Getting Started 8: Seated Postures
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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.
Seated Postures
Sorry! I fell victim to Snomageddon, but I'm feeling much better now, thanks!
So. At this point, you're probably thinking, "Isn't yoga supposed to be relaxing?!" And not I-must-find-inner-calm-so-I-don't-fall-down relaxing or where-the-heck-did-all-this-sweat-come-from-fall-down-exhausted-in-sivasana relaxing. More like that-was-almost-as-good-as-a-massage relaxing?
Well, it's time for some relaxing, peaceful, lunar forward bending.
Be sure to do a good warm up and some standing postures first. At least a few rounds of Surya Namaskar A and B, with maybe the Dancing Warrior sequence from Getting Started 7 on each side. The important thing is to be sure your hips are warm and stretched before you sit down. A lot of the seated postures are forceful and intense "hip openers" and getting some lunges behind you first will help you to get deeper into the postures and prevent injury.
Remember that as you are watching the instruction for these poses, the instructors are going to fold very deeply forward, and they are going to make it look very, very easy. Well, it is not easy to fold in some of these postures, especially at the beginning. Respect your own flexibility and challenge yourself without pushing too far. In my own experience of doing yoga three or four times a week, it took me a year to get my forehead to touch the floor in Wide-Angle Forward Bend, and I have done it a grand total of ONE time. You grow into these poses, so do what you can today. I think I've mentioned Brian Kest's comment before: The only difference between a more flexible person and a less flexible person is that the more flexible person has to go farther to feel something.
In the following list of poses, I suggest a sequence, where you perform all the postures for one side, then switch legs and perform all the postures for the other side.
Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Let's start with a wonderful, deep hip opener, Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana).
Sadie Nardini instructs here. An excellent explanation. She also talks about how to work your way deeper into the posture over time.
Cindy Mastry instructs here.
For the purposes of this sequence, relax forward into the pose, resting on your extended hands, your elbows, or placing your forehead on your folded hands, whichever position is best for you. Enjoy the stretch for five to ten deep, calm breaths. Breathe in deep, rich, slow ujjayi. Close your eyes. Hear the waves on the shore.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)
Then move on to Ardha Matsyendrasana, a beautiful twist that will really make you feel like you are doing some yoga, because you get all pretzel-like. Enter the pose from Pigeon Pose by rising into Cobra in Pigeon Pose, leaving your front leg bent and bringing the rear leg around placing the foot on the outside of the bent knee. (That instruction will make more sense after you review the posture, below.)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) (and no, I don't know what full Lord of the Fishes Pose looks like).
Amy Reed gives a very lovely illustration here at YouTube.
Remember that when twisting, you lead with the kidney of the side that's twisting inward, and don't jam the spine or force anything. Go as far as feels comfortable.
Hold the posture for five deep breaths.
Then shift your knees again, bringing one knee over the other for the next pose in the sequence, Gomukhasana.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
Now for one of the most relaxing yoga experiences you will ever have.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose). The cow's lips are your knees and feet.
A couple of examples from YouTube:
Illustrated without narration.
Example with instruction.
Another example with instruction.
All of these variations have you doing this pose with a shoulder stretch component. However, this is extremely relaxing when you leave the shoulders out and focus solely on the hips. Use the same method of growing the spine longer with the inhale, then relaxing forward into the fold with the exhale. Let your arms extend forward and to the side, completely relaxed, resting on the ground. Breathe deeply, imagining that you are inhaling through your stretching hips.
This posture is amazing. You will actually feel your hips unwinding.
Remain in the posture for five to ten very long breaths. Hear the ocean. Close your eyes, and look into yourself through the backs of your eyes. As you exhale, touch the delta.
Now, transition to the next posture by slowly unwinding your legs, opening your knees out, keeping the top leg on top. You are proceeding to the next posture stretching the same hip.
Agnistrambasana (Fire Log Pose, aka Double Pigeon)
Double Pigeon is a very challenging hip opener. At the beginning, expect your top knee to be sticking up quite a bit, and do not expect to be able to bend very far forward into the bend.
Agnistambhasana (Fire Log Pose, aka Double Pigeon)
Examples from YouTube:
A very good illustration, with excellent instruction.
Hip Tranquil Chick's example. She does a nice transition through Boat, that you can scope out, though in this sequence, you will come back to do the other side later.
Note that, again, you inhale and lengthen the spine forward, then exhale, fold forward from the hips.
I find this to be a pose that balances discomfort with release. For me, it is still fairly uncomfortable, though I have been working pretty hard on opening my hips in the last several months. But this posture also encourages deep, rich breathing. The water is rushing over the stones. I relax and look inward deeply, feeling the breath move through my hips and shift my whole body, as the tide moves the ocean.
Again, try to breathe into the hips, eyes closed, face relaxed, holding the posture for five to ten very long, deep breaths.
Now go back to the beginning, and repeat this sequence, bringing the other leg forward into Pigeon.
After completing the second leg, move on to three symmetrical poses to finish, starting with Baddha Konasana.
Baddha Konasana and Upavistha Konasana
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose or Cobbler's Pose).
Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend.
Here is a link for super-excellent instruction on these two poses by Sadie Nardini.
Take each pose for five to ten deep breaths, extending and folding with your breath, taking yourself to "your intelligent edge," as Shiva Rea instructs.
Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana).
Samantha Rafael demonstrates.
Finish with Seated Forward Bend. Remain in the pose for five to ten long breaths. Feel how calm you are. Close your eyes and look inside again. Feel the mental stillness you have achieved during these forward bends.
So, in summary:
The Entire Sequence
Sun Salutations
Dancing Warrior
From Down Dog, right leg forward into lunge, then drop the back knee, shift the foot to the left, and settle into Pigeon Pose
Bring the back leg around, place the left foot by the right knee, for Ardha Matsyendrasana.
Shift the left foot by the right hip, placing the left knee on top of the right knee, Gomukhasana.
Open the knees out with the left foot on top of the right knee, the left knee on top of the right foot, Double Pigeon.
Bring the knees one on top of the other again, roll forward over your knees onto hands and knees, press back in to Down Dog.
Bring your left foot forward into lunge, back knee down, walk left foot to the right side for Pigeon.
Bring right leg around, place right foot by left knee, Ardha Matsyendrasana.
Bring your right knee over your left knee, placing the right foot by the left hip, Gomukhasana.
Open the feet out, placing the right knee over the left foot, the right foot over the left knee, Double Pigeon.
Open the knees wider, feet together very close to your hips, Baddha Konasana.
Open the legs, feet wide apart, Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend.
Bring feet together, legs extended, Seated Forward Bend.
At this point, you could always tip backwards into Boat as you transition to Sivasana.
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.
Seated Postures
Sorry! I fell victim to Snomageddon, but I'm feeling much better now, thanks!
So. At this point, you're probably thinking, "Isn't yoga supposed to be relaxing?!" And not I-must-find-inner-calm-so-I-don't-fall-down relaxing or where-the-heck-did-all-this-sweat-come-from-fall-down-exhausted-in-sivasana relaxing. More like that-was-almost-as-good-as-a-massage relaxing?
Well, it's time for some relaxing, peaceful, lunar forward bending.
Be sure to do a good warm up and some standing postures first. At least a few rounds of Surya Namaskar A and B, with maybe the Dancing Warrior sequence from Getting Started 7 on each side. The important thing is to be sure your hips are warm and stretched before you sit down. A lot of the seated postures are forceful and intense "hip openers" and getting some lunges behind you first will help you to get deeper into the postures and prevent injury.
Remember that as you are watching the instruction for these poses, the instructors are going to fold very deeply forward, and they are going to make it look very, very easy. Well, it is not easy to fold in some of these postures, especially at the beginning. Respect your own flexibility and challenge yourself without pushing too far. In my own experience of doing yoga three or four times a week, it took me a year to get my forehead to touch the floor in Wide-Angle Forward Bend, and I have done it a grand total of ONE time. You grow into these poses, so do what you can today. I think I've mentioned Brian Kest's comment before: The only difference between a more flexible person and a less flexible person is that the more flexible person has to go farther to feel something.
In the following list of poses, I suggest a sequence, where you perform all the postures for one side, then switch legs and perform all the postures for the other side.
Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Let's start with a wonderful, deep hip opener, Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana).
Sadie Nardini instructs here. An excellent explanation. She also talks about how to work your way deeper into the posture over time.
Cindy Mastry instructs here.
For the purposes of this sequence, relax forward into the pose, resting on your extended hands, your elbows, or placing your forehead on your folded hands, whichever position is best for you. Enjoy the stretch for five to ten deep, calm breaths. Breathe in deep, rich, slow ujjayi. Close your eyes. Hear the waves on the shore.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)
Then move on to Ardha Matsyendrasana, a beautiful twist that will really make you feel like you are doing some yoga, because you get all pretzel-like. Enter the pose from Pigeon Pose by rising into Cobra in Pigeon Pose, leaving your front leg bent and bringing the rear leg around placing the foot on the outside of the bent knee. (That instruction will make more sense after you review the posture, below.)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) (and no, I don't know what full Lord of the Fishes Pose looks like).
Amy Reed gives a very lovely illustration here at YouTube.
Remember that when twisting, you lead with the kidney of the side that's twisting inward, and don't jam the spine or force anything. Go as far as feels comfortable.
Hold the posture for five deep breaths.
Then shift your knees again, bringing one knee over the other for the next pose in the sequence, Gomukhasana.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
Now for one of the most relaxing yoga experiences you will ever have.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose). The cow's lips are your knees and feet.
A couple of examples from YouTube:
Illustrated without narration.
Example with instruction.
Another example with instruction.
All of these variations have you doing this pose with a shoulder stretch component. However, this is extremely relaxing when you leave the shoulders out and focus solely on the hips. Use the same method of growing the spine longer with the inhale, then relaxing forward into the fold with the exhale. Let your arms extend forward and to the side, completely relaxed, resting on the ground. Breathe deeply, imagining that you are inhaling through your stretching hips.
This posture is amazing. You will actually feel your hips unwinding.
Remain in the posture for five to ten very long breaths. Hear the ocean. Close your eyes, and look into yourself through the backs of your eyes. As you exhale, touch the delta.
Now, transition to the next posture by slowly unwinding your legs, opening your knees out, keeping the top leg on top. You are proceeding to the next posture stretching the same hip.
Agnistrambasana (Fire Log Pose, aka Double Pigeon)
Double Pigeon is a very challenging hip opener. At the beginning, expect your top knee to be sticking up quite a bit, and do not expect to be able to bend very far forward into the bend.
Agnistambhasana (Fire Log Pose, aka Double Pigeon)
Examples from YouTube:
A very good illustration, with excellent instruction.
Hip Tranquil Chick's example. She does a nice transition through Boat, that you can scope out, though in this sequence, you will come back to do the other side later.
Note that, again, you inhale and lengthen the spine forward, then exhale, fold forward from the hips.
I find this to be a pose that balances discomfort with release. For me, it is still fairly uncomfortable, though I have been working pretty hard on opening my hips in the last several months. But this posture also encourages deep, rich breathing. The water is rushing over the stones. I relax and look inward deeply, feeling the breath move through my hips and shift my whole body, as the tide moves the ocean.
Again, try to breathe into the hips, eyes closed, face relaxed, holding the posture for five to ten very long, deep breaths.
Now go back to the beginning, and repeat this sequence, bringing the other leg forward into Pigeon.
After completing the second leg, move on to three symmetrical poses to finish, starting with Baddha Konasana.
Baddha Konasana and Upavistha Konasana
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose or Cobbler's Pose).
Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend.
Here is a link for super-excellent instruction on these two poses by Sadie Nardini.
Take each pose for five to ten deep breaths, extending and folding with your breath, taking yourself to "your intelligent edge," as Shiva Rea instructs.
Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana).
Samantha Rafael demonstrates.
Finish with Seated Forward Bend. Remain in the pose for five to ten long breaths. Feel how calm you are. Close your eyes and look inside again. Feel the mental stillness you have achieved during these forward bends.
So, in summary:
The Entire Sequence
Sun Salutations
Dancing Warrior
From Down Dog, right leg forward into lunge, then drop the back knee, shift the foot to the left, and settle into Pigeon Pose
Bring the back leg around, place the left foot by the right knee, for Ardha Matsyendrasana.
Shift the left foot by the right hip, placing the left knee on top of the right knee, Gomukhasana.
Open the knees out with the left foot on top of the right knee, the left knee on top of the right foot, Double Pigeon.
Bring the knees one on top of the other again, roll forward over your knees onto hands and knees, press back in to Down Dog.
Bring your left foot forward into lunge, back knee down, walk left foot to the right side for Pigeon.
Bring right leg around, place right foot by left knee, Ardha Matsyendrasana.
Bring your right knee over your left knee, placing the right foot by the left hip, Gomukhasana.
Open the feet out, placing the right knee over the left foot, the right foot over the left knee, Double Pigeon.
Open the knees wider, feet together very close to your hips, Baddha Konasana.
Open the legs, feet wide apart, Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend.
Bring feet together, legs extended, Seated Forward Bend.
At this point, you could always tip backwards into Boat as you transition to Sivasana.
Namaste.