Tutorials

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Yoga Pose Tutorial: Half Pigeon

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Half Pigeon Pose - some people love it, some people loathe it, but either way, it’s going to get those hips and glutes stretched out. If you need help or want to know how to do Pigeon pose, this post is for you. Be sure to check out the video to enjoy an entire practice meant to get your body ready for this pose and some great tips on moving in and out of it safely.

Half Pigeon Pose Tutorial:

Difficulty level: Beginner-Intermediate

Contraindications: knee concerns

Step 1: You can begin this pose from a table top position or downward dog. Some people prefer one over the other, so perhaps try both to see how they feel.

From table top, begin by bringing your right knee forward through your hands. The knee should come close to the right wrist. Once the knee is forward, you want to “kick out” the right foot, so it moves toward the left wrist. You should not be resting on the right shin here, but on the outside of the leg.

From Downward dog, begin by stretching your right leg up and back to a three legged dog. From here being the knee forward and through the hands and lower your legs to the mat. Once the knee is forward, you want to “kick out” the right foot, so it moves toward the left wrist. You should not be resting on the right shin here, but on the outside of the leg.

Step two: If you started from table top, slide and stretch the left leg back behind you as much as you can. You want this leg straight, with the knee and top of the foot down on the floor. Ensure the leg is not angled, but pointing straight behind you.

If you started from downward dog, your leg should already be straight, but you should continue to stretch it back and ensure it is not angled, and have the top of the foot on the mat.

Step 3: Check on the hips. You want the hips to be level so the back body isn’t angled. This is where your yoga props will help. Tuck your yoga block (links to Amazon Canada) under the right hip to bring it up and more in line with the left hip if you are finding yourself leaning a lot to the right side (see video for demo on where to place the block). Note: you can use a yoga bolster (links to Amazon Canada) or folded blanket here as well, however my first choice is always the block as it provides the firm support to keep your body aligned.

Step 4: You can either keep your upper body lifted, come down on to elbows/forearms, or all the way down to rest the forehead on hands or a yoga block. Stay in whichever position you enjoy the most (or feel the best stretch in) for at least 5 breaths, but this pose is a good one to stay in for a full minute or more!

The video below from our YouTube page includes all the poses your body needs to warm up and prepare for this amazing pose. If you are all ready for your pigeon pose, jump ahead to 23 mins to get to the demo of it.

Enjoy! And As always, just do your best. Namaste

Pigeon pose tutorial

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Yoga Pose: Eagle Pose Part Two - Lower Body

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I'm Baaaack!!! I must say that my vacation really worked to relax and re-charge my system! I am very excited to bring the second part of the Eagle Pose tutorial to you today - the lower body. As I shared in Part 1 (check it out here if you haven't already), Eagle pose can be very tricky. Today I'm going to show you how you can work progressively to move into this position, and provide some modifications to help you along the way. Keep reading for tips on moving into this yoga pose and watch the video at the end for some visual cues! 

Pose Difficulty: Beginner - Intermediate

Step One: Warm up your legs with Chair Pose (aka Utkatasana). Chair pose is the first step to moving into the pose so spend some time warming up those Quadriceps with a few repetitions of chair. I like to incorporate it into a flow with some forward bends to equally stretch and strengthen the muscles (see video for a warm up activity). 

Step Two: From your chair pose, keep your Left foot planted, and lift your Right foot off the floor. Keeping your knees bent, cross your Right leg over the Left, like you would if you were sitting in a chair. From here you have a few options:

Option 1: Bring your Right toes to a block (or the floor if the foot reaches) to help keep your balance (best option for Beginners or anyone who struggles with balance)

Option 2: Keep your Right foot in the air and work on your balance here. 

Option 3: Wrap your Right shin, ankle and foot behind the Left shin (see video). 

Step Three: Breathe and feel!

- No matter which above option you chose try and keep the hips level and in one line. 

- Keep bending the standing leg knee and grounding down through the standing leg foot. 

- Keep you gaze soft and steady on the floor in front of your to help with your balance.

- Try to bring your knees and elbow into the mid line of the body.

Try staying here for 5 - 10 deep breaths before untangling your arms and legs - giving everything a good shake out - and then moving to the other side! 

Note: In this pose, you always work with opposite arm and leg positions, so if the RIGHT ARM is UNDER the Left, the RIGHT LEG is OVER the Left.

PS...sorry for the video quality, it's not my best. I wont be using this camera again! 

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Yoga Pose: Eagle Pose Part One - Arms Only

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Eagle Pose - or Garudasana - is a very challenging balance pose that can look and feel quite intimidating when introduced. The problem is, if you only see the full version of Eagle in all of it's glory, you may never even attempt it, and that would mean you are missing out on the many benefits of this glorious pose. So, to avoid the overwhelm and intimidation, we are going to only focus on the upper body portion of this pose today. I am going to provide some tips, tricks, and modifications to make sure you get all the good stuff out of this stretch without having to think about balancing on one foot! Eagle Pose works to open and stretch the upper back and shoulders. I personally love it for shoulder tension that threatens to turn into a headache as it really works to release tightness from the Trapezius muscles. However, it can also be very tricky to move into if you have tight shoulders and back muscles - kind of a "catch 22" right?! Keep reading for some tips on how to move into Eagle Pose Arms, and how you can modify it to fit for you - wherever you are at in your practice! Make sure to check out the video at the end of the post for helpful visual cues. 

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Yoga Pose: Plank - Do's & Don'ts

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Yoga Pose: Plank - Do's & Don'ts

Ohhh the Yoga Plank - loved by some and loathed by even more. Plank Pose is a strengthening yoga pose that works the arms, legs, and core muscles. It is often practised as part of your Sun Salutation or Flow, so usually you aren't left working in it for too long, which can mean you aren't always in proper alignment. Today I wanted to break the Yoga Plank down a bit more to show you some "Do's" and "Do Not's" while in the pose, simply because it's a very easy pose to be a bit "sloppy" in. Unfortunately, if you aren't doing Plank correctly, you are missing out on some of it's wonderful strengthening properties, but it will still feel like a very difficult pose (maybe even more difficult than if you are in proper alignment). Keep reading for my list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for your Yoga Plank. 

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Savasana - What's the Point??

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Savasana - What's the Point??

Savasana - some people live for it, some people loathe it, and some people simply do not get why they are being made to lay on the floor for what seems like forever at the end of their Yoga class. Whatever group you fall into, my question is this: Do you really know WHY we do Savasana at the end of class?? Keep reading to learn more about the reasoning and benefits behind this seemingly simple pose.