Flow Motion

You've done Chaturanga and Updog hundreds of times, but are you doing them right? Learn the secrets of flawless flow.

By Jason Crandell

With your knees on the floor, move your chest forward and down as you slowly bend your elbows and squeeze your upper arms into the sides of your body. Moving your chest forward and down—as opposed to only down—will keep your elbows aligned over your wrists and maintain the natural supportive architecture of your shoulders and arms. As you descend, keep your hips in line with your shoulders and chest.

Continue to move your chest forward and down until your upper arms are parallel to the floor—but not any lower (your elbows should form about a 90-degree angle). Remain here for two full breaths, staying with the intensity of Chaturanga instead of rushing through it. Breathe evenly and soften your facial muscles while you navigate the difficulty of this moment. If it's too hard, back off and maintain your body's integrity rather than overworking the pose, which leads to collapse or strain. If you're unable to keep your upper arms parallel to the floor, back out of the pose by lifting higher up instead of crashing to the floor.

After a couple of breaths in modified Chaturanga, lower all the way to the floor. Then press back into Balasana (Child's Pose) for a moment of rest.

ONWARD TO UPWARD DOG
When practicing backbends it's not the depth of your backbend that matters. It's more important to distribute the curve evenly along the full length of the spine. This is difficult to do in Upward Dog because you're supporting the weight of your entire torso with your arms and legs. But don't be discouraged—Upward Dog strengthens your shoulders, arms, and abdomen, even if it's not your deepest backbend.

Before tackling Upward Dog, consider this anatomical information. Your pelvic bone is one of the heaviest bones in your body—and it's more or less your center of gravity. This means that without proper support, it tends to sink toward the floor. While it's common to work hard in your upper body in order to stay lifted, the key to supporting your weight in Upward Dog is to use your belly and legs to hold the pelvis stable. This makes the posture easier and more sustainable.

From Child's Pose, come back onto your hands and knees. Move through modified Chaturanga, hovering two inches above the floor. Then transition into Upward Dog by straightening your arms and stacking your shoulders directly over your wrists. Your shoulders may end up in front of your wrists, which leads to strain. So look down at your hands to gauge where your shoulders are and adjust accordingly by moving yourself forward or back.

Now that your arms and shoulders are properly aligned, you can focus on your legs. To counteract lower back compression in Upward Dog, keep the sacrum broad and long. To keep it broad, rotate your legs internally by spinning the outsides of your thighs toward the floor and pressing the pinky toes into the mat. To keep it long, draw your tailbone toward your heels—as you did in Chaturanga—and draw your lower belly up into your body. After these refinements, straighten your legs vigorously, lifting your shins and knees off the floor. As you do this, don't squeeze your buttocks. It may be difficult to keep the buttocks soft and the legs firm, but squeezing the buttocks will jam the lower back.

Page 1 2 3

See All Asana Columns Articles »