Postures Flashcards
Postures, family, poses, cues
Anjaneyasana
High Lunge
Back bend
- Energising poses
- Can throw one in to energise the class in Anjaney, Tadasana, crescent lunge
- Awaken energy within the spine, invigorate the nervous system, improving breathing and digestion
- Open up the front body, releases and breaks stress
Backbend cuing
- ‘airbag’ effect – activating uddiyanah bandha by contracting the abdominal muscles compresses the abdominal organs and provide additional support to the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine
- Ground four corners of the feet
- Legs and feet parallel
- Lengthen lumbar spine by grounding tailbone and activating uddiyanah bandha
- Hug tips of shoulder blades in the back of the heart space
- Broaden collarbones
- Elongate cervical spine
Backbend cuing
- Ground four corners of the feet
- Legs and feet parallel
- Lengthen lumbar spine by grounding tailbone and activating uddiyanah bandha
- Hug tips of shoulder blades in the back of the heart space
- Broaden collarbones
- Elongate cervical spine
Before twisting what needs to be activated?
The core muscles in order to centre the pelvis from the hip joint.
Boat Pose
Navasana
Bow Pose
Dhanurasana
Bridge Pose
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Child’s Pose
Balasana
Cobra Pose
Bhujangasana
Concentric contraction
Movement to contract the muscle i.e. bicep curl inward
Corpse Pose
Savasana
Crow Pose
Bakasana
DFD - modifications
- bend knees - drop knees to earth or dolphins pose on forearms
Dhanurasana
Bow Pose
Downward Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Eagle pose
Garudasana
Eccentric contraction
Movement to extend the muscle i.e. moving from bicep curl inward
Fierce or chair pose
Utkatasana
Fish Pose
Matsyasana
Forward bend cuing
- Engage Uddiyanah Bandha and lengthening sternum away from pelvis
- Maximise length in front body, minimal rounding in back body
- Bend knees to take pressure off hamstrings and lower back
- Anterior tilt of pelvis
- Quadriceps engaged
Forward bends - rules
- Should have an acute angle – less than 90 degrees
- bend knees more to safely forward fold
- Those that are overly flexible, need to focus on stability through their uddiyanah and mula bandhas to support the spine
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Forward bends benefits
Benefits – open the back-body chain of muscles
Has a calming effect on the nervous system influencing the mind to slow down and move more to introspection
Chance to reset, regroup
Half Lord of Fish Pose
Ardha Matsyendrasana
half way lift
ardha uttanasana
Inversions cuing
- Engage core strength
- Maintain a neutral curve through the cervical spine
- Encourage shoulder stability
- Active feet and legs to avoid sinking
- Continuous flow of breath
Isometric contraction
- Muscle contracts but does not shorten
Lateral cuing
- Engage core strength
- Stay lifted out of lumbar spine
- Stabilise pelvis alignment and feet
- Stabilise scapula placement
- Continuous flow of breath
Legs up the wall
Viparita Karani
Matsyasana
Lord of the Fishes Pose
Mountain Pose
Tadasana
Name and show three planes of anatomical movement
Saggital - Flexion/Extension; Coronal - Adduction/Abduction; Transvers - Rotation
Natarajasana
Dancer
Plough Pose
Halasana
Revolving crescent lunge
parivrtta Anjaneyasana
Revolving crescent lunge - key alingment
- feet hip width - on the ball of back foot, heel over ball - back leg engaged, thigh bone lifted - front knee over ankle, in line with second toe - hug inner thighs toward midline - lengthen spine on the same diagonal angle as the back leg, pull sternum up - tailbone lengthens to back foot - uddiyanah bandah engaged - arms in prayer or arms open - length in boths sides of the upper body - breathe
Revolving crescent lunge - modifications
- drop back knee - lengthen hand to floow on inside of front foot or block
Salabhasana
Locust
Samasthiti
Tadasana variation
Shoulder stand
Salamba Sarvangasana
Side Plank
Vasisthasana
Squat pose
Malasana
Standing forward bend
Uttanasana
Standing postures - foundation?
- Feet > hips > spine
- Connect to the earth
- Build upward
- Speak to the four corners of the feet, spread the toes
- femurs descending
- Ensure pelvic alignment
- Drishti is important when balancing
Supta Baddha Konasana
Reclining Bound Angle Pose
Tree pose
Vrksasana
Twists
- Neutralising or energising
- Allows for improved energy through back body
- Neutralising between folding or strong back bends
- Crucial for spinal health to get blood supply into the joints
- Manipulate the internal organs
- Rotates the spine and lengthens the muscles of the back body
- Don’t twist when pregnant
Twists cuing
- Engage core
- Maintain natural curvature of spine
- Lengthen the spine, engage the back muscles
- 1 part of body should always remain straight
- Standing = hips, pelvis
- Laying down = shoulders stay in touch with the earth
- Take care not to over rotate
Upward Facing Dog
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
Virabhadrasana 1
Warrior 1
W2 alignment points (10)
- Front heel in line with back foot heel or inner arch - Back foot at a 90 degree angle, grounding into the pinky edgy - Back inner thigh engages, lifts and presses back - Front knee in external rotation over ankle, in line with second toe - Hips open, shoulders over hips - Arms reaching straight up, open at shoulder level - Arms externally rotated (biceps up, palms down) - Shoulder blades wide down the back - Neutral spine, supported by uddiyana bandha - Drishti forward over middle finger
W2 modifications
- Shorten stance for more stability - Drop hands to prayer
Warrior 1 Modifications (3)
- Shorten distance between foot for more stability - Drop hands to prayer in front of chest - Crescent lunge
Warrior 3
Virabhandrasana 3
What are inversions?
Inversions
Need to be mindful of weight and where you are balancing
Great when feeling emotional, indigestion
Only posture where heart is higher then head
What are laterals?
Laterals
- Opens the side body
- Very invigorating
What are standing asanas designed to do?
Build strength in the body and increase flexibility, particularly in the legs and hips.
What are the families of postures
- standing
- forward bends
- back bends
- twists
What are the planes of the pelvis
- Sagittal plane – thrust hips forward or back
- anterior tilt – pitching hip bones forward
- posterior tilt - tucking the hip bones back
- can manage by focusing on the hips/feet e.g. crescent lunge bend the back knee
- Coronal/frontal plane – tipping of the pelvis right or left
- E.g. tree pose, foot too high and hips are one sided
- Transverse/horizontal plane –
- Twisting hips with the back
- keeping pelvis stable while twisting through the torso and spine e.g. twisted lunge – keep pelvis level
What are the planes that our hips may take?
Sagittal - anterior/posterior tilt
coronal/frontal plane - hip hikers
transverse/horizontal - rotation
What are the two types of twists?
One where the shoulders stay fixed and the pelvis rotates and ones where the pelvis stays fixed and the shoulders rotate.
What is key to sequencing?
- Find clarity in your theme – theme should be identified and summarised
- Relate to your theme – why is it important for you
- Back it up with philosophy, ancient teaching, quote, story
- Sequence – peak pose, alignment cues etc
What is the definition of an Inversion?
Any posture where the head is below the heart.
Wide seated forward bend pose
Upavistha Konasana
