Basic Practice: Supporting with the Inner Thighs

• Strengthen the inner thighs. Do this not by squeezing, but by bringing weight into them and directing them either towards or away from the navel, down into the ground or up towards the ceiling.
• To complement and ground the strengthening of the inner thighs, lengthen the inner foot, sending the big toe away from the inner heel and the inner heel away from the big toe.
• Organize the body along the mid-line. Mentally draw a line along the inner feet, the inner ankle, the inner thigh, in front of the tailbone, behind the navel behind the heart and up through the middle of the head. Allow the two sides of the body, front and back, to spread out evenly away from this mid-line.
• Reach the legs, the arms, the tail and the head away from the navel. Allow the whole body, torso and all, to radiate out from the navel equally in all directions.

Child’s Pose

• Organize the body evenly along the midline: bring the big toes together at the midline; point the tail straight back and down along the midline; place the knees equidistant from the mid-line; center the chest and head on the midline, place the hands equidistant from the midline. Every time you do your Child’s Pose, organize it like this.

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

• Organize the pose evenly along the midline.

Lunge with the back knee up

• Press the back inner thigh up and reach it back.
• Bring weight into the front inner thigh and reach it forward.
• Reach the arms and head away from the navel.

• “Standâ€� on your inner thighs, drawing them up and back as the upper body tumbles down out of the navel.

• Send the two inner thighs away from each other.
• Widen the abdomen, chest and arms evenly out from the mid-line.

Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)

• Draw the inner thigh of the front leg up and back out of the big toe towards the navel. Reach the back leg back and down out of the navel into the heel.
• Widen the abdomen, chest and arms evenly out from the mid-line.

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior Pose 1)

• Send the two inner thighs away from each other.
• Widen the back and front torso evenly out away from the mid-line.
• Reach the arms, sides and head up out of the navel.

Parshvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose) with the arms down on blocks or the floor

• Draw the inner thigh of the front leg up and back out of the big toe towards the navel. Reach the back leg back and down out of the navel into the heel.

Supta Padangusthasana 1 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 1) with the head down

Supta Padangusthasana 2 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 2)

Supta Padangusthasana 1 (Reclined Big Toe Pose 1) with the and shoulders up