Poses

Question 1

What are the prayer pose steps

Answer 1

Standing tall with feet slightly apart, gaze softly ahead, join together the palms, thumbs resting gently in the middle of your chest, gently easing shoulders down, arms coming closer to a horizontal line across if that feels comfortable for you.

Question 2

What is another word for prayer pose

Answer 2

Pranamasana (also namaskarasana)

Question 3

What is tadasana?

Answer 3

Mountain pose

Question 4

How do you get into mountain pose?

Answer 4

Start with standing with gap between feet to help with stability and balance as you stand, facing ahead, placing arms at sides.

As you inhale Start with rotating the arms so palms are facing forward, Lifting your arms up along your sides over your head, bring your hands together by interlacing your fingers and bringing them behind your head as you exhale

Inhale Lifting your arms above your shoulders, the heels of your palms up toward the sky, allowing your heels to lift up off the ground, lifting your body upright, feet straight and not flared out, core is engaged, letting the shoulders ease down as your palms reach up toward the sky, your arms straightening,in line with your body, brushing your ears or slightly behind them.

Exhaling as you lower your heels down to the ground, releasing your fingers and releasing your arms back down to your sides

Question 5

What is trikonasana?

Answer 5

Triangle pose

Question 6

How do you do trikonasana (triangle pose)?

Answer 6

Starting with feet wider apart, pointing your right foot out 90 degrees and your left foot 15-20 degrees in, squaring your pelvic region so that it is facing in front. Your right heel is in line with the arch of the left foot.

Lifting arms to shoulder level, palms towards the floor, sliding your body to the right, and as you exhale, you lower your right hand down and reach your left arm up, gaze upward toward the left palm. If you need to hold onto your right ankle that is okay, or resting palm on the block if that is most comfortable. The focus is on the journey.

Inhaling coming back to the previous position and as you exhale lowering your arms down next to your sides.

You want to feel the stretch on the opposite side of the body and hamstrings and arms

Switching to the other side by coming back to the centre, changing sides left foot 90 degrees out and back foot 15-20 degrees in.

OR

When coming back up to standing, arms out, shifting position where left foot is now turned 90 degrees and back foot is now 15-20 degrees in, sliding the body to the left and on exhale lowering left arm down and raising right arm up toward the sky

Question 7

Parivrtta trikonasana

Answer 7

Twisted triangle

Question 8

How do you do Parivrtta Trikonasana/twisted triangle

Answer 8

Wide legged stance 4-5 feet turning right foot out and left foot in, hips facing toward the front leg. Inhale, taking both arms up and exhaling go down, twisting, placing the left hand in line with the heel of the right foot. Pressing the buttocks back, feeling the stretch in the front hamstring, Take right hand up toward the ceiling, feeling the gently twisting the spine and holding for 3-4 breaths.

As you inhale, come back up raising arms and coming back to the centre.

Question 9

Utkatasana is also called?

Answer 9

Chair pose

Question 10

How do you do chair pose/utkatasana?

Answer 10

Starting with feet apart, arms next to thighs, lift arms up 45 degrees palms facing towards each other, bend knees and look in front 45 degrees and as exhale coming back to standing.

You can hold a yoga block between your hands or between your thighs to help support the angles

Question 11

What is virabhadrasana 1?

Answer 11

Warrior 1

Question 12

What are the steps to warrior 1/virabhadrasana 1?

Answer 12

Starting with legs wide take right foot out 90 degrees and the left foot 45 degrees, turning your hips so they are facing the same direction as your right foot, making any adjustments needed so your front foot heel is in line with the arch of your back foot. Front knee coming in line with your heel, thigh parallel to the floor, adjusting your back leg to bring your thigh more parallel to the floor.

Inhale, bringing arms up over your head and meeting your palms together, back straight, gaze forward, taking a few long breaths here.

Inhale, straightening the front knee, turning back to your beginning wide stance, and lowering your arms beside you

Question 13

What is virabhadrasana 2?

Answer 13

Warrior 2

Question 14

How do you do warrior 2?

Answer 14

Starting with a wide legged stance, your left leg goes out 90 degrees and your right foot is 15 degrees. Square your hips in the middle.

Rotate arms so your palms face the sky and as you inhale lift your arms to shoulder level, parallel to floor.

As you exhale bend your left knee, keeping your gaze toward your left palm. You want your left thigh to move as close to parallel to the floor by resting your right foot further away as needed, left knee in line with left heel.

Your back foot firmly rested on the floor, which helps your hips stay squared off to the middle instead of rotating to the left.

Question 15

What is Vrikshasana?

Answer 15

Tree pose

Question 16

How do you do vrikshasana/tree pose?

Answer 16

Place right foot over left thigh or calf muscles if that’s more comfortable, toes pointing towards the floor. Think of your bent leg like a flap, that moves side to side, and bring it out to where is most comfortable. Lifting arms up over shoulders, meeting palms above your head. Alternatively bring your palms together forearms parallel to the floor. On an exhale lower your arms back down and lower your leg back to the floor.

Question 17

Hasta Padasana is what pose?

Answer 17

Standing forward bend

Question 18

How do you perform hasta padasana (standing forward bend)

Answer 18

Toward the front or back end of the mat, feet joined together, bending from the lower back, engaging buttocks, thighs, until your back is parallel to the floor then lowering down the rest of the way, resting palms on the floor with fingertips resting in line with toes or next to the feet. Can use yoga blocks, can rest palms over yoga blocks in a placement that is comfortable for you. Alternative is to hold onto your hamstrings from behind and keep your gaze in front, knees back.

You can bend the knees to bend forward to relax in the body and release tension around the legs and body, can dangle body to restore

Question 19

What is hasta uttanasana?

Answer 19

Raised arms pose

Question 20

What are the steps for hasta uttanasana/raised arms pose?

Answer 20

Starting at the top of your mat with the feet slightly apart to help balance, raise arms up palms joined together, bending from your spine, keeping your Pelvic region in line, gaze towards your palms, your biceps towards your ears, release your arms down and relax.

Focus is back, shoulders, palms, eyes towards sky, making the curve from the lower back.

Question 21

What is konasana?

Answer 21

Angle pose 1

Question 22

What are the steps for konasana 1/angle pose 1

Answer 22

Standing in the centre of the mat, rotate the right palm so it is facing out, inhaling and lifting the right arm up right above the shoulder. On the inhale, gaze toward the right palm, dropping the head toward the left side, maintaining the right arm and the right side of the body in one straight line lifting up toward the sky and left side dropping toward the left side to rest. Inhale coming, roaring the right palm and coming back to the centre and exhale arms resting at the sides.

Question 23

What is katichakrasana?

Answer 23

Standing spinal twist

Question 24

What are the steps for katichakrasana? Standing spinal twist?

Answer 24

Standing at the centre of the mat, feet slight apart inhale lifting arms to shoulder level. As you exhale turn your upper body to the right side, your pelvic region doesn’t turn with the arms, maintaining the gap in the arms as if holding onto an invisible box. As you inhale come back to the centre and as you exhale relax your arms back down.

Can hold a yoga block to help maintain same distance between arms. Knees in alignment and unbent, feet flat on the floor.