How To: Kapotasana

Kapotasana, Full Camel

 Prep Poses

• Upward facing Dog, Cobra, Bow, Bridge, Wheel, Fixed Firm pose, pretty much any yummy feeling backbend

Tips & Tricks

•  Do not attempt this pose out of the blue- this is a super deep back bend so warm up thoroughly before busting this out.

• Start with a big inhale to lift your chest & upper spine up & over

• To make sure you are not collapsing in your lower spine, keep hips forward & focus on bending  the whole spine evenly

• In step 3, you can push against your feet to lift your chest up. This feels super good on your shoulders and chest too... (I learned this trick while taking Advanced from Aiko & Troy at Bikram Yoga Pleasanton) They are an AMAZING team so recommended visiting their studio in Nor Cal if you are in the area. They have so much knowledge to share & do a superb job at it!

• In the final expression, bring your elbows as close as you can together, eventually to touch.

• Do not forget to breathe! This back bend is very intense so keep the oxygen flowing & when you are ready to come out, do so SLOWLY. Sometimes I get a rush or headache when I come out of this & that usually tells me I am either dehydrated or haven't been back bending as often as usual. This pose is very revealing! Pay close attention to how you feel during & after the pose. Your body might be trying to tell you something...

Follow up poses: 

Savasana, Child's Pose, a twist, Downward facing Dog, Rabbit- maybe this should be next weeks challenge pose?! Stay tuned...

Benefits:

• Hip opener, heart opener
• Stretches front of the body, chest, neck, shoulders
• Stretches thighs & back
• Improves blood circulation
• Helps in releasing tension in the hip and shoulder area

How To: Bird of Paradise

photo-4

Tips & Tricks

• When bringing your leg up move super slow so you can be hyper aware of your balance.

• Do what you can! If you can't straighten your leg right away, no worries. Start with getting your foot off the ground. If you still feel good, bring your knee up to the side of your body & straighten your spine. Once you feel stable, slowly extend your leg as much as you can & hold your balance.

• Your shoulders & spine will want to round forward, so tap into your core strength to help straighten the spine. Focus on lifting your chest up to bring the shoulders up & back as well. (*I find it helps to take a nice big inhale while doing this)

• Keeping the standing leg straight is difficult in the beginning so be patient with this! As you build the strength & flexibility to hold the pose you will eventually be able to keep your standing leg strong & stabilized.

• If you smile, it makes the pose way easier.