Alignment Principles

• Start in Chair Pose.
• Exhale to prayer twist to the right. Try to hook your left shoulder as much as you can on the outside of the right leg and move the left elbow as close to the right hip as possible.
• Start to transition into toe stand (sit hips on heels, moving on to the balls of the feet).
• Place hands on mat with fingers facing the top of the mat, spaced out like Chaturanga.
• Lift your hips into the air, away from the heels, as you begin to shift your weight forwards into your arms, bending the elbows back like Chaturanga. You’re working at bending the elbows to 90 degrees to create a shelf with your upper arms that the legs can rest on.
• As the weight shifts, start to pick up the top foot, followed by the second.
• Gaze is forwards.
• Grip with your fingertips to maintain balance.

Prep. Poses:

• Jathara Parivartanasana (Supine Twist with Knees Together)
• Revolved Crescent Lunge with a Prayer Twist
• Revolved Chair Pose with a Prayer Twist
• Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Staff Pose)