Advanced Practice: Front Line Connection (Core Poses)

Disclaimer

Advanced practices are for those who have been attending classes regularly for five years or more, who have a consistent and regular home practice, who are able to balance comfortably and safely in Head Stand in the middle of the room for 5 minutes or more, who are able to kick up safely into Hand Stand against the wall on their own and/or who are able to straighten their arms in Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose). In these practices, the information is more technical and begins to incorporate themes of a more esoteric nature. Always seek out the guidance of a qualified teacher before you attempt new or challenging poses, especially inversions and Head Stand, so that they may instruct you in the safest way to approach them. There is no substitute for instruction from a seasoned teacher.

About The Practice

This advanced practice includes work at the wall ropes. It begins with a sequence hanging from the hips to create length and width across the torso. It moves on to some floor work to develop strength and integration in the front and back body, which is then taken into Salamba Shirshasana 1 (Head Stand 1). The classic Iyengar Ropes sequence called “Ropes 1” is interweaved with Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Hand Stand) practice. All that chest and shoulder opening is then taken into Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand) practice, followed by the shoulder balance variations of Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand).

Practice Tips

• As you lengthen your sitting bones away from your head, also connect and lengthen from them to your pubic bone, your navel and your sternum.
• Keep your tail free to lengthen away from your head and your neck free so that your whole head can lengthen away from your tail.
• Balance the outward reach of your limbs with the inward connection of your limbs into your spine.
• Widen the bones of your wrist (carpal bones) out to your index finger and thumb.
• In Ropes 1, draw the heel of your hand towards your wrist and lengthen the back of your forearm from your elbow to fingertips to create strength and support.

Sequence

Rope Cycle:

1. Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
2. Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
3. Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
4. Urdhva Mukha Pashchimottanasana (Upward Facing Intense West Stretch Pose)
5. Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
6. Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)

Back bend over bolster foam blocks on hands

Shalabhasana (Locust Pose) feet at wall, toes curled under:

1. Hands on blocks, arms reaching forward. Press down to come up.
2. Arms by sides of torso, foam blocks on hands. Press blocks up to come up

Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Upward Extended Feet Pose) [2–3 times]

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Salamba Shirshasana 1 (Head Stand 1)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)

Shalabhasana (Locust Pose) on ropes

• The stages of Shalabhasana on the ropes are shown here, from 00:17 to 01:30.

Ropes 1 [3 to 8 reps]

•  Ropes 1 is demonstrated here, from 00:00 to 00:30.

Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Hand Stand) kick up with primary leg

Ropes 1 [3 to 8 reps]

Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Hand Stand) kick up with second leg

Ropes 1 [3 to 8 reps]

Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Hand Stand) hop up with both leg

Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand) kick up with primary leg

Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand) kick up with second leg

Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose) legs bent, pelvis high, supported by two bolsters or bolsters and blankets

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) Cycle:

1. Salamba Sarvangasana 1 (Shoulder Stand 1)
2. Salamba Sarvangasana 2 (Shoulder Stand 2)
3. Niralamba Sarvangasana 1 (Unsupported Shoulder Stand 1)
4. Niralamba Sarvangasana 2 (Unsupported Shoulder Stand 2)
5. Halasana (Plough Pose)with arm variations

Shavasana (Corpse Pose) blanket under head, bolster under knees

About Yoga: Art+Science

This post originally appeared on my former blog, Yoga: Art+Science, a passion project that I ran from 2004 to 2014 that accumulated more than 1000 posts and articles. It appears here as part of a project to revisit all that material and update it to make it fresh and relevant to a modern yoga practice.

If you enjoyed this practice, I’d love to share my approach to yoga with you. I hold weekly classes online and new students are very welcome. Hope to see you there!