Getting Started 7: Dancing Warrior
Feb. 5th, 2010 09:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muck_a_luck posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sun_salutationDisclaimer: I am not a yoga instructor. I don't know anything about exercise safety or fitness instruction. I'm not even an advanced practitioner of yoga. But I have come to love yoga and am completely self taught.
You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. Remember to balance where you are now with where you could be in the future. There is no perfect pose.
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Let's add three important standing postures, then do something fun with them.
First, Virabhadrasana II. YouTube links here: Warrior II with expertvillage and another expertvillage clip.
Be sure you are rolling your shoulders down your back, relaxing them, not hunching them up toward your ears. This is an important thing to remember for all postures. You should be relaxing everything you are not actually exercising, and the shoulders should almost always be in this back and down position.
Remember this in your daily life, too. I have lost a lot of weight in the last year, but back in the summer, I caught sight of myself in a reflection as I walked by a glass door and though, wow, I still look dumpy. And I realized, it's because I was walking with my shoulders sort of rolled forward and hunched. It took some time of consciously remembering to hold my shoulders down and back, but it is something I have brought into my daily posture, and it has taken years and pounds off my appearance (though I do still feel like I'm *thrusting* my chest at everyone, but that's a different issue).
For all three of these lunges, try to develop the intention of rolling open the forward thigh upwards toward the sky. This will help to prevent your knee from collapsing inwards. (Obviously, don't let your knee actually fall outwards, but I don't think that should be a problem. I'm not sure it is actually possible! It certainly doesn't seem possible to me.) Keep an eye on your knee in the lunges, too. Instructors constantly tell you to keep the leg at a right angle, but obviously, you can't see yourself from the side. The rule is, do not let your knee go out past your toes. No hyperextending the knee!!!
Reverse Warrior
Reverse Warrior at Yoga Basics and Reverse Warrior with expertvillage at YouTube.
Be careful to keep the front knee bent in the lunge. There will definitely be a tendency to back off the lunge by straightening the front leg as you extend back. Also, as you support yourself with your back hand, be sure NOT to place your hand on the back of the knee. Go lower, or stay higher.
Extended Side Angle
Extended Side Angle at YogaJournal.
On YouTube:
Extended Side Angle from expertvillage
Extended Side Angle at MyFreeYoga.com.
Extended Side Angle with Michael McEvoy.
It is particularly difficult to keep the thigh rolling out as you extend the angle. In the beginning, that will be your area of concentration. Do not allow your thigh to collapse inward. If you are limber enough to place your hand on the floor, at the beginning consider placing the hand on the inside of the knee to help hold the knee back. If you want to put your hand on the outside of the knee, then press your knee back against the shoulder, holding the thigh open.
Again, keep your shoulder down, away from your ear. The tendency to hunch here will be strong at the beginning.
The final component is to roll your heart center open, toward the sky. Of course, doing that will make your knee want to collapse again!
This pose is very difficult at the beginning as you get your body to move in all the different directions – knee open, chest up, arm reaching, back leg extending powerfully - and will remain challenging for a long, long time. It was in a tie with Chaturanga for "most hated" by me, at the beginning. Try to think of Extended Side Angle as a great way to practice remaining calm and peaceful in uncomfortable situations.
Dancing Warrior
Now, for something fun!
Watch this on YouTube: Shiva Rea, practicing one of her Dancing Warriors.
This is a beautiful sequence. It will be challenging, but doable, for a beginner, build a lot of heat, and probably be a little yoga cardio for you.
She does the Surya Namaskar B Vinyasa, but from Warrior I, extends her arms to the sides, opening out into Warrior II. Then she flows back into Reverse Warrior, pauses, flows forward again into Extended Side Angle with the elbow on the knee, then rises back into Warrior II before dropping into the lunge and drawing back into Downward Dog to complete the vinyasa.
As you can see, this sequence holds you in the lunge for the entire flow, as you shift your torso and arms for the various postures. You'll feel the burn. :D
Building Your Routine
So your hitting the mat tomorrow morning. Wanna do a big practice?
Start with three rounds of Surya Namaskar A, to get warmed up. Start with the lower backbends and simplier variations and build up to full Chaturanga and Upward Facing Dog.
Then do three rounds of Surya Namaskar B.
Then do Chair Twist.
Then do the vinyasa, rise into Warrior I, pause, and expand into Warrior II. Hold Warrior II for five breaths. Do both sides.
Vinyasa, rise into Warrior I, pause, expand into Warrior II, pause, reach back for Reverse Warrior. Hold Reverse Warrior for five breaths.
Vinyasa, rise into Warrior II, pause, reach forward into Extended Side Angle. Five breaths.
Vinyasa. From Downward Dog, raise the right leg to stroke the sky. Right leg forward to Warrior I, expand to Warrior II, reach back gracefully to Reverse Warrior, extend forward to Extended Side Angle, rise up for Warrior II, and vinyasa. Try to do these in time with long ujayii breaths: Rise up to Warrior I on an inhale, exhale to Warrior II, inhale to Reverse Warrior, exhale to Extended Side Angle, inhale back to Warrior II, and exhale to Chaturanga. You may find this breath placement very challenging. I say, breathe through your mouth if you need to and don't worry too much about breath placement at the beginning. Brian Kest, on the other hand, says if you can't do the breath placement, you are pushing too hard, back off. I push anyway. *defies Mr. Kest*
Watch Shiva do it a couple of times, then do the best you can. Do the other side, stroking the sky with the left leg. Try a few more rounds, as you feel able, but try to be even on both sides.
Return to Mountain Pose. Finish with the relaxation you prefer.
That's a good morning's yoga!
Namaste.
You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. Remember to balance where you are now with where you could be in the future. There is no perfect pose.
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
Let's add three important standing postures, then do something fun with them.
First, Virabhadrasana II. YouTube links here: Warrior II with expertvillage and another expertvillage clip.
Be sure you are rolling your shoulders down your back, relaxing them, not hunching them up toward your ears. This is an important thing to remember for all postures. You should be relaxing everything you are not actually exercising, and the shoulders should almost always be in this back and down position.
Remember this in your daily life, too. I have lost a lot of weight in the last year, but back in the summer, I caught sight of myself in a reflection as I walked by a glass door and though, wow, I still look dumpy. And I realized, it's because I was walking with my shoulders sort of rolled forward and hunched. It took some time of consciously remembering to hold my shoulders down and back, but it is something I have brought into my daily posture, and it has taken years and pounds off my appearance (though I do still feel like I'm *thrusting* my chest at everyone, but that's a different issue).
For all three of these lunges, try to develop the intention of rolling open the forward thigh upwards toward the sky. This will help to prevent your knee from collapsing inwards. (Obviously, don't let your knee actually fall outwards, but I don't think that should be a problem. I'm not sure it is actually possible! It certainly doesn't seem possible to me.) Keep an eye on your knee in the lunges, too. Instructors constantly tell you to keep the leg at a right angle, but obviously, you can't see yourself from the side. The rule is, do not let your knee go out past your toes. No hyperextending the knee!!!
Reverse Warrior
Reverse Warrior at Yoga Basics and Reverse Warrior with expertvillage at YouTube.
Be careful to keep the front knee bent in the lunge. There will definitely be a tendency to back off the lunge by straightening the front leg as you extend back. Also, as you support yourself with your back hand, be sure NOT to place your hand on the back of the knee. Go lower, or stay higher.
Extended Side Angle
Extended Side Angle at YogaJournal.
On YouTube:
Extended Side Angle from expertvillage
Extended Side Angle at MyFreeYoga.com.
Extended Side Angle with Michael McEvoy.
It is particularly difficult to keep the thigh rolling out as you extend the angle. In the beginning, that will be your area of concentration. Do not allow your thigh to collapse inward. If you are limber enough to place your hand on the floor, at the beginning consider placing the hand on the inside of the knee to help hold the knee back. If you want to put your hand on the outside of the knee, then press your knee back against the shoulder, holding the thigh open.
Again, keep your shoulder down, away from your ear. The tendency to hunch here will be strong at the beginning.
The final component is to roll your heart center open, toward the sky. Of course, doing that will make your knee want to collapse again!
This pose is very difficult at the beginning as you get your body to move in all the different directions – knee open, chest up, arm reaching, back leg extending powerfully - and will remain challenging for a long, long time. It was in a tie with Chaturanga for "most hated" by me, at the beginning. Try to think of Extended Side Angle as a great way to practice remaining calm and peaceful in uncomfortable situations.
Dancing Warrior
Now, for something fun!
Watch this on YouTube: Shiva Rea, practicing one of her Dancing Warriors.
This is a beautiful sequence. It will be challenging, but doable, for a beginner, build a lot of heat, and probably be a little yoga cardio for you.
She does the Surya Namaskar B Vinyasa, but from Warrior I, extends her arms to the sides, opening out into Warrior II. Then she flows back into Reverse Warrior, pauses, flows forward again into Extended Side Angle with the elbow on the knee, then rises back into Warrior II before dropping into the lunge and drawing back into Downward Dog to complete the vinyasa.
As you can see, this sequence holds you in the lunge for the entire flow, as you shift your torso and arms for the various postures. You'll feel the burn. :D
Building Your Routine
So your hitting the mat tomorrow morning. Wanna do a big practice?
Start with three rounds of Surya Namaskar A, to get warmed up. Start with the lower backbends and simplier variations and build up to full Chaturanga and Upward Facing Dog.
Then do three rounds of Surya Namaskar B.
Then do Chair Twist.
Then do the vinyasa, rise into Warrior I, pause, and expand into Warrior II. Hold Warrior II for five breaths. Do both sides.
Vinyasa, rise into Warrior I, pause, expand into Warrior II, pause, reach back for Reverse Warrior. Hold Reverse Warrior for five breaths.
Vinyasa, rise into Warrior II, pause, reach forward into Extended Side Angle. Five breaths.
Vinyasa. From Downward Dog, raise the right leg to stroke the sky. Right leg forward to Warrior I, expand to Warrior II, reach back gracefully to Reverse Warrior, extend forward to Extended Side Angle, rise up for Warrior II, and vinyasa. Try to do these in time with long ujayii breaths: Rise up to Warrior I on an inhale, exhale to Warrior II, inhale to Reverse Warrior, exhale to Extended Side Angle, inhale back to Warrior II, and exhale to Chaturanga. You may find this breath placement very challenging. I say, breathe through your mouth if you need to and don't worry too much about breath placement at the beginning. Brian Kest, on the other hand, says if you can't do the breath placement, you are pushing too hard, back off. I push anyway. *defies Mr. Kest*
Watch Shiva do it a couple of times, then do the best you can. Do the other side, stroking the sky with the left leg. Try a few more rounds, as you feel able, but try to be even on both sides.
Return to Mountain Pose. Finish with the relaxation you prefer.
That's a good morning's yoga!
Namaste.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-05 10:57 pm (UTC)Yowza *g*. That looks very satisfying.
For all three of these lunges, try to develop the intention of rolling open the forward thigh upwards toward the sky. This will help to prevent your knee from collapsing inwards.
Especially important if you have cranky knees. If you have certain kinds of knee problem, Warrior II can be your best friend or your worst enemy (for me, at least, II seems to be the one where my front knee's most likely to collapse).
It's great for building leg strength, but if my knees are playing up and I don't get the alignment spot on in Warrior II, it's a lot like having a knife unexpectedly shoved under the kneecap (this has been very very motivating when it comes to learning correct alignment).
I've learned to look down before bending the front leg, check which way the kneecap is "facing", and consciously turn it outwards before I bend the leg.
On the plus side, learning correct knee alignment from Warrior II and various other poses has contributed hugely to fixing my knee issues; nowadays if the pain starts recurring, I know I just need to pay more attention to how the bones are lining up in daily life. And do more yoga.