30/12/2024
Standing asanas are fantastic for women. They target the legs and the hips, strengthen the lower body, and stabilise the core. I encourage students to do the standing sequence in full, regardless of the series they are practicing. If they shorten the sequence, sometimes, I use props and small enhancements to promote legwork, when required, to increase sensitivity or address specific areas.
Pro tip: Work on your Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana by focusing on the root leg, and hold it for fifteen full (and real!) breaths. If you like, you may use an elastic band and work with the resistance that it offers to increase leg - body connection. It is not about overstretching, but learning to move and draw the body parts into the centre, how we can increase strength and prevent a lot of trouble and injury.
Backbending with Power
70% of the backbend happens on the legs. Backbends help with the leg-body connection.
The notion of "bending the back" can be inappropriate as it may result in collapsing on the lower back and the neck. Instead, we should think of engaging the whole of the spine in an upward movement and use the legs and the core to facilitate the experience.
I advocate for approaching backbends from a place of inner strength and coherence, instead of just flexibility. Understanding that the legs and feet support the spinal extension is very important.
Carmen Yague, Ashtanga Yoga Women
