Wall Inversion Warm-up pose

The Yoga Wall inversion warm-up pose is in itself a complete exercise, but it also serves as a warm-up before you proceed to do other exercises. It also has an acrobatic element in it, so you can skip this exercise if you want to do yoga just for stretching and keeping trim.

The advantage of the Yoga Wall inversion is that it improves the flow of blood towards your brain and face, with the corollary advantages of improving skin tone, memory, eyesight and reducing hair loss, face wrinkles, and dark pouches under the eyes. All these advantages accrue due to the improved circulation of blood towards the face and brain.

But as it is a difficult move to execute, you need to do the obligatory check with your doctor before proceeding to do this exercise. Another must is that when you learn to do this exercise, you will need the guidance of a yoga teacher.

Start from being on all fours with a wall in front of you. The wall can be at about a foot or so away from your head. Before doing the wall inversion part, you can stretch your spine by dong the cat-cow movement. Inhale, and as you exhale you curve your spine downwards as you raise your head up and pause. Now inhale once again, and as you exhale, lower your head and curve your back upwards.

As you do these steps, you should draw the air deep into your abdomen, letting your belly button draw inwards, as you inhale, and relax as you exhale. Now you are ready for the wall inversion part. Stiffen the muscles of your arms. Keep the arms straight, without locking your elbows and tuck your toes under your feet.

Engage the muscles of your abdomen and lift your hips up by straightening your legs. For a couple of times, swing your torso back and forth to build momentum for the next move. Walk your feet closer towards your face. As you do this, your hips will rise further up.

Lift both your feet off the mat, a couple of times to add to the momentum and raise your feet to a higher level each time. Beginners would need to hop up a few more times, before they attempt to heave their feet up, to make their body upside down and touch the wall with their feet.

This being a difficult exercise, you will need to practice it over a few days or weeks, till you are able to master it.

Sources:

Vinyasa Wall Inversion Warm Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbv8vkW5pvc

Yoga Inversions Classes

http://www.yogaglo.com/video-Category-18-Inversions.html

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690

Basic Yoga Inversion Poses

http://www.life123.com/health/yoga-meditation/hatha-yoga/basic-yoga-inversion-poses.shtml

Lay Down to Cure Your Ails – Legs Up the Wall Pose

http://www.yogaflavoredlife.com/styles-poses/lay-down-cure-your-ails-legs-up-wall-pose.html

Yoga Twist movements

In Yoga as in any other exercise, to develop your core strength, you need to have supple hips. The Hip twist is a sequence of moves that nourishes the hips, improves the circulation of blood around the hips and has a salutary effect on your spinal movements and also locomotion like walking, jogging, running, swimming, etc.

To start doing the sequence of Hip twist movements, sit on your buttocks, on a mat and bend your legs from the knees. Place your feet on the mat, and move your arms behind your back. Inhale, and as you exhale lift your legs to about a foot’s height from the floor. Move them towards your right and hold them aloft. As you do this, bring your feet slightly nearer your hips.

This move places your hips under pressure as you hold your legs up. Support your posture by stiffening the muscles of your arms and placing your palms firmly on the floor. Pause at this position for a minute or two, or as long as you find it comfortable.

Bring your legs in front of you and place them back on the floor. Then move them to the left and hold them aloft. Repeat this sequence of steps for some time before moving on to the next step.

To add a variation to the above move, you may try lifting your legs while you also lift your arms. Move your arms in front of you and join your palms.

Next sit cross-legged and curve your spine sideways, first to your right and then to your left. As you curve to the right, lift your left arm and stretch it above your head and curve the arm to your right too, to increase the twist to your hips and spine. As you curve towards your right you are also stretching the left side of your ribcage and abdomen, and compressing the right side.

As you do this you may place your right palm on the floor to support your movement. Pause for some time when you are in this position and then curve your spine to the left side.

Now come on all fours to be in the Plank pose by straightening your back and spine. Rotate your legs from your hips towards your right, so that while your right leg rests on the floor, your left leg is stacked on top of the right leg. As you do this, you should also rotate your shoulders to your right. In this position lift your right arm too while you support your position with your left arm. Your left palm rests squarely on the floor. This is called the side plank pose,

While staying in this position, bring your left leg in front of you and place the left foot on the floor. This move gives a nice twist to your hips. Pause and come back to the neutral position on all fours, where you are facing the floor in a normal plank pose and repeat this move by rotating your hips to your left.

This way you give your hips a comprehensive twist to the right and to the left. But if you suffer from any hip or spine related ailments, consulting your doctor before you start doing this sequence is mandatory.

Sources:

One Hip Twist Side Waist Core Strength Sequence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttVimYg43CA

Yoga Twist Sequence for Beginners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ZZA2tWIBE

Yoga Twists at Yogatic

http://www.yogatic.com/yoga-video/yoga-twists/

Yoga Twisting Asanas

http://www.staryoga.com/yoga-twisting-asanas

Low Flying Whale pose

The Low flying whale pose of yoga is entirely an acrobatic pose in the partner yoga series. As this pose is used in circuses and other acrobatic demonstrations, it is also brought under the broad heading ‘Circus Yoga’

To do this pose one partner lies supine on her/his back on the floor and the other partner stands near the first partner’s feet. The first partner lifts her/his legs to a forty five degree angle. The second partner now leans forward to rest her/his thighs against the foot soles of the first partner. Both partners extend their hands and hold each other’s hands.

The supine partner lifts the standing partner above her/his body by bringing her/his own legs into a vertical position. The second partner now floats above the supine partner and is balanced on the supine partner’s feet and legs.

The first partner now bends forward to bring his head in between the supine partners legs and lifts her/his own legs to spread them as apart as she/he can do so in this position. The second partner slowly lifts to bring himself/herself in an upside position and then places her/his hands on the supine partner’s feet. Both partners hold themselves firmly.

The second partner is supported by the supine partner who rests her/his hands on the second partner’s back as she/he comes into an upside down position and then moves on to a supine position by resting himself/herself on the first partner’s hands.

For the next move, the supine partner pushes up the second partner’s back and hips, and bends her/his own legs from the knees to enable the second partner to rest on the supine partner’s shins. Both partners are now facing upwards with the second partner laying supine on the first partner’s shins.

The second partner now spreads her/his arms to come into a flying whale position. Pause at this position for some time and then exist this partner pose. To exit this pose, the first partner lowers the second partner as close as possible to the floor, and the second partner rests his arms and legs on the floor to be helped to come to her/his feet by other teammates.

This pose is normally performed before an audience to regale it by demonstrating the suppleness and coordination of two partners to execute intricate poses.

Sources:

CircusYoga / Low Flying Whale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB0Y55jcO2k&feature=related

Partner Flying Yoga - Camel to Low Flying Whale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U05mRI-yyRk

Flying Sequences in Yoga

The Flying Sequences in yoga are a part of partner Yoga. This sequence is used both as physical exercise and as a step in a performance during gymnastics and acrobatics in sports, as well as in a circus sequence.

This sequence helps to activate your system, improve blood circulation and nourish most of your joints and muscles. But being an acrobatic sequence, only those who desire to use it for professional pursuits, should go in for this and similar sequences.

You start doing this sequence with one partner lying supine on the mat and lifting his/her feet off the floor to make the legs vertical. The second partner stands near the first partner’s feet. The supine partner places his feet on the standing partner’s upper thighs and holds the standing partner’s arms.

The supine partner then lifts the standing partner off his/her feet by making his own legs straight and drawing the standing partner above him. The standing partner is now in a horizontal position and appears to fly above the supine partner. This gives, this sequence its name.

The standing partner then lowers her head towards the supine partner’s chest. In this position, both partners have the bodies bent at right angles from their hips. Pause and stay in this position for some time and then exit this pose. While exiting, the supine partner gradually lowers his legs taking the standing partner to a near vertical position till the standing partner’s legs once again rest on the floor. This returns the standing partner back to a standing position.

Sources:

Flying Yoga Workshop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cktHr_7BuSI&feature=related

Acro Yoga

http://www.acroyoga.org/about.cfm

Flying Lessons

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2593

AcroYoga

http://yogajusticia.com/acroyoga.php