 Step
by Step
Perform Virabhadrasana II (Warrior
II Pose), right leg forward. Inhale and cartwheel
your left arm up and over your head, creating a nice
opening in the left ribs.
With an exhale, twist your torso to the right, pivoting
on the ball of the left foot to lift the heel off
the floor. Then lean forward, lay your front torso
onto the right thigh, and set your hands on the floor
on either side of the right foot (if your hands don't
rest comfortably on the floor, support each one on
a block).
Walk your hands slightly ahead of, and shift your
weight onto, the right foot. Then, inhale and slowly
straighten your right leg, simultaneously lifting
the left leg parallel to the floor.
The proper balance of external and internal rotation
in each leg is important, especially for the standing
leg. Your left leg and hip will tend to externally
rotate slightly, lifting the hip away from the floor
and angling the pelvis to the right. Try to keep the
front pelvis parallel to the floor by internally rotating
the left thigh.
Pay close attention to the standing leg, especially
the angle of the knee. The knee will tend to rotate
inwardly: Be sure to rotate the thigh outwardly and
turn the knee so the kneecap faces straight ahead.
Feel how the downward energy of the standing leg
creates an upward movement in the raised leg. Don't
focus on how high your raised leg goes; instead, work
toward directing equal energy into both legs. You
can hold the raised leg more or less parallel to the
floor, or try to raise it slightly higher; ideally
your torso should descend as the leg ascends. If you're
flexible you can grasp the back of the standing-leg
ankle with the opposite-side hand.
Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, lower the
raised leg with an exhale and repeat on the other
side for the same length of time. |
