iYogaLife Slideshows - The Core Strength Power Hour: Part 2

CORE SUN SALUTATIONS

Try a twist on your classic daily flow that delivers more strength and sleekness in your midsection with these Core Sun Salutations.

After your Core Strength Power Hour Part 1, you’ll be standing in Mountain Pose. Use this transition to get to your first move in this series.
1.   From Mountain, inhale, reach out and up.
2.   Exhale, swan dive forward into Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana).
3.   Inhale, look forward, keeping your spine long.
4.   Exhale, step back to Downward Dog.

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DOWN DOG SPLITS to CORE PLANK STRENGTHENER 1

Do this sequence three times on the right side. Switch to the left side for your second round through the entire series. And use Core Plank whenever stepping your foot forward into any standing pose.

1.    From your Down Dog pose, lift your right leg high into Down Dog Splits, toes turned down, hips level.
2.    On an exhale, bring your right knee in toward your chest, and your shoulders forward over your hands into Core Plank. Your back rounds up here; lift your hips too. This pose develops amazing strength in the abs and arms, which will benefit all your other poses.
3.    Inhale, extend your leg back and up into Down Dog Splits again to complete one round.
4.    Repeat the sequence on the same side a total of three times, and on your last exhale, use the height and space you’ve created to lightly step your right foot forward inside the right thumb, closer to your right hand than the center. Pretend you’re stepping over something in the middle of your mat to get the motion that will turn all your step-forward transitions into core transformers!

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DOWN DOG SPLITS to CORE PLANK STRENGTHENER 2

HIGH LUNGE

Take five breaths in your High Lunge

1. From your Low Lunge, bring only your fingertips onto the floor. Lift your hips up a few inches to make space, then draw your pelvic floor and navel in.
2. Round through your back to generate a wave-like motion that leads your head and torso up into High Lunge, your heart and arms reaching toward the sky, while connecting deeply into your center. Wrap your shoulder blades onto your back to open your chest, and spin your palms to face each other. Keep your navel activating towards your spine.

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PLANK

Hold Plank pose for three to five breaths.

1. On your last exhale, release your hands to the floor, at shoulder distance. Make sure your wrist creases face forward evenly, fingers spread wide. Press your fingertips down to keep wrists open and arms strong.
2. Step back as far as you can while maintaining proper alignment: straight arms with your shoulders directly over your wrists. Your knees can be up—or lower them if you’re still building strength. Keep your navel area lifting towards the sky. Don’t sink your heart towards the floor, but rather press strongly through your hands, and lengthen your heart forward, as if it’s ready to fly out over the front of your mat.

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CHATURANGA 1

Start with a Modified Chaturanga, build to a Full Chaturanga, and then progress until you can hold the the full pose for two to three breaths.

The transition from Plank to Chaturanga is one of the most often misaligned in yoga. Many students take the elbows back and lower the chest between the hands. This not only puts too much pressure on the joints and blocks the arm strength, it necessitates what I call the “Snake Charmer”, which is the cute but unnecessary wiggle dance forward to try and make it into Up Dog.

Somehow, we got the idea that from Plank into Chaturanga, we must keep pressing the heels back, but in fact, to meet your body’s proper anatomical alignment, we must bring the heels and heart forward so the chest hovers out in front of the hands. Your elbows will now be directly over your wrists as you lower, and your shoulders come halfway down. All you have to do now is point your toes so the tops of your feet press where the ball of your foot used to be, and arch your heart. You’re not only gaining super arm strength, but you’re all set up for Cobra or Up Dog…no Snake Charmer necessary!

1. From Plank, exhale and lower into Chaturanga. That’s challenging enough at first, but you can actually build up to two or three breaths hovering in the pose. If you're unable to hover in full Chaturanga, either bend your elbows only slightly and stay higher as you build arm strength, or place your knees down and bend your arms to a right angle for Modified Chaturanga.

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CHATURANGA 2

CHATURANGA 3

COBRA into UP DOG 1

Start with Cobra, and progress to Up Dog as you get stronger and more flexible. Hold one of these backbends for three to five breaths.

1.    From your new and improved Chaturanga, place your hips and front thighs down. Hands should be near your lower ribs, heart in front of the hands.
2.    On an inhale, lift your navel strongly, which curls your tailbone down, and grounds your pubic bone. This action lengthens your lower back (lumbar spine), and provides an anchor point so when you arch up into Cobra, you’re in healthy traction, creating more space for your spine.
3.    If you have the strength and flexibility, progress from Cobra into Up Dog by straightening your arms without locking your elbows. From your active core, draw your ribcage in and up, chest open. Lift from the back of your skull, keeping the neck long back there; If there was an orange on your neck, you wouldn’t be making orange juice. For optimal head alignment on backbends like Up Dog, lengthen in a diagonal line from your chin through the base of your skull. Lift your thighs off the mat.

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COBRA into UP DOG 2

DOWN DOG

Stay in Down Dog for five to 10 breaths.

Down Dog seems like a simple pose, but there’s a lot that can go wrong. You’ll only get proper energy flow in the pose if you don’t shove your body back into the legs. You’re actually straining your joints if you drop your shoulders enough to feel a stretch. Same with your head pressing toward the floor. It will build more tension in your shoulders. I call this “Ick-asana,” and there is a better way.

1.    From Cobra or Up Dog, lift your hips high, pushing the tops of your thighs back into the familiar inverted “V.”
2.    The center of Down Dog is actually meant to be the hips, so lift your navel and ground long through your heels.
3.    Wave your heart forward and lift your shoulders up and onto your back more. Your arms should press forward in space, hollowing your armpits.
4.    Now send your inner upper arms forward, draw your shoulders away from your ears, and relax your head. Keep your front body drawn up, and resist the urge to collapse your chest and shoulders towards the floor. It may feel like you’re almost in Plank, but you will actually be flying free in an aligned, open triangle shape. Enjoy your new Down Dog.

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CORE PLANK TO CORE TRANSITIONS 1

Do this sequence three times, lifting the right leg, as described. Switch to the left leg on your second round through the series (if you don’t have time for a second round, do the left leg now).

When it comes to getting more out of your practice, the step forward from Down Dog has the most potential for building strength and grace, yet is often the most overlooked. Use the transitions of stepping forward wisely, and you’ll see changes--fast.

Instead of keeping the body low while you step, and dragging a heavy foot up, try this sequence to teach your body to move from the core.

1.    On your inhale, lift your right leg into Down Dog Splits, but turn the leg and hip straight down. This rotation builds inner leg strength to balance the stronger outer leg. Now you can lift your navel more, and work against that resistance to raise your leg a little higher.
2.    On an exhale, bend your right knee, and sweep it into your chest as your shoulders come forward into Plank pose. This is Core Plank, and to build your abdominal strength you must lift your hips high and round through your back. Hold here for one to three breaths, your nose pulled in towards your knee.
3.    Inhale, and reach back and up into Down Dog Splits (keep those toes down!) Exhale, and return to Core Plank for one breath.
4.    Repeat one more time, and on this third Core Plank, hover it, taking your shoulders and knee farther forward, and using the space you’ve created to sweep your right foot lightly forward to land just inside the right thumb. Over time, this repetitive strengthener will add magic to the rest of your poses.

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CORE PLANK TO CORE TRANSITIONS 2

CORE PLANK TO CORE TRANSITIONS 3

LUNGE WITH FISTS OF FIRE 1

Do three to five rounds of Fists of Fire in the High Lunge position.

1.    Bring your fingertips only onto the floor, and draw your shoulderblades onto your back more.
2.    Lift your sitting bones up a few inches, and resist your feet toward one another (without moving them on the mat) to square your hips. Spread your sitting bones wider to the left and right, and into this space, as you lift your navel to spine, your tailbone will root down.
3.    Use your pelvic floor muscles and navel to draw in, rounding your back and using your core strength to transition into High Lunge.
4.    When you reach your arms up, begin Fists of Fire: Inhale, and stretch up, exhale, make fists and draw them rapidly in toward your side waist, elbows tucked close behind you. Continue with three to five rounds of breath, inhaling to open your heart, exhaling to draw your navel back. Keep your back thigh rising on each inhale as your front thigh deepens towards the floor (never lower than your front knee) on your exhales.
5.    For a deeper practice, repeat the series up to this point one to three times on each side before moving on to the next pose.

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LUNGE WITH FISTS OF FIRE 2

LUNGE WITH FISTS OF FIRE 3

WATERFALL WARRIOR ONE 1

Do three to five rounds of Waterfall Warrior One.

1.    Reach your arms up one last time in High Lunge, then exhale and open out to Warrior Two.
2.    To turn this into Waterfall Warrior One, a pose that’s a whole-body opener and strengthener, clasp your hands together behind you, fingers interlaced. Inhale and lift your heart into a slight backbend, and rotate your chest and head to look towards the front of your mat.
3.    Exhale, and leading with your heart, swoop your torso down in a wave-like motion toward your front thigh. Draw your pelvic floor and navel in and inhale back up in a wave. Keep the movement smooth and refined, and make sure your front thigh stays low.
4.    Continue Waterfall Warrior One for three to five rounds of breath.
5.    For a deeper practice, repeat the entire sequence up to this point on the other side before moving on to the next pose.

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WATERFALL WARRIOR ONE 2

KNEE DOWN HIP STRETCH 1

Hold the stretch for three to five breaths.

1. On an inhale, return to Warrior Two and cartwheel your arms inside your front foot. Place your forearms on the floor (or your palms if that’s your level of flexibility), and bring your back knee down, toes tucked. Keep your front knee squaring forward over the heel, and softly release your torso, head and neck here.
2. For a stronger pose, lift your back knee into a full lunge.

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KNEE DOWN HIP STRETCH 2

MALASANA

Rest in Malasana for three to five breaths.

1.    From your hip stretch, step your rear foot forward in a wide stance for Malasana, or Squatting Pose.
2.    Turn your toes slightly open to match the gentle outward rotation of your legs.
Bring your hands to Namaste and breathe here, allowing your hips to open more fully.
3.    After a few breaths, begin to move the releasing hip energy through your spine with the following moves. Spend three to five breaths or more in each one.

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MALASANA TWIST

Stay in the twist for three to five breaths on each side.

From Malasana, move the releasing energy up your spine with this twist.

1.    For a simple, effective twist, place your right elbow inside your right knee, and reach your left arm straight up into the air.
2.    Let your torso rotate to the left, and look up at your extended hand.
3.    Switch sides and repeat.

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MALASANA FOLD

Rest in Malasana Fold for at least three breaths.

1.    After twisting to both sides, place both forearms (or hands, if that’s as far as you can go) on the mat and fold your shoulders inside your knees.
2.    Let your back round, and completely release your head and neck.
3.    Take deep breaths into your back body and shoulders, staying in position for at least three breaths.
4.    When you finish this sequence, slowly bring your feet together.
5.    Continuing to bow forward, lift your hips until you’re in a gentle Forward Bend, with bent knees.
6.    Slowly roll up to stand in Mountain pose, circling your arms out and up, and returning the energy you’re unlocking to your practice as you bring your palms together at Namaste.
7.    Next, repeat the sequence on the left side. If you wish, repeat the Core Salutation on both sides two or three more times.
8.    On your final round, end in Malasana Fold. Then, either seal your practice by sitting in Easy Seat and doing a few Seated Cat/Cow arches and curls, or continue on to the next sequence in the Power Hour.

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NEXT WEEK: Part 3

Core Standing Flow: A Whole-Body Transformation!