Chapters (6)

Master Saddle Pose with Variations: Bernie Clark Yin Yoga Tutorial

Asana at Home Online Yoga · 3:03

In this practice

Key teachings

Prioritize sensation over appearance in Yin Yoga
Listen to your body and respect its limits
Use props and modifications for comfort and safety
Allow time and gravity to deepen the stretch

Ideal for

All levels of practitioners
Those seeking deep relaxation and stress relief
Individuals wanting to improve lower body flexibility

Lesson

Instructions

🧘‍♂️ Dive into the world of Yin Yoga with Bernie Clark as we explore the Saddle Pose with Variations or Supta Vajrasana (hero pose), a powerful asana designed for deep relaxation and stress relief. Whether familiar with the Saddle Pose or trying it for the first time, this tutorial offers step-by-step guidance to ensure you can safely and effectively incorporate this pose into your practice.

- Bernie introduces the Saddle Pose by ensuring it's suitable for everyone. He suggests sitting on the heels to check for discomfort in the ankles, offering modifications such as placing a blanket or folded towel underneath for extra support. - Attention is then directed to the knees, where Bernie advises using blocks or cushions for those with knee issues or significant muscle mass that prevents sitting comfortably in the pose. - The progression into the pose begins with leaning back on the hands, creating a gentle extension from the thighs to the front of the hips, which may be sufficient for some practitioners.

- For those looking for a deeper stretch, Bernie explains how to use a bolster to support the back, allowing the arms to open to the side or overhead to intensify the hip stretch. - He emphasizes that flexibility varies among individuals, noting that more flexible practitioners might be able to lie all the way down to the floor, possibly extending their arms overhead for an added stretch.

- Bernie clarifies that the critical focus in Yin Yoga, particularly with the Saddle Pose, is on the sensation it provides rather than how it looks. This approach encourages listening to the body and respecting its limits, ensuring a beneficial and sustainable practice. - He also mentions that it's normal for the knees to lift slightly off the floor due to tight quadriceps, reassuring that the pose's effectiveness is not diminished.

- As the tutorial concludes, Bernie invites practitioners to find their expression of the Saddle Pose or Supta Vajrasana, encouraging them to close their eyes and fully immerse in the experience. The goal is to allow time and gravity to work their magic, facilitating stress relief and a more profound sense of relaxation.

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Steps

Saddle Pose (Supta Vajrasana)
Modifications for ankle discomfort (blanket/towel)
Modifications for knee issues (blocks/cushions)
Using a bolster for support in Saddle Pose

Benefits

Deep relaxation
Stress relief
Increased flexibility in hips and quadriceps
Healthy deep flexion for knees

Asana Sphinx Pose Vajrasana Hero Pose Mindfulness Bolster Variations Saddle Pose Block Modifications Yin Yoga

Transcript

now we're going to do saddle for those who already know saddle just go right into it if you've never done saddle before let's first check to see if it's really available to you sitting in your heels like this notice how your ankles feel if there's any discomfort in the ankles right now couple of options you could put a blanket underneath the ankles or a towel or folded towel and that might just make it a little bit easier on the top of the feet especially if you're on a hard floor the top of the feet can feel quite uncomfortable here so put some padding underneath the second area to check is your knees now this is a deep flexion of the knees which can be quite healthy for the knees but if you have knee issues or if your thighs and calves are just so big you can't comfortably sit here then put some blocks or cushions between your feet sitting up a bit higher that may take some stress out of the knees if the knees and the ankles are okay the next stage is to lean back in your hands so this starts to create a nice stress from the top of the thighs into the front of the hips so more extension here and this might be it this might be your saddle pose if at any time this becomes too much just come out and lie on your stomach and do Sphinx pose just lifting your chest up resting on your elbows track two students may want to come back so they can rest onto a a bolster now you might need to angle the bolster just to bring it a little closer toward your spine and if you can be supported on a bolster you can allow the arms to open to the side or open overhead which may increase the sensation of stress along the front of the hips the track three students just naturally are more flexible doesn't mean they're nicer people they're just more flexible people they can come all the way to the floor and again if that happens you can bring the arms overhead now in this shape the knees might be off the floor a bit and that's okay that's just a little residual tightness in the top of the legs your quadriceps here as they loosen up you might find the knees get a little lower and lower but we don't really worry about that what we're after is sensation we don't care how the pose looks what's important is how the pose feels now that we're in whatever version of the pose works for you close your eyes

Practice summary

Level: all levels
Duration: 8 minutes
Equipment: yoga matblankettowelyoga blockscushionsbolster
Target areas: ankleskneesthighshipsquadriceps
Energy: calming

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