Intermediate Iyengar Yoga Class. Towards Adho Mukha Vrksasana - Handstand

Transcript

it's be in your seated position for a moment and have a look I'm going to sit with my legs crossed in this way you coming forward slightly all right I'm going to see that I'm taking my arms forward like this abdomen to spine and then bend in at the elbow and reaching those elbows up like points of a pencil they've got to be so sharp and they need to go back need to go back arms in need to go back and then we slowly see can you get that straightness with the forearms too so you've got to see that all the back muscles have now connected and you just keep going up keep going up okay so those of you who find it finding strain it's so hard in your lower back in your upper back go higher sit on a higher support be in that position those of you who are managing then cross your legs the other way come on everybody now see that you take your arms together with the opposite leg cross this time and then say are you able to come here okay keep that lift at the sternum chest and now can you take those arms up very demanding and breathe at the same time so some of you will struggle with this don't worry this is a challenge you need to take those arms apart those palms apart then do so that's not a big issue here what you need to understand completely is how you use your limbs to get access at the spine this is really what we want to create some abilities the movement want to build up strength support build up the immune system from really precise symmetry and alignment okay so you can see here that I've got the supports already for my booty - hasta padangusthasana now if you see here I've got the brick on top of a chair now you can use the back of the settee the back of the dining chair even a dining room table would work quite well in this situation if your knees start to bend you know you're on a bit too higher support and therefore you have to get a happy medium it might be that you have some foam pads on the chair so that you can put your foot on - all right just take a look at the screen for a moment so the feet are going to be together and then we take the right leg up so most of you will be quite familiar with this action now when you're in this position you have to use your arms to activate the chest remember we're our arms were here they were here and they were straightening well we wanted to get this connection with the legs firstly let me say that we can give a little bit of a tug and pour this out a hip back be in this position be lanthanum connecting keeping that support keeping that awareness keeping that understanding okay come on your turn now all right if you haven't already get yourself onto the chair right leg now so see that the right leg is on the chair and you're lifting up really nicely tug on that belt lift through the center of the body pour back with that outer hip and now become aware of the role in your back so you've got to lift from the back of the state court area live from the back of the sacrum yeah makes a big big difference a big change in the body alright let's do the other side so let's like now just don't quickly do this you need to stand so that your feet are facing forward your left leg is on the support and then we take the support and we lift up keeping the connection can you lift from the back of the secret area can you lift from the back of that standing leg lift up lift up keep the action keep going up getting this understanding getting this awareness see that you Tuggle not bow a little bit more breathe keeping the actioned one more left one little bit more of energy going into that action drive down with the standing leg but lift up yeah all right well done really standing to have a snow with the feet together take the weight right back into the heels keep the lift all the way up through to the center the body soft inhalation exhalation and breathe be aware of your inhalation be aware of the exhalation okay release them alright we've got a little bit more of a challenge this time so if you find balance is a little bit difficult then do be by a wall or nearby be at the correct height for you so if your knees are bending you need to go a bit low with the leg all right so we've got all of those qualities all of the qualities that we had previously with about this time oh yes we're going to bring the arms into this position now you've got to lift up through the pelvis lift up even more lift up even more and then we get this action now you want to keep these elbows back I'm not so worried about the arms being completely straight but the elbows have got to lift up as I said you've got to point them like sharp pencils and then we extend the arms up Embry's so you got to find focus in this position you got to find that there's a depth in the creases of the thighs there's a pulling back with that outer hip such a strong action as if you find balance it's a challenge then do place yourself in a position where you just maybe hold on to a wall or to have that little bit more stability or take the leg down a little bit further just look straight forward just look straight forward glance forward facing forward breathe see if you can get those palms together you want to work on the sharpness of the elbows don't worry so much about straight in the arms first time this will come this is your practice you can practice this several times and see if you can get those arms a bit straighter and then releasing down okay so have a look at the screen again so the left leg goes up same thing you might find that this is a little bit harder level your hips remember when we had the belt there was this pull on that outer side get that pull then taking the hands lifting the chest pulling up the kneecaps and thighs and then we go can you do can you do can you do can you get that lift can you get that extension such a deep action groins really nice and long so if the arms are too here don't don't worry it's not punishment you got to see that you work towards that straightening gradually so you've got a deep in the groin action as you go up as you go up come on then a little bit longer a little bit more in this action see if you can get this connection taking the foot and then seeing can you get those arms can you get those pencil points at the elbows going rying it up to the ceiling so such an important action so much concentration and balance so much stability and strength so you've got to ground very strongly into those legs very good and then early since I didn't have a snow recover for a few moments take the weight right back into the heels and lift up soft inhalation soft exhalation so what we're going to come for now is half handstand so we do this by taking the legs up to the wall now sometimes the measurement can work sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't work so we turn ourselves around and then take the feedback look forward so you want to look forward and then bounce up in this position all right now we're all start off with this action all right I have a couple of goes see that you take the legs arm down take the legs up and down up and down again okay and then release it alright have a break for a moment just have a look at the screen as you can see here that I'm coming into my atom acha of rook Jocelyn now I want to see that I lift this lower back really well but also equally those aren't working as if my arms were working in the same exercises that we've been practicing so if I was here my arms would be really strongly lifting so you've got your margin your back in that position draw the abdomen in look forward now draw those back ribs deeply in and see can you go up now if that's really challenging then do the other way around you've got a choice but a lot of the reasons why people find it really difficult to go up into these handstands is because the body is not being supported enough so you've got to try and work on these arm actions all the time get access to the back all of this becomes really important all right well done okay so we come for uttanasana now stay looking at the screen we come for Orton arsenic if this is too far down put your hands a little bit higher even onto your chair no problem and then see can you take your big toes but as if your fingers were here where would your back be where would your back be where would your back be would it be broad yes it would keep that breath and broadness all right I then extend into the tango staff no lift in the buttocks lift those buttocks so well pull up the kneecaps and thighs and then she can bend into your forward fold those of you can take your hands for padahastasana okay and then release it and coming up well done good all right just have a look at the screen come in for Adam Walker Sean Astin oh so I don't know Christian out there coming into this action just have a look I need the wolf for this you just great those heels down okay so once my heels are scraping down then I've got to see am I able to lift the spine pull up the max of the legs strongly so just be there for a few moments okay now Adam will kuvira's learn now those of you who are finding it challenging with an ease grab your chair and just have a look at the screen and just see what the alternative is most of you all know that okay just be there for a little bit longer a little bit longer just rest down for a moment okay and then coming up well now I'm going to have the support underneath the buttocks now if you need to have a slightly higher support then do so that's no problem at all so we're just going to see how we can connect with this action how we were working at the beginning of the class so I'm just going to do a sideways view for you a little my support we're getting there in a second okay so what we want to do is to be sure that the legs are connecting and we're lifted now where we were working previously we had to see that these outer thighs were working the Croesus of thighs are working in or two tasks to padangusthasana also the arms really got that connection with the back but more importantly at the very beginning of the class we have that little bit of a lift here so you have to see that you find that lift through the body and then we reconnect with our forward bend now when you're in this position you've got to reconnect the spine has got to lift and lengthen and then you see can you keep that connection keep those legs grounding down can you keep that connection of the spine can you lift from that sacral area can you lift from the sacral area and eventually you have to be careful with this one because it's very very strong so you have to see eventually are you able to keep him and tain that extension through the spine but it also come forward a little bit now it doesn't matter if you're not reaching you're if you're not reaching the floor that's no problem at all that doesn't happen straight away if you're to here and just put your hands on to your shoes we're not using the bounce so those of you have run for your balance don't run for your balance this is not about action this is connecting so much with that lower back and lift lower back and lift lower back and lift lower back in lift just lifting all of these actually said be mindful be careful you need more support take it if you need to go to the floor take it okay and then release in so such a strong action so you might want to have a go at that if you find that you get a little bit of soreness on the inner thigh that really does mean that you need to bring the leg slightly closer for now only for now so we just work with that all right just have a look at the screen for a moment you take the legs together in dandasana now just watch I'm going to take this leg across like this it's really quite a strong action you have to find that softness in the belly how we were working in the very beginning of the class the arm comes across so now the arm against the leg Portia's the leg in towards the abdomen you got to push it in towards the abdomen you've got to see can you push in towards the abdomen and lift up keeping that connection okay come on then innit all right so taking those legs together and seeing that you take one leg and take it over and then the arm comes across so if you're already in that pose then see that you get in that connection see that you using your upper arm can you move a little bit further down can you get that action a little bit more okay this is rarely when it's in everything count and then straighten the legs be in dandasana and we come to the other side now bending the leg and then sink can we take the leg over and hook see might find that this is a little bit more tricky you may find that this is quite challenging so go and see that you get turn in action that connection you can get that turn can you get that turn can you get that turn okay I mean really soon it's up to baddha konasana now if you've got a bolster you can put your feet on the bolster couple of cushions from secchi absolutely fine too because these are handy I'm going to just put these here if you've got difficulty with folding your knees then you can take another support a little bit more support so that you can have a wider stance so what I mean by this your legs are a little bit more supported otherwise work in this position let the abdomen soften let the eyes soften let the whole body completely let go