By pushing into your hands/fingers into the floor your can level your body, a little move here and a little move there. Experiment to see what works for you. To make it a deeper pose you can bring the body up into a Cobra type pose and vary the back bend as you wish. This is a really good all round exercise.
Another pose which is often neglected is the Triangle Pose. Simple in it’s nature but does need to be practiced correctly. Use a block to help you if you are unable to reach the floor, even if you are advanced with this pose a block can take to a ‘different’ level.
Step the left foot to the back of your mat. Turn the left foot open to a ninety degree angle. Align the hips to face the left wall. Begin to draw the right arm forward as you draw the right leg up and into the hip socket. Come into Triangle Pose, bringing the right hand down to the right shin, ankle, the floor, or onto a block. Bring the left arm up toward the ceiling. Work on stacking the left hip over the right and opening the chest by turning the ribs toward the ceiling. Hold as long as is ‘agreeably uncomfortable’.
Another little tip, after doing both sides and let’s takes the view that one side is more difficult than the other, and then goes back to that tight side. It may feel strange, maybe a little lightness, unbalanced feel. That’s because you bring back life into those tight areas clearing the blockages and allowing blood flow to go where it was unable to do before. And of course using your breath to help you.
The Triangle Pose has many benefits. If you are like most people in the U.S., your daily activities require you to spend long hours facing forward, such as when you sit at the computer, drive or walk the dog. These all inhibit movement in other directions. The joints that take the brunt of this forward movement are the hips.
Hips play a big role in motion and the balance of body posture. They are centrally located and are connected to the lowest part of the spine. With such a close connection between hips and spine, it’s no wonder that many people have back pain. A correctly done triangle pose, or Trikonasana, will reintroduce you to your hip joints and get them mobile again. Click here to learn how to do it properly.
Triangle pose is a complicated pose to get into, so please don't practice it until you have received instruction from a qualified yoga teacher, in person.
Glen Wood - The Yoga Teacher. Glen is a yoga expert who loves to teach you how to lose your neck, shoulder or back pain with yoga. He is dedicated to unlocking the Real Secrets of Back, Neck and Shoulder Pain.
