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We're gonna need
your bolster.
If your hamstrings are really tight,
you're gonna need a block.
Because we're going
to do Dandasana,
or Seated Staff Pose.
And if you
need extra blocks for your arms, if you
know your arms are shorter,
and you can not hit the floor with
flat palms, have a
block under your hands, and I'll show you what that looks like.
Most of us are going to be OK with a bolster under the seat. So for Staff Pose,
our goal, once again,
is to get into good posture.
Notice how we're seated. How are we going to get into good posture here?
Well, we're gonna focus on the spine, we get the feet sorted. So feet hip width apart.
Active toes. Like jazz hands with your feet. Nice, wide toes, good.
So the reason we're sitting on a bolster is
this is going to help us out with the tight hammies [hamstrings].
If your hamstrings are really loose, no problem, sit on the floor. My guess is if you've got back pain, the hammies are probably contributing, OK?
so use the bolster.
Use all the tricks in the book when you go to a yoga class. That's what the props are for, so use 'em.
OK, so here we are, seated,
feet flexed. Contract the
quads. Our goal
is to think about
not actively pushing
the knees down,
because you can get pressure underneath the patella,
but thinking about contracting the quadriceps such that, the
knees really can't go
farther up, that's
our goal, got it? Awesome, so
active feet, active quads, what do we
do with the pelvis, because
most of us are looking like this right about now. The bolster helps,
but this is still a very tricky position not to go into flexion.
So let's take the hands,
we're actually going to move the seat flesh out the of way, that helps,
and get on those sit bones,
and it helps to tilt the
pelvis slightly forward.
You'll notice with the quadriceps contracted,
that helps take pressure off of your hip flexors.
The hip flexors can get really tight in any sort of forward fold,
if you contract those quads you're going to protect the hips and the knees.
So here we are, active legs,
pelvis tilted slightly forward.
Let's go find
mula bandha.
So, "root lock."
Bring the sits bones together, it's harder, you're sitting on them, but you can still do it. It's more imagery than anything.
Then uddiyana bandha.
So, practice here. Practice, let the belly
pooch out and then, right back in. Do it again, push it out, let that beer
belly go.
Take it back in. Push it out one more time, and take it back in.
Notice how you sit up tall when you do that, too.
Take pressure off the spine. Let's lift
your ribcage up, sternum
up to the corner of the room in
front of you. Shoulders,
gotta do it, shoulders come back,
and I'll show you how to use the blocks
in just a second.
If palms come up, great, just put the back of your hands on the floor.
If they don't reach the floor, take the blocks,
and you're perfectly fine gripping the blocks
like so, as long as you are behind your back. All right,
we do not want [here], that just makes it harder to keep the shoulders retracted.
So you're lifting your rib cage and the chest,
sending the hips back,
feeling as though the tailbone
is finding its own way to the back of the room,
lifting the top of the
head up, and this
is what normally happens, more so in Paschimottonasana, which we're going to do next, but
normally what happens is you get into this position and the chin goes [forward], "oh, I'm going to help, I'm going to stretch us."
Nah, we don't need that. We'll put it back, right above the spine.
Everybody feeling their legs right here? Yeah.
It's amazing, isn't it?
All these forces
are pulling and
wanting to flex the spine, and you're saying "mm-mm, I got some
strong muscles in here, I'm going to use 'em for good." So sit up tall. Oh you guys looks so beautiful. Don't forget about the
feet. Nice active feet. good, bring those toes back.
This is Dandasana.
And everybody thought this was just sitting.
This is a great stretch. Who feels their hamstrings?
If you don't, lucky you.
You can take the bolster away,
and do it from here. So moving the seat flesh away.
Give it a try,
see how it goes. Strengthen the feet, strengthen the quads,
use your blocks if you need 'em, if not
you can put palms down, or if you don't need your hands at all, you can put the backs of your hands down.
This is Dandasana, this is Stretch #1. You'll never look
at sitting the same way again. Keep uddiyana bandha nice and contracted. Awesome.