Jill Paschal Yoga
  • Blog
  • Private Yoga
  • Contact
  • About
  • Blog
  • Private Yoga
  • Contact
  • About
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

11/11/2019

Benefits of Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Picture

Chair Pose, or Utkatasana is not just a beginner pose, but it is also part of the Sun Salutations and is often used as a transitional pose. It can also be practiced on its own to build strength and stamina throughout the whole body.

Utkatasana comes from the Sanskrit words utkata meaning powerful or fierce and asana meaning pose. Many yogis may skip this pose or they will not hold it for long because it can feels tiresome, and it is not the most “glamorous” of postures. However, practicing Chair Pose is good for you, not only because of its physical benefits, but because it advances your practice physically as well as, emotionally. 
 
Modifications & Variations
Utkatasana can be an excellent full-body strengthener when practiced correctly. It can take time to build enough strength to hold the pose for more than a breath or two. Take it slowly and be careful not to over-stress your knees or shoulders. To deepen or modify the pose, try these variations:






  1. Women who are pregnant should stand with their feet as far apart as needed for balance.
  2. If your arms are not yet strong enough to maintain an overhead hold, extend your arms forward at shoulder-height instead. Reach directly forward through your fingertips. Practice this way until you can straighten both arms and extend them overhead.
  3. If you have shoulder pain or mobility issues, place your palms together in prayer position (as seen in the picture above). Press firmly across your palms and broaden across your collar bones.
  4. For more of a challenge, lift onto the balls of your feet with your knees bent. Extend your arms straight forward and sit even lower toward your heels.
  5. To increase thigh strength in this pose, place a yoga block between your upper thighs.

Tips:
Utkatasana can build a lot of strength and stamina throughout the body when it’s done with correct alignment:
Maintain a slight arch in your back.
Squeeze your thighs as close together as possible.
Bring your thighs as parallel to the floor as possible.
Draw your chest back and up, instead of reaching your torso forward.
Keep your weight evenly distributed in your heels. Shifting the weight forward can over-stress your knees..
Remember to breathe evenly throughout the pose! If your breath becomes strained, come out of the pose until you can breathe deeply again.


7/16/2019

4 Yoga Poses for Hips and Shoulders Stretch

Picture
For many people their daily lives consist of a lot of sitting; whether that comes from work, school or driving, we sit for many hours these days than previous times. Some people try to balance that with exercise, such as walking, running, cycling swimming or cardio, but how many of us spend quality time stretching our muscles, tendons and ligaments? Lack of stretching leads to immobility of joints, mainly the hips and shoulders, causing stiffness and, often at times, pain. How does your lower back feel? How about the muscles between your shoulder blades? Where do you carry your stress? We spend a lot of time on our cell phones, computers and tablets, hunched over. This shortens the muscles in the front of the shoulders, this atrophies the hip flexor muscles. To combat this, practicing the above yoga poses on a daily basis can begin to reverse the effects of tight hips and shoulders. Just a few minutes of yoga can make a big difference for your overall well-being!

3/4/2019

Benefits of Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)

Picture
Parsvottanasana comes from the Sanskrit words Parsva meaning side, Ut meaning intense and tan meaning to extend, stretch or lengthen. Hence the name Intense Side Stretch Pose. This pose is also called Pyramid Pose, which emphasizes the powerful foundation and strength created in this pose.
 
Getting into the pose:
  1. Starting with the right foot about 3ft in front of your left, toes pointing to the front edge of your mat. Turn your left foot about 60° and square your hips to the front (pulling your right hip back a little and pushing the left forwards)
  2. Inhale bring your hands to reverse prayer position behind your back (if this is not possible hold your wrists or elbows) open the shoulders and chest, looking up to the sky. Keep your thigh muscles engaged.
  3. Exhale, keeping the shoulders back, fold the body forwards from the hips, reaching the chin towards your shin. Keep working on pulling the right hip back so the hips stay parallel, and keep the spine long.
  4. Stay here breathing deeply, focusing on your body alignment.
  5. Inhale lift the body up, open out the shoulders looking up to the sky.
  6. Exhale, twist the right foot in and the left foot out. Square the hips to the back of your mat.
  7. Inhale open the chest up towards the sky stretching up through the torso
  8. Exhale folding down from the hips over the left leg, this time working on keeping the left hip pulled back. Relaxing into the posture as you exhale reaching your chin towards your extended leg.
  9. Inhale raise the body up

Modifications
  • The full version of the pose is performed with the hands behind the back and the palms pressed together in prayer position (Anjali Mudra). If that option is not possible for you, cross your arms behind you grabbing each elbow with the opposite hand. Fold the opposite arm on top when you change leg position.
  • If you have a shoulder or wrist injury — or if you would just like to lighten the backward bending aspect of the pose — release your arms forward to the floor instead of reaching behind. Place your hands on blocks (as seen in the picture) if your hands don’t easily rest on the floor.
  • If you are having trouble balancing, step your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart.
 
 
Caution:  Do not practice this pose if you have a hamstring injury. If you have a shoulder or wrist injury, do not practice the full version of the pose. Women who are pregnant and those with back injuries or high blood pressure should practice the pose against a wall. Always work within your own range of limits and abilities. As with any exercise regimen, including yoga, talk with your doctor before practicing.
 

12/30/2018

Benefits of Uttasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Picture
 
Uttanasana, or intense forward-bending pose, is a component of Sun Salutes and vinyasa, as well as, a dynamic part of the transition between standing and Chaturanga Dandasana. In Sanskrit, Ut means Intense, Tana means stretched and Asana means a yogic pose.
​
Uttasana is often dismissed as an uninteresting and basic pose; yet it offers a wealth of opportunities to develop muscle actions that support other standing poses like Warriors and Pyramid Pose. Practicing  this foundation pose brings numerous benefits. Uttasana is also an inversion. Albeit a much more accessible inversion than head stand or handstand but with many of the usual benefits and more. Personally, I lovepracticing Uttansana because the weight of the head hanging heavy is enough to give my neck a gentle stretch. The stretch decompresses the spinal joints allowing a little stretch of the muscles and ligaments as well as a burst of nourishment.

How to:
  1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), hands on hips (feet together or hip width distance apart). Exhale and bend forward from the hip joints, not from the waist. As you descend draw the front torso out of the groins and open the space between the pubis and top sternum. As in all the forward bends, the emphasis is on lengthening the front torso as you move more fully into the position.

    2. If possible, with your knees straight, bring your palms or finger tips to the floor slightly in front of or beside your feet, or bring your palms to the backs of your legs (as seen in the picture). If this isn’t possible, use yoga blocks for your hands. Press the heels firmly into the floor and lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling.

    3. With each inhalation in the pose, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates almost imperceptibly with the breath. Let your head hang from the root of the neck, which is deep in the upper back, between the shoulder blades.

    4. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Uttanasana can be used as a resting position between the standing poses. It can also be practiced as a pose in itself.

    5. Bring the hands back onto the hips and reaffirm the length of the front torso. Have a micro bend in the knees for coming up. Press the tailbone down and into the pelvis and come up on an inhalation with a long front torso.

Beginner’s Tip: If you cannot touch the ground, hold onto the backs of the legs wherever the hands fall (except for the knees) or cross the arms in front of the body holding onto the elbows. Let the head hang with gravity. If this is still too intense, take tension off the hamstrings and low back by bending the knees. Working with the breath, try “inhaling, bending”, “exhaling, straightening”. Deepen the Uttanasana pose to  increase the stretch on the backs of the legs, stand in the forward bend with the balls of your feet elevated an inch or more off the floor on a sand bag or thick book or lean slightly forward and lift up onto the balls of your feet, pulling your heels a half-inch or so away from the floor. Draw your inner groins deep into the pelvis, and then, from the height of the groins, lengthen your heels back onto the floor.
 
Caution:  Uttanasana requires patience and practice. It can take a while to reach the deepest variation of the pose. Those with back injuries can practice this pose with bent knees, use a block for support under the hands, or substitute Half Forward Bend instead.

    Archives

    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All 108 In Yoga 20 Minute Yoga Practice 30 Minute Sequence 30-minute Sequence 45 Minute Yin Yoga 8 Limbs Of Yoga Acroyoga Advanced Yoga Poses Arm Balances Ashtanga Yoga Ayurveda Baby Boomer Yoga Balancing Yoga Poses Bandhas Beginner Yoga Beginner Yoga Poses Benefits Of Yoga Bhakti Yoga B.K.S. Iyengar Breathing In Yoga Chakra Meditation Chakras Chants Dosha Evening Yoga Practice Gentle Yoga Hatha Yoga Hatha Yoga Sequence Hip Openers History Of Yoga Holiday Yoga Holiday Yoga Poses Home Yoga Inner Peace Insomnia Intense Side Stretch Pose Intermediate Yoga Poses Iyengar Quotes Iyengar Yoga Learning Sanskrit Letting Go Lotus Pose Mantras Meditation Meditation For Beginners Meditation For Children Meditation For Sleep Mindful Exercises Moon Salutations Morning Yoga Namaste Om Mantra Partner Yoga Patañjali Pigeon Pose Pillars Of Yoga Practice Of Yoga Practicing Mindfulness Pranayama Prenatal Yoga Pyramid Pose Quick Yoga Sequence Restorative Yoga Selfless Service Setting An Intention Seva Shoulder Openers Significance Of Namaste Styles Of Yoga Sun Salutations Surya Namaskar A Traveling Yogi Types Of Yoga Uddiyana Bandha Ujjayi Breathing Vacation Wrist Pain Yama And Niyama Yin Yoga Yin Yoga Poses Yoga And Meditation Yoga Asanas Yoga At Work Yoga Benefits Yoga Blocks Yoga Breathing Yoga Class Yoga Diet Yoga Etiquette Yoga Exercise Yoga FAQ Yoga For Abs Yoga For A Cold Yoga For Adrenal Fatigue Yoga For Arms Yoga For Arthritis Yoga For Babies Yoga For Baby Yoga For Baby Boomers Yoga For Back Pain Yoga For Beginners Yoga For Better Posture Yoga For Computer Users Yoga For Core Yoga For Fertility Yoga For Glowing Skin Yoga For Hamstrings Yoga For Health Yoga For Heartburn Yoga For Insomnia Yoga For Kids Yoga For Lower Blood Pressure Yoga For Men Yoga For New Parents Yoga For Pain Yoga For Seniors Yoga For Shoulders Yoga For Spine Yoga For Stress Yoga For Stress Relief Yoga For The Ankles Yoga For Two Yoga For Winter Yoga For Women Yoga For Wrist Pain Yoga For Wrists Yoga Injuries Yoga Inspiration Yoga Inversions Yoga Lifestyle Yoga Mats Yoga Nidra Yoga Poses Yoga Poses For Beginners Yoga Poses For Men Yoga Principles Yoga Questions Yoga Quotes Yoga Retreats Yoga Sequence Yoga & Spirituality Yoga Sutras Yoga Teacher Yoga Tips Yoga To Relax Yoga Travel Yogic Lifestyle

    RSS Feed

©  2021 Jill Paschal Yoga. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.