Yoga What Basic Understandable Yoga Alignment

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Introduction This ebook has been written for current and future yoga practitioners to help them feel safe and confident while practicing yoga. Proper alignment for your body and ability will allow you to concentrate on deepening and strengthening the poses safely. This ebook is for you if yoga alignment is a bit confusing, needs clarification or is overwhelming. I hope you will see yourself on these pages. The models are my awesome yoga students ages 17 to 75 in all different levels of their practice. Listen to your body when practicing yoga. If anything feels tweaky or wrong in a joint or muscle attachment you should back off or come out of the pose immediately. You are the only one who knows how you feel.

Use yoga props if you need to or want to. Yoga What? does not illustrate with props as we are keeping it simple. Yoga What? is intended to provide basic yoga alignment tips and is not a yoga class or practice.

“There is always a way to do yoga” - Nancy Wadsworth

How To Use This Book Basic yoga alignment is explained and illustrated through feet, hands, knees, legs, arms, hips, core, spine and neck using a few very common poses. The pictures are specific to each Chapter and the instructions are specific to a body part. For example, when you see triangle (trikonasana) used to illustrate feet we will focus on alignment for the feet only in triangle. As you read further you will see other parts of the body also illustrated using triangle. This method breaks down the poses into comfortable and doable alignment. Each Chapter Section will have some text in bold typeface. The bold will correspond with the instructions in the picture making the information more understandable.

Contents Introduction��������������������������������������������������������� 2 How To Use This Book������������������������������������������� 4 1. Your Feet����������������������������������������������������������� 6 2. Your Hands������������������������������������������������������ 18 3. Your Knees������������������������������������������������������ 26 4. Your Shoulders������������������������������������������������ 34 5. Your Legs�������������������������������������������������������� 42 6. Your Arms������������������������������������������������������� 48 7. Your Hips��������������������������������������������������������� 54 8. Your Core�������������������������������������������������������� 64 9. Your Spine and Neck��������������������������������������� 68 Author���������������������������������������������������������������� 74 Dedication���������������������������������������������������������� 76 Copyright����������������������������������������������������������� 77

Chapter 1

Your Feet Plant your feet. Feel the arch of each foot by using the four corners of your feet to root yourself. The base of the big toe is especially important to press down as it will keep your ankle in line with your knee and hip. Plant, press, root. Keep toes from gripping.

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Section 1 Mountain Pose Tadasana. समिस्थित

Feet can be together or hip distance apart and parallel to each other. Four corners of each foot are rooted lining up the ankles to the knees to the hips. You will feel your lower belly slightly engage as you continue lining up your shoulders over hips and ears over shoulders. Chin is level to the floor and neck is long.

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Feet

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Section 2 Standing Forward Fold Uttanasana. उत्तानासन

Feet can be together or hip distance apart and parallel to each other. Four corners of each foot are rooted. As you fold forward from the hips arms can hang, hands can plant on the floor or you can clasp at the elbows. Bring your hips over heels lining up ankles, knees and hips. If your body is tight and you need knees bent please bend them keeping hips over heels.

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Feet

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Section 3 Triangle, Warrior II Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana II. ित्रकोणआसन, वीरभद्रासन

For both Triangle and Warrior II aim for feet being a leg length apart. Your front foot is facing 90 degrees forward with the back foot facing about 50 degrees forward. The front heel is lined up with the arch of the back foot. Both feet are planted rooting the heel of the back foot.

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Feet

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Section 4 Warrior I Virabhadrasana I. वीरभद्रासन

Place feet a leg length apart with the front heel lined up with the back heel. Your front foot is facing 90 degrees forward with the back foot facing about 75 degrees forward. The back foot is turned in 75 degrees in order to protect the knee and so that you can face your hips forward. Both feet are planted with special attention to the base of the big front toe and the back heel being rooted.

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Feet

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Section 5 Head to Knee, Seated Forward Fold Janu Sirsasana, Paschimottanasana. जानुशीषार्सन पिश्चमोत्तानासन

When seated with legs extended on the floor in front of you (one leg for Head to Knee) feet are flexed pressing through your heels and drawing the toes back toward your shins. Press through the base of the big toes to parallel the feet as if you are standing on them.

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Feet

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Chapter 2

Your Hands

Hands are often the base of the pose and must be aligned correctly for comfort of the wrists, shoulders, and neck.

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Section 1 Downward Facing Dog Adho Mukha Svanasana. अधोमुखश्वानासन

When planting your hands on the ground they must be a shoulders-width apart or a tiny bit wider with fingers fanned out. Wrists are parallel to each other keeping the pinch out of the inner wrist. Hips lift up (to where the wall meets the ceiling) while arms are long with armpits wrapping forward toward your face. Press down the base of each finger and pay attention to the base of the thumb pressing firmly as this action will help your shoulders.

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Hands

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Section 2 Upward Facing Dog Urdvha Mukha Svanasana. ऊर्ध्वमुखश्वानासन

When planting your hands on the ground they must be a shoulder’s width apart or a tiny bit wider with fingers fanned out. Your wrists are parallel to each other keeping the pinch out of the inner wrist. Hips and legs are off of the floor with the tops of the feet pressing down strongly with knee caps lifted. Shoulders must be directly over wrists to avoid the backbend moving into the lower back and causing pain.

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Hands

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Section 3 Upward Hands Urdhva Hastasana. ऊध्वर् हास्तासन

When extending the energy of the arms up while in standing and seated poses take the energy up through your hands and fingers. Rotate armpits slightly forward opening up the back while keeping the heart center open. Let your shoulders relax down from the ears.

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Hands

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Chapter 3

Your Knees

Knees are lined up between ankles and hips making sure to never hyperextend the backs of the knees.

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Section 1 - Standing Mountain Pose Tadasana. समिस्थित

Lining up ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and ears requires a slight micro-bend of the knees. This is actually a straight leg. The tendency is to lock the knee back causing hyperextension which can damage the knee over time. A slight microbend with lifted knee caps engaging your quadriceps is safe and correct.

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Knees

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Section 2 Seated Forward Fold Paschimottanasana, Janu Sirsasana. पिश्चमोत्तानासन जानुशीषार्सन

With legs extended on the floor in front of you (one leg for Head to Knee) lift knee caps as if you are in Mountain Pose. We call this tadasana legs. Ankles, knees and hips are lined up along the floor and feet are flexed as if you are standing on them.

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Knees

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Section 3 - Backbends Bridge, Wheel Setubandhasana, Urdvha Dhanurasana. सेतुबन्ध सवार्ङ्गासन, ऊध्वर्धनुरासन

When doing backbends the feet are parallel and hip distance. The knee is over the ankle and hip width forming a 90 degree angle. Four corners of the feet are planted.

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Knees

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Chapter 4

Your Shoulders

Shoulders are down out of your ears so that you feel a long neck. They are parallel to each other and in many poses are lined up over the hips.

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Section 1 Triangle Trikonasana. ित्रकोणआसन

Shoulders are stacked over each other and out of the ears. Reach through the upper hand and arm strongly taking weight off of the lower hand and arm.

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Shoulders

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Section 2 Warrior I and II Virabhadrasana I, II. वीरभद्रासन

Shoulders are down and out of the ears and parallel to each other. They are lined up over the hips creating a long spine and neck.

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Shoulders

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Section 3 Bridge Setubandhasana. सेतुबन्ध सवार्ङ्गासन

Lying on your back with feet firmly planted and ankles under the knees forming a 90 degree angle, climb shoulders underneath you coming to a chin lock. This will keep your chest open and toward your chin and will make your back more comfortable as you extend your tail bone toward the back of the knees. Make sure that you keep the natural curve in your neck - never straightening the curve or pressing the back of your neck into the floor.

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Shoulders

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Chapter 5

Your Legs One or both legs are straight in most poses. Legs should never be hyperextended and therefore require a small micro-bend in the knees. The micro-bend is not discernible by the eye but will line the ankle to the knee to the hip. The upper legs will have a rotation either inner or outer depending on the pose.

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Section 1 Mountain Pose Tadasana. समिस्थित

Standing with feet rooted and parallel, line up ankle to knee to hip using a slight micro-bend in the knee and lifting the knee caps engaging the quadriceps. Line the hips up over the knees. This is a straight leg also called a tadasana leg.

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Legs

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Section 2 Triangle, Warrior II Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana II. ित्रकोणआसन, वीरभद्रासन

For standing poses, ankles, knees and hips are in line. This alignment is used even when the front knee is bent. The back leg of all standing poses is strong pressing the upper and lower leg back and rooting the back foot. In triangle the thighs are rotating back (outward).

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Legs

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Chapter 6

Your Arms

Arms are often extended with energy. Armpits are rotated forward keeping the scapulas on the back.

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Section 1 Upward Hands Urdhva Hastasana. ऊध्वर् हास्तासन

Extending arms upward and rotate armpits forward keeping the scapulas on the back and at the same time the heart center open. Be sure to keep the shoulders down from the ears.

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Arms

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Section 2 Extended Side Angle Pose Utthita Parsvokonasana. उित्थत पाश्वर्कोणासन

The upper arm is reaching across the ear and is in line with the side body. The upper arm is wrapped slightly forward bringing the pinky finger side of the hand toward the floor.

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Arms

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Chapter 7

Your Hips

Hips are level and stable when standing, bending and twisting.

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Section 1 Mountain Pose Tadasana. समिस्थित

Standing tall and lining up the ankles to the knees to the hips, the hips are level to each other and stable. When using this alignment you will feel the lower belly slightly and comfortably engaged as the muscles support you.

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Hips

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Section 2 Downward Facing Dog Adho Mukha Svanasana. अधोमुखश्वानासन

The hips lift from the planted hands. Lift the hips up taking pressure off of the arms and shoulders.

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Hips

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Section 3 Triangle Trikonasana. ि◌कोणआसन

Bend from the front hip (ball and socket joint) while extending the side waist long. Pull your chest off of your belly lengthening your spine.

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Hips

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Section 4 Warrior II Virabhadrasana II. वीरभद्रासन

The hips are be open and level. Have the crests of the pelvis (two bones that stick out in the front) level to each other.

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Hips

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Chapter 8

Your Core Between your navel and pubic bone are the lower oblique muscles. This is your uddiyana bandha area. These are the muscles that are comfortably and slightly engaged when standing or sitting properly with hips, shoulders and ears lined up. The muscles are doing what they are supposed to do when standing or sitting properly using this alignment.

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Section 1 Boat Pose Navasana. परिपूणर्नावासन

Keep your shoulders and chest open while sitting on the flesh behind your sit bones. The legs are active through the feet. You will feel your belly muscles activate and support you.

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Core

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Chapter 9

Your Spine and Neck The spine includes the natural curve in your neck.

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Section 1 Seated Twist Ardha Matsyendrasana. अधर् मत्स्येन्द्रासन

In any twist the spine and neck must be long. It is important to keep the hips level and the sacrum stable, therefore the twist takes place in the mid and upper back. Hips will be level and sacrum will be stable.

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Spine and Neck

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Section 2 Bridge Setubandhasana. सेतुबन्ध सवार्ङ्गासन

Keep the natural curve in your neck. Never straighten the curve or press the back of your neck into the floor. This direction is emphasized and should always be adhered to!

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Spine and Neck

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Author Nancy Wadsworth has been teaching yoga for 23 years in the Los Angeles area and on television. She enjoyed an acting career with principal roles on soap operas and national commercials after earning a theater degree from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City. She continues to teach yoga in the Los Angeles area.

“There is always a way to do yoga” - Nancy Wadsworth

Dedication I want to thank all the awesome yogis and yoginis who answered my request for yoga photos. Your generosity and love of yoga made this book possible. Thank you Pepi, Joe, Jessica, Gracie, Sally, Brad, Pete, Laurie and Ken. I hope you enjoy seeing yourselves cartoonified! Thanks also to Bennett for his talent in formatting and giving the book the perfect look. Late nights and pizza! Namaste.

Copyright Yoga What by Nancy Wadsworth Pasadena, CA yogawhat.com © 2020 Nancy Wadsworth All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected]