a wide straddle, with your feet slightly pigeon-toed. Rest the crown of your head on the bolster. Lift your belly toward your spine and soften the backs of your legs. Relax your shoulders and arms, and allow your abdominal organs to receive an internal massage from the forward fold. To release, pivot on your heels, walk your torso back over your right leg, and step back to Down Dog.

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), variation Step your left foot behind and to the outside of your right foot.

8. Salamba Balasana (Supported Child’s Pose) Sit on your heels with your knees wide and bring the bolster in toward your belly. Fold forward with a rounded spine. Rest your right cheek on the bolster, changing the direction your head is turned halfway through your hold. Let the shape of the pose gently stretch your lower back.

Bend your right knee and lift your right heel as you twist to the left, reaching your left heel toward the floor. Extend your left fingertips toward the front left corner of your mat, lifting your palm to increase the stretch. Turn the left side of your belly up and peek under your left armpit. Release the twist and repeat on the other side.

9. Salamba Bharadvajasana (Supported Bharadvaja’s Pose)

10. Salamba Savasana (Supported Corpse Pose) Lie on your back with the bolster under your knees. Let your legs and feet fall to the sides naturally and relax your entire body. Soften your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and even your skin, letting the organs of perception dissolve. Listen to your breath and bring your awareness inward. Release completely into resting for 5 to 10 minutes. yogajournal.com

Lift your torso up and sit with your right hip snug up against the bolster.

Bend both knees, taking your shins to the left and resting your left ankle in the right arch. Lift your sternum as you twist your belly toward the right and lie on the support. Rest your right cheek on the bolster or continue the twist by turning your head to the right. This twist is strong. Stay for less than three minutes on each side to avoid the strain of overstretching.

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Shed the Day’s Stress Release tension and find stillness at the end of a hectic day with poses and breathwork that revive your spirit.

Level: Beginner–intermediate Good for: Restoring energy Props needed: One blanket Intention: Breathe

AS YOU PRACTICE Take long, slow breaths to move prana downward. On your

inhalations, fill your lungs to near capacity— a “middle ground” breath that’s not too long (which can create tension) and not too short (which may not sustain your energy). Let the breath create a sense of spaciousness and opening in your chest, and try releasing long, grounding exhalations. Hold each pose for three to five breaths, unless otherwise noted.

Reflection: As you inhale, silently repeat the sound So, and as you exhale, silently repeat the sound Hum. So Hum means “I am That, That I am” in Sanskrit.

Additional benefits: Stretches the back, hips, and hamstrings

1. Siddhasana (Adept’s Pose), variation

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After warming up with several rounds of Cat-Cow Pose, sit cross-legged with your right leg in front. Hinge at your hips as you walk the hands forward. Pull your shoulder blades down your back, and extend your sternum forward.

Come up, switch legs, and repeat.

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4. Cat-Cow Pose Come to your hands and knees. Inhale, extend your spine forward, and draw your head up and back. Exhale, round your spine, and drop your head, like a cat arching its back. Repeat Cat-Cow 5 to 10 times, and then come upright to a kneeling position.

2. Siddhasana, with Garudasana arms (Adept’s Pose, with Eagle Pose arms) Sit cross-legged, right leg in front. Raise your arms in front of you, elbows at right angles. Cross your left elbow on top of your right, wrap your forearms, and press your palms and forearms together. Repeat on the second side.

5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), variation Extend your left leg to the side as your right hand comes to the floor on your right.

Extend your left arm up and over your left ear.

Make sure your body moves sideways, not forward or back. Inhale to come upright.

3. Balasana (Child’s Pose) Come to your hands and knees, big toes pointed and touching, knees hip-width apart. Sit back on your heels as you reach your arms forward, palms down. Rest your forehead on the ground.

6. Parighasana (Gate Pose), variation Exhale, place your left hand on your left thigh, and bring your right arm up and over your right ear. Press down through your right shin as you lift up through the spine. Repeat poses 5 and 6 on the other side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: DEBORAH BURKMAN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TRICIA TURNER/ARTIST UNTIED; BOLSTER AND BLANKET: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.

Sequence and modeling by Deborah Burkman

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

8. Pigeon Pose Bring your right leg forward, the shin at a slight angle. Lower your hips, and extend your left leg behind. Rest your torso over your right leg, keeping your hips level.

After a few breaths, step back into Down Dog. Repeat on the other side.

9. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-

10. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Step your right foot forward between your hands. Drop your left knee to the ground. Inhale, and reach your arms up. Exhale, reach your tailbone down. Step back into Downward Dog, then switch sides.

11. Balasana (Child’s Pose) From Downward

12. Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose) Sit with your legs extended. Press

13. Marichyasana III Inhale to come up.

14. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Sit with your legs extended, inner legs

15. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lift your hips into Bridge Pose, with

and feet touching. Inhale, reach forward, and grab your feet with both hands. Exhale, and fold over your legs. Be sure to extend from your hips, and keep your torso elongated.

your feet hip-width apart and knees stacked over your ankles. Interlace your fingers behind your back, and extend your arms toward your feet. Exhale to release. End with Savasana.

knees. On an exhalation, lift your hips up to the sky. Try to evenly distribute your weight between your arms and legs. Press your arms forward as you pull your thighbones back.

Exhale, and place your right foot on the ground.

Inhale, and rest your right hand behind your hip and raise your left arm. Exhale, twist to the right, and hook your left arm across the right leg. Release, and repeat poses 12 and 13 on second side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

Dog, bring your knees to the ground, hip-width apart. Take your hips to your heels, with your toes pointed. Reach your arms forward, and rest your forehead on the ground.

Facing Dog Pose) From Pigeon, tuck the toes under and step back into Downward Dog. Take long, deep breaths, focusing on the exhalation and lengthening your spine.

your right foot into your left inner thigh. Inhale, and sit tall. Exhale, and fold the torso over your left leg, holding onto your foot or a yoga strap.

Keep your shoulders square to the ground.

yogajournal.com

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come to your hands and

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Feel Calm and Centered Pull your attention away from workday concerns with this vigorous sequence, which will help you feel more empowered and clear headed.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Helping to refocus Props needed: One strap and one block

Intention: Acceptance AS YOU PRACTICE This sequence takes an active approach to forward bends.

To protect the lower back, engage the muscles of the lower abdomen. Imagine that your body is a tube of toothpaste and the only way you can get the last dollop on your brush is to firmly squeeze the lower belly as you gradually fold forward. As you practice, hold each pose for three to five breaths.

Reflection: “All you need to do yoga is to be exactly as you are in this moment.”

—Anonymous Additional benefits: Opens the hips; lengthens the hamstrings and adductors

1. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) From Tadasana,

2. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose A)

3. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose B) Keep

jump your feet wide. With your hands at your waist, hinge at the hips to fold forward. Lower hands to the floor. Let the crown of your head relax down.

From Tadasana, lift your right knee toward your chest. Grasp your right big toe with the first two fingers of your right hand. Stand tall, and extend your right leg forward. Use a strap if needed.

hold of your right big toe as you slowly open your right leg to the right. Keep your left hand on your left hip, and root down through the left foot for balance. Use a strap if needed.

5. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch)

6. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Release your

Press palms together or hold opposite elbows behind your back. Take a long step back with your left foot. Keep your legs straight, lift your chest, and fold over your right leg.

hands to the floor, and bend your right knee.

Lower your left knee to the floor. Sweep your arms overhead. Sink the hips. Continue to lift your lower belly and engage the pelvic floor to support the low back.

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4. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana C (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose C) Bring

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your right leg back to front. Let go of the big toe, but hold the right leg parallel to the floor.

Keep your torso upright and legs active. Repeat poses 2–4 on the left side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: ALANNA KAIVALYA; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TRICIA TURNER/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence and modeling by Alanna Kaivalya

WAKE UP—AND WIND DOWN WITH EASE

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Step back to Downward

8. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) From Downward-Facing Dog, come

Dog. Draw your heels down and press the tops of your thighs toward the wall behind you.

Jump forward to Tadasana. Repeat poses 5–7 on left side.

to a seated position, and extend your legs forward. Engage your thigh muscles and abdominals to lengthen your torso over the legs.

10. Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose) Come back to a seated position, bend

11. Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend) Open legs wide. Flex

your right knee to the chest, and allow it to fall open. Fold forward over your left leg. Engage the lower abdomen. Use a strap if needed.

Repeat on the other side.

your feet and engage the legs, keeping knees pointing upward. Walk hands forward, lengthening your torso while lowering it. If you can, grab your feet.

13. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvaja ’s Pose)

14. Krounchasana (Heron Pose) Place a

15. Reverse Tabletop From sitting, bend

From sitting, bend your right knee and place the right foot by the right hip. Place the left foot inside the right thigh. Lengthen your spine.

Twist left. Turn the head to look right.

block under your left sitting bone. Lift the left knee and hold the left foot with both hands.

Engage the lower belly and extend the left leg toward the ceiling. Use a strap if needed.

Repeat poses 13–14 on the other side.

your knees, plant your feet on the floor, and place your hands on the floor behind you.

Lift your hips, bringing your torso and thighs parallel to the floor. Reach the crown of the head back.

9. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose) Sit up, and place your palms on the floor just behind your hips, fingers pointing forward. Lift your pelvis, point your toes, and press the balls of your feet downward.

12. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose)

16. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) Bring the soles of your feet together, opening your knees to the sides. Use props to support your knees, if desired. Lie back with your hands by your sides, palms up. Rest for several minutes.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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From sitting, bend your knees, lift your toes off the mat, and straighten your legs. Reach hands forward. If your lower back is rounding, keep your knees bent. Repeat three times.

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PROMOTION

5 myths about yoga festivals & events Let’s set the record straight about what really goes on at yoga festivals and events.

No, you don’t have to speak Sanskrit fluently or walk on your hands.

MYTH #1: Yoga events are only for advanced yoga students and teachers. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Whether you’re brand new to the practice or have been teaching for a decade, yoga festivals and events like Yoga Journal LIVE! have something for everyone.

MYTH #2: Yoga events are all super serious, intense workshops for die-hard yogis. No way—unless you consider happy hour and shopping serious endeavors (which some of you might)! Beyond the intense yoga offerings, there’s so much more fun to be had at yoga festivals.

MYTH #3: You need to be in top physical condition to attend a yoga conference. One of the enticing elements of a big yoga event like YJ LIVE! is the sheer number of different types of workshops and offerings. If you wanted to practice physical yoga all day every day for three days, you could; or you could choose to do very little asana and never break a sweat. A balance in between appeals to many.

MYTH #4: Yoga students should stick to studying with one teacher. While this may have been true back in the day, with the number of events, workshops, and online resources now available for students—you will miss out if you don’t take advantage of it all. That doesn’t mean you should give up your main teacher, but why not supplement your regular classes?

MYTH #5: Yoga events are too expensive and not worth the money for a casual yogi like me. Think again: YJ LIVE! offers a range of priced packages, including a single-class pass, three-class pack, a day pass, a main weekend pass, and a full event pass. Anyone and everyone is also invited to come and take any number of complimentary community classes offered by YJ LIVE! presenters and stay for more fun, shopping, and demos in the Yoga Market.

Yoga Journal LIVE! New York April 8-11, 2016 Join the world’s top yoga instructors • Elena Brower • Kathryn Budig • Seane Corn • Gary Kraftsow • Shiva Rea • Rodney Yee • And many more!

LEARN MORE AT YJEVENTS.COM Use code: YJFUN to save 15%

Feel Happy and ConямБdent

PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

CHASE THE BLUES AWAY, FIND JOY AND CALM, AND GIVE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM A BOOST WITH THE 12 EMPOWERING, PICK-ME-UP SEQUENCES IN THIS SECTION.

Give Yourself a Break Stop all the overthinking and harsh self-judgments!

This sequence is full of fun poses to help you reconnect with the joy and ‘juiciness’ of the present moment.

AS YOU PRACTICE While paying attention to physical alignment, Lilias Folan asks

you to observe your thoughts and cultivate gratitude and a sense of wonder throughout the practice. And if a posture’s uncomfortable, adjust it to honor your body. “Don’t omit—adapt,” she says, until you can softly smile while in a pose.

Level: Beginner Good for: Helping you find your inner smile

Props needed: One blanket, one block

Intention: Light Reflection: Imagine a white-golden shimmering light washing over you, filling every space of your being.

Additional benefits: Lengthens your sides; relaxes your jaw muscles

Sequence by Lilias Folan; model: Kate Vogt

yogajournal.com

are coming home each time you do this pose.

Feel a sense of relief, contentment, and smiling heart energy as you ground your feet, lengthen your spine, lower your shoulders, soften your eyes, and lift the corners of your lips. Bring your palms together at your heart and focus inward.

Ask yourself, “What am I grateful for?” Let sweet memories and thoughts come to you. As you inhale, feel a warm, healing energy fill your chest. As you exhale, say to yourself, “Finally, I return home to my heart.” Enjoy for five breaths.

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2. Parsva Tadasana (Sidebending Mountain Pose) Inhale and raise your hands to the ceiling. As you exhale, slide your hips and rib cage left as you lean your torso to the right to form a standing sidebend. Root both feet into the floor. Relax your shoulders and enjoy the stretch for three breaths. Return to center.

Repeat on the other side. Do each side three times, then return to Tadasana.

3. Five-Pointed Star From Tadasana, bring your feet 3 to 3½ feet apart. Inhale and lift both arms out to your sides and parallel to the floor.

As you exhale, check your alignment. Keep your spine long and your tailbone down. Let your head float above your shoulders. When you exhale, extend the energy out through the five points—feet, hands, and top of the head— for three full breaths.

As you work your physical body in this sequence, become aware of your witness self, that ever-present friend. “You feel more and think less,” Folan says. “And you eventually come to a still, quiet place that’s quite joyful.”

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW; MODEL: KATE VOGT; STYLIST: SHARON MALONEY/FORD ARTISTS, SF

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) In a sense, you

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

4. Anjaneyasana, variation (Hug a Tree Lunge) From Five-Pointed Star, turn your

5. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Turn your feet to the right again,

6. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) Take this challenging pose slowly

left foot in and right foot out. Bend your right knee 90 degrees, turn your torso to the right, and fold forward over your right thigh. Place your left hand on the floor, close to your foot, for balance. Wrap your right arm around your right thigh and “hug” your thigh. Start gentle resistance by pulling your chest away from your thigh, yet keep contact and hold for six breaths. Relax and breathe. As you exhale, turn your feet the other way. Bend and fold over your left knee for six breaths.

fold over your right leg, and place your right hand on your shin, on a block, or on the floor.

Slowly straighten your right leg. As you inhale, slowly raise your left arm up to the ceiling. Gaze forward and don’t strain your neck. Extend the sides of your torso parallel to the floor. Remember to breathe. Stay for five breaths. Repeat on the left side.

and in pieces. Come back to Extended Triangle on the right side. Place a block near the inner edge of your right foot, then bring your left hand to the block. Gaze at your left hand. Rest your right arm on your lower back. Breathing smoothly, open your chest and gently coax your belly to revolve right. Keep your inner thighs moving toward each other. Then, sweep your right arm to the ceiling. Hold the pose for two or three breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Remove the block as you progress or move it to the outer edge of your front foot for more challenge. Return to Five-Pointed Star.

7. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

8. Utkata Konasana (Victory Goddess)

From Five-Pointed Star, turn your right foot out, left heel in. Bend your right knee and lean over your right thigh. Place a block on the floor about a foot in front of your right pinkie toe.

Lean onto the block with your right hand and lightly rest your left hand on your lower back.

Inhale and lift your left leg up parallel to the floor, with your foot flexed. Gaze downward.

Slowly straighten your standing leg and stack your hips. Steady yourself before you rotate your chest open and raise your left arm. Hold for two or three breaths. Come out of the pose as beautifully as you went into it. Return to FivePointed Star. Repeat on the other side.

This joyful pose will remind you not to take yourself too seriously. From Five-Pointed Star, turn both your feet out. Bend your knees into a comfortable squat. Then, bend your elbows, inhale, and stretch your palms open so your thumbs touch your shoulders. Release jaw, face, and neck tension: Open your mouth, lift your eyebrows, stretch out your tongue, and waggle it, as you exhale forcefully with a sound for 10 seconds. Release, stand tall, and observe your body and mind.

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9. Gomukhasana, variation (Smiling CowFace Pose) Sit comfortably cross-legged, or

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cross the right knee and stack it over the left with the feet open to the sides. Stay here to stretch the right hip for 10 breaths, then switch sides for another 10 breaths. Relax in Savasana for several minutes and bask in joy.

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Take Care of You, Too Helping others is both energizing and exhausting. This balancing, restorative practice gives you permission to show compassion to yourself, so you can continue to help others.

Level: Beginner–intermediate Good for: Recharging your batteries Props needed: One blanket, one block

Intention: Compassion AS YOU PRACTICE Remain focused on staying grounded through the sitting

bones. Lengthen the spine when you inhale and visualize more space between each vertebra. To gauge how long you’re in each pose, remember that 8 to 10 long inhales and exhales equal about one minute.

Reflection: Everyone experiences suffering. That knowledge is the basis of compassion, and the seed of kindness.

Additional benefits: Opens up the shoulders and hips; lengthens the spine

1. Seated Cat-Cow Pose Come to Sukhasana

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(Easy Pose), close your eyes, and ground through your sitting bones. Place your hands on your knees. Deeply inhale to lean forward, rolling your shoulders back and bringing your heart forward. Then exhale to softly press your chin into your throat and roll your spine into gentle flexion, engaging your abdominal muscles. Drink in through an open heart on the inhalation, and pour out by engaging muscular energy as you exhale.

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4. Seated Forward Fold with Mudra From Anjali Mudra, inhale to again extend both arms skyward. Exhale to reach both arms behind your lower back. Interlace your fingers. Gently press your shoulder blades into your back.

Drinking in the breath, lift the chest upward.

As you pour the breath out, bow forward and stretch your arms toward your head, releasing your forehead to the ground.

2. Seated Half Moon Pose Open your eyes and place your right fingertips beside your right hip. Walk the fingers out, pressing the right shoulder blade into your back by externally rotating the shoulder. Inhale to extend your left arm up and exhale to reach it to the right, rotating your left shoulder back and expanding your left rib cage. Inhale, and shift your gaze skyward; exhale, rotate your head, and gaze at the ground. Exhale to release and switch sides, including the cross of your legs.

3. Seated Spinal Twist Bring your hands to

5. Cat-Cow Pose Come to all fours, placing

6. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) From Tabletop, curl your

your wrists beneath your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Curl your toes under and spread your fingers wide, with the index and middle fingers pointing forward.

Inhale deeply to lift the heart and hips. Exhale to round the spine, engaging your abdominal muscles and curling your chin to your throat.

Stay for 16 to 20 breaths or two minutes.

Anjali Mudra at the center of your chest. On an inhalation, extend both arms up. On an exhalation, place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on the ground behind you.

Inhale to imagine your breath traveling up your spine and extending through the crown of your head. Exhale to press your navel toward your spine, externally rotate your right shoulder, and lift through the heart. Inhale back to center. Repeat Poses 2 and 3 on other side.

toes under and press through all four corners of both palms to lift your hips, coming into Down Dog. Press through your heels, internally rotate your thighs, and press your heart toward your legs. Practice expanding your chest with every inhalation, drinking in, and with every exhalation, pouring out as the body stretches.

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PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: CHELSEA JACKSON ROBERTS; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: DANICA JARDIEN

Sequence and modeling by Chelsea Jackson Roberts

7. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) From Down Dog, inhale to extend your right leg back, keeping the quadriceps engaged and pressing through the heel of your right foot. Ground through your left foot, pressing into the big-toe mound. Allow the shoulders and hips to remain level, without opening the body to the right.

10. Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Come back to Down Dog and inhale to extend your right leg back, keeping the quadriceps engaged and pressing through the heel of your right foot. Ground through your left foot, pressing into the left big-toe mound. Allow the shoulders and hips to remain level, without opening the body to the right.

13. Balasana (Child’s Pose) Exhale to Tabletop; open your knees the width of your mat.

Bring your big toes together and slowly exhale, reaching your hips toward your heels and ankles as you fold forward and extend your arms alongside your hips. As you inhale, allow your rib cage to expand. As you exhale, soften through the heart and ground through the hips. After a minute, inhale to a seated pose.

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8. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Step your

9. Pigeon Pose Come to Down Dog, then

right foot forward between your hands, stacking your right knee over your right ankle.

Engage your inner thighs, curl the left toes under, press into the big-toe mound of your left foot, and lift onto your fingertips. As you inhale and drink in, roll your shoulders back and open your heart. As you exhale and pour out, surrender deeply into the hip stretch.

bring your right foot forward, resting the shin as close to perpendicular to the front of your mat as possible. Activate your right toes and square both hips and shoulders as you lift onto fingertips. Inhale to roll your shoulders back as you puff your chest. Exhale to surrender and fold as your heart pours out toward the earth.

11. Wild Thing Open your hips, stacking the

12. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)

right hip over the left. Bend your right knee and eventually place the ball of your right foot on the ground behind you, turning your hips and chest toward the ceiling. Keep pressing through all four corners of the left palm and extend the right arm alongside your right ear. Inhale back to Three-Legged Down Dog, and exhale to Down Dog.

Pivot your back heel and plant your left foot at a 30-degree angle. Inhale to lift your torso and cartwheel your arms open, bringing them parallel to the ground. Rotate your shoulders, extending through your fingertips. Breathe as you expand through your rib cage. Exhale as you bring your right thigh parallel to the ground. Repeat Poses 7 to 12 on the other side.

14. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lower to your back. Bend your knees,

15. Savasana (Corpse Pose) Lie comfort-

placing your feet under them. Press into your feet and inhale to lift the hips and open the heart. Interlace your fingers, pressing your hands down. Inhale, expanding through the ribs; exhale. If your knees splay, squeeze a block between your thighs. Exhale, release your hands, and lower down.

ably on your mat, turning the palms open.

Press the back of your head into the ground as you deeply inhale and focus on drinking in breath. On an exhalation, close your eyes and place your intention on pouring out, or offering unconditional love. If you prefer, use a folded blanket under your torso and head.

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FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

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Find Your Bliss

Level: Beginner–intermediate

Often, we think of ourselves as having just a front and back—but our sides play an important role, too. This sidebending practice will leave you content, if not elated.

Props needed: One block

out your body and access your core, which connects and supports other musculature. In each pose, extend your front body and use your breath to expand the side ribs (the way helium expands a balloon), sensing the effect on your diaphragm, internal organs, ribs, and connective tissues.

Sequence by Tias Little; model: Matt Champoux

1. Preparatory Sidebend Interlock your fingers behind your head. Slide your left elbow toward the wall behind you as you pivot your right elbow toward your hip. Keep your elbows on the floor, and push out through your left heel. Alternate right and left six times, breathing deeply.

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4. Sukhasana (Easy Pose), variation

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Slowly sit up, cross your legs, and place your feet under your knees. Fold forward, and lengthen over your right knee. Aim your breath along the left flank and buttock. Hold for two minutes, then switch sides.

2. Supta Garudasana (Reclining Eagle Pose), variation Cross your left knee over your right leg then lower both knees left as you inhale, letting gravity provide traction. Looking right, return upright on an exhale. Repeat six times; after doing three, rotate your head right.

Switch sides.

Intention: Bliss Reflection: The sensations that remain after your practice are the real yoga.

“Master your breath, let the self be in bliss, contemplate on the sublime within you,” said Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, father of modern yoga.

Additional benefits: Activates your core; opens your chest; brings a feeling of spaciousness

3. Balasana (Child’s Pose), variation Come to your knees, set them hip-width apart, and lengthen forward. Sweep your trunk over your right knee, shifting your belly right. Remain stable in your pelvis to get a deeper side-body stretch. Hold for two minutes; switch sides.

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come up, and step back

6. Parsva Tadasana (Sidebending Mountain Pose) Step forward and stand up.

into Down Dog. Set your feet as wide as your mat. Lengthen your spine forward, while drawing back your legs. Stretch your torso’s two sides congruently. Hold for two minutes.

Squeeze a block between your inner thighs, and with your arms raised, catch your left wrist and sidebend right. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

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PHOTOS: RICK CUMMINGS; MODEL: MATT CHAMPOUX; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: SALLY WALKER MINA WITH ALCHEMY; BLOCK: MANDUKA

AS YOU PRACTICE Root through your legs to better align muscles through-

Good for: Adjusting your mood

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

floor. Stack your left hip over your left knee, extending your right leg to the side. Reach your left arm up and to the right, spinning your ribs upward and stretching and elongating your waist. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

10. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend), variation Angle your feet

8. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Spread your feet three to four feet

9. Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) Set your feet four to six inches

apart, then turn your right foot out and your left foot in. Rock your pelvis toward your back leg, and draw the left side of your waist away from the pelvis. Extend your arms as pictured. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

wider than Triangle. Place a block inside your right foot, sidebend to your right, and rest your hand on the block. Spiral your trunk toward the sky. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

11. Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)

12. Parsva Upavistha Konasana (Sidebending Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend)

inward; fold forward. Center yourself, then swing to your right and hold your right ankle; pull to sidebend your left trunk. Hold for two minutes; switch sides.

Sit down and draw your left heel to your groin.

Push your right heel forward. Clasp your right foot with your left hand and draw your right ribs back, left ribs forward. Feel the twist deep inside. Hold for two minutes; switch sides.

13. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-of-the-Knee Pose) Draw your left foot

14. Parivrtta Paschimottanasana (Revolved Seated Forward Bend) With legs straight in

15. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Raise your hips and prop up your

to your inner thigh, and press your right thigh down. Sidebend as in the previous pose. Raise your navel, spiral your trunk, and expand and broaden your abdomen. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

front of you, push out through both heels, and press your thighbones down. Latch your right elbow outside your left shin, grab your feet, twist, and elongate your left side. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

sacrum with a block. Keep your thighs and inner feet parallel; lengthen the tailbone. Set your arms to the side, palms up. Elongate your torso and relax your internal organs. Hold for three to five minutes. To close, rest in Savasana.

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Sit up and spread your legs, pressing both thighbones down. Sidebend, and latch your right hand to the inside of your right foot; extend your left arm. Revolve your trunk skyward. Hold for one minute; switch sides.

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7. Parighasana (Gate Pose) Kneel on the

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Let Go of Stress

Level: Intermediate

With this sequence, you’ll redirect any tense energy as you relax the neck, shoulders, and hips.

Good for: Finding inner calm Props needed: Optional blanket for seated poses

AS YOU PRACTICE Set an intention at the beginning of your practice—

Intention: Love

something you want to create for yourself or something you want to let go of.

Keep your awareness on your breath, taking long, smooth, even inhalations and exhalations. When your practice gets challenging, think kind and loving thoughts about yourself to stay calm.

Reflection: Learn to love what life brings. “Love is the strongest medicine,” said Neem Karoli Baba, Hindu mystic.

Additional benefits: Relaxes neck tension; opens shoulders; strengthens quads

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1. Padmasana (Lotus Pose) Sit in Lotus or another comfortable position with your eyes closed. Root through your sitting bones and lengthen your spine. Place your left hand on your heart, to calm your nerves and send healing energy to your endocrine system. Place your right hand about three inches below your belly button, ring finger above the end of the vagus nerve, which starts in the brain and helps control heart rate and breath.

2. Spinal Warm-Up Interlace your fingers

3. Neck Stretches Sit tall, keeping your eyes

above your head, pointing the index fingers upward. Inhale and lengthen the spine. Exhale and round the back, pressing your palms away from you as you bring your arms level with your shoulders and your chin to your chest.

Return to the beginning; repeat this warm-up five times.

closed, and release your right ear toward your right shoulder. Ground down through your left palm. If it does not cause strain, gently bring your right hand to the left side of your head for a little more stretch. Slowly release to a neutral position and repeat on the other side.

4. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Bend both legs, stacking your right knee on top of your left. Flex both feet and keep them close to your hips, with your sit bones grounding down. Clasp your hands at the center of your back; if you can’t reach, use a strap or grab your clothes. Keep the back of the neck and spine long. Repeat on the other side.

5. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute)

6. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose), variation Exhale and slide the left hand down

Come to standing, balls of the feet together, heels slightly separated. If you are tight in the hips, bring your feet hip-distance apart. Inhale as you bring your palms to touch above your head. Lift the heart, draw the shoulders away from your ears and the navel in toward your spine, and lengthen the tailbone.

the left leg. Press into the right foot and bring the right arm up and over to the left. Breathe into the right side body. Keep the heart directed toward the heavens. Inhale and come back to center with both arms up. Repeat on the other side, then come to Tadasana.

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PHOTOS: CHRIS HORNBECKER; MODEL: BIBI MCGILL; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: KELLY PEACH

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Sequence and modeling by Bibi McGill

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

10. Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) From Tadasana, step your left foot back four feet, lining up your front and back heels. Bring hands to hips, squared to the front of your mat. Inhale and raise your left arm by your left ear. Reach forward, finding length in your spine. Press into your feet; place your left hand to the inside or outside of your right foot.

Raise your right arm and gaze. Inhale to unwind and come up. Repeat on the other side.

13. Navasana (Boat Pose) Come to a seated position. Balance your weight on your sitting bones and, with knees bent, bring your calves parallel to the floor or extend legs straight.

Keep your heart open and the back of your neck and spine long. Draw your shoulders back and extend both arms forward with your palms facing up. Point your toes or flex through the heels, and breathe.

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8. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Stand with your feet together, then inhale, drop the hips, and bend your knees. Bring the arms above your head. Squeeze the ankles, knees, and thighs together. Lift the chest, bringing the backs of your shoulders against an imaginary wall behind you. Maintain an even breath.

9. Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair Pose) Inhale to lengthen the spine; exhale to

11. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Come into Plank Pose. Bring your left hand underneath your face and begin to shift your weight into that hand, stacking your right side on top of your left side. Reach your right arm up, opening the chest. Bring the inner edges of your feet together and lift the hips, keeping the spine long. To modify, bend the right leg and place the sole of the right foot on the ground in front of you. Repeat on the other side.

12. Vrksasana (Tree Pose), with Lotus Mudra From standing, shift your weight into

14. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Extend your legs in front of you, with the feet touching. Flex the feet, pushing out through the heels. Inhale and bring the arms above the head. Exhale and maintain the length in your spine as you slowly reach for your knees, shins, ankles, or beyond the feet, keeping the navel drawn in toward the spine.

With each inhalation, create length; with each exhalation, fold deeper from the hip crease.

twist to the right, hooking the left elbow outside the right knee. Press palms together at the heart center. To keep knees even, shift the left hip back. Inhale back to center and repeat on the left side.

your left leg. Bring the right foot into the left hip crease or left ankle, calf, or upper inner thigh, avoiding the knee. Stand tall, drawing the navel in toward your spine. Find a drishti, or gazing point, in front of you. Set your hands in Lotus Mudra at the heart center, then bring above your head. Switch sides.

15. Padmasana (Lotus Pose) Come into full Lotus Pose with the left leg on top. Inhale as you lengthen the spine and draw the shoulders away from the ears. yogajournal.com

7. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) Inhale into Urdhva Hastasana; exhale as you swan-dive forward with a long spine. Let the head be heavy; bend the knees as needed.

For a deeper stretch, grab the ankles, forearms behind calves. To come out, bend your knees and roll up one vertebra at a time.

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Have a Little Fun

Level: Intermediate Good for: Discovering yourself

Lighten your heart and build self-awareness and self-confidence with this backbending sequence.

Props needed: One block Intention: Innocence

AS YOU PRACTICE First, establish the basic form of your backbend: Widen the

inner thighs and pelvic bones as you root your tailbone down to keep your lower back spacious and prevent compression as you arch up and back. As you move through the sequence, pause at the beginning of each pose to feel your breath and to settle into the foundation of the pose. Hold each pose for five breaths, moving your breath into the back of your body.

Reection: Make your practice playful and childlike. See what it feels like to practice with no expectations.

Additional beneďŹ ts: Extends the front of the spine; opens the chest and hips; stimulates the thyroid

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1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) After several rounds of Cat-Cow Pose, come onto all fours, with your wrist creases parallel to the front of the mat. Claw the ground with your fingers so that the muscles on the underside of the forearms tone and lift. Breathe into your back, feeling it broaden with every inhalation. On an exhalation, release your heart toward the ground, softening between your shoulder blades without collapsing in your lower back or armpits. With strong arms and a soft heart, lift your hips and straighten your legs for five breaths.

2. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (One-Legged DownwardFacing Dog), variation On an inhalation, lift your left leg toward the sky.

3. Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose) From Downward Dog, step or

4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation Return to your

hop forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), and inhale as you come up to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). From there stand sideways on your mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in. Bend your right knee and place your right arm on your thigh or bring the fingertips to the floor or a block outside your right foot. Press the top of your left thighbone back and scoop the right buttock under, as you open your torso to the left. Extend your left arm alongside your ear and stay for five breaths. On an inhalation come up to standing, and then repeat on the other side.

wide stance. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in until your pelvis squares toward the front foot. On an exhalation, slide the left hand down your back leg as you curl your torso into a backbend. Rest your left hand on your hamstring or upper calf as you continue to bend back, extending the right arm alongside your ear. After five breaths, inhale and bring your torso upright. Exhale as you switch sides.

Bend your left knee and turn your hips so your kneecap points to the left.

Stay here for five breaths. Then straighten your leg and rotate the thigh so that the kneecap faces the ground. On an exhalation, lower the foot to the floor and do the other side before returning to Downward-Facing Dog.

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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: DANA GREENBAUM SCHACHTER; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD

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Sequence by Sianna Sherman; model: Dana Greenbaum Schachter

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

5. Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose), variation From your wide

6. Pigeon Pose Come into Downward-Facing Dog. Bring the right knee

stance, walk or jump your feet together to stand in Tadasana. Bend your left knee, bringing the heel in toward your left buttock. Take hold of the inside of your foot with your left hand and raise your right arm up alongside your ear. Square your hips toward the front of your mat, and on an exhalation, tip your torso slightly forward as you stretch the left leg back and up. Stay here for five breaths before releasing the left leg. Do both sides.

forward between your hands, rotate it out to the side, and place the outer leg on the floor. Lower the left leg to the ground. Square your hips toward the front of your mat, and on an inhalation, isometrically draw the knees toward each other. You’ll feel your muscles engage. On an exhalation, fold forward and rest your forehead on the floor. After five deep breaths, inhale to come up and move through Downward Dog to the other side.

7. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose), variation Come back to Pigeon Pose with the right leg forward. Bend the

8. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your stomach. Bend both knees, flex your feet, and hold on to your outer ankles. Keeping the thighbones parallel to each other, press the ankles back and root your tailbone toward the floor. On a deep inhalation, lift your head, torso, and legs to come into Dhanurasana for five breaths.

9. Eka Hasta Ustrasana (One-Handed Camel Pose) Kneel with your hands on your hips and lift through your chest. On an exhalation, curl into your upper back as you simultaneously lift your right arm alongside your ear and take your left hand to your left heel. Reach back as far as you comfortably can. Stay for five breaths. On an inhalation, bring your torso back to upright. Sit on your heels, then repeat this side before moving on to the second side. End with Savasana.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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left knee, and take hold of the foot with your left hand, keeping the right hand on the floor. If possible, spin your hand over the top of the foot so the fingers face forward. Lift the left side of your chest as you bend the left elbow to bring the foot in toward the outer left hip. If you can balance, rest your right hand on your right thigh. Stay for five breaths. Step back into Downward-Facing Dog before doing the second side.

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No doubt about it: Shoulderstand is intimidating.This sequence will help you master the pose, which will help soothe an agitated mind and energize a tired one.

AS YOU PRACTICE The reason so many of us find Supported Shoulderstand

uncomfortable is that we aren’t actually doing a Shoulderstand—we’re doing a “backstand.” By taking your shoulders through internal and external rotation, extension, and flexion in the sequence, you’ll expand the front of the chest and loosen up the shoulders, creating the opening in the armpits that’s needed to stand on the top of the shoulders. “When you can get up onto the shoulders,” teacher Richard Rosen says, “the pose is almost effortless.”

Sequence by Richard Rosen; model: Vickie Russell Bell

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1. Supported Chest Opener Begin to open the armpits as you lie over a block placed horizontally on the mat at its lowest height and directly below your shoulder blades. Bend your knees, feet flat on the floor, and support your head on a thickly folded blanket. Reach your arms up and gently rock side to side, widening the shoulder blades. Hold each elbow and reach your arms overhead, keeping your lower front ribs dropped down as you straighten your legs. Stay two to three minutes.

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2. Dolphin Pose To initiate the external rotation of your upper arms, come into Dolphin Pose. Roll onto your knees and take your forearms to the floor. Hold a block between your palms, thumbs pointing up. Lift your knees off the floor, keeping them slightly bent. With your shoulders directly above the elbows, press your inner wrists firmly down, and then lift and widen the chest and shoulders, sending your chest back toward your thighs. Press your thighs back, straighten your knees, and externally rotate your arms by lifting your inner arms up and around toward your outer arms. Stay for one minute and then release your knees to the floor.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Gaining a new perspective Props needed: Two blankets, one block, one strap, one chair, one additional sticky mat Intention: Embodiment Reflection: Explore resistance with love and gentleness. “Move your joints every day. You have to find your own tricks. Bury your mind deep in your heart, and watch the body move by itself,” says yoga master Dharma Mittra.

Additional benefits: Opens and strengthens the shoulders; relieves mild depression; alleviates insomnia; stimulates the thyroid gland

3. Virasana (Hero Pose) with Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Sit down with your knees together and your feet outside your hips. If your sitting bones do not release to the floor, place a block horizontally beneath both sitting bones. Enjoy the increased range of motion you find as you stretch your left arm out to the side, palm facing back; take your arm behind you, forearm parallel to your waist.

Slide the forearm up your back; reach up and over with your right hand and hook your fingers, or use a strap if you can’t reach. Hold for one minute; release and switch sides.

As your chest expands and your breath flow increases in this sequence, you’ll lift up with buoyancy and ease, able to more fully enjoy the sweet shift of perspective that comes from going upside down.

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: VICKIE RUSSELL BELL; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED; BLOCK: BAREFOOT YOGA CO.; BLANKETS: HUGGER MUGGER; MAT: GAIAM

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4. Garudasana (Eagle Pose) arms Still in Virasana, stretch your arms out in front of you, palms down. Move your shoulder blades apart from each other. Place the right elbow on top of the left, bend the elbows, pass the right hand in front of the left, and press the palms together. Lift the elbows slightly. Hold for one minute; then repeat on the second side.

5. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose), variation Sit on the front edge of a folding chair. Wrap your hands around the back edge of the seat, thumbs pointing out to the sides, and straighten your arms. Lift your buttocks and step your feet forward, taking the torso and thighs into one diagonal line. Keeping the chin slightly tucked, widen your shoulder blades across your back and feel expansion through the chest. Hold for one minute.

8. Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) Stack at least three blankets

variation of Bridge Pose to continue opening your chest. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place your arms out to the sides, 12 to 18 inches from your torso, palms up. Lift your lower torso off the floor, and rest your sacrum and tailbone on a block. Start with the block at the lowest height, adjusting it to a higher position if your lower back is free from compression. Stay for two to three minutes.

with a folded sticky mat on top. Lie down, resting your head on the floor, and your elbows and upper arms on the sticky mat. Lift your legs up and over into Halasana (Plow Pose).

Externally rotate the upper arms by lifting your inner arms up and around toward your outer arms, and shift the tops of your shoulders toward your sacrum. Take your hands to your back, working them closer to your shoulders.

Lift your torso and feet up, and press the tops of the shoulders and the outer elbows down.

Hold for two to three minutes; release into Halasana, and then to lying down. Gradually increase your hold to five minutes over several weeks of regular practice.

9. Matsyasana (Fish Pose) Feel the ultimate freedom in your shoulders, neck, and chest in this counterpose to Shoulderstand. Lie on your back, knees bent; slide your hands, palms down, below your buttocks. Press the forearms into the floor, lift your head and chest, and release the crown of your head onto the floor or, if it doesn’t reach, onto a folded blanket.

To go deeper, straighten your legs one at a time. Stay for 30 to 60 seconds; lift your head and chest, and release. To close, lie in Savasana for a minimum of five minutes.

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7. Salamba Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose) Use this supported

6. Shoulder Stretch, with chair Sit on the chair, hands wrapped around the back edge of the seat, as above. Slide your buttocks forward and slowly drop down to a cross-legged position on the floor. Sit up on a block if the stretch in your shoulders is too intense. Lift the front of your torso and externally rotate the upper arms. Hold for one minute; lean forward to release your arms.

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Feel Unstoppable

Level: Beginner Good for: Animating yourself

This energizing Kundalini sequence will help you get in touch with your body for maximum health.

Props needed: None Intention: Satya (truthfulness)

AS YOU PRACTICE Don’t eat for at least two hours before you practice this

sequence, and warm yourself up with a few stretches. Then as you do the poses, chant Ong namo guru dev namo. That translates to “I open myself to the Divine Creativity of the Universe. To the Subtle Transparent Teacher within and without, I bow.” Chanting this mantra is like tuning the radio to a certain wavelength, turning on the channel to Infinity. It extends your mind from the daily earthly life to timelessness.

Reflection: Move from your heart, with honesty. Truthfulness keeps your practice real and undistorted.

Additional benefits: Mobilizes the spine; tones the leg muscles; stretches the jaw and throat

Sequence by Yogi Bhajan; model: Suze Q

1. Reclined Twist, variation Lying on your back, bend your right knee and bring it across your body to the left side. Raise your right arm alongside your ear. Your shoulders remain on the floor. Stretch to the left side and then to the right, 21 times on each side.

2. Single-Leg Lift Still lying on your back, lift your left leg to 90 degrees

3. Single-Leg Lift, with Arm Still lying on your back, lift your arms and

4. Quad Stretch Lying on your stomach, reach back and grab your right ankle and pull the leg down to touch your right buttock. Then release the right ankle and grab the left ankle and stretch it down to touch the left buttock. Continue, moving quickly and alternating legs for one minute.

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PHOTOS: MARTY SCONDUTO; MODEL: SUZE Q; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD

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legs up to 90 degrees and then lower them and raise them again rapidly for two minutes.

and lower it while lifting your right leg to 90 degrees. Continue alternate leg lifts for 1½ minutes.

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5. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Still lying on your stomach, grab both ankles and come up into Bow Pose. Roll on your stomach back and forth like a hobbyhorse, extend your tongue out of your mouth, and do the breath of fire for 1½ minutes. (To do breath of fire, pump the breath in and out through your nose. Your navel center will move in as you exhale and out as you inhale. Start slowly, and gradually increase to 60 breaths per minute. Keep your face and shoulders relaxed.)

6. Matsyasana (Fish Pose), variation Roll quickly onto your back and

7. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Come into Cobra Pose and begin moving up and down from Cobra Pose to lying on the floor and back up into Cobra Pose. Stick your tongue all the way out and breathe through your mouth.

Do 54 Cobra lifts.

8. Apanasana (Knees-to-Chest Pose), variation Lying on your back,

9. Scissors Crisscross Lie back and, with your legs six inches off the

10. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Half Wheel Pose) Lying on your back, come into Half Wheel Pose by grabbing your ankles and arching your spine, resting your shoulders and head on the floor. Hold for 6½ minutes.

Listen to relaxing, meditative music. Then turn on your belly and relax for eight minutes.

bend your knees and hug them to your chest. Put your nose between your knees and rock forward and back on your spine for two minutes.

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ground, crisscross your arms and legs back and forth for two minutes.

begin flopping your body all around and up and down for two minutes.

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Set a Goal—and Meet It

Level: Intermediate

To master the Pickup-Jumpback, you need upper-body, hip-flexor, and core strength—but also bravery and a firm belief in yourself.

Props needed: Two blocks

AS YOU PRACTICE You need patience and persistence for this sequence, Alexan-

dria Crow says, so it’s important to move slowly. “You have to move at half the pace that you want to. You also have to resist the urge to let go of muscle control and crash onto the floor. When you control the very last second of every one of these poses, you start to dive into the unique strength it takes to do the pickup-jumpback.” Once you get a taste of this yoga move, you’ll feel stronger and lighter in all of your arm balances.

Good for: Boosting your self-worth Intention: Courage Reflection: Say silently to yourself, “I have inner strength, determination, and endurance.”

Additional benefits: Develops strong triceps and shoulders, as well as a rock-solid core

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1. Plank Pose Come to Plank Pose, shoulders directly over wrists. Press your hands firmly down into the mat and hug your outer arms in toward each other. Press the part of your spine between your shoulder blades slightly up toward the ceiling. At the same time, pull your breastbone forward to keep your collarbones wide. Bring your navel in toward your spine so that your lower back is supported. Stay here for 10 breaths. Exhale and press back to Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose).

2. Knee-to-Nose in Plank Inhale and shift back to Plank Pose. On your next inhale, pick your left foot up off the mat. Exhale, and round your spine as you draw your knee in toward your chest. Keep your hips low and in line with the rest of your body. Round your upper spine toward the ceiling as much as possible. Bring your left thigh close to your chest and your left heel close to your sitting bone. Repeat on the other side and then press back to Down Dog.

3. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose), pushup variation Inhale to Plank Pose. Keep your collarbones and shoulder blades

4. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose) Hop to a seated position.

Bend your knees, and place your feet on the floor. Sit up tall on your sitting bones and lift your chest. Grab the backs of your thighs and shift the weight back just enough that your feet lift off the floor. Then straighten your legs, spread your toes wide, and reach your arms forward. Stay for five breaths and repeat five times, resting in a seated position between repetitions.

wide. Press your hands down as you hug your outer arms in. Draw your navel toward your spine to support your lower back. Keeping your body in a straight line, exhale and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Gaze slightly forward, keeping your neck long. Inhale, and press back to Plank; then exhale as you press back to Down Dog. Repeat five to eight times, ending in Downward-Facing Dog Pose.

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PHOTOS: JASPER JOHAL; MODEL: ALEXANDRIA CROW; STYLIST: JOSEPHINE SALVADOR; HAIR/MAKEUP: MANDY PEREZ/FACE ATELIER; BLOCKS: HUGGER MUGGER

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Sequence and modeling by Alexandria Crow

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5. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose) Inhale and return to Navasana. As you exhale, lower your legs and chest toward the floor to Ardha Navasana.

Keep your shoulders up off the floor, your belly engaged, knees straight.

Reach through your toes. Inhale, and, leading with your chest, come back up to Navasana. Repeat this sequence five times. Then turn over and step back to Downward-Facing Dog.

6. Lolasana (Pendant Pose) Lower onto your shins with your knees

7. Dandasana (Staff Pose), variation Hop to a seated position and come into Dandasana. Place your hands slightly in front of your hips, fingers spread wide, palms pressing down firmly, and elbows straight. Press your hands down so much that your sitting bones lift off the mat. Round your back slightly, pressing your hands down even more, and pull your navel back toward your spine. With your legs straight, pick up your right foot for three breaths. Set it down and repeat on the left side. Repeat again, this time trying to lift both feet off the mat simultaneously.

8. Utpluthih, variation Sit in Dandasana with blocks next to your hips.

touching. Place a block alongside each leg, halfway between your knees and toes. Press your palms firmly into the blocks and straighten your elbows. Round your back, pull your navel toward your spine, and bring your thighs up to your chest. Keep your hips low, knees together and tops of your feet on the floor. Pick up your right foot and bring your right heel as close to your sitting bone as possible. Hold for five breaths and switch legs. Repeat the pose once, trying to pick up both feet, even if for a moment. Remove the blocks and press back to Downward Dog.

Cross your shinbones and pull your thighs toward your chest. Press your hands down into the blocks, straighten your elbows, and lift your hips and feet off the floor. Take five breaths and then rest. Repeat two more times.

thighs glued to your chest, heels pulled to your sitting bones. Press your palms into the blocks and lift your hips and feet off the floor, rounding your spine. Once airborne, stay in this compact shape—it’s the key to the pose.

Begin bending your elbows as you did in Chaturanga; once your feet have cleared the ground and your elbows are bent to 90 degrees, broaden your chest and trust yourself. In a quick but controlled motion, straighten your legs and shoot them back, hip-distance apart, landing in Chaturanga. Inhale to Upward-Facing Dog; exhale and press back to Downward Dog.

To Finish From Down Dog, come to Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Reconnect with your natural, unmodified breath. Then recline into Savasana for five minutes.

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9. Pickup-Jumpback, on blocks Set yourself up again with shins crossed,

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Cultivate Poise and Grace

Level: Intermediate

These balancing poses leave you feeling centered, calm, and ready to conquer the world.

true north

AS YOU PRACTICE Rather than bearing your weight in your wrists, think

Intention: Focus

of lifting out of the wrists and drawing energy up through the arch of the hand. When you stretch the hamstrings, draw the thighbones up and into the hip joints to isolate the stretch in the belly of the muscles.

Reflection: You are training your mind in “one-pointed attention,” with the surprising result of happiness. “Yoga aims for complete awareness in everything you do,” said B.K.S. Iyengar, founder of the Iyengar Yoga style.

1. Cat-Cow Pose, variation Come onto all fours with fingers pointing backward. Inhale, lift your gaze and sitting bones to the ceiling.

Exhale and round your spine, bringing your gaze to the navel. Repeat five times.

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4. Malasana (Garland Pose), Wide Yogi Squat Twist variation Step feet forward out-

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side your hands. Lower your hips. Press your right upper arm into the inside of your right leg. Walk the right fingertips past the right toes.

Reach the left hand up. Return to center and do the other side.

Props needed: None

Additional benefits: Releases tension in the wrists and forearms; strengthens your core; stretches your hamstrings

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Turn your hands so that

3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), variation Step the feet together and roll for-

your fingers point forward. Tuck the toes.

Inhale, and lift your sitting bones up and back.

Exhale, and lengthen the sides of your torso.

ward. Soften your knees to relax the hamstrings; rest your chest on your thighs.

5. Plank Pose Bend your knees, place your

6. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), variation Pivot to the outer edge of the right foot.

palms flat, and step back into Plank Pose. Lift the sides of the waist to engage your core.

Lengthen through the spine, reaching the crown of the head forward and extending your heels back.

Step the left foot in front of the right knee. Press through the right hand and left foot to lift the hips; extend the left arm. Return to Plank and do the other side.

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: STACIE OVERBY; STYLIST: LISA MOIR/ARTIST UNTIED; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence by Ame Wren; model: Stacie Overby

Good for: Helping you find your own

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

palm flat, and step both feet back into Downward Dog. Lift your sitting bones. Press thumbs and index fingers down. Roll the outer arms toward ears.

10. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) Step your feet together and continue folding forward. Spread your weight between the heel, ball, and sides of feet. Release the crown of your head toward the floor. After five breaths, roll up to standing.

13. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Pivot onto your outer right foot. Draw your left knee in and clasp your left big toe; lift and extend your left leg. (If the full pose is inaccessible, repeat Pose 6.) Return to Plank; do other side.

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8. Alasana (High Lunge) Step your right foot forward. Inhaling, lift your torso up and reach your arms overhead. Firm the lower belly and reach your tailbone to the floor. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees. Reach through the back leg.

9. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch)

11. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) Hug

12. Plank Pose Inhale and lift up onto your fingertips as you reach the heart toward the front of your mat. Exhale and place your palms next to your feet. Step back into Plank.

your right knee to your chest and rotate it to the right. Clasp the right big toe with your right hand and extend the leg. Gaze to the left.

Return to center, release your leg, and do the other side.

Release your hands to the floor. Step the left foot halfway forward and pivot the left heel down. Straighten your right leg and fold forward. Bring your palms to the floor, fingers pointing back. Repeat steps 8 and 9 on the other side.

14. Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Return to

15. Balasana (Child’s Pose) Roll down out

Plank and lie on your belly. Interlace your fingers behind your back. Inhale, drawing your navel in. Exhale, and engage your hamstrings to lift legs. Lift your upper chest.

of Salabhasana. Press up to all fours. Draw knees together and sink hips back. Lower your forehead to the mat and rest arms at sides, palms-up to release wrists.

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7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Bring the left arm down,

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Grow Your Power With this sequence, the goal is to repeat poses and hold them for long periods to help build your inner resolve.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Cultivating discipline and building endurance Props needed: Two optional blocks

AS YOU PRACTICE Some poses might be difficult to hold, but you can

Intention: Offering

repeat them to build tenacity. Aim to hold these poses, especially the three Warrior Poses, for 20 seconds or as long as you can. Over time, increase your hold times to build endurance. When you want to come out of a pose, see if you can stay with the discomfort a few more seconds. There are psychological benefits to challenging yourself to do something you’ve never done before.

Reflection: Give your practice to your highest good. “I don’t stretch my body as an object. I do yoga from the Self towards the body, not the other way around,” said B.K.S. Iyengar, yoga teacher and founder of the Iyengar Yoga style.

Additional benefits: Strengthens the legs; lengthens the front spine

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1. Urdhva Hastasana in Tadasana (Upward Salute in Mountain Pose) Standing in

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) On an exhalation, bend for-

Tadasana, raise your arms in front of you so they are parallel with the floor. Hug your upper arms toward each other and release your shoulder blades down. Exhale as you raise your arms over your head, lengthen through the fingertips, and lift the sides of the chest. Hold for 30 seconds.

ward, placing your hands on the ground a little wider than shoulder-width apart. If your hands don’t touch the mat, bend your knees. Step one leg back at a time into Downward-Facing Dog. Lengthen the spine away from your arms and lengthen your heels toward the floor. Hold for one minute.

3. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Walk your feet toward your hands and bend your legs so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Sweep your arms up toward the sky, lifting your torso and coming into Utkatasana. Press the tops of your shins toward the back of the room, keeping your weight on your heels. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds. On an inhalation, come back to Tadasana.

“Muscular action is the most direct expression of willpower in our body,” says Walden. “These poses engage muscular action and strength. From that you develop confidence.”

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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: DAVID SIRGANY; STYLIST: MAI-LEI PECORARI/ARTISTS’ SERVICES; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED

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Sequence by Patricia Walden; model: David Sirgany

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

4. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)

5. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) Lower

6. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III)

On an inhalation, jump or step the feet roughly four feet apart and extend the arms out to your sides. Turn your left foot in 45 degrees and turn your right foot out. Press the outer left heel into the floor and lengthen all the way from the heel to the left buttock, as you bend your right leg to a 90-degree angle. Stretch your arms out to the sides, moving your shoulder blades into and down your back. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds. Switch sides.

your arms by your sides and rotate your torso to the right. On an inhalation, raise your arms up to the sky and come into Virabhadrasana I. Raise your chin and look up, lifting your chest from the base of your sternum. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, then straighten the right knee and move into the pose on your other side.

After doing Warrior I on the left side, parallel your feet and turn your right foot out, left foot in. Lean your torso over your right leg. Keep moving forward and let your back leg lift off the ground. Your torso and arms should be parallel with the ground. Your back kneecap points toward the floor. Hold as long as you can.

On an exhalation, rise up and come back into Tadasana. Step the feet wide again and do the left side, ending in Tadasana.

7. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) Lie on your stomach with your

8. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Lower from Chaturanga

9. Ustrasana (Camel Pose) Kneel with

elbows bent and your hands on the ground beside your ribs. Place your feet a foot apart and tuck your toes under. Hug your elbows into the sides of your chest and lift your head and shoulders up. Take a deep inhalation; with a sharp exhalation, lift your body off the floor, hovering a few inches above the ground.

Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.

Dandasana onto the floor. On an exhalation, press down through the palms, straighten your arms, and lift your chest, hips, and knees. Roll your shoulders back and rise up through the base of your sternum. Hold for one minute.

Draw yourself back into Child’s Pose.

10. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) Lie on your back and bend your knees, your feet hip-width apart and close to your buttocks.

Place your palms on the mat outside your shoulders with your fingers pointing toward your feet. Press down and, on an exhalation, raise yourself off the floor, coming onto the crown of your head. Straighten your arms fully to lift your head off the floor. Use a block if needed between the thighs. Hold for 30 seconds, then come down slowly. Rest in Savasana.

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your hands on your waist. Draw your tailbone down and lift the top of your chest. Arch back, continuing to draw your tailbone down. Take your hands to your heels and press down through your hands to lift up through your chest. Hold for 20 seconds. To come up, place your hands on your hips, inhale, and lift from your sternum.

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Stand Your Ground Slow down and come home to yourself on the mat with this sequence of simple yet effective standing poses.

Level: Beginner Good for: Reinforcing alignment Props needed: One block Intention: Mindfulness

AS YOU PRACTICE Set the intention of creating a firm, grounded base

from your feet up into your legs and hips. Move your legs more slowly and deliberately than you would normally, and focus your awareness on the details of your alignment to help draw your attention inward.

Ground into the legs to sink deeper into yourself.

Reflection: Observe your thoughts without judgment, but with your full attention.

Additional benefits: Strengthens the ankles, arches, and quads; opens the hips

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Join the inner

2. Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Bend your right

edges of your feet. Stand upright. Lift your toes and move your thighs back toward your heels.

Spread your toes and expand the soles of your feet. Inhale, and broaden your chest and collarbones. Exhale, and allow your attention to reside in the firm, steady support of your legs.

knee and hold your ankle with your right hand.

Turn your knee to the right and place the sole of the foot high against the inner left thigh.

Press your heel strongly into your thigh, securing the legs together. Reach your arms up and lengthen both sides of your torso evenly.

Breathe freely. Switch sides; return to Tadasana.

3. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Jump or step your feet wide apart.

Turn your right leg out and bring your left foot slightly in. Exhale, and extend your torso to the right, placing your right hand on the floor or on your shinbone. Use a block if needed. Lift the arches, ankles, knees, and thighs, and press down through the heels. Exhale, and turn your chest toward the ceiling. Extend your left arm directly over the right shoulder. Stay for one minute. Inhale to come up, then switch sides.

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“The legs hold you up. They take you where you want to go,” says Costello. “When you focus on the legs, you go back to the source of your power and strength.”

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: LAURA CHRISTENSEN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence by Nikki Costello; model: Laura Christensen

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

5. Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) Come back into Virabhadrasana II on the right side. Exhale, and take the right hand to the floor or onto a block. Extend your left arm straight up; externally rotate the left arm and extend it over your left ear. Press your left heel down, feeling a stretch from your left heel to your fingertips. Stay for one minute.

Inhale to come up; switch sides.

7. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

8. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch)

Take Utthita Parsvakonasana on the right side, with your left hand on your waist. Place the right hand on the floor or block about a foot in front of your right leg. Shift your body forward and lift your left leg up until it is parallel to the floor. Straighten the right leg. Extend the left arm up and turn the chest, waist, and head to look up. Repeat on the other side.

Position your legs as in Virabhadrasana I but keep the front legs straight. Inhale and lift the sides of your torso evenly. Exhale, and extend your torso forward until it is parallel to the floor.

Bring your fingertips to the floor on either side of the front foot. Walk your hands forward and take your head toward your shin. Stay for 1 minute. Inhale, slowly come up, and repeat on the left side.

6. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) Place your hands on your waist. Turn your right foot out and bring your left foot in. Rotate the back of your left leg from the inner thigh to the outer thigh. Then turn the shoulders, torso, and pelvis to the right. Bend the right knee deeply.

Extend the arms up. Stay for one minute. Inhale to come up; switch sides.

9. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) Stand with your legs wide apart and place your hands on your waist. Exhale, and bend forward until your torso is parallel to the floor. Place your fingertips on the floor beneath your shoulders. Reestablish your legs by lifting the arches, ankles, knees, and thighs. Walk your hands back toward your feet, press the palms to the floor, and bend your elbows. Lower your head to the floor or support it with a block. Stay for two minutes. Inhale to come up.

10. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Bring your feet together and come to the top of your mat. Bend forward, place your hands on the mat, then step back, one leg at a time, into Downward Dog. Spread your palms and feet as you lift up through your arms and legs.

Move your thighs back. Drop the heels and head toward the floor, breathing evenly. Close by coming into Savasana.

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4. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) Place your hands on your waist while keeping your chest lifted. Turn your right leg to the right and bring your left foot slightly in. Exhale, and bend your right leg at a right angle. Spread the weight evenly through both feet. Extend your arms to shoulder height and turn your head to look beyond your right hand. Stay for one minute. Inhale to come up; switch sides.

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Prep for Success This heat-building flow practice weaves together strong standing poses, balancing poses, and twists to re-energize.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Building arm strength Props needed: One block

bending, backbending, and twisting movements to create a feeling of fluidity, suppleness, and power along your spine. Work with your body at your own pace. If your breath becomes strained or rapid, move more slowly or come into Child’s Pose to rest.

Sequence by Baron Baptiste; model: Jeremy Simon

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Press your hands into the mat and lift your hips to the upper-back corner of the room. Reach your sitting bones to the ceiling. Root your heels toward the earth. Press your thighs toward the wall behind you.

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4. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Spin

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onto the outer edge of your right foot. Root your right hand down as you reach your left hand up. Return to Down Dog. Then repeat the sequence from Flip Dog through Vasisthasana on the other side.

2. Flip Dog From Down Dog, lift your right leg and bend your knee. With control, bring your right foot to the floor so that you flip over, landing face-up. Reach your right hand toward the wall at the front of your mat. As you inhale, flip back over into Downward Dog.

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) After you do Vasisthasana on the second side, return to Down Dog. Breathe deeply, finding length and evenness in your spine.

Intention: Tapas (discipline) Reflection: Discipline creates the habit of right action.

Additional benefits: Stimulates the flow of prana, or life force, through the body, cleaning out your old energy and providing new energy

3. Plank Pose Press down through your hands, reach back through your heels, and draw your belly back toward your spine for support in this challenging pose. Stay for two breaths.

6. Bakasana (Crane Pose) Move your hands back about 12 inches. Bring your feet together, bend your knees, tilt your weight forward, and rest your knees in your armpits as you lift your feet. Use a block if needed, under the head.

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: JEREMY SIMON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: RENEE RAEL/ARTIST UNTIED

AS YOU PRACTICE When you move through the sequence, allow the forward

FEEL HAPPY AND CONFIDENT

9. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II)

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) From Crane, bring your

8. Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose), variation Step your right

feet down and walk your hands forward to Down Dog.

foot forward into a lunge. Twist your left elbow outside your right knee, hands together. Inhale; exhale and rotate your chest toward the sky.

10. Viparita Virabhadrasana (Reverse Warrior) Tilt your arms back, bringing your left

11. Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Straighten your right leg. Reach your

12. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Step back into Downward

hand to your left thigh and reaching your right fingertips overhead. Stay deep in your lunge, your right knee stacked over your right ankle.

right arm forward and rest your right hand on the ground or a block. Reach your left fingertips up. Keep both sides of your torso long as you turn your heart to the ceiling.

Dog. Then repeat Parivrtta Parsvakonasana through Triangle on the second side, finishing in Downward Dog.

14. Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)

15. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) From Side Crane, sit on

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From Chair, twist to the right, bring your hands to the floor, bend your elbows, and rest your right knee on your left elbow. Shift your weight forward to balance. Use a block if needed.

Come back to Chair; do other side.

your mat with your right knee pointing toward the ceiling and your left foot outside your right hip. Inhale and lengthen your spine. Then exhale and twist. Switch sides. To finish, rest in Savasana.

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13. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Jump to the head of your mat, feet together. Bend your knees deeply, as though you were reaching for a chair at the back of your mat. Reach your arms forward and up, abdominals pulling in toward your spine.

Spin your back foot down and open to Warrior II. Create a wide base and power through your back leg as you bend your right knee deeply.

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PHOTO: TONY FELGUEIRAS

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PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

WHETHER YOU WANT TO RELIEVE AN ACHY BACK, OPEN UP TIGHT HIPS, OR POWER UP YOUR LEGS, ARMS, OR CORE, THE 14 SEQUENCES IN THIS SECTION WILL HELP YOU FEEL YOUR BEST FROM HEAD TO TOE.

Breathe Easy

Level: Intermediate

Do you suffer from bad allergies or stuffy sinuses? Open up your airways with this therapeutic Iyengar Yoga sequence.

Good for: Boosting respiratory health Props needed: Two blankets, one bolster, one block, and one chair

AS YOU PRACTICE In all of these poses, your shoulder blades should move

Intention: Practice

away from your head and forward toward your chest. When the proper shoulder-blade action falls into place, you will feel a sense of spaciousness and relaxation in the neck and shoulders, which will encourage the sinuses to open. Once that happens, you can focus on draining the sinuses with inverted poses. Even in those poses, though, it’s important to keep your shoulder blades engaged while your face stays soft.

Reflection: Move and breathe every day. Consciously thank yourself for choosing yoga. “Do your practice and all is coming,” said Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Indian yoga teacher.

Additional benefits: Opens up the shoulders and chest; lengthens the hamstrings and hip flexors

1. Balasana (Child’s Pose) Sit on your heels with your knees apart and your big toes touching. Extend your arms forward and rest your head on the floor. If your head does not reach the floor with ease, put a blanket or two underneath your forehead for support. Lengthen the buttocks back while extending the chest and ribs forward. Keep your neck soft and your shoulders away from the ears.

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) With your hands and knees on the floor, place a block underneath your chest. Straighten your legs and lift into Downward-Facing Dog. Let your neck release down so that your head can rest on the support.

If your head doesn’t reach the block, place a bolster or several folded blankets underneath it.

3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) Separate your feet wider than hip-width apart and bend forward. Place the crown of your head on a support (try a block or even a chair).

Hold your ankles with your hands and separate your elbows. Even though your head is resting on the prop, keep your weight in your feet.

Your neck should feel long, your chest broad.

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“In these poses, you really have to look for that feeling of calm and softness, despite the fact that you are working,” says Apt. “While the upper back and shoulder blades work, the head, neck, throat, and eyes should remain relaxed.”

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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: MARLA APT; STYLIST: MICAH BISHOP/ARTIST UNTIED; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD; BLANKETS: YELLOW: PROP CITY; PLAID: HUGGER MUGGER

Sequence and modeling by Marla Apt

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4. Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose) Sit in Virasana (Hero Pose). Lie back on a bolster. If your knees splay apart or hurt, use more support under your back. If your head tilts backward, place a blanket underneath it. Extend your arms overhead and clasp your elbows with your hands.

7. Chatush Padasana (Four-Footed Pose)

6. Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) If this pose is new, do not attempt

on a folding chair, with your legs threaded through the opening above the chair seat.

Lie back, placing your upper back on the edge of the chair seat. Extend your legs and place your heels on a block. Pull on the chair with your arms to open your chest. Rest the crown of your head on a prop, keeping your neck relaxed. Bend your knees and lift your torso up to come out of the pose.

it without the supervision of an experienced teacher; it is not for beginners or those with neck injuries. Try it at a wall if you cannot balance in the middle of the room. Place your forearms on the floor, with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, and then interlock your fingers. Place your head on the floor between your hands. Straighten your legs and walk your feet closer to your head. Gently lift your legs up into Headstand. Keep the shoulders lifted while you come down, then rest your head on the floor for a minute in Balasana.

8. Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) Place a chair with a rolled

9. Halasana (Plow Pose) From Salamba

blanket or a bolster behind your blankets.

Then lie back on the blankets and lift your torso and legs up toward the ceiling directly above your shoulders. With your elbows bent, cradle your upper back (near the shoulder blades) with your hands; don’t let your elbows splay too much. Relax the neck and throat and look at your chest as you walk your hands farther down your back toward the floor.

Sarvangasana, take your legs overhead and rest your thighs on a support. Relax your arms by the sides of your head. Keep your throat passive and your eyes, temples, and cheeks soft.

To close the practice, rest in Savasana.

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Place three blankets on a mat and lie over the blankets with your shoulders in line with their top edges. With your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees and clasp your ankles with your hands, place and hold a belt around the ankles, or grasp the sides of your mat. Press your heels into the floor, lift your pelvis up toward the ceiling, and roll the outer edges of your shoulders down into the floor. Lift the upper back away from the floor and open the chest.

5. Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (TwoLegged Inverted Staff Pose) Sit backward

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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Turn Back the Clock To maintain a feeling of youth, try this practice of forward bends, backbends, and twists, which will help you stay agile.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Promoting spinal health Props needed: None Intention: Santosha (contentment)

sound of it going mentally with each pose. Warm up your spine by moving it forward, backward, sideways, and into twists, synching your breath with the movement.

Sequence by Sri Dharma Mittra; model: Yogi Varuna

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose); Hasta Prasarita Tadasana (Wide-Legged RaisedArm Mountain Pose) Build heat with jump-

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ing jacks. Starting in Mountain Pose, inhale to swing your arms up and clap your palms overhead while jumping your feet out wide. Exhale to move back to Mountain Pose. Continue, breathing just through your nose.

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2. Tadasana (Mountain Pose), variation) Interlace your fingers behind your back.

Squeeze your buttocks, shoulder blades, and forearms together. Push your pelvis and hands away from each other, and bring your chin toward your chest. Inhale to come back to Tadasana, but keep your fingers interlaced.

4. Kapyasana (Monkey Pose), variation Bend your left knee and lower your right

5. Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose), variation Release your

foot and knee to the floor, coming into a Low Lunge. Exhale to release your hands. Reach your left hand between your shoulder blades, palm facing out. Raise your right arm overhead, then reach down and hook your left fingers with your right, pressing the back of your head against your right arm. Gaze up.

arms and bring them parallel to the ground.

Move your left foot in so your left shin, left thigh, right thigh, and the floor create a square.

Place your right upper arm against your outer left thigh. Push your palms together and twist from the base of the spine through the crown of the head. Look up. Exhale to release the twist.

Reflection: Observe being neutral, a perfect balance that is not pulled between extremes. “Reduce your wants and lead a happy and contented life,” says Sri Dharma Mittra, yoga teacher.

Additional benefits: Lubricates your joints; stimulates your glands

3. Pattan Vrksasana (Toppling Tree Pose) Bend forward until your belly nearly touches your left thigh. Then slowly raise your right leg, both arms, and your head. Point your right toes, gaze at the ground about four feet ahead of the left toes, and concentrate on finding stillness.

6. Utthan Pristhasana (Lizard Pose) Move your left foot forward, keeping your lower left leg perpendicular to the floor. Bring your forearms to the floor inside your left foot and let the left thigh relax. If you are more flexible, you can take your elbows wider and bring your chest and chin to the ground. The top of your right thigh should face the ground.

Gaze forward while you hold the pose.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: CHRIS FANNING; MODEL: YOGI VARUNA; STYLIST: SARAH PARLOW; GROOMING: GREGG HUBBARD WITH BERNSTEIN & ANDRIULLI

AS YOU PRACTICE Begin and end the sequence by chanting Om, and keep the

7. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Tuck your right toes under

8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) On an exhalation, take

9. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) From your back, bend your knees and

and move your left foot back into Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). Then press your hands into the ground as you backbend into Upward-Facing Dog. Your thighs should be close to the floor, but your legs shouldn’t touch it. Gaze straight ahead.

your hips up and move the top of your head near or onto the floor. Your feet should be three to five inches apart, with the heels down.

Keep pushing your shoulder region down toward the ground. (In Dharma Yoga, this pose is used to open the chest and shoulders.)

place your feet on the ground, heels near your seat. Bring your hands to the floor by your ears, fingers facing your feet. Press into your fingertips and raise your pelvis. Place the top of your head on the ground. Inhale to come all the way up, pushing your feet down to get your arms perpendicular to the floor. To release, slowly lower down and bring your knees to your chest.

10. Vyaghrasana (Tiger Pose) Roll onto your stomach and come to Tabletop. Tuck your toes under and raise your left leg as high as it will go with the toes pointed, simultaneously looking up as far as you can. After holding, lower your left leg and head back down so you are gazing ahead. Repeat with your right leg. Untuck your toes, bring your feet close together, sit on your heels, and lower your forehead to the ground. Rest in Child’s Pose for two to three long breaths.

11. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

12. Ustrasana (Camel Pose) Kneel, tuck your toes under, and bring your hands to your lower back. Arch your back and grab your ankles.

Lift your chest and push your arms toward each other. Drop your head back. After holding, straighten up and bring your hands to your lower back. Place the tops of your feet on the ground, sit back on your heels, and bow forward into Child’s Pose.

Bring your gaze between your hands. Exhale to jump or step your feet between your hands.

Remain here with your chest and thighs together. If possible, press your forehead against your shins to feel a stretch along yourspine. After holding, bring your palms together and raise your torso and arms to vertical and then into a standing backbend. Inhale and return to a vertical position, bringing your arms to your sides in Mountain Pose.

13. Halasana (Plow Pose) Lie on your back.

14. Bharadvajasana (Bharadvaja’s Twist)

15. Savasana (Corpse Pose) Lie on your

Stretch your arms on the ground, alongside your head, with your palms facing up. In one long, fluid motion, raise your legs together off the floor, then your back, until your toes or the tops of your feet rest on the floor beyond your head and arms. Rest in the pose. After holding, bring your arms back alongside your hips, palms facing down. Raise your legs and slowly roll out, returning legs to the ground.

Sit, extending your legs in front of you. Bend your left leg so the heel is near your seat. Bend your right knee and bring the outside of your right foot onto the top of your upper left thigh, close to your lower belly. Reach your right arm back and around while twisting to the right.

Hold the right foot if possible. Place your left hand on or under your right knee. Switch sides.

back. Imagine that during every exhalation, your entire body is getting very heavy and all of the flesh is rapidly sinking into the floor. Now leave the body by itself and visualize a beautiful blue-and-red sunset. Finally, enter the Temple of the Soul in the heart region, touching boundless consciousness. (In Dharma Yoga, this is the area to the right of your heart.) Come out very slowly and take a few simple stretches that feel good.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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Cleanse Your System Revolve from the ground up with a twisting practice that supports digestion and brings you into the present.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Nurturing intestinal health Props needed: One block Intention: Purity

AS YOU PRACTICE Begin all of the twists with an inhalation. Then on an

exhalation, take each twist a little deeper. Inhale and rise tall, imagining that the breath puffs up small balloons between the vertebrae. Keep those balloons filled as you exhale and continue to revolve around the spine once more. Also, learn to hug in the muscles around the spine to initiate the twists, allowing the larger back muscles to soften and thus avoiding tension in the neck and shoulders.

Reflection: Practicing with a clean body and a tidy environment brings saucha, or purity, to the mind. Nourish your body with clean foods after your practice.

Additional benefits: Strengthens the arms; opens the hips; increases range of motion in the spine

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1. Balasana (Child’s Pose) From DownwardFacing Dog, come to your knees, fold forward, arms extended in front, and then relax with the center of your brow on the earth. Take a few breaths to center yourself before moving on.

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4. Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair Pose) Bend your knees, and hook your left elbow onto the outside of your right knee.

Keeping your pelvis neutral and knees and feet square, sit low, and twist deeply from your belly toward the right.

2. Parivrtta Adho Mukha Svanasana (Revolved Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Step back into a shorter Downward-Facing Dog Pose, and bring your right hand to hold your outer left ankle. Twist to the left. Allow your head to hang, and gaze under your left arm.

Return to center to change sides.

3. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Come back to center, and walk your feet to your hands.

Slowly rise to standing, hands at the chest in Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal). Stand equally on both legs, and feel the length in your spine.

5. Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)

6. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Slowly extend

Place hands on the floor. Tuck knees onto your upper right arm, feet together. Come forward to begin to lift your seat. Keep toes on mat, or lift feet up completely. Use a block if needed.

Come down into a squat, feet touching and hands on the floor.

your knees, raise your sitting bones, and come up to stand with hands at your heart. Repeat poses 4 to 6 on the other side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: CLAIRE MISSINGHAM; STYLISTS: LYN HEINEKEN & TATIANA SAUNDERS; HAIR/MAKEUP: CASSIE CHAPMAN/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence and modeling by Claire Missingham

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10. Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana (Revolved Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) Come up slightly to center your right palm below your nose. Rest your left hand on your sacrum, and then extend your left arm skyward. Twist from your belly, keeping your pelvis neutral. Then switch sides.

13. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) Bend your left knee, and place your left foot outside your right hip. Place your right foot outside your left knee. Inhale, and reach your left hand up. Exhale, and twist to the right. Untwist, and repeat on the other side.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

8. Parivrtta Malasana (Revolved Garland Pose) Separate your feet hip-distance apart,

9. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) From squatting,

bend your knees, and come down to a deep squat. Bring your right arm between your legs, and place your palm on the mat to the right of your foot. Open your left arm to the sky. Then repeat poses 7 and 8 on other side

stand up. Take a big step out to the right, feet parallel. Fold forward with straight legs. Place hands shoulder-width apart on the mat. Let the top of your head drop to the floor, if possible; use a block if needed.

11. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch) Untwist, bring your feet together,

12. Ankle-to-Knee Pose, variation Sit, bend

and stand up. Take a step to the left, and face your right leg. Turn your left foot in 25 degrees.

Draw your right hip back, and fold over your right leg, hands on either side of your foot.

Stand up, and repeat on the other side.

14. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose) Extend your legs in front. Bring your fingertips behind, facing your seat. Adductors squeeze, and inner ankles touch. Inhale, raise your pelvis, extend your arms down, point your toes, and lift up into a backbend.

your knees, and place your feet on the mat.

Externally rotate your right leg, and stack your right ankle on top of your left knee. Place hands behind you. Then come out of the pose, and switch legs before extending your legs in front.

15. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Come down to sit with legs extended.

Flex your feet, inhale, and lift your heart.

Exhale, lengthen your spine, and fold forward.

Grab your big toes, or place your hands on your shins. End in Savasana.

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7. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) From Tadasana, raise your arms overhead, and then fold forward over your legs. Place your hands on your shins or on the floor.

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Open Up Tight Hips Hip-opening practices needn’t be passive. This standing sequence will also keep your legs and belly strong.

Level: Beginner Good for: Building overall flexibility Props needed: One block Intention: Vigor

AS YOU PRACTICE Try not to overstretch your muscles or relax into your joints

in these poses. Imagine you are hugging muscle to bone. Actively engage your muscles while you create conscious, intentional release.

Reflection: “Yoga is the art and science of living,” said Indra Devi, mother of Western yoga.

Additional benefits: Energizes the spine

Sequence by Baron Baptiste; model: Tom Lee

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see that your hands are shoulder-distance apart and press them into the mat. Sink your heels toward the ground and tilt your tailbone toward the sky.

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4. Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Swing your right arm under your left, crossing at the elbows. Bend your knees and cross your right leg over your left, wrapping your right foot behind the left calf. Hold for five breaths; unwind and float your right foot back into a High Lunge.

2. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) Step your right foot forward into a lunge. Turn your back heel to the floor, pressing the back edge of your foot into the mat. Squeeze the muscles of your back thigh toward the bone as you reach your arms overhead and lift your chest.

5. High Lunge, variation Bend your left knee deeply until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Press strongly through your back heel.

Draw the pit of your belly in and up.

3. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) Open into Warrior II. Stack your front knee on top of the ankle and activate your back leg.

Exhale and transition into Down Dog. Do the left side of Warrior I and II; step back into Down Dog, then step to the top of your mat and come to standing.

6. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III), with Eagle arms Wrap your right arm under your left, bring your weight into your front leg, and come into Warrior III. Draw your arms forward and press your right foot back.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: TOM LEE; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: TRICIA TURNER/ARTIST UNTIED

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) In Downward-Facing Dog,

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8. Standing Splits Realign your hips and shoulders as in Warrior III, keeping your right leg active as you release both hands to the floor. Root down into your standing foot as you reach your left leg up. Wrap your right arm around your standing calf. Relax into the pose.

9. Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose) Square your hips toward

11. Malasana (Garland Pose) Open your feet as wide as your mat and squat toward the floor. With hands in prayer position, press your elbows against the insides of your knees.

As your tailbone draws down toward the ground, draw your chest and the crown of your head up.

12. Bakasana (Crow Pose) From the squat, reach forward and place your hands on the mat a little wider apart than shoulder width. Pull your belly into your spine, lift your hips, and tilt your weight forward into your hands. Press the inner edges of your feet together and fly!

13. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) From Crow Pose, extend your

14. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Straighten your arms

15. Adho Mukha Svanasana Turn your toes

chest forward as you float your feet back into a low Plank position. Take a chance—you might have to experience a few belly flops as you step into the possibility of growing stronger.

and press the tops of your feet into the floor.

Broaden your collarbones. Tilt the corners of your mouth up into a smile. Hold this pose for a few breaths. Be still and open up.

Unbind your arms, stretching your left hand to a block or to the floor and your right fingertips to the ceiling as you stack your top hip over the standing leg. Look up at your right fingertips and shine out!

10. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) With your feet hip-width apart and parallel, fold forward. Soften your knees and hang forward.

Observe the different sensations in your right and left hips.

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the floor and place your right hand on a block or on the floor. Extend your left arm up. Inhale, lengthen, and then twist your torso to the left.

Repeat poses 5 to 10 on the other side.

under and lift your hips up and back to Down Dog. Jump forward. Return to standing and repeat poses 5 through 9 on the left side. To end, rest in Savasana.

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7. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

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Support Your Spine Open yourself up with a revitalizing sequence that strengthens the back of your body.

Level: Beginner Good for: Creating gracefulness Props needed: One block Intention: Selflessness

down your back and draw your sternum forward to create an even arch.

You want a feeling of traction in the spine, as though it’s drawing forward and away from the pelvis.

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Sequence by Deborah Burkman; model Rachael Lincoln

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1. Sphinx Pose Lie on your belly with forearms in front, palms down, elbows under shoulders. Pull the shoulders down the back as you reach the sternum forward. Press the pubic bone to the ground. To release, bring the hands by your sides and forehead to the mat.

2. Salabhasana A (Locust Pose A) Keep

4. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (UpwardFacing Dog Pose) Place your hands by the

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Exhale, and lift back as the

lower rib cage. Inhale, straighten the arms, and press downward, pulling shoulder blades down the back and your spine and sternum forward and up. With toes pointed, thighs and knees lift.

hips reach up to the sky and the arms press forward and into the floor. Have equal weight on your hands and feet. Use your arms to lengthen your spine as you straighten your legs.

your hands by your sides, palms up, legs and feet together. Pull your shoulders down your back. Inhale, and lift your chest forward and up as you raise your legs. Root your fingers and pelvis into the ground.

Reflection: Dedicate your practice to someone else. Karma Yoga brings the richness of seva, or selfless service. “Who will be the happiest person? The one who brings happiness to others,” said Swami Satchidananda, yoga master.

Additional benefits: Strengthens the hamstrings and glutes; lengthens the quads and hip flexors

3. Salabhasana B (Locust Pose B) Place your hands by your lower rib cage, palms down. Pull the shoulder blades down the back as you reach the sternum forward and up. To release, come down, forehead and arms resting on the floor.

6. Plank Pose Exhale, and shift your weight forward, shoulders over wrists, heels over toes.

Engage the abdominals, and feel that your spine keeps its natural curve. Don’t let the low back or head sink toward the floor. Keep your shoulder blades down the back.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: RACHAEL LINCOLN; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: RENEE RAEL/ARTIST UNTIED

AS YOU PRACTICE When you come into your backbends, pull your shoulders

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8. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Bend your

9. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) Come

knees and reach back to grab the outside of your ankles. Inhale, and lift your legs and chest off the ground. Press your shins into your hands and your pelvis into the ground while the chest reaches forward. Release the pose, and lie down on the mat.

to hands and knees, and then sit back on your heels with toes pointed. If needed for comfort, use a block. Rest your hands on the tops of your legs, and take a moment to gather your energy for the next pose.

11. Balasana (Child’s Pose) Come out of Camel Pose, and sit back on your heels with your toes pointed. Fold over your thighs as you reach your arms in front. Rest your head on the floor.

12. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lie on your back. Bend your knees,

13. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) Place your hands on the mat next to

14. Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose), variation With arms out

15. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Extend the legs in front, feet touch-

your ears, fingers pointed at your feet. Inhale, and straighten your arms and legs as you lift your back off the ground. To exit, tuck your chin and lower down.

to the sides at shoulder height, bend your knees with legs together. Lower the legs to the right. Keep your shoulder blades and back on the ground. Repeat on the left side before coming up to sit.

ing. Inhale, and grasp the outside of your feet, extending your spine. Exhale, and fold over your legs. Stay here for 1–2 minutes before releasing hands and sitting up. End by lying in Savasana.

them near your sides, and draw your shoulders down your back. As you lower, try to keep your body parallel to the ground. Pause for one breath when the torso is at the height of your elbows, and then come down to the ground.

10. Ustrasana (Camel Pose), variation Inhale, lift up off your heels, and press your shins down as you lift the chest. Place your hands on your hips, and press shoulders and arms down as you lift the chest, bend backward, and move your hips forward.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

feet directly under them. Inhale, and lift your pelvis. Interlace your fingers under your body, and straighten your arms toward the feet. To exit, release down to the floor.

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7. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) Bend your elbows, hugging

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Take Care of Your Back

Level: Beginner

Use these poses to align your spine and pelvis and loosen up tension in your back, chest, and hips.

from head to toe

Good for: Supporting good posture Props needed: One strap, one blanket

AS YOU PRACTICE Whether your back pain is acute or chronic, talk to your

Intention: Abundance

doctor before you start any new exercise routine. Then approach this sequence as a form of self-care: Go easy, soothing your nerves, mind, and body. Use deep, fluid breaths to move from pose to pose. If you feel any strain in your lower back, reduce your range of motion or skip the pose.

Reection: See yourself as a magical alchemist who turns prana (life force) into gold.

Additional beneďŹ ts: Strengthens the legs

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1. Supta Padangusthasana A (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose A) Lie on your

2. Supta Padangusthasana B (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose B) Return to your

3. Supta Padangusthasana C (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose C) Inhale to bring your

back, sliding a hand under your lower back to make sure there is a gentle curve. Place a strap around the arch of your right foot. Exhale to straighten your right leg, bringing your leg as high as possible to feel a gentle hamstring stretch. Flex your feet. Exhale to release; switch sides. Stay here for four breaths.

right side and take both strap ends in your right hand, extending your left arm along the floor.

Exhale to lower your right leg to the right. Try to keep your left hip on the floor and your left kneecap pointing up. You should feel a stretch in your inner right thigh, but no lower-back strain. Inhale to lift your right leg back up; exhale to release it to the floor. Switch sides.

right leg back to vertical. With the strap around the arch of your foot, bring both ends into your left hand. Place your right thumb on your right hip crease and draw your hip down slightly so that you maintain length and space in the lower back. Exhale to draw your leg left across your body; inhale to bring your leg back to vertical.

Release the strap and switch legs.

4. Ardha Apanasana (Half Knees-to-Chest Pose) Lie on your back. On an exhalation,

5. Sucirandhrasana (Eye-of-the-Needle Pose) Bring both knees in toward your

6. Marjaryasana and Bitilasana (Cat and Cow Poses) Come onto your hands and

draw your right knee toward your chest and hold your right shin with both hands. In this and the following four poses, do not press your lower back to the floor; instead, maintain a natural lumbar curve. Slowly inhale to release your right leg back to the floor, then exhale to draw in the left knee; inhale to release. Repeat, alternating right and left, four more times.

chest, then place your right ankle on your left thigh, above the knee. Hold your left thigh.

To increase the stretch, bring your left thigh forward and press your right knee away from your torso. Keep your shoulders relaxed.

Exhale to release, then switch sides. After finishing on the left, roll to one side and come to a seated position.

knees, with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Inhale to gently drop your lower belly and lift your sitting bones and sternum, or chest; then exhale to round your back and gaze toward your navel. The aim is to gently stretch and increase circulation to the back muscles. Do five slow rounds.

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PHOTOS: RICK CUMMINGS; MODEL: MATT KAPINUS; STYLIST: EMILY CHOI; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH WALKER

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Sequence by Andrea Ferretti; model: Matt Kapinus

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your hips up and back. If you feel any tightness along the backs of your legs, keep your knees bent. Try to make your spine as long as possible by pressing into the pads of the palms, reaching through your arms, and lengthening the sides of your body. Keep your ears in line with your upper arms and gaze at your upper thighs.

8. Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Lower to your belly with your arms resting along your sides.

Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels by pulling your navel back, then inhale to lift your arms, legs, and head off the floor, thumbs pointing down and toes reaching for the wall behind you. Squeeze your inner thighs toward each other, to engage your inner thighs. Stay here for four breaths, then lower down and repeat three more times.

10. Marichyasana III Sit with your legs extended in front of you. Bend your right knee and place the sole of the right foot on the floor next to your inner left thigh. Inhale to gently twist to the right to release muscles along the right side of your spine. Press your right fingertips into the ground behind you to stay tall.

Hold your outer right leg with your left hand.

Exhale to release and switch sides.

11. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lie on your back with your knees bent,

13. Alanasana (High Lunge) Come back to a lunge on your right side, but straighten your left leg to intensify the stretch along your left hip and torso. Put your hands on your hips; try to keep your right knee over the right ankle and your right quadriceps parallel to the floor as you extend through your back heel. Inhale to lift your sternum and lengthen your spine.

To come out of the pose, exhale to Low Lunge.

Repeat on the left side.

14. Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) Return to High Lunge, right foot

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feet on the floor. With your tailbone reaching toward your heels, inhale to press into your feet and lift your pelvis and back off the floor. Interlace your fingers, pressing your shoulders into the floor as you lift your heart. Hug your inner thighs together, but keep your knees over your heels. Take five breaths.

forward. Place your left heel on the floor; turn your pelvis left and reach your arms out into Warrior II. Place your right forearm on your right thigh. Reach your left arm along your ear and gaze forward; do not fold forward. Feel a stretch along your left side and pull your navel back, feeling your tailbone lengthen toward your heels. Exhale back to High Lunge; switch sides.

9. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose) Come back to your hands and knees. Bring your right knee behind your right wrist, sliding your right foot to the left and your left leg back. If needed, place a folded blanket under your right hip. Press your fingertips into the ground alongside your hips, and reach your tailbone down. Return to your hands and knees; switch sides.

12. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) Come back to hands and knees and step your right foot forward between your hands. Tuck your back toes and bring your hands to your front knee.

Lengthen your tailbone toward the ground and feel a stretch along the front of your left hip and leg, and in your lower abdomen. Breathe.

Exhale and bring your hands down, then move through hands and knees and switch sides.

15. Supine Twist Draw both knees to your chest and drop them to the right, keeping them in line with your hips. Place your right hand on your left knee to ground your knees; look over your left shoulder (your left shoulder can come up, as long as you don’t feel strain). If your lower back feels tight, shift your hips to the left or move your knees toward your feet. Come back to center on an inhalation. Switch sides.

End in Savasana.

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7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Tuck your toes and lift

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Power Up Your Core

Level: Intermediate

With this sequence, take a playful approach to building strength and flexibility in your middle, both front and back.

Props needed: One strap

Good for: Stoking your inner fire Intention: Warmth

AS YOU PRACTICE When you reach the last four poses, tuck your abdominals

up and in toward your spine. Yoga students are often instructed to lengthen the spine, but here move your sacrum away from your lumbar spine and “tuck” inward as you round or curl. One easy way to do it is to visualize wrapping yourself around a beachball.

Reflection: Feel the power of creating heat from the inside out.

Additional benefits: Strengthens the hip flexors and quadriceps; increases arm and shoulder mobility and strength

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) Stand with the

2. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) From Tadasana,

3. Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Leg Lifts)

inner edges of your feet touching each other.

Spread the balls of your feet, press your heels firmly into the floor, and lengthen your inner ankles upward. Draw your tailbone down and forward into the pelvis and move your groins back. Reach toward the floor with your arms.

Stay for one minute.

lift your arms overhead. Bend your knees so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible. Keep your heels heavy and continue to move your tailbone down and forward. Lift your abdomen and chest away from the inner groins and reach up through your arms. Stay for 30 to 60 seconds.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Stretch your arms overhead and place the backs of your hands on the floor.

Raise your knees to your chest and stretch your legs perpendicular to the ceiling (90 degrees). Press the sides of your waist toward the floor. Lower your legs halfway to the floor (45 degrees) while moving your tailbone away from your lower back and pressing your low back into the floor. Hold for three breaths, then raise your legs back to 90 degrees. Keep the sides of your waist down to avoid back strain.

Repeat 3 to 10 times. As you get stronger, you can lower the legs from 45 degrees all the way to just above the floor.

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“Kids will try to stand on their heads, laugh, and have fun—not get mad—and try again,” says Schumacher, who advises infusing challenging practices with a spirit of playfulness.

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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: DAVID NELSON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence by John Schumacher; model: David Nelson

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5. Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) Still on your back,

stretch your arms out to your sides, palms up.

Bend your knees and lift them to your chest.

Keep shoulder blades on the floor and knees together. Tilt your knees to the right. When you feel your left waist begin to lift, revolve your abdomen back to the left and lower your left waist toward the floor. Go as far to the right as you can, revolving the abdomen to the left.

Stay for 30 to 60 seconds. Come to center and change sides. Repeat three times.

keep your left leg on the floor and raise your right leg. With your right hand, catch your big toe, or place a strap around the ball of your foot, and stretch the leg straight up. Place your left hand on your left thigh. Pull your straight right leg toward your head. Slide your left hand down your left thigh toward your knee and lift your chest toward your right leg. Stay for one to two minutes. Come down and change sides.

7. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose)

8. Lolasana (Pendant Pose) Sit in Dandasana

Sit in Dandasana and interlock your fingers behind your head. Tilt your pelvis back, lower your sacrum halfway to the floor, and move your tailbone toward your heels. Lift your side ribs and move your sternum toward your feet. Your spine will flex in this pose. Hold for 30 seconds. Keeping your legs straight, lift your feet to chest level, keeping your lower back slightly rounded.

with hands pressed to the floor. Lift your buttocks, bend your right knee, and sit on your right foot. Lean back, lift your right knee, bend your left knee, and tuck your left calf under your right shin with your feet as close together as possible and toes pointed back. Lean forward and lift the side of your waist toward the ceiling. Press your palms down and lift your legs toward your chest. Engage your core by lifting your navel to your spine. Hold as long as you can and repeat a few times.

6. Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose) Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose), with your hands on the floor by your hips. Stretch your legs straight on the floor. Lean back and raise your straight legs until your feet are at eye level. Balance just behind your sitting bones and raise your arms to shoulder level, with your palms facing each other. Lift your chest and hold for as long as you can (up to one minute).

9. Malasana (Garland Pose) Stand in Tadasana. Bend your knees and squat, keeping your feet together but separating your knees.

Lean forward and lower your waist between your thighs. Wrap your arms around your shins, press your upper shins into your armpits, and grasp your ankles. Pull your head toward your feet and roll your tailbone toward your heels. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

10. Bakasana (Crane Pose) Come into a squat. Lift your heels, lean forward, and bring the backs of your arms onto your shins near your knees.

Place your palms shoulder-width apart, lean farther forward, and lift your feet off the floor. Pull your heels toward your buttocks and roll your tailbone toward your heels. Lift your upper back toward the ceiling and stretch your arms. Hold for as long as you can and do a couple of repetitions.

End in Savasana.

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4. Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose) Lying on your back,

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Tone Your Abs

Level: Intermediate

Hate ab work? We get it—but do it anyway. This tough workout will not only strengthen your overall practice but make you feel ready to meet life’s challenges.

Props needed: One blanket,

Good for: Finding your center one extra mat

Intention: Appreciation AS YOU PRACTICE Keep a few things in mind: Press the lower ribs, lower back,

and top rim of the sacrum firmly into the floor. To avoid bruising, use sufficient padding—a blanket or a folded-over mat. Keep your feet active, relax your neck, and breathe deeply. You might feel sore the next day, but that’s OK.

Reflection: Consciously thank yourself for choosing yoga.

Additional benefits: Alleviates back pain; aids digestion; lengthens and strengthens the inner thighs

Sequence by Ana Forrest; model: Ann Hyde

in Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose). Take four breaths with each arm position. First, place your left hand on the floor one foot from your left hip. Inhale and stretch your right arm up over your ear, root your right sitting bone, and lean left. Exhale, pulling the left shoulder away from the left ear. Inhale and stretch your right ribs. Exhale. Relax your neck. Now, stretch your right arm to the right until the fingertips are one foot above the floor, and breathe for four breaths. Bring your torso back to center and use your left hand to gently guide your head up.

Repeat on the other side.

2. Elbow to Knee Lie on your back and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Clasp your hands under your head. Inhale and lift your head and shoulders. Hold your inhalation as you curl your tailbone up. As you exhale, reach both elbows toward your right knee and straighten your left leg. At the end of your exhalation, pull your belly in. Keep your head up as you inhale back to center, and bend both knees. Hold your inhalation and lift your tailbone. Exhale and reach both elbows toward your left knee; straighten the right leg. Beginners, do 5 repetitions per side; intermediates, do 8 to 10.

3. Abs with a Mat Roll up a mat, lie back, and place the mat between your legs. Clasp your hands behind your head and lift your legs.

Inhale, press your lower back into the floor, lift your tailbone, and squeeze the mat. Exhale, curl your head and shoulders up, lift your tailbone again, squeeze the mat, and pull your belly in. Inhale and slowly lower your head and pelvis. Beginners, do 3 to 5 times; intermediates, do 5 to 10.

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“If the core is weak, abs aren’t doing their work and other parts of the body are adversely affected,” says Forrest.

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PHOTOS: JUAN STEPHENS/XPOSURE PHOTO; MODEL: ANN HYDE

1. Seated Sidebend Bring your feet together

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4. Straddle Lifting Through Clasp your hands behind your head. Inhale and lift your legs. Exhale and let your legs open to a wide straddle. Inhale and lift your head and shoulders. Exhale, curl your tailbone up, and pull your belly in. Inhale and keep your head up.

Beginners, repeat the curl three to five times; intermediates, do eight to 10. Release by bringing your legs together and down.

5. Frog Lifting Through Clasp your hands behind your head. Inhale and lift your legs so your shins are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you separate the legs into a Frog position, with knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flexed.

Inhale and curl your head and shoulders up.

Exhale and pull your belly in. Inhale, release your pelvis down, keeping your head up, and repeat. Beginners, do 3 to 5 reps; intermediates, do 8 to 10.

6. Twisted Root Cross your left thigh over the right; bring the left ankle under the right calf— so your legs are in Garudasana (Eagle Pose).

Bring your feet up, thighs above the lower belly, and bend both knees. Clasp your hands behind your head, inhale, and curl your head and shoulders up. Exhale, curl your tailbone, squeeze your thighs and sitting bones toward each other, lift your knees up, and pull your belly in. Inhale and lower your pelvis, but keep your head up. Repeat three times.

7. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lie on your back and place your feet on

8. Dolphin Come onto your forearms and knees. Inhale and broaden your upper back.

Exhale and wrap your shoulder blades toward your armpits, activating your back, chest, and armpit muscles. Inhale and curl your toes under; exhale and straighten your legs. Inhale, press your forearms into the floor, and lift the weight of the torso out of the shoulders.

Exhale, reach your heels down toward the floor, and relax your neck. The head should be off the floor. Beginners, do 5 to 8 breaths; intermediates, do 10 to 15. Release to Child’s Pose.

9. Agni Sari in Goddess Pose Stand with your feet three feet apart and bend your knees.

Press the heels of your hands into the crease of your thighs. Exhale through your mouth, hold the breath out, and bring your chin toward your chest. Pull your belly back from the roots of your pelvis into Uddiyana Bandha. Relax your belly but hold the breath. Continue: Pull the belly in and relax it, repeating until you must inhale. That’s one round. Beginners, do two to three rounds; intermediates, four to six.

End in Savasana.

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the floor, with your heels below your knees.

Keep your feet hip-distance apart. Exhale, tilt the tailbone up, lift your pelvis, then pull the ribs up. Inhale and lift the chest toward your face. Exhale and press down through the feet.

Tilt the tailbone up more. Relax your neck, face, eyes, and brain. Beginners, hold for 5 to 8 breaths; intermediates, for 10 to 15. To release, place your upper back on the floor, then your middle back, and finally your low back. Keep tucking your tailbone up as you gradually lower your spine.

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Open Yourself Up

Level: Intermediate

As you finish this chest-expanding, backbending sequence, you’ll feel more receptive to all that life has to offer.

Good for: Promoting upper-back health Props needed: One blanket Intention: Unity

AS YOU PRACTICE First, encourage soft receptivity in the front part of your

body. Then integrate this softness with the strength of your back muscles, and enjoy a gentle opening into deeper backbends. Move with the pulse of your breath throughout the sequence, and when the practice progresses to more challenging poses, engage the muscles of your back body while retaining the receptivity of your front body.

Reflection: Experience a heightened awareness of your connection to all other beings. “It is best to focus on our Oneness, to re-emphasize what is the same about each of us rather than dwell on what is different,” said the Dalai Lama.

Additional benefits: Relaxes the neck

1. Savasana (Corpse Pose), variation Lie over a rolled blanket with the

2. Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose), variation From supported

support under the bottom of your shoulder blades. Adjust the height of the roll to provide a soft stretch across your chest. Allow the top of your upper arms to drop onto the earth and release your legs down onto your mat for two to three minutes.

Savasana, extend your legs forward and ground your thighs down. Interlace your hands behind your head and let your head rest into your hands.

Keep your neck relaxed, and on an exhalation, use your upper-abdominal muscles to lift your head, neck, and upper back. On an inhalation, slowly roll back down. Take 10 cycles, moving slowly with your breath.

3. Bidilasana-Marjareyasana (Cat-Cow Pose) Roll onto your side and come onto all fours. On an inhalation, stretch your heart and tailbone away from each other, lifting your head slightly. On an exhalation, round your spine, contracting the abdominal wall, letting your head and tailbone curl inward. Repeat slowly for 10 cycles of breath.

4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) From all

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fours, curl your toes under and lift your hips up and back to Down Dog. Press your thighs straight back and lengthen your lower back. Push your hands into the floor and firm your arms. Breathe into the space between your shoulder blades, releasing the back of your heart toward the front of your heart for 10 breaths.

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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: ALIKA MEDEIROS; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; GROOMING: VERONICA SJOEN/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence by Annie Carpenter; model: Alika Medeiros

5. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), low variation From Down Dog, come forward into Plank, and lie on your belly. Firm your legs and press the tops of your feet down. Lengthen your tailbone back toward your feet. Place your hands near your bottom ribs; inhale and coil your spine inward, lifting your chest forward and up. On an exhalation, slowly roll down. Pulse up and down eight times; then release and lift back to Down Dog.

6. High Lunge Step your right foot forward, keep your back heel up, and bend your front leg to a right angle. Let your back knee bend softly and lift your hip points up away from your thighs. Interlace your fingers behind you and reach your shoulders back. Dig the bottoms of your shoulder blades in and open your chest wide. Feel your heart lift and your side waist release back for eight breaths. Step back to Down Dog and switch sides.

7. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) From Down Dog, step your right foot forward, turning your back heel down. Keep your front knee at a right angle and lift your torso and arms up. Create length in your lower back by snaking your tailbone down toward the ground. Take eight breaths, step back to Down Dog, and switch sides.

8. Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx Pose) Lie on your belly; come up onto your forearms, elbows under your shoulders. Reach back through your legs to lengthen your spine forward and ground the tops of your feet.

Press your forearms down and pull them back, opening your heart. Slide your shoulder blades down and press them in, curling the back body into the front body for 10 breaths. To release, stretch your arms forward, bend your elbows, and rest your head on your forearms.

9. Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose) Lift back into Sphinx. Bend your

10. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Begin with Low Cobra: Place your

right knee, reach back with your right hand, and press your right foot down toward the outside of your hip. Keep your foot close to your hip and, if possible, spin your right hand, wrapping your fingers over your toes. Lengthen your tailbone back and draw your left waist back to keep your torso even.

Stay for eight slow breaths, release, and change sides. Rest your forehead on your forearms to release.

hands by your ribs and lengthen your torso forward and up. Firm your back body in and up toward your chest to support you. Keeping both thighs grounded, drive your hands down and, if possible, straighten your arms into Full Cobra. Coil your spine into your chest, widening your upper back into your cobra hood. Take eight breaths. On your last exhalation, stick your tongue out, hissing with joy. Roll down slowly. End in Savasana.

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Flip for ‘Wild Thing’ Pose

Level: Intermediate

Fire up the strength in your arms, with the goal of expanding into a final pose that evokes freedom and ecstasy.

heart health

Good for: Supporting lung and Props needed: One block, one strap

AS YOU PRACTICE Remember that if the stability in your hands and wrists is

Intention: Spaciousness

weak, you limit your ability to support yourself adequately and move with a full range of motion. In addition to preparing your arms to support the weight of your body, this sequence opens the front of your legs, hips, and torso through backbends, providing just enough heat to encourage your chest and heart to open in the final pose.

Reflection: Get out of your head and into your heart. Feel the space you have created around the front, sides, and back of your heart.

Additional benefits: Lengthens the quadriceps, belly, and chest; increases shoulder flexibility

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come onto all fours, then

2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), variation Walk toward your hands, feet

3. Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) Step your right foot forward,

lift your hips and knees and step your feet back to open your chest and hamstrings. Lift your armpits and lengthen your side body. Claw the floor with your finger pads to feel tone in your arms, which will support you in opening more freely. From your heart, stretch down to your hands, then fully up through your spine, and down your legs into the feet for five breaths.

shoulder-width apart, and fold forward. Interlace your fingers behind your back and bend your elbows shoulder-width apart. Use gravity to lengthen your armpits toward the floor.

Move the head of your arm bones and your throat toward the back of your body as you reach your arms overhead. Keep your elbows bent and your legs strong. Hold for five breaths, release your hands, and step back to Down Dog.

turn your left heel down, and hug your legs in toward your midline. Extend your left arm in front of you and up alongside your left ear.

Then turn your belly and chest up to the sky.

Keep your right hand by your right foot or on a block, or take your right forearm to your right thigh for more space in your torso. After five breaths, step back to Down Dog. Repeat on the left side.

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“We have an expression in Anusara: ‘Strong arms, soft heart,’” says Ippoliti.

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PHOTOS: CHRIS ANDRE; MODEL: KENNY GRAHAM; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: MEAGANNE McCANDESS/ARTIST UNTIED

Sequence by Amy Ippoliti; model: Kenny Graham

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5. Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog Pose)

6. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation

stomach with your hands shoulder-width apart, elbows bent, and hands under your shoulders.

Spread your fingers and claw your finger pads down, energetically dragging your hands backward as you lift your armpits. Pull the heads of your arm bones up and back, and lift your head and chest for five breaths. Move your shoulder blades down and in toward your heart. Root your pelvis back through your legs, and curl up through your spine. Stay for five breaths.

Release and push back to Down Dog.

Come back to your stomach, prop yourself on your forearms, and melt your heart toward the floor. Bend your right knee and reach back with your right hand to hold your foot. If possible, pivot your right hand so that your fingers face forward as you press your right foot down toward your outer right hip. Scoop your tailbone down. To stretch even deeper, lift off your left forearm and onto your left hand. After five breaths, release, switch sides, and then step back to Down Dog.

Step your right foot forward into a Low Lunge, left knee on the floor. Twist to the right, bend your left knee, and hold the outside of your left foot with your right hand; use a strap if needed.

To go deeper, take your left foot in toward your outer left hip, place your left forearm on the floor, lean back, and curl your shoulder blades in toward your heart. Root down through your legs and open up through your whole torso.

Stay for five breaths. Step back to Down Dog and take the other side.

7. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) Lie on your

8. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) Come

9. Wild Thing From Down Dog, come into

stomach, rest your forehead on the floor, and enjoy your breath. Allow the muscles on either side of your spine to settle and expand laterally.

Keep that softness, then bend both knees and hold on to the tops of your feet. Root your tailbone toward the floor, keep your thighs parallel, and press your feet back. On an inhalation, lift your head, torso, and legs up into Dhanurasana. Hold for five breaths, release, and step back to Down Dog.

forward into Plank, with your shoulders stacked above your wrists. Take your right hand slightly ahead of your shoulder and shift your weight onto your right hand as you turn your chest up and stack your feet. Secure both shoulder blades onto your back, open your torso, and lift your left arm up. Hold for five breaths, release your left arm down, and step back to Down Dog. Repeat on the other side.

Vasisthasana on your right side. Step your left foot behind you, keep your right leg straight, and push your hips up away from the floor.

Scoop your tailbone and use your legs to keep lifting your hips. Curl your head back, lift your left side body, and keep your left upper arm moving toward your shoulder socket. Extend your left arm over your head and curve into a rapturous backbend. Have fun. Be wild. Taste your freedom. Then release, step back to Down Dog, and switch sides. End in Savasana. yogajournal.com

4. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Lie on your

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109

Wring Out Your Angst Unwind your spine to clear your body and mind with a sequence of twists and chest openers.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Building midback health Props needed: One strap Intention: Flexibility

AS YOU PRACTICE Let the twisting action come from the upper back and ribs

as opposed to the lower back. If you feel stress in the neck, gaze downward; you should be able to maintain your twist without turning your neck to look up. As you twist, keep your pelvis squared to the front of the mat and your hips level.

Reflection: Let the mind mimic the movements of the spine; visualize the synapses creating space and connections.

Additional benefits: Increases shoulder range of motion

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1. Puppy stretch Come onto hands and

2. Thread the Needle Return to all fours.

knees. Keep hips over knees as you walk the hands forward and melt the heart and chin toward the mat, opening the throat and chest.

Don’t worry if you don’t come all the way to the floor.

Turn the right palm up and slide it under your left armpit. Twist to the left as you lower onto your right shoulder. Resist the left hip back.

Press into the left hand to come up and do the other side.

4. Makrasana (Dolphin Pose) Come up off your heels and place your forearms parallel to each other on the floor. Curl your toes under, straighten your legs, and walk the feet in toward the hands, keeping the shoulders over the elbows.

5. Parivrtta Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose, with a twist) Release to all fours and lift into Downward Dog. Reach your left hand to the right shin and twist to the left. Hold for three breaths. Repeat on the other side and return to Downward Dog.

3. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), with Virasana (Hero Pose) legs Return to all fours; sit back on your heels. Place the left arm behind the back, palm out. Raise the right arm, bend the elbow, and clasp fingers. Release; do the other side.

6. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), variation Step to the front of your mat. Bend your knees, sink your hips, and reach your arms straight up. Hook your thumbs together and try to pull them apart.

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: STACIE OVERBY; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: LISA STRUTZ/AUBRI BALK, INC.

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Sequence by Kathryn Budig; model: Stacie Overby

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7. Utkatasana (Chair Pose), with a Twist

8. Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose) Look down. Step the left

9. Three-Legged Downward Dog, variation Release hands to the floor; step back

leg back, landing on the ball of the foot with feet hip-width apart. Square your hips. Twist into the upper back by strongly pressing the palms together.

to Downward Dog. Lift your right leg and rotate the pelvis left, stacking your right hip over your left. Bend your right knee.

to the mat. Pivot to the outer edge of your left foot. Spin your heart to the sky. Straighten your left leg and root down through the outside edge of the left foot. Place your right palm on your heart.

11. Kapotasana (Pigeon Pose) Return to Downward Dog. Bring your right knee forward and your shin as close to parallel to the front edge of the mat as you can. Keep the back leg straight, toes pressing down. Square hips and walk the torso forward.

12. Parivrtta Kapotasana (Revolved Pigeon Pose) Keep the front leg where it is and lift

13. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Release the twist. Place the

14. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) Step forward and sit. Place

15. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) Release the twist. Join the soles of the

palms on the floor in front, tuck the left toes under, and step your right leg back into Downward Dog. Repeat poses 5–13 on the other side.

the left foot outside the right hip and your right foot outside the left knee. Twist to the right.

Release the twist and repeat on the other side.

feet, knees bent. Open your feet like a book and lift the heart as you inhale. Exhale and extend the chest forward. End in Savasana.

Release the thumbs and inhale. As you exhale, revolve your ribs to the right and drop your left elbow to your right thigh, pressing the palms together.

your torso. Turn your chest to the left and place your right elbow into the sole of your right foot.

Press the palms into each other, driving the left elbow up to the sky.

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10. Wild Thing Lightly drop your right foot

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Power Up Your Legs This flowing sequence of postures, which alternate between dynamic movement and stillness, will help you feel rooted to the earth and also connected to the sun.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Making you feel grounded during chaotic times

Props needed: None Intention: Roots

AS YOU PRACTICE Throughout the sequence, imagine drawing energy in

through your feet and your crown, and feel how the earth and sun connect in your center. Most important, be compassionate with yourself, especially during the more intense poses.

Reflection: Witness yourself sitting quietly with your eyes closed. Visualize a cord connecting your root chakra to the center of the earth.

Additional benefits: Develops strong arches and ankles

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1. Standing Sidebend Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Anchor both feet equally into the ground. Raise your arms overhead, turn your left palm out, flex the left wrist, and grab it with the right hand. Inhale and lengthen skyward; exhale and lean to the right, gently lengthening your left arm with your right hand.

Breathe deeply into your left side. Take three breaths. Lift back to center and repeat on the other side.

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2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Kneeling on all fours, press

3. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose), variation Step your right foot between your hands;

into your palms, curl your toes under, and lift your knees, drawing your hips up and back.

Balance between grounding into the earth with your hands and your feet, drawing awareness in through the bones of your arms and legs.

Breathe easily and fully, releasing tension and finding grace.

rotate your left foot out and place your heel on the floor. Harness the power and stability of your legs and core to draw the right hip back and the left hip forward. Lift your arms by the sides of your waist and connect to your core.

From the back shin, extend your arms forward; gaze forward. Feel a line of energy from your back leg through your belly, front spine, heart, and pinkies. Maintain inner awareness and take five breaths. Repeat on the other side.

“If you can learn to harness your energy and find your center during dynamic poses, you can find that same quiet, still place when the external world threatens to throw you off balance,” says Lorimer.

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: ELISE LORIMER; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETTEN CHASTEN

Sequence and modeling by Elise Lorimer

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4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)

5. Riding the Wave Exhale, take your hands

6. Elephant Pose From Down Dog, walk

You’ll flow between poses 4 and 5 to open and lubricate your hips. From Extended Warrior, inhale, lift your torso, and bring your arms up overhead.

to the floor inside your right foot, turn to the left side, and draw your left heel slightly in.

Keep your hands on the floor for support if you need to. Inhale and return to Warrior I, spinning the left heel down and dialing your right hip back under you. Flow between Warrior I and this position five times on each side.

Then come to Down Dog for five breaths.

your hands toward your feet and roll up to standing. Bend your knees. From your core, lift your torso. Press your palms together, place the tips of the thumbs on your third eye, and draw your elbows together. Your arms act as your elephant trunk. Release your shoulder blades down your back and lift your breastbone and elbows. Gaze in front of you. After five breaths, stand and lower your palms to your heart for a few more breaths. Repeat three times.

7. Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend) Step your feet

8. Chest-Opening Twist From Prasarita

9. Goddess Pose, with twist Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and turn your feet out about 45 degrees. Gently press your hands on the insides of your knees while dropping your coccyx down. Extend your spine forward, parallel to the floor. Inhale and draw the belly toward the spine; exhale and rotate your torso and heart to the right, left shoulder down, broadening across your chest.

Inhale and return to center. Exhale and rotate to the left. Connect to the ease and balance in your body as it moves through the transitions.

Repeat 5 times.

wide apart. Interlace your fingers behind you.

Inhale and lift your chest; then exhale and fold forward, bringing your hands over your head toward the floor. Ground through your feet and shinbones; release tension from your neck and shoulders. Stay for five to 10 breaths.

Padottanasana, place your hands on the floor and turn your heels slightly in. Bend your right knee deeply; turn your left toes up. Hover your sitting bones above the earth and get heavy in your coccyx. Tuck your right arm around your right shinbone. Take your left arm behind you and clasp your left wrist with your right hand.

(Or place the fingertips on the floor in front of you.) Breathe. Repeat on the other side.

and squat on the floor with your left leg extended and left toes pointing skyward. Lengthen your spine, hold your right ankle with your left hand, and lift your right arm overhead. Press your right knee away from your midline. Draw your left shoulder in front of your left leg and roll the right side of your heart to the sky. Take five breaths; when ready, repeat on the other side. End in Savasana.

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10. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-of-the-Knee Pose), variation From Goddess, jump your feet wider, bend your right knee,

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Strong-Arm Yourself

Level: Beginner

Counteract repetitive stress with this sequence, which will ease tension in the arms, shoulders, and wrists.

or driving

Good for: Easing days spent at a desk Props needed: One strap

AS YOU PRACTICE Yoga teacher Daren Friesen recommends blending sthira

Intention: Chant Om. Draw out the

(steadiness) and sukha (ease) while doing the poses. If you feel unstable or sense that you are overworking, bring your attention to your breath, gaze, and spine. “Feel grounded and connected to the earth,” he says, “while at the same time feeling long and tall through your spine.”

sound, using your entire exhale to complete it.

Additional benefits: Flexes and extends the spine; opens the wrists

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) In Downward-Facing Dog, set your hands shoulder-width apart, aligning them so the middle fingers are straight and parallel to each other. Press down on the root of the forefinger, thumb, and inner heel of each hand. Move the weight of the pose back into your legs while contracting the quadriceps and pressing the heels more back than down. Focus your gaze at a spot between your shins and feel simultaneously grounded and light.

2. Tabletop, variation Lower your knees to the mat and rotate your hands outward all the way until the fingers point toward the knees. Take a deep breath and lean your hips back toward your heels, but keep your palms on the floor. Feel how the warm sensation brings awareness to the inner arms. If you like, play with the pose by placing the hands closer together.

3. Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose), variation Sit on your shins in Vajrasana

4. Garudasana (Eagle Pose), variation Sit on your shins and open your arms wide. Cross one over the other, bend the elbows, and press your palms together. Lift your arms up and press your hands forward to create a deep stretch at the junction of the shoulders and upper torso. Focus on your exhalation, releasing tension. When you’re ready, reverse the wrap of your arms and repeat on the other side.

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(Thunderbolt Pose), then place the top of your head on the mat in front of your knees. Interlace your fingers together behind your back, roll the shoulders down the back, away from the ears, then lift your arms over your head. Breathe deeply, then reverse the clasp of your hands and stay here for five more breaths.

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YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

PHOTOS: RORY EARNSHAW/SANDBOX STUDIOS; MODEL: JANE DOBSON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: CHRIS McDONALD

Sequence by Daren Friesen; model: Jane Dobson

Reflection: Reflect on the soothing, primordial, reverberating vibrations of Om. “Mantras are passwords that transform the mundane into the sacred,” said Deva Premal, kirtan musician.

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cross one leg over the other. Remember this rule: Whichever leg is over, place the same side’s arm under. Reach the bottom arm behind you and bend the elbow so your forearm rests along your spine. Reach the top arm up, centering the elbow over the armpit, and bend the elbow so that your hands meet. If your hands don’t touch, use a strap. Remember to breathe smoothly and evenly. After five breaths, release your arms, recross your legs, and do the other side.

6. Purvottanasana (Upward Plank), variation Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you. Reach your arms behind your back and place your palms on the floor, thumbs touching and fingers pointing toward the hips. For tight or bulky shoulders, move the hands farther apart. Simultaneously lift your chest and bend your elbows, making the exhalation longer than the inhalation. Move the hands a bit wider and reverse the position by turning them out and pressing your pinkies together. Again, lift your chest and tuck your chin as you breathe deeply and freely.

7. Marichyasana I (Marichi’s Pose), variation Bend your left knee and place your foot flat on the floor in front of your sitting bone. Lean forward as far as you can, wrap your left arm in front of and around your left knee, and grab your right wrist (remember this: the wrapper is the grabber). Press down through both sitting bones, lift the sternum, and draw the navel to the spine as you twist to the left. Repeat on the other side.

8. Shoulder Opener This position internally rotates your arms and stretches your shoulders and wrists. While sitting, bend your knees and place your feet on the floor, wider than hip-distance apart. Press each elbow against the inside of its respective knee. From there, bend both elbows and fold your forearms toward your torso. Press the elbows against your knees, and press the back of your hands against the sides of your body. Slide the hands up to increase the challenge or down to reduce it.

To increase the stretch, squeeze your knees gently together and breathe to release tension.

9. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lie on your back, bend

10. Sukhasana (Easy Pose) Sit in a cross-legged position. Cross one wrist over the other, hands pointing down, then interlace the fingers. Take a deep breath and roll the hands in toward you, then up and away from your torso, as you try to straighten your arms. Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears. Go as deep as you can without straining the arms or the breath. Release, switch the grip, then repeat. End in Savasana.

your knees, and place your feet on the ground hip-width apart. Raise your arms above your head, and rotate them so that your palms are flat on the floor with the pinkies on the inside, thumbs on the outside. Lift your hips into Bridge Pose. Quietly observe the deep flow of energy and blood through the arms and shoulders.

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

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5. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Swivel your hips to one side and

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Get Into Balance Approach this sequence with perseverance and joy, as you build the needed strength for a challenging arm balance.

Level: Intermediate Good for: Gaining confidence Props needed: Two blocks Intention: Joy

AS YOU PRACTICE Work with poses 1 to 10 over time to develop strength

for the rest of the arm balances in the sequence, avoiding injury by keeping your shoulders and elbows aligned. As you move into the penultimate pose, Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose), position your arms as you would in Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose).

Reflection: Find joy in what you have.

Joy comes from having no desires.

Additional benefits: Strengthens the core

1. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) Step or jump your feet wide apart and come into Warrior II on your right side. Hug your right hip in toward the midline of your body; broaden your collarbones. After five breaths, inhale to come up; repeat on the other side.

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4. Plank Pose Come into Plank. Press firmly

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through your hands and hug your outer arms in. See that your shoulders are over your wrists, your navel and waist are lifting, and your body is in one long line. Broaden your collarbones and your shoulder blades.

2 Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose), variation Exhale as you bring

3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Firmly press into your

your right hand to the floor or a block. Sweep your left arm behind you, holding your right thigh. (Place the back of the hand against your sacrum if you can’t bind.) Inhale and come up; exhale and do the second side.

hands, hugging your outer arms in as you spread your shoulder blades. Press the creases of your hips back to lengthen your spine.

5. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) From Plank, exhale, shift your

6. Eka Pada Bakasana (One-Legged Crane Pose), variation From Plank Pose, pick your

weight slightly forward, and bend your elbows alongside your torso. Inhale back up to Plank.

Repeat eight times, making sure that you don’t bend your elbows past 90 degrees.

left foot off the mat, allow your hip to externally rotate, exhale, and bring your knee toward the outer upper arm. Stay for five breaths; come back to Plank Pose and switch sides.

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PHOTOS: JASPER JOHAL; MODEL: ALEXANDRIA CROW; STYLIST: JOSEPHINE SALVAD; HAIR/MAKEUP: MANDY PEREZ/FACE ATELIER; BLOCKS: HUGGER MUGGER

Sequence and modeling by Alexandria Crow

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Come back to Down Dog,

8. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation Bring your left foot forward into a Low

9. Adho Mukha Svanasana (DownwardFacing Dog Pose) Lift your kneecaps, draw

pressing your entire palms down. Hug your outer arms in and roll them down toward the ground. Press your thighs back to lengthen the spine fully.

Lunge. Bring both forearms onto the floor.

If space allows, tuck your left shoulder under your left knee. Hug the inner thigh toward your shoulder; keep your chest broad. Do both sides, coming to Down Dog in between.

the inner thighs back without rotating your knees, and lengthen your legs by pressing the center of your heels down into the mat.

10. Lolasana (Pendant Pose) Lower your

11. Dandasana (Staff Pose), variation Sit

12. Dandasana, variation From Dandasana,

knees to the floor and place a block on either side of your hips. Plant your hands on the blocks and hug your thighs toward your chest.

Bring one heel up to your sitting bone; lower it.

Repeat with the other heel. Then try lifting both feet at once.

back down and swing your legs around until they are stretched out in front of you. Plant your hands on the blocks, exhale, and lift your hips, shifting them slightly back. Pick up one heel, then the other. If you can, lift both heels at once, and then release.

bend your left knee and hold on to your left foot. Draw the leg up and back until you can tuck your left shoulder underneath your left leg. Hug the inner thigh toward the shoulder and keep your chest wide.

13. Dandasana Pickup From the previous

14. Astavakrasana (Eight-Angle Pose)

pose, plant your hands next to your hips. Keep hugging your inner thigh toward your shoulder; press down, straighten your elbows, and lift your hips and extended leg.

Cross your right ankle over the left and straighten your legs as much as possible.

Squeeze your left shoulder with your inner thighs. Press your hands down and pick up your hips. Shift your upper body into the shape of Chaturanga. Try to repeat on the other side.

15. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) Lie on your back. Press through both

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

feet; lift your hips. Press your outer upper arms down. Draw your tailbone toward the backs of your knees to lengthen your lower back. Exhale and slowly lower down. End in Savasana.

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Index to Sequences Your map to all 38 beneficial home practices in this issue

ELEVATE YOUR MOOD/PLAY

Cleanse Your System

Salute the Sun

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22

Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Open Up Tight Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Center Yourself

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24

Give Yourself a Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Support Your Spine

Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Take Care of You, Too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Take Care of Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 102

54

Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Power Up Your Core

Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Wring Out Your Angst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

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Power Up Your Legs

Shed the Day’s Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Feel Calm and Centered

...............

60

Give Yourself a Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Let Go of Stress

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70

Center Yourself

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Warm Yourself Up

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24 28

Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Quiet Your Busy Mind

CLEAR YOUR HEAD & FIND FOCUS Warm Yourself Up

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28

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112

FOCUS ON YOUR BREATH

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54

Shed the Day’s Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

EXPAND YOUR CHEST AND HEART CENTER Embrace the Unfamiliar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Stretch Away Stiffness

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52

Breathe for Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

90

Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Breathe Easy

..............................

Grow Your Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

OPEN AND WARM UP YOUR HIPS

Breathe Easy

Embrace the Unfamiliar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Turn Back the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

CULTIVATE BALANCE/IMPROVE ALIGNMENT

Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Take Care of Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Open Yourself Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Set a Goal—and Meet It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Flip for ‘Wild Thing’ Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Wring Out Your Angst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

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Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Stretch Away Stiffness

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52

Stand Your Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Quiet Your Busy Mind

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54

Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Restore Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

MOBILIZE YOUR SHOULDERS

Shed the Day’s Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Embrace the Unfamiliar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

60

Take Care of You, Too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

SUPPORT DIGESTION AND CLEANSE Embrace the Unfamiliar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Quiet Your Busy Mind

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54

Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Find Calm Amid Challenge yogajournal.com

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Restore Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Quiet Your Busy Mind

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74

Turn Back the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Cleanse Your System

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94

Feel Calm and Centered

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Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Let Go of Stress

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70

Let Go of Stress

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Find Calm Amid Challenge

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70 74

Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Set a Goal—and Meet It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Stand Your Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Breathe Easy

Breathe Easy

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90

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90

Wring Out Your Angst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Wring Out Your Angst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

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PHOTOS: MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODEL: STACIE OVERBY; STYLIST: LISA MOIR/ARTIST UNTIED; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED

REDUCE STRESS/FEEL CALMER

STRETCH YOUR SIDES

BOLSTER YOUR CONFIDENCE

STRENGTHEN YOUR ARMS

Give Yourself a Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Have a Little Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Find Calm Amid Challenge

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RESTORE AND RECHARGE Warm Yourself Up

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74

Feel Unstoppable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Power Up Your Core

Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Strong-Arm Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Get Into Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

28

Grow Your Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Flip for ‘Wild Thing’ Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Stretch Away Stiffness

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94

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Set a Goal—and Meet It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Cleanse Your System

52

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102

SHAKE THINGS UP Feel Unstoppable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

STRENGTHEN AND STRETCH YOUR LEGS

ACTIVATE AND TONE YOUR CORE

Feel Unstoppable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Get an Energy Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Prep for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Shed the Day’s Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Find Your Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Open Yourself Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Feel Calm and Centered

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60

Find Your Bliss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

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70

Set a Goal—and Meet It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

SUPPORT AND STRETCH YOUR BACK

Feel Unstoppable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Wake Up Gently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Set a Goal—and Meet It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Cleanse Your System

52

Cultivate Poise and Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Open Up Tight Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Take Care of You, Too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Find Calm Amid Challenge

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74

Let Go of Stress

Stretch Away Stiffness

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Restore Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Grow Your Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Power Up Your Core

Shed the Day’s Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Stand Your Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Tone Your Abs

Feel Calm and Centered

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60

Take Care of You, Too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Turn Back the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Cleanse Your System

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94

Open Up Tight Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Support Your Spine

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98

Take Care of Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Tone Your Abs

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104

Open Yourself Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Wring Out Your Angst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Strong-Arm Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

YO G A AT H O M E S P E C I A L

Breathe Easy

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Cleanse Your System

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90

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94

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102

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104

Get Into Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

94

Open Up Tight Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Support Your Spine

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98

Take Care of Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ...................

102

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104

Power Up Your Core Tone Your Abs

Flip for ‘Wild Thing’ Pose Power Up Your Legs

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108 112 yogajournal.com

Power Up Your Legs

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PHOTO: JOE HANCOCK; MODEL: NANCY-KATE RAU; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT; TOP: MPG; METALLIC TOP AND BOTTOMS: BEYOND YOGA

“Yoga is the journey of the self through the self to the self.”

— THE BHAGAVAD GITA

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Cancer News

Cancer

Therapy

“My cancer care plan included surgery, and organic fruits and vegetables.”

Chris Urwiller, Prostate cancer patient

Are you making the right choices?

The benefits of

Maintains the immune system, which can be compromised by cancer treatment

Prevents malnutrition that could weaken a patient

Manages fatigue and pain that can accompany cancer treatment

Lessens stress, anxiety and depression that can accompany cancer diagnosis

Know your options.

The importance of nutrition.

Every cancer is different, as is every cancer patient. Both traditional and integrative oncology therapies should be customized for every treatment plan. It’s important to work with a knowledgeable oncology team to understand your options, how they work, and whether they’re offered at your treatment center.

Fully eight out of ten cancer patients show symptoms of malnutrition. This can compromise the function of the immune system and weaken the patient.

Nutritional therapy is therefore crucial for restoring digestive health and helping you stay strong to maintain your prescribed cancer treatment plan.

What exactly is integrative care?

Naturopathic care should also be considered — therapies that help manage symptoms and encourage healing. Naturopathic clinicians address a variety of conditions associated with cancer including digestive issues, nerve damage, respiratory conditions and cancer-related fatigue. Your naturopathic clinician should have extensive knowledge of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, plus a comprehensive understanding of your treatment plan.

Treatments for cancer typically consist of some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

The combination of these options with therapies designed to maintain quality of life is known as an integrative approach to cancer care.

Therapies to improve energy, maintain the immune system, manage fatigue and guard against malnutrition are all critical. The more therapeutic choices you have, the better you’ll be able to customize a treatment plan that’s right for you. Integrative therapies may include nutritional counseling, naturopathic medicine, physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, mind-body therapy, meditation and spiritual support.

Naturopathic medicine.

Team work.

Surgeons, doctors, clinicians and other oncology professionals should all be part of your care team. It’s also helpful if all your team members are located in the same hospital to facilitate collaboration and speed of care.

Having your care team all under one roof allows you to schedule all your appointments at one time, which reduces wait time between appointments and allows you to focus on your treatment.

CTCA® is a national network of five hospitals in the U.S. with expertise in treating patients who are fighting complex or advanced-stage cancer, although many patients with an early-stage diagnosis seek our expertise as well. We combine world-class treatment with an integrative approach to care to reduce side effects and maintain quality of life during cancer treatment. If you or someone you love has advanced-stage or complex cancer, call 855-587-5528 or go to cancercenter.com.

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