Yoga Lab – Asana YOGASANA Standing Balances Poses FITNESS Creating a Balanced Foundation Sometimes standing on one leg is the hardest part. Vrksasana Tree Pose Place one foot at the top of the inner groin of the other leg. Avoid placing the foot on the knee. Press strongly into the standing leg, as the standing leg strongly resists. Place the arms overhead, hands together. Easier variation: Keep your toes on the ground and place your heel on the other leg’s ankle, or on the calf. Keep your arms on your hips, or by your sides, or in anjali mudra at your chest, or overhead with the hands apart. Ardha Chandrasana Half Moon Pose Keep the weight light on the bottom hand. Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana Pull the top shoulder back so that the top arm Upright Extended One Foot Pose is vertically aligned with the bottom arm. Place both hands on the ground as you start to Stay strong in the top leg to create a counter- raise one leg behind you. weight for the torso. Try to keep the hips level by internally Spread the sole and toes of the top foot. rotating the thigh. Easier variation: Use a block for the hand, Wrap the hands around the standing leg as or take the forearm to the seat of a chair. you take your nose to your shin. Position yourself in front of a wall so that Easier variation: Place the hands on blocks in your top heel and top shoulder may lean into front of you. Do not take the leg higher than it. This way you may worry less about the the pelvis. Keep the hips level by turning the balance and focus more on alignment and toes and the knee down towards the floor. strengthening. Garudasana Eagle Pose Bend both knees, cross one knee over the other and wrap its foot behind the calf of the standing leg. Place the elbow on the side of the top leg, under the opposite elbow in front of you, and wrap these fingers into the palm of the top arm. Virabhadrasana III Raise the elbows, pull the wrists away from Warrior III Pose the forehead. Spin the inner thigh of the top leg towards the Bend your knees and lower the hips. ceiling with the knee and toes pointing down Easier variation: Place the toes of the top leg towards the floor, so that both hips are level on the floor or a flat block. Keep the hands with each other. on the hips, or press the forearms and palms Align the wrists, shoulders, hips and top heel. together with the elbows close to shoulder level. Easier variation: Keep the back toes on the floor as you reach the arms upwards. Alternatively, you may place the hands on the seat of a chair, or the wrists on the back of a chair as you raise the leg to focus on alignment and strengthening. Yoga Lab – Asana YOGASANA Standing Balances Poses FITNESS Creating a Balanced Foundation Sometimes standing on one leg is the hardest part. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana C Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose Keep your posture tall. Keep your posture tall. The opposite hand holds the outside edge of First two fingers loop around the inside of the First two fingers loop around the inside of the the foot. big toe with the thumb to make a ring. big toe with the thumb to make a ring. Turn your gaze to look over the fingertips of Keep the bottom leg straight. With one leg to the side, turn your gaze in the your extended arm. Easier variation: Raise only the knee, opposite direction. Keep the bottom leg straight. supported or not supported with the hand. Easier variation: Raise only your knee, Easier variation: Raise only your knee with Alternatively you may use a belt around your supported or not supported with your hand. your opposite hand placed on the outside of foot, or place your foot on a chair seat with Alternatively you may use a belt around your the knee. Alternatively, place your foot with your hands on your hips. foot, or place your foot on a chair seat. a bent knee on a chair seat, or a straight leg on the back of a chair firmly placed against a wall, or use a belt around the foot and hold the belt in the opposite hand. Natarajasana (modified) Eka Pada Galavasana (modified) Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana Lord of the Dance Pose One Legged Galava (sage) Pose Rotated Half Moon Pose Hand holds the instep of the foot, with the Bend the knee of the standing leg as you place With the opposite foot and hand on the floor, thumb under the big toe. the other ankle over the knee. turn to raise the top arm to the vertical. Keep the knee in the same plane as the hip Lower the hips and either keep the palms Pull the top ribs and shoulder back so that and shoulder. together at the sternum, or bring the elbows the top arm aligns vertically with the bottom Classically, the shoulders rotate upwards down to the knee and ankle. arm. with the elbows pointing to the ceiling and If you can lower the hips further, bring the Internally roate the top leg so that the toes both hands hold the foot behind the head. hands down to the floor. and knee are pointing down toward the floor. Easier variation: Take a quadricep stretch In the full classical variation, the shin rests on Push the back of the knee of the top leg up by holding one foot behind you and pulling the triceps, in an arm balance where the back towards the ceiling. the knee downwards in line with the knee of leg is extended upwards at 45°. Easier variation: Keep both hands on the the standing leg, then raise the opposite arm Easier variation: Place the hands on a chair. ground or on blocks/chair seat and raise the overhead. Alternatively, loop a belt around Alternatively, sit in a chair, cross the ankle back leg upwards. Alternatively, place a block the foot, hold it in one hand as you try to take over the knee and lean towards the shin. under the bottom hand, or place the forearm the pose, or take the belt overhead to try the on the seat of a flat-bottomed chair. Keep the full pose. top arm wrapped behind the back of you are unable to take the arm to vertical..