Once again, Kristen and I found ourselves both exhausted. (A common occurrence for yoga teachers in the city, it seems.) I just got back from teaching a workshop out of town and Kristen has an infant (no more reason needed). We wanted to do something more than just flopping around, but we needed a practice that had a strong restorative effect, so we opted to do forward bends. While we were practicing, we were discussing how when the sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight response) is active, the back of the neck grips. Kristen had the idea of doing the poses with the head well supported and a sandbag on the back of the skull. Boy, was that effective. We both felt like we’d woken up from a deep nap. The key is to make sure the the head is firmly supported with enough height underneath it that the sandbag puts no pressure on the back of the neck.

The Sequence:

Rope Shirshasana (Head Stand)
• 5 minutes.

Salamba Sarvangasana 1 (Shoulder Stand 1)
• 5 minutes.

Ardha Halasana (Half Plough Pose) with the toes on the chair
• 2 minutes.

Ardha Halasana (Half Plough Pose) with the thighs on the chair
• 3 minutes.

Adho Mukha Sukhasana (Downward Facing Comfortable Pose)
• 2 minutes each side.

Adho Mukha Sukhasana (Downward Facing Comfortable Pose)
• Head on support and weighted with a sandbag.
• 2 minutes each side.

Janu Shirshasana (Head of the Knee Pose)
• Head on support and weighted with a sandbag.
• 2 minutes each side.

Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana (Half Bound Lotus Intense West Stretch Pose) unbound variation
• Head on support and weighted with a sandbag.
• 2 minutes each side.

Virasana (Hero Pose)

Uttanasana (Intense West Stretch Pose) with the feet apart
• Loop a belt around the base of the skull and the balls of the feet to draw the head down.

Adho Mukha Virasana (Downward Facing Hero Pose)
• Head on support and weighted with a sandbag.
• 2 minutes.

Pashchimottanasana (Intense West Stretch Pose)
• Head on support and weighted with a sandbag.
• 2 minutes.

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) on support
• Have he kidneys on the edge of the support so they can get toned.
• We did this with the body supported by two chairs and blankets and bolsters under the head, neck and arms. By the time we had built ourselves up, however, we could have just used a bolster and a couple of blankets.
• 5 minutes.

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) with the legs on a chair
• 5 to 10 minutes.

Tags: Practice Lab, Advanced, Forward Bends

Sometimes when I’m practicing I don’t like to think too much. It can be nice to let the sequence and the poses take over and tell you what you need to be paying attention to in your body as you practice. I had one of those days last week and ended up practicing this sequence. Other than the first Down Dog, Head Stand and Viparita Karani don’t hold the poses for too long, no more than 30 seconds. Though it’s not really a vinyasa sequence, do your best to flow smoothly from pose to pose, adding props minimally where necessary.

The Sequence

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Parshvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)
• Arms stretched out to the floor.

Parshvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)
• Elbows clasped behind the back, both crossings.

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Spread Feet Pose)
• Arm stretched out alongside the ears as if in Adho Mukha Shvanasana.

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Spread Feet Pose)
• Elbows clasped behind the back, both crossings.

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Hand Stand)

Salamba Shirshasana 1 (Head Stand 1)
• 2 to 3 min.
Baddha Konasana in Shirshasana (Bound Angle Pose in Head Stand)
• 30 to 60 sec.
Upavistha Konasana in Shirshasana (Seated Angle Pose in Head Stand)
• 30 to 60 sec.

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
Bharadwajasana 1 (Bharadwaja’s Pose 1) to the right
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
Bharadwajasana 1 (Bharadwaja’s Pose 1) to the left

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) right leg on top/left arm on top
Ardha Matsyendrasana 1 (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) to the right
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) left leg on top/right arm on top
Ardha Matsyendrasana 1 (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) to the left

Malasana (Garland Pose) with the arms reaching forward
Pashasana (Noose Pose) to the right
Malasana (Garland Pose) with the arms reaching forward
Pashasana (Noose Pose) to the left

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) folding forward
Malasana (Garland Pose) clasping the ankles
Marichyasana 1 (Marichi’s Pose 1) with the left leg bent
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) folding forward
Malasana (Garland Pose) clasping the ankles
Marichyasana 1 (Marichi’s Pose 1) with the right leg bent

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) folding forward
Janu Shirshasana (Head of the Knee Pose) with the left leg bent
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) folding forward
Janu Shirshasana (Head of the Knee Pose) with the right leg bent

Bharadwajasana 2 (Bharadwaja’s Pose 2) to the right
Ardha Baddha Padma Pashchimottanasana (Half Bound Lotus Intense West Stretch pose) with the right leg bent
Bharadwajasana 2 (Bharadwaja’s Pose 2) to the left
Ardha Baddha Padma Pashchimottanasana (Half Bound Lotus Intense West Stretch pose) with the left leg bent

Ardha Matsyendrasana 2 (Half Lord of the Fishes 2) with the left leg in Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
Marichyasana 2 (Marichi’s Pose 2) with the left leg in Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
Ardha Matsyendrasana 2 (Half Lord of the Fishes 2) with the right leg in Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
Marichyasana 2 (Marichi’s Pose 2) with the right leg in Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Chatushpadasana (Four Feet Pose)
• See the above photo.

Reclined ankle-to-knee glute stretch
• Both sides.

Chatushpadasana (Four Feet Pose)

Supta Padangusthasana 2 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 2)
• Both sides.

Chatushpadasana (Four Feet Pose)

Viparita Karani (Upside Down Pose)
• 5 to 10 min.

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
• 5 to 10 min.

Tags: Practice Lab, Forward Bends, Twists

Like many people, I have a slew of imbalances that plague me. It’s always the same three or four things that are linked, and that go through cycles of being more or less aggravated. When they do flare up, it’s usually a sign that’s something has shifted and everything else is gripping like mad while the body figures out what it’s supposed to be doing. At times like these, I find it best to batten down the hatches and modify my practice accordingly until things sort themselves out. It’s much less crazy-making that way.

Right now my chest and side are incredibly tight and it’s pulling on my shoulder to the point where the muscles there are weak and over-burdened. So I came up with this practice that includes a lot of side stretches, twists and chest-openers to help create some space in the body.

The Sequence

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog) on the ropes

Side stretch over a bolster

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) with a bolster across the back

Bharadwajasana 2 (Bharadwaja’s Pose 2)

Parshvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose) With the arms unbound

Utthita Parshvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior Pose 1)

Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose)

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)

Parighasana (Gate Pose)

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior Pose 1)

Parivrtta Parshvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose)

Ropes 1--8-10 rounds

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Hand Stand)

Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand)

Salamba Shirshasana 1 (Head Stand 1)
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) in Head Stand
Upavishtha Konasana (Seated Angle Pose) in Head Stand)
Parivrttaikapada Shirshasana (Revolved Single Leg Head Stand)

Supta Padangusthasana 2 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 2)
• Leg supported by a bolster.

Supta Padangusthasana 2 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 2)
• Rolling all the way to the side so that the leg is resting on the floor.

Salamba Sarvangasana 1 (Shoulder Stand 1)
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) in Shoulder Stand
Upavishtha Konasana (Seated Angle Pose) in Shoulder Stand
Supta Konasana (Reclined Angle Pose)
Parshva Halasana (Side Plough Pose)
Eka Pada Parshva Sarvangasana (Single Side Shoulder Stand)
Parshva Sarvangasana (Side Shoulder Stand)
Eka Pada Setu Bandha (Single Leg Bridge Pose) from drop-back
Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) from drop-back

Janu Shirshasana (Head of the Knee Pose)

Maha Mudra (Great Seal)

Parivrtta Janu Shirshasana (Revolved Head of the Knee Pose)

Ardha Matsyendrasana 2 (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose 2)

Ardha Matsyendrasana 1 (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose 1)

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Tags: Advanced, Practice Lab, Standing Poses, Inversions, Forward Bends

Another new addition to the Forward Extensions section of the site:


Level: Intermediate

Marichi = one of the sons of Brahma, the creator.

This pose is also known as Marichyasana E in the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

Organizing the pose

Practice Points

Tags: Forward Bends

Another new addition to the Forward Extensions section of the site:


Level: Advanced

Marichi = one of the sons of Brahma, the creator.

This pose is also known as Marichyasana B in the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

Organizing the pose

Practice Points

Tags: Forward Bends

Here is a new addition to the Forward Extensions section of the site.


Level: Intermediate

Marichi = one of the sons of Brahma, the creator.

This pose is also known as Marichyasana A in the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

Organizing the pose

Practice Points

Tags: Forward Bends

Here's another new addition to the Forward Extensions category:

Read More...

Tags: Forward Bends

Here's another new addition to the Forward Extensions category:

Read More...

Tags: Padmasana, Forward Bends

Here's a new addition to the Forward Extensions category:

Read More...

Tags: Forward Bends, Padmasana

My first Iyengar teacher was extremely creative and unconventional in her approach to sequencing. She has a poetic way of sequencing that is both logical and intuitive, but she very much does not toe the line in terms of the way she sequences a class (bless her), so I never really got the hang of the classic Iyengar sequencing at that stage. Unfortunately, a subsequent disastrous and inadequate teacher training did very little to fill that gap. I have, of late, been studying with Donald Moyer in Berkeley, as regular readers will know. Donald is also extremely innovative and creative, while remaining intuitive and logical in his approach, but in some ways he is very old school when it comes to his sequencing. I've been teaching and practicing in his manner quite a lot lately, and it has been a wonderful exercise in getting inside the classical Iyengar mentality. Sometimes the method gets accused of being dry and repetitive, but there is an elegance to the sequencing. I offer you here my limited understanding of the form.

Here follows a breakdown of the major pose categories and where they fit in the scheme. This first chart is not an actual way of practicing. Think of it as a diagram of a hypothetical sequence including all the different possibilities:

This would break down into the following practice sequences for each of the four major categories. Obviously there are other types of poses -- arm balances, abdominals and such. Each of these has their own rationale, but think about how you are practicing them. How do they relate to standing poses, to twists, back bends or forward bends? This might give you an idea of where a pose such as Parshva Bakasana (Side Crow Pose) might go.

Tags: Twists, Forward Bends, Back Bends