How To: Three-Legged downward facing dog

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3legged dog
3legged dog

Downward-Facing split, One-legged downward-facing dog, Three-legged downward-facing dog, Three legged Dog, DownDog Split, What have you pose... Lots of names for this one!

Tips & Tricks:

  • When you pull your leg in, round as much as you can by pulling in your stomach. Think angry Halloween Cat.
  • Keep hips square...This has been my biggest challenge:/  If your hips are open, you are going to have to tap into extra strength to maintain squared off hips.  The other week when I was traveling I got to take class at this awesome studio in Venice called Exhale &  had the opportunity to take class from the Alignment Queen,  Annie Carpenter. In just one class, she gave me so much to work on, it was incredible how much homework I took from her. At one point she hovered over me &  told me "Your mantra is CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL." Yes mam'. So, control those hips ladies & gents- I'm still working on it too:)
  • Feel out your shoulder alignment. It's easy to have one shoulder come out more than the other, so again, tap into your strength & make your mantra CONTROL. Spread your fingers wide and press firmly through your palms and knuckles. Distribute your weight evenly across your hands to help maintain a strong base.

Benefits:

  • Opens hips & ribs
  • Builds balance
  • Energizing
  • Strength building
  • Full body stretch

How To: Parsva Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana

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Come here big toe
Come here big toe

Tips & Tricks

Keep both hips squared to the front. You can feel your hip socket to make sure your hips are square.

Try to keep the spine straight & shoulders sliding down your back.

If you are not able to straighten your leg just yet, do not push it. Move slowly & focus on keeping your standing leg rooted down & spine straight. Form over matter, so practice each step to your body's best ability.

Good rule of thumb: Your deepest part of the pose is dependent on your form, so to know how deep you can go, pay attention to where you can hold the pose with the best integrity.

Other variation: As you swing your leg to the left, you can turn your head to the right.

sun2
sun2

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