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- 1). Start by standing on your mat, feet wider apart than your hips, with the outer edges of your feet parallel to the sides of your mat. Interlace your fingers behind you and micro-bend your elbows. Lift the chest and, bending your knees, lower the head and chest, allowing the arms to drop overhead.
- 2). Press the feet firmly into the mat as you contract the thigh muscles (quadriceps) and engage the lower core abdominals. Remain for 5 to 8 breaths in Prasarita Padottanasana C. This will stretch the front of the chest and shoulders. Place your hands on your hips and lift the head and chest to come standing.
- 3). Lie on your mat, knees bent, feet flat, hips-width distance apart. Loop a yoga strap over the right foot and left the leg straight up towards the ceiling. Holding each end of the yoga strap in each hand, bend the right knee and flex the foot. Straighten the leg. Remain for 5 to 8 breaths in Supta Padangusthasna A to stretch the quadriceps and calf muscles.
- 4). Hold both ends of the strap in the right hand and place your left hand on your left hip. Dial the big toe of the right foot to the right. Lower the leg with control to the right as far as the hip will allow. Lift the leg back to the top. Repeat 5 to 7 times. You are creating the external hip rotation needed for the final pose.
- 5). Lower the right leg to the floor and remain for 5 to 8 breaths in Supta Padangusthasana C. Engage the lower core abdominal muscles and contract the thigh muscles. This stretches the inner thighs, or adductors and the hamstring muscles (back of the thighs). Lift the leg to straight and release the foot from the strap. Repeat to the left leg. Rest.
- 6). Make a belt with your yoga strap and slip it around your waist. Bring your 2 yoga blocks nearby you to use for the final pose. Sitting on your hips, bend the knees and place the feet flat, hips-width distance apart on your mat. Now bring the soles of your feet together.
- 7). Wrap the yoga strap so it is around your lower back, around your sacrum, above the flesh of the hips. Bring the other part of the strap around the feet so that you are encircled by this large belt made by your strap. Place one yoga block wide under the lower part of your ribcage. Place the second block, tall, under the base of the skull. Lie back on these 2 yoga blocks that now have become “furniture.”
- 8). Lying back on the blocks you are now in Supta Baddha Konasana, a supported backbend. Remain for 2 to 5 minutes. To exit, place the feet flat on the floor, slipping the yoga strap off. Place your hands flat by your hips and lift the chest up to sit up. Move the blocks to the side and lie back. Rest by hugging both knees to the chest, rolling left to right to massage the low back. Roll off to the right side to sit up.
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