Ardha Chandrasana with a chair. Move the standing leg buttock forward and revolve the torso up to the ceiling.
”Focus on keeping the spine straight. It is the job of the spine to keep the brain alert”. BKS Iyengar.
Working with a long belt – tugging it down – to re-educate tight trapezeum muscles. Counteract this action by moving your tailbone in and rolling your inner thighs back.
© 2020 Bobby Clennell
Urdhva Hastasana; but even with a block and a belt, the student cannot straighten her arms.
Another belt was added below the the first belt. Now she can extend her arms. This memory will help her straighten her arms without the belts later on.m
This student also has a carrying angle, where the elbow projects forward. By clasping the upper arms, revolving them in and raising them (and at the same time applying a little pressure on the elbow) alignment comes and the arms begin to feel peaceful.
Helping this student to ‘find’ her legs. By tipping the foot up, she will eventually be able to find her thigh muscles and straighten her leg.
To strengthen the mind, strengthen the legs.
To fully straighten the leg, and take the kneecap back into the joint practice Ardha Chandrasana with a block under the sole of the foot.
Diagonal Uttitha Trikonasana. Practicing the pose this way takes the pressure off the front leg so it’s helpful for those with hip problems. It also provides more opportunity to revolve the trunk toward the ceiling.
Raising the pelvis in this version of Viparita Dandasana stimulates the abdominal organs (which can wake up ovarian function).
Sirsasana; The belt gives a visual reference (to the observer) of the mid line. Here the student needs to take her buttocks forward.
Sarvangasana. That which is behind the mid line – move forward; that which is in front, move back.
Parsva Halasana. Keep the torso high. Keep walking the legs around to the side – aim to bring them level with the shoulders.
© 2019 Bobby Clennell
Practicing Uttanasana with the legs separated allows for more mobility and a deeper forward extension than when the legs are together.
Practicing Uttanasana with the legs together compresses the abdominal area against the thighs (except where the student has tight hamstrings, and the trunk moves away from the thighs). This massages the abdominals, and helps keep the area healthy.
Tadasana. To ensure that the abdominal organs move up, roll the tops of the thighs back and take the tailbone in.
Uttitha Trikonasana. Revolve the tops of the femur bones out at the sockets. This ensures that the thigh bones will move into the sockets in a healthy way.
Rope Sirsasana. To ensure a deep internal alignment of the abdominal organs, make sure the belt is place exactly on the sacral bone.
Parsvakonasana. Similarly to Trikonasana, turn the tops of the thighs out.
Ardha Chandrasana. Turn the trunk and pelvis away from the standing leg. Can you touch the lifted leg shoulder blade and buttock to the wall?
Parsva Upavista Konasana. Turn from the navel toward the front leg. Everything below the navel is influenced by the activation of the left foot — press out through the left foot big toe mound.
Sirsasana. To avoid eye pressure, be exactly on the center of the crown of the head. Press the forearms down. Lift the shoulders.
Chatush Padasana over a chair. Raise the pelvic area off the chair, and placing the trapezius on the front edge of the chair, curve it around the edge of the chair. The upper back/shoulder skin will get dragged away from the head and area just below the collar-bones will open.
Supta Konasana/Chair Halasana. This gives low back relief. It’s also a better way to go for those with long spines, where it’s not so easy to climb through the chair.
Coming out of Viparita Dandasana over Crossed Bolsters. Allow the lower back to spread.
Bolster Supported Setu Bandasana. Make sure the shoulders just touch the floor (and that you haven’t slid too far off the bolster).
© 2019 Bobby Clennell
Bharadvajasana. To turn to your left, lift your front spine. Pin your right hip down, press your right back ribs forward toward your right breast and move them away from your spine.
Ardha Chandrasana. On the left side, pin your left shoulder-blade and left buttock deep into the body, and turn the entire torso up away from the standing leg.
Uttanasana: Standing with the legs apart allows you to rest in the pose. Doing this pose with the feet together helps strengthen the internal pelvic organs.
Dandasana with a belt.
Salabhasana: when the torso is heavy and hard to lift, place a rolled blanket under the abdomen. Wind a belt three times around the wrists, pull the arms back and lift the chest.
Dhanurasana: Lift your thighs off the floor and push your shins back until the front ribs are also raised up off the floor.
Urdhva Dhanurasana: Support this pose from your arms and legs, and do not initiate coming into the pose from your spine: Drive your heels into the floor, pull the backs of the thighs up toward the buttock crease. Roll the tailbone away from the waist and press it up. Press your hands down, revolve your upper arms in toward your head and neck, and pull the shoulder blades away from your neck and forward into your chest.
Beautiful entertainments.
These are the organizers. Take a bow ladies!
© 2017 Bobby Clennell.
Pincha Myorasana: press the index finger knuckles, the base of the thumbs, and the inner forearms down. Lift the shoulders, shoulder-blades, and outer hips. Roll inner thighs back.
Some partner work in Ardha Chandrasana: Supporting the upper thigh, lift the belt more from the front of the thigh than the back of the thigh.
Getting into Padmasana. Allow the weight of the left foot to open up the right hip socket.
Another way to get into Padmasana: lay down first.
Matsyasana with knees belted. Slide your tailbone away from you. If you have any kind of knee stiffness, it’s best to keep the knees wide.
Don’t force yourself into Padmasana. In Half Padmasana, be sure to “catch” the foot that is underneath, into the belt.
Supta Virasana combined with Supta Padangustasana I. The student is being helped with a very light touch, helping her to extend her bent knee thigh away from her. To help lengthen the right sacral area, the instructor uses a belt to move the student’s right hip away from the waist.
Move the extended leg toward an upright position.
Anyone doing Supta Virasana supported up on blocks and one or more bolsters has limited mobility. Great care is taken not to over stretch his raised leg hamstring.
The cat was very kind – he allowed me to stay in his room. He very much liked my water.
© 2016 Bobby Clennell.
Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana 1 on The Ropes. We help her roll her outer thigh down while moving her standing leg thigh back to the wall. She presses her standing leg foot down, and raises her spine and chest.
Uttitha Trikonasana on the ropes. Anchoring your back foot to the wall, and holding the rope will help give you the momentum needed to extend your torso away from the wall.
Ardha Chandrasana on the ropes. Turn your head back, move your dorsal spine and tailbone forward.
Rope Sirsasana. Secure the upper arm bones into the sockets — overlap the triceps onto the deltoids, and the deltoids onto the shoulder-blades.
Rope Urdhva Mukha Svanasana. Similarly, maintain the connection of your upper arms and shoulders.
Viparita Dandasana. Firm your shoulder-blades onto your upper back ribs. Walk your hands along the belt toward the wall.
I always enjoy teaching for Patsy Sparksman at her studio in East Finchley, London,
© 2016 Bobby Clennell.
It’s important to work on your sequences to get them perfect. These kids show you how to get started.
Here is Martin, son of Ana Uribe Vega, from Natural Yoga (yoga para todos en Bogata), Columbia. Before you begin your practice, tidy the room and find a suitable spot.
…and then demontstrate the pose to your students, Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose).
Sometimes a restorative version is appropriate. Adho Mukha Svanasana with the head on a block.
Adho Mukha Svanasana on points… My long -time student and friend, Carlotta Barrow sent this photo of Ellen Louise Burke, “a very lively little girl”, three and a bit, who lives in Walton-on-Thames, UK. Thank you so much Carlotta for giving away so many copies of Watch Me Do Yoga to your young friends and family.
….or find another way to get that lift. Ulrika Falk Mörtberg’s 2-year-old daughter practices Adho Mukha Svanasana on the ropes. Ulrika has been teaching Iyengar yoga in Luleå, Sweden since 2008. Kristina Berglund is her teacher.
Here is another two-year-old. Nuala moves easily from Adho Mukha Svanasana…
…to Urdha Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose).
Ann Van Regan’s granddaughter Darrah Boudreau knows a wall can be a good friend. Preparation for Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Full Arm Balance). Ann studies Iyengar Yoga in Ottawa, Canada.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose). This young student has a good grip on the pose — with all fingers and thumbs.
Vrksasana (Tree Pose). If you need to, use the wall for support.
Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose).
Preparation for Bakasana (Crane Pose).
Bakasana (Crane Pose).
Gabby Yates’s daughter Camilla, who is almost five, set herself up in her own variation of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana on a chair. Gabby has been teaching for 16 years and Joan White (from Philadelphia) was her first Iyengar teacher. She teaches at the Yoga Tree Potrero Hill, a studio dedicated to wall ropes. Gabby says “The Women’s Yoga Book is a cherished resource in my house”, and that she was recently introduced to Yoga for Breast Care by Marisa Torrigino, one of her prenatal yoga mentors.
Suzanne Faith Slocum-Gori‘s seven year old son Tenzin and four-and-a-half year old daughter Indira seen here meditating. Suzanne says they particularly love the chanting and mantra part of the practice. Suzanne is Co-Founder & Co-Owner of One Yoga in Vancouver. The family live in Ibiza.
Medatation on the ropes. :))
Teddy in a yoga swing. Picture sent in by Kamila Swiader
Thanks to everyone who has sent me photos of their kids who were inspired by my book, Watch Me Do Yoga; please keep sending them in. I try my best to correctly credit all the photos, but if I’ve fogotten your child’s name, please send it to me, and I’ll update the post.
© 2015 Bobby Clennell.
My dinner is almost ready. Food cooked on the street always tastes so good.
At Shelly Yoga — such a lovely place — Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)
For pregnancy, practice Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) with support. Avoid having the lumbar spine pressing into the abdomen by aligning the feet with the pelvis; place them in front of the trestle.
Here’s the block in the lumbar again. In Taipei, the blocks were thin and wide (better than regular blocks for this purpose). We belted them top and bottom, and then practiced the standing poses. The block is particularly helpful in Virabadrasana I (Warrior Pose I); it serves as a tactile reminder not to drop the lumbar spine forward. The students didn’t want to take them off! Use the block the same way in Urdhva Dhanurasana and see the effect it has on your pose. (Not for pregnancy!)
On my last night in Taipei my host, Shelly and her husband took me out to eat at a place high up in the hills. The tallest building in the world (at least, until recently) can be seen clearly in this picture.
Nearly home! Stopover at Incheon International airport, Seoul, South Korea.
To quote Jennilyn Carson of YogaDork.com “ Winter is so serious about winter this year”. New York, and it would seem much of the rest of the US has surrendered to the fact that this is a very harsh winter indeed. Just as the city clears up from the last snow-storm, another one hits.
Lindsey and I narrowly missed the first storm; we flew to Florida on the evening of December 25th. I taught two classes at the Yoga Sanctuary Punta Gorda: an inversions class (my favorite thing to teach) for the teachers, and a ‘holiday restorative class’. Over forty students turned up for this class, so it had to be moved to a larger space, a lovely old historical building nearby. Toward the end of the class, the students lying in their final savasana, a little mouse could be seen cavorting around the edges of the room. It wasn’t what Floridians would consider to be a warm evening and I guess the mouse had come in from the cold.
I also taught a class for my friend, Suzy Muchnik at Postures in Naples, where as always the students were strong, appreciative Iyengar Yoga practitioners.
On January 15 and 16, I travelled to Andover MA to teach a women’s workshop at EssentialYoga Studio. Roberta Macarty Dell Anno’s studio is situated in some beautiful New England countryside. Nestling in the woods, it is directly over the road from her house. A women’s yoga group always has so much to share, we all got to know each other pretty quickly. We worked hard. We were serious and focused, but we also laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.
© 2011 Bobby Clennell.
Bobby Clennell 