Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Standing Thumb to Big Toe Yoga Pose) I Yoga for Beginners

Transcript

hello and welcome back to olotita welcome back to the wholeness channel here on youtube when we talk about all things wholeness of the mind the body and the soul in today's yoga series video is we're going to look at the first balancing posture of the standing sequence in ashtanga yoga uti it's a really cool pose it provides a lot of challenge it has a lot to teach us and i look forward to delving deeper into it with you as we dive deeper into this posture we're going to break it down in a number of different modifications so that no matter where you are in your journey or with your flexibility or balance or endurance we're going to make these postures accessible to you so that you can work step by step and with each modification as you master that modification move on to the next modification and over time you will work your way up to the full expression of the posture having done so very safely making sure that you do not damage any of your muscles tendons or ligaments and that you do so effectively meaning that you're building the strength that you need as well as gaining the flexibility and endurance and balance and stamina and agility so if you are newer to this practice please do go at your own pace but work slowly start with the first modification and build your way up over time for my season yogi's out there i hope this video series helps you to start back at the basics review maybe clean things up a little bit maybe work a little bit more on one aspect of this posture and overall help you to remember how powerful this yoga sequence is for your body and for your mind and as we break things down today enjoy the movements enjoy your movement with your breath enjoy the moment have fun with that don't get frustrated at any point of the way especially with balancing postures we tend to get frustrated because we may lose our balance and i'm speaking specifically to my more seasoned yogis out there and you know it's true some days you just don't have balance so as you work with these videos on your body onto where you are in space on where you are in time meaning how are you feeling today and enjoy the process utita hasta padangusthasana and standing tall and samasthiti at the top of your mat bring your left hand to your hip and your right hand to your knee as you lift your knee up in space standing tall and strong make sure your chest is lifted make sure you're pushing your left hip forward slightly to help maintain your balance really squeeze your back muscles together to help you open your chest and stand tall keep your breath steady and your bund is strong on your exhale take your right knee out to the right and if balance allows begin looking over your shoulder by taking your head to the left maintaining that strong body as you push your left hip forward and continue to open your chest inhale your right knee to center exhale fold forward over that knee inhale stand tall now bring both hands to your hips and begin to start to straighten or extend your right leg it's okay if it stretched low or high just make sure that you're not bending your body backwards to achieve that lift from your leg we're trying to activate your core and your quadriceps and hip flexors so keep that back long and flat and as always if you need to bend your knee in order to do so these are modifications for you to work to build to that full expression over time exhale some must eat the heat inhale come to your left side lifting your left knee left hand to your knee right hand to your hip standing up tall very important that you keep that chin lifted and gently keep squeezing those back muscles ever so slightly that right hip is pressing forward into your right hand which is on your right hip standing up tall as you grip that knee turning on your bicep you're holding the knee with your hands strongly everything here is still engaged on your exhale turn your left knee to the left still standing tall and again if balance allows start to turn your head to the right to look over your right shoulder parswood drastic side gaze always working hard with your breath in your bundas as they are the foundation for everything that we're doing keep that breath really steady inhale your left knee to center exhale fold over your left knee inhale stand tall bring both hands to your hips and either keep your knee bent or begin to stretch it out straight in front of you it's completely up to you work with where you are right now just remember you want to make sure you don't let your body bend backwards in order to get your leg extended up and in front of you so bending the knee is perfectly okay right now take another deep breath and on your exhale release and return to samasthiti modification two inhale extend your arm out in front of you look to your fingers and inhale lift that right leg grab your big toe you can practice this a few times it's the best way to teach your body how to use the right muscles to lift that leg up and different options you can bend your knee holding your toe or you can straighten your leg holding your toe whichever position you choose really focus again on keeping your body nice and long keep it straight you're gripping the toes but you're really squeezing your back as you do so and in the full version of this leg extension you're trying to point your toe now turn your right leg out to the right again the knee could be bent or the leg could be straight and eventually that toe is pointed but for now if you need to flex your foot you can find what works for you but really keep pressing your left hip forward keep your chest open keep your breath steady and remember as you grip the toes you're really using your whole arm inhale your right leg to center exhale fold out over your leg then inhale extend your leg release your toe and stand tall for five deep breaths every single inhale squeeze your pelvic floor every exhale feel your navel press to your spine and exhale now to samasthiti left side extend your left arm out look to your fingers and inhale lift your left leg to grip the toes with your fingers remember you can always bend your knee and if flexibility allows you can straighten your leg and eventually you can straighten your leg and point your toe keeping your chest lifted keeping your back flat keeping that right hip pressing forward really connect to your body in space the leg will eventually straighten here go ahead and take your left leg out to the left as you exhale and begin to turn your head to the right looking over your right shoulder parswood drastic side gaze everything you're doing is about keeping your body lifted and extended and stacked so even here we have tensegrity inhale your leg to center exhale fold over that leg inhale stand tall hands to your hips and extend your left leg out in front of you if you can you're pointing your toes you're asking your hip flexor and your quadricep to help lift that leg you're asking your chest to stay open and your back to be engaged to maintain your spinal alignment exhale cell must eat the heat full expression inhale lift your right leg take your big toe with your index middle finger and thumb exhale fold over your straight right leg literally folding forward your toe is pointed you're gripping strong all the muscles in your upper body are working hard to hold and engage all the while your standing leg is perfectly straight inhale sit up tall exhale take your right leg out to the right as you look over your left shoulder parso dress d beautiful engagement of your breath in your bundas keep pointing your toe keep gripping your toes and gripping your back muscles chest is open left hip is pushing forward and your body is so steady deep breathing with sound here inhale your right leg to center exhale fold forward over your leg let your elbow bend down inhale stand tall extend your leg hands to your hips five deep breaths in our c position of utita hasta parangushtasana deep breathing with sound guys stand up as tall as you can keep that chest lifted keep that chin lifted keep your bundas engaged exhale samasthiti coming into wamabaga left side inhale lift your left arm and your left leg grab that big toe exhale begin to fold over your straight left leg let that elbow bend down instead of out keep pulling your head towards your toes as you stretch your body over that straight left leg make sure you keep your right leg straight connecting deeply to those internal muscles will help you so much with balance inhale stand up tall straighten your body exhale take your left leg now out to the left as you look over your right shoulder and in the full expression you do create that movement simultaneously you're pointing the toe as you grip the fingers you're squeezing your back as you grip your fingers you're lifting your chest and your chin as you press your hip forward eyes are wide open and your breath is ever so steady keep those bundes strong and remember this moment is for you inhale your left leg to center exhale fold over that straight left leg inhale stand tall extend your leg hands to your hips five deep breaths really working hard here from the pelvis your left leg is straight and so is your standing right leg your left toes are pointed your chest is lifted your chin is lifted your back is strong your bundas are so active beautiful job exhale to some must eat the heat i hope you had a little fun playing with utita hasta padangustasana the first balancing posture in the standing sequence of shauna yoga it is a lot of fun and there's a lot to it it's asking you to move through space it's asking you to hold your body in a specific way gain the strength endurance and stamina that you need but piece by piece as you work to master the posture your body's gonna change and so are you enjoy that process never try to rush to the finish line because there isn't one especially in this practice once i teach you the full expression then we can break down how to go even deeper into that full expression or how to focus more on your dristies or get deeper into your internal muscles so i assure you there is never an end goal in yoga it's all about the journey so enjoy that journey i want to thank you all so much for your likes your shares your subscribes they mean a lot to me if any of this content resonates with you and you know people that can benefit from it please do share it i hope you have a gorgeous rest of your day i'll see you here next time namaste you