The Heart and the Hips
Hips, Heart Openers, Backbends, Core, Hamstrings
This mini-flow is great as a final sequence before heading to your back during a yoga class. Work into the hips with some yummy stretches and open your heart to the sky in gratitude.
Three-Legged Dog (Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Come into three-legged dog by starting in downward dog, then lifting your right leg up into the air. Engage through the back of your right leg as you press evenly through both hands. Melt your chest back towards your thighs and engage your core.
Knee to Cross
On an inhale breath, hug your right knee into your chest and shift your shoulders forward to stack over your wrists. Cross your right thigh across your chest and tap your right knee over to your left bicep. Keep pressing through your hands and the ball of your left foot and keep the shoulder square to the mat.
Pivot onto the inside of the left foot and press into the left hand. Extend your right arm up. Keep your right leg lifted and straighten the right leg out to the left. Engage your right obliques and keep the hips lifted.
Side Plank Variation (Vasisthasana Variation)
Fallen Triangle Resting Variation (Patita Tarasana Variation)
Bring your right foot down to the earth, keeping your right leg straight and strong. Slowly begin to lower your hips down to the mat. When you are resting on your right hip, look at your legs and make sure they form a 90 degree angle, with your left leg extending straight back. Rotate your chest so it is square with the top of your mat. Come down onto your forearm if that feels comfortable and let your head hang heavy.
Revolved Head-to-Knee (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)
On an inhale, lift your chest and rotate to your left, so you are sitting on both sitz bones evenly, with your legs open wide. Keep your left leg straight and bring the sole of your right foot to the inside of your left thigh. Let your left arm drop in front of your belly and reach your right arm up to the sky. Side bend to the left, with your right hand reaching for the left foot. Continue to peel the right shoulder open to the sky.
Stargazer (Parighasana Variation)
Lift the chest on an inhale breath. Plant your right hand on the mat directly behind your right hip. On an inhale, press into your hand and lift your hips off the mat, rolling up onto your right shin. Sweep your left arm back behind you as your open your heart to the sky.
Knee to Nose
Brining your hips back down to the earth, rotate your chest forward to the top of your mat and plant both hands. Use your core to rotate onto the ball of your left foot and pivot the hip-points to face the mat, hugging your right knee into your chest. Tap your right knee into your nose.
Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)
Sweep your right leg up and back, coming again into your three-legged dog as a transition. From here, bend your right knee and stack your hips. Continue to drop your right toes over to the left side of your mat, rotating onto your left hand. Open your hips and chest to the sky and sweep your right arm open. Breathe in.
Half Pigeon (Ardha Kapotasana)
Rotate back around onto both hands and bring your right shin to the top of your mat. Place your bent right leg at a 45 degree angle at the top of your mat. Settle your hips down to the mat, or as close as possible. Check to make sure your left knee and top of your left foot are resting on the mat in a straight line. Press your fingertips into the mat by your hips and inhale into your spine, sitting tall.
Half Sleeping Pigeon (Ardha Eka Pada Rajakapotasana Variation)
On an exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and lower your chest towards your right shin. Keep length in your spine as you lower. Engage through the hips and energetically pull your right hip backwards as you press your left hip forwards. Come to your forearms or chest. Breathe evenly.
