Alignment Principles

• Start in Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
• Lift your right shin into your chest for Baby Cradle position
• Take your right hand to the inside of the leg to hold the back of the right heel & take your left hand around the top of the foot to hold the pinky edge of the foot
• Start to lift the leg/knee as high up the right shoulder as it will go
• Once you have the leg up there, reach your right finger tips out to the right on to your mat
• Keep your right shoulder plugging back, elbow straight
• Exhale to start to straighten the right leg towards the sky with the left hand helping you pull the leg straight
• NOTE: You can keep both sit bones grounded so that the right leg kicks out on a diagonal, or the right hip can lift so that the right leg kicks straight up in a vertical line
• As the left arm pulls over your head and the right leg straightens, pop your head through the window between the left arm and right leg to turn the gaze up & to the left
• Revolve your torso open towards the left

Prep. Poses:

• Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
• Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana)
• Monkey Pose / Splits (Hanumanasana)
• Bound Standing Forward Fold (Baddha Uttanasana)
• Pigeon (Rajakapotasana)
• Revolved Head to Knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)

Alignment Principles

• Start with the right leg forwards in Pigeon Prep. – right knee to the outside of the right wrist, right shin spun in with the foot pointed in front of the left hip, the left leg is lengthening out towards the back of the mat as far back as possible
• Make sure that there is equal weight on both hips (you’re not rolling to one side)
• Inhale to walk the hands as far back as you can get them, possibly beside the hips, with the chest lifting towards the sky
• Press your front shin down to help stabilize the hips for balance & to keep your pelvis square
• Exhale to bend your left knee
• Reach your left arm back with the palm facing up
• Keeping the left palm as is, reach back to catch the pinky side of the left food. The edge of the foot will be between the webbing of your thumb and index finger
• Inhale to lift the chest and curl through the spine as you draw the left foot closer in
• Exhale to slowly rotate through the left shoulder until the left elbow points up and is right beside the left ear, find your flipped grip position
• Inhale to lift the right arm up and back to hold the foot, meeting your left hand
• Exhale to drop the head back

Prep. Poses:

• Puppy Pose (Anahatasana)
• Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
• Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana) – option to grab the back foot to open up the quad
• Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
• Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)