This week’s pose of the week Parsvottanasana I, Pyramid Pose requires strength and flexibility. Do you find you have a tendency to have more strength or flexibility? Often our physical bodies will reflect our mental and emotional bodies. Explore and see if this is true for you.
Benefits:
Strengthens the legs. Stretches the legs back body and shoulders (if hands behind the back.)
How to:
- Begin in mountain pose tadasana. Feet about hip-distance apart (heels in line with the center of the sitting bones)
- Step your left foot towards the back edge of the mat keeping feet hip distance apart
- Hop the back foot in slightly to bring the sole of foot to the mat toes turned out on an angle
- Check the back foot is turn forward enough that the back knee points the same direction as the second toe (knee does not buckle or roll to the inner arch of the foot)
- Straighten your front leg and pull your front hip back
- Interlace the hands behind the back
- Hinge at the hips to fold the belly towards the thigh, lifting hands away from the lower back and crown of head towards the floor
- Front knee pointing the same direction as the second toe
- Scissor the inner thighs together
- Spread across the collarbones as you reach up through the hands
- Hold and breathe for 3-5 breaths.
- To release root into your feet, lift the shoulders above the hips, bend the front knee and step back foot forward into Tadasana, Mountain pose.
- Repeat on the other side.
Modify it:
If you feel unbalanced hands can be on the mat or a block. If the back heel or outeredge of the back foot is lifting then hop the back foot in slightly to shorten the stance. If there is sensation in the back of the knee microbend the knee.