This shape of spine is key throughout the sequence
Here I give you some key instructions that can support a beautiful transition from kneeling plank to down dog to bakasana.
Watch the video first. You can see the a side view and the front view in the same video. I have sped this video up so this whole sequence actually took 2 minutes in real life. I am really trying to emphasis some good slow mindful movement.
The instructions below should help firm the tummy and armpits while giving a sense of length in the spine (neither stretching nor tightening).
The key instructions here are to push front of groins to armpits and armpits to front of groins. Then, if you can add something else, press your hands forward and your knees back. You should start with feeling relaxed in your tummy. You should be able to breathe naturally into your belly throughout although it will become firm through the instructions (but not by sucking it in).
Kneeling plank
In this kneeling plank make sure knees are behind hips, shoulders over wrists.
Sitting bones move down towards backs of knees, front of pelvis lifts to the lower back to lengthen the lower back.
Lift lower ribs towards the back of chest to lengthen around the middle and upper back.
Press front of groins towards the armpits and armpits towards the front of groins without moving the body forward. This should bring a postural firmness to your tummy.
If you can manage, press hands forward and knees back while you maintain groins and armpits moving towards one another.
Half child pose Quite honestly I did not know what to call this position. It is halfway between kneeling plank and balasna (child's pose).
I move very slowly back into this position. I am not trying to get my bottom onto my heels. I am thinking about maintaining the key actions I established in the previous position. As I move back my challenge is to keep feeling as though I am moving my groins forwards.
See the spine stays the same shape.
Partial lift Here I focus on keeping the groin-armpit connection then go back again to pressing hands forward but toes and heels backwards. This combined effort causes my knees to become light. They start to lift of their own accord.
Downward dog
I keep with those four actions:
armpits to groins
groins to armpits
hands pressing forward
feet pressing backward
Walk forward
Maintaining those actions (you might need to let up on pushing feet back because they start to be less on the ground), bend your knees and walk your feet forward. I tip-toe forwards trying to stay as light on my feet as possible.
Bakasana
If I keep pressing armpits to groins and vice versa, press hands forwards, lift knees up to chest, rest them lightly on the back of my arms, press elbows back and towards one another and just keep breathing and leaning forward then you might find yourself floating. Maybe you stay on tip toes. Wherever you are be happy wherever that is. Keep working on being where you are and staying for a little bit longer until you feel comfortable moving to the next stage.
Remember, nothing should hurt. If you have not developed the correct strength and actions around the wrists then you need to work on clawing with your fingertips and pressing the wrists into one another and just have less weight on the wrists until you are ready to shift more weight there.
Have fun.
Remember, these videos are primarily intended for my own students so I can give adjustments and comments and personal feedback. It is always best to go to an actual teacher rather than learn off the internet.
Oh, and don't forget about my retreat in Sri Lanka this April 2016. Come along if you can!
For those regularly reading this blog you will see that I have become a bit of an advocate for going half way. The kneeling plank as opposed to the full plank, taking the arms part way up rather than all the way back, suggesting you do other things like forearm stands and down dogs instead of headstands for a while, and, now, the half push up as opposed to a full push up.
The thing about going half way is it is not necessarily easier. Sometimes being at half way can be harder and than going all the way, just like doing preparatory poses can sometimes be harder than doing the full pose.
Before I launch into a description of this technique, I will start by reminding you that there are many ways to come into yoga postures. This is the way that I am practicing. It is always good to know why your teacher might be practicing in a certain way as opposed to another so here is why I practice this way. If you practice differently then you also might like to ask yourself how and why it is different.
Purpose
My main aim (physically) in doing this half push up is to build up strength in the upper arms, specifically the triceps. Muscles crossing my wrists will get stronger doing this, as will muscles around the shoulder joint and the muscles of the abdomen. You can strengthen those muscles in lots of other poses where the weight is through the arms (like plank, down dog) but this posture will ask a lot more of your triceps (muscles at the back of the upper arms).
The half push up also gets me to the floor for poses I do on my belly. Performing it this way also lengthens the back of my body while firming the front, pushing blood and toxins from the abdominal organs and bring fresh blood and energy to the back of the body.
Coming into the posture
With these things in mind, to do a half push up you start with the kneeling plank. Basically, the sitting bones move down and forwards, the ribs move to the back of the body, the arms push down into the floor, the armpits move towards the waist, the knees pull towards the chest, and the hands screw into the floor and claw it slightly. Go over my previous posts on this posture if you are feeling unsure.
From the kneeling plank the idea is to maintain this structure and feeling in the spine but simply bend the elbows.
The elbows do not go anywhere, although they might feel like they are moving backwards and you can enhance this feeling by attempting to drag the armpits towards the waist.
Instead, what happens here is that the shoulders and chest move forwards.
It is important that the shoulders do not move into the ears so keep hugging the armpits back towards the waist.
It is important that the chest does not sag through the arms so keep pressing the ribs towards the spine.
It is important that the lower back does not sag so keep moving the sitting bones down and forwards.
The elbows stay close to the ribs rather than splaying out. The hands keep screwing and clawing the floor (see my previous posts on using the hands).
And this is all made easier if you look towards your navel rather than have the head up. If the head is up, push the throat forward and chin up
As you lower you want to try and keep the hips and shoulders level, or, at least, don't let one or other of the points sag. They lower at the same rate. You will see in the video that I don't even bend my elbows to 90 degrees. That means my chest is still slightly higher than my hips, however, they are lowering at the same rate and there is no sagging. If I lowered to 90 degrees of elbow flexion the shoulders and hips will be about the same height.
I don't actually lower to 90 degrees in the video. I am not sure why I didn't demonstrate that to be honest! However, it is not even necessary to lower that far in order to feel the work in the triceps.
What you do want to watch for is that you don't lower more than 90 degrees if you want a more effective activation and strengthening of the triceps. As soon as the shoulders start to come below the elbows you will take the effort away. Obviously, to come to the floor you would have to do that but if you intend to hold the pose then hold it either half way or with the elbows at a slightly obtuse angle.
Common Give Way Points
The most common 'give way' points that you need to watch for are:
1) The tendency for the chest to sag through the arms and a valley to form between the shoulder blades
2) The tendency for the lower back to sag and the butt to stick up
3) The tendency for the hips to come to the ground faster than the chest or, conversely
4) The tendency for the chest to come to the ground faster than the hips so the butt is left up in the air
5) The tendency for the shoulders to creep up around the ears
6) The tendency for the elbows to go out wide.
Summary
Basically, the half push up is a variation of the kneeling plank. I recommend that you get a good kneeling plank going before holding the half push up. I also recommend that even if you can do a full plank that, if you are not sure of your technique, that you do a push up on your knees rather than with the knees up. That way you can move more slowly and mindfully and check you are not giving way at any of the points.
Remember, practice safely and if anything hurts then don't do it!
The Short Of It
Every now and then I get a question about headstand, which I don't normally teach in an open class.
Headstand can bring physiological benefits but it can be harmful. This is true of most things. But we are talking about your neck so it would be wise to be cautious.
Can you do a freestanding pincha mayurasana or hornstand in absolute freedom, feeling relaxed and at ease, talking to me all the while and telling me how much you love the pose? If the answer is no, I would wait until trying to do headstand.
Pincha mayurasana is much harder than headstand. Much, much harder. But if you can do that pose freely and safely and happily then it will be easy for you to come into a headstand.
I believe that being in all poses should be effortless. When your body is ready it (the pose) will become so.
From my perspective headstand is not a pose to test yourself on or challenge your fears on or become a better person because you overcame fears and difficulties in life. Quite frankly, you can go achieve conquer your fears and challenge yourself in a million other ways that does not have the weight of your body on your head!
Read more below to find out how you can build towards the headstand safely.
The Long Of It
I was inspired to write this post after seeing students in several different classes coming into headstands when I was not there or talking to me after class about how they want to do a headstand.
The thing is, I generally don't teach headstand in group classes. I am not suggesting it is wrong to do so but there is a lot that can go wrong if your headstand is not up to scratch and until I see students confident in other poses I prefer not to.
However, I recognise that a lot of people really want to do a headstand. Perhaps because it looks pretty cool and perhaps it is a neat little trick to have in one's repertoire. Perhaps you did it many years ago and so want to be able to do it again.
But before you come into any pose it can be good to ask yourself what your intention is in doing so and perhaps find out from your teacher what their intention is in teaching you.
You probably won't find many yoga teachers telling you it is because they want you to learn a trick and look cool.
For me, the purpose of a headstand is to get inverted (with all the associated physiological benefits). I have used headstand as a type of neck releasing posture for myself as well. I also use it as a way to come into other postures--like a backbend for instance.
I don't use headstand to strengthen anything, the neck especially, as it is my belief that you should develop strength in other postures first and use the headstand as a posture to hang out and be relaxed in.
Above all, I am mindful as I practice that while headstand has so many possible benefits, it it is also a risky pose.
The reason I tend not to teach it in classes (again I am not saying it is wrong) is because I know that out of a room of about 10-20 people that there is a risk that at least one or two are not really listening to my instructions fully, or perhaps they are listening but might not be ready to fully understand them in their bodies. And I know from my own experience as a student that sometimes even when the teacher says back off if you are not ready or if you are tired there are always some of us who still forge ahead!
Knowing all of this, I then calculate the consequences of not listening or understanding or doing more than you are ready for (tipping over when your body weight is on your head and neck for instance) and, for me, the chance that even one person might suffer is not worth the risk.
I am not suggesting you give up on ever hoping to do a headstand or don't work towards it. But I would like to offer some alternative suggestions for how you can build up to the the posture safely.
I am writing this primarily for the students who come to my classes and wonder why we are not working on headstand yet but it might be useful for you to think about even if you are not my student and ask yourself whether you are really ready for it!
I am not going to tell you how to do headstand here; that is best left to practicing in the presence of a trained teacher. What I want is for you to ask yourself whether the poses I suggest below are easy and free first. If the answer is truly yes--if you can talk and breathe and relax and be happy in all of the poses I offer below--then perhaps you are ready for headstand. If so, find a teacher and try! I am also happy to offer private classes to students to work on this skill as well.
Kneeling Plank to Downward Facing Dog
Check out my previous posts on kneeling plank. The feelings in the abdomen and torso that you generate in that posture surface in so many other postures--headstand included.
With the sitting bones moving down and forward the lower back is lengthened and there is firmness in the abdomen but you should still be able to breathe into it.
With the chest moving towards the ceiling the spine is lengthened more and the muscles around the shoulder blades and chest become active without tensing.
You can try the full plank with knees off the floor, but don't lose the actions of moving the sitting bones down and forward, ribcage to the ceiling.
You don't have to be squeezing and tensing and tightening here. Go for a feeling of firmness without tension. You still need to be free to move around. Be free in the joints, not locked. Feel as though you could move and ripple through the spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles if you wanted to (without actually moving).
See if you can make the transition to downward facing dog and maintain the same feelings in the abdomen and torso with freedom in the joints.
Bakasana
Build up more strength and stability through the shoulder girdle in bakasana while maintaining the same feeling in the abdomen and torso that you did in kneeling plank.
Bakasana also offers you the opportunity to be actively drawing your knees towards your chest while they are bent, which is a helpful action when you are working towards starting to take your legs up into the headstand.
I put bakasana in here for another reason too. Partly because it looks tricky and hard and interesting and perhaps you might be able to satisfy that niggling urge to do complicated tricky looking things by mastering this pose first! Remember, bakasana ultimately comes with straight arms and an ability to be relaxed and calm. Build up to holding this pose for 30 seconds to a minute and be happy.
Forearm Dog/Dolphin
The actions in the abdomen and torso you worked on in kneeling plank are also mimicked in the forearm dog posture, which you can see in my previous post on kneeling plank and in the video for this post.
This pose is hard. Really hard. Really, really hard.
It is even harder if you try and take one leg up without changing the actions in the torso. If you cannot do this pose and feel at ease and have a conversation with me then it might be best to put off your headstand for a while.
Remember that when done correctly the head is not on the floor in this pose. It does not come towards the floor either, which tends to happen for a lot of people. If anything, the head lifts further away from the floor.
Watch for the tendency to collapse the ribcage and sway the back here, essentially losing the actions that were cultivated in the kneeling plank.
The neck should be free and you can look towards your navel. If you cannot see it then you have probably sunk into your shoulders or collapsed the ribcage or are arching in your upper and lower back.
Now, while you are here, with one leg in the air and not collapsing, can you breathe and relax and talk freely? Can you feel relaxed in your shoulders and neck? If you cannot, be content with where you are and just keep working on it.
Work on it in a dedicated but kind way. This is not the time to be hard on yourself. Keep practicing, notice the small changes, and be happy with what you have done and are doing. Alternate between this and the pose below at the wall if you like.
I suggest you get a teacher to observe you practicing this pose as they will be able to help you free your shoulders and neck and let you know if you are collapsing in the spine.
Forearm Stand At Wall (pincha mayurasana or hornstand) & Free-Balancing
From the Forearm Dog you can back yourself up to the wall and see if you can maintain your actions and walk the legs up the wall to 90 degrees.
Again, remember your kneeling plank foundations. Resist doing more than you are ready for. If the spine starts collapsing (you will know because you can feel it starting to bend backwards) then go back to the forearm dog for a while.
Being at a 90 degree angle is pretty tough. You will find it seems to take less effort to be in the actual pose--either at the wall or free-balancing. But that is why it is a preparatory pose--you want your preparation to be so effective the final pose feels easy.
I suggest that you work your way to feeling confident in free-balancing in this position, first at the wall if you need but ultimately away from the wall before you try headstand. Then you know that if at any time your neck felt uncomfortable in a headstand you could push up into the hornstand to relieve any tension. You will probably need the guidance of a teacher here so don't be afraid to ask.
I also suggest that you be able to do this posture in way that feels relaxed. Well, I suggest you do all postures in a way that feels relaxed but really think about it in this one. This means you feel free to move around in the position and feel lightness rather than tension.
The thing is, if you are going to fall from a headstand--which you should be open to--then you want to be relaxed about it rather than falling from a rigid and stiffened body. I liken this a bit to what happens to really drunk people. Have you ever seen a really drunk person fall over? They are relaxed and like rubber and probably less likely to break something than the same person who falls with limbs and spine rigid. Not that I am suggesting we all turn to drink--you can relax without drinking.
This all takes time. Be patient. Be happy with where you are rather than unhappy thinking about where you want to be.
Throw In Some Side Bending & Twisting
You can also work on some side bends and twists. Both types of poses--when initiated from the navel up--will help move your spine. They will be especially helpful for people who feel like their elbows keep splaying out in the hornstand/pinch mayurasana.
Side bends will help lengthen the side of the body from the hip up through the armpit and into the arm. A lot of people are tight around there. Bending sideways can help free up the spine as well as the hips and shoulders. See my previous posts on 'A Way to Parsvakonasana' and 'A Way To Sidebending'.
Summary
Headstand is a wonderful pose to do but I'd suggest only doing it if you know you have no neck issues and you are confident you can at least to do horn stand or pincha mayurasana in absolute freedom and ease away from a wall. Then you can be assured that you have the requisite strength, mobility, and stability around the shoulders.
For me, headstand is not the type of position you want to see as a challenge. It should really be the natural consequence of being able to do much harder positions.
I wrote this post as a guide only and nothing beats the careful attention of an experienced teacher. Perhaps rather than practice any of these things on your own you can bring them up with your teacher when you next see them.
There are many ways to come into and out of yoga postures and sequences of postures. Below is one way to try a chandra namaskar. It is based on the classes I have taken with Yoga Synergy and you should go to their website to get material directly from the source and understand this is my interpretation only.
And while I mention it as based on the Yoga Synergy style (based on the emphasis on moving the sitting bones forward), I note my teacher Paddy McGrath also encourages similar movements (but without the same anatomical instructions) in the classes I have had with her--particularly the actions of bhujangasana, which requires postural firmness in the belly while simultaneously keeping the spine long rather than squashing it.
This sequence is practiced with natural breathing; breathing into the belly. The belly is made firm by the posture, which, in this case, is caused by moving the sitting bones forward and top of the pelvis back. This action also creates length in the lower back, which tends to get squashed in most people.
What I try to distinguish between as I practice this sequence is a movement of my spine versus a movement at the hip joint. You will see that from standing, I first bend the spine (from the navel upwards), then I bend at the hips and knees to come to the floor. I don't worry about straight legs here. I am more concerned with the movements of the spine.
You will see that I step back into a low lunge. Before I stand up I firm the belly by pushing the sitting bones towards the front heel. Then I stand up.
You will see in kneeling plank I use the same action of pushing sitting bones forward to cultivate a firm belly but I still breathe into it so that I am calm.
You will also see that in the second cycle I come from kneeling plank into bhujangasana. That transition is really important. I am moving into a backward bend but I do not stop pressing the sitting bones forward. Look at this section really closely. You will see that the length in my lower back is maintained. The sitting bones continue to push forwards. If I let my bum stick up in the air it will squash.
You may not be able to lower your pelvis to the floor as much as I am. But lowering it is not important here. What is important is the length of your spine. Make that your focus.
When I cannot move forward anymore then I lengthen the front of my body without sticking my ribs out or squashing the back. In this way I feel freedom. I should mention the action of the armpits is strong here, which you cannot see, and they are pressing down and back (like I am trying to pull my hands back to my hips).
When I move back into kneeling plank I don't let the lower back sag.
Throughout this sequence I pay attention to my neck. I make sure it is not squashed and is in a position where it feels long and free.
In the second cycle you can see I try to maintain the feeling of kneeling plank and tip-toe my feet towards my hands. Here I was just playing around with maintaining that feeling while putting weight through my arms. Some people might lift to lolasana (take their toes off the ground and hover) or even a handstand if that is available to you. It is not available to me so I just stay at the level I am at, be content with that, and breathe.
Move slowly through this sequence. Don't practice it if you are unsure or if anything does not look or feel right to you.
May your practice be peaceful and happy!
Classes (current at time of posting. See class schedule page for updated details):
Down dog,
plank, crow and the forearm balance pincha mayurasana are all much the same
pose. The main difference is the angle of the arms relative to the
torso and angle of the hips. From my perspective, and current way of
practicing, the spine stays much the same--long and free.
In these
poses, the abdomen is also made firm. However, it is made firm by the
posture not because you are 'sucking in'. In this way of practicing there
is no need to actively pull navel to spine and you can breathe into the belly.
It won't move too much because it has been made firm by the posture (if
performed correctly) but the act of breathing into it will help give you power
and relaxation. Please link to Simon Borg Olivier's work on this matter
if you are in doubt. Also, watch Paddy McGrath as she practices (you can google them both). You will see how long and free her spine is as she moves between postures like this.
These issues--length
and freedom in the spine along with firmness in the abdomen created by the
posture--are important things to consider when 'looking' for a feeling in the
postures I describe below.
You will
see that kneeling plank, when performed as described, is the foundation for all
of the poses.
You will
see also that kneeling plank, when performed as described, is a fairly
difficult pose.
If you can
manage a great kneeling plank, as described, then you will create firmness in
your abdomen without needing to pull your belly in. The type of firmness that
is combined with ease and will enable you to gracefully come into more
challenging poses rather than rely on brute force.
You will
cultivate strength, stability and openness around the shoulders without needing
to lift weights.
You will
find length and freedom in your spine without over mobilizing weak parts.
Here is
how. Before you begin, revise my previous posts on using the hands as I will
only highlight the main points. Remember do not try anything that
might make you uncomfortable. Move mindfully and back off if there is any
discomfort. This is a way to come into these poses. I
like them because they make me feel firm but free, strong, but relaxed. There
are other ways. Find what works for you.
***note that the 'ambient' noise in the background is because I didn't figure out how to get rid of the noise of the person boxing in the gym where I filmed this!
Kneeling
Plank
Come onto
the hands and knees. Middle fingers point straight ahead, hands a little wider
than shoulders. Claw the fingers as though making a fist. Squash the
wrists towards one another, roll the underside of your arms towards your face.
Elbows straight but not rigidly so.
Knees slightly
behind hips.
Breathe
into the belly. Let it bloat out like a baby's belly. You will keep
breathing into the belly throughout.
Scoop the
sitting bones down and forward as though they are moving towards the
wrists. Lift the top of the pelvis towards the ceiling. The lower
back should lengthen and now the belly will firm without you needing to think
of actively tensing it.
Breathe
into the belly.
Child's
Pose (Balasana)
Beware the
tendency to just sag back and let the chest and lower back give way to gravity.
The chest still floats up, the sitting bones move towards the wrists.
Press the
armpits in the direction they face--now towards the floor.
Feel as
though you are pulling your knees towards your wrists.
Push the
ribs and chest up towards the ceiling. The upper back will
broaden. Push the arms down into the floor to enhance this.
Lightly
move the armpits in the direction they face--back towards the knees.
Relax the
face and neck.
Breathe
into the belly.
From kneeling plank you can move
to balasana by shifting the whole torso and pelvis backwards towards the heels.
You don't have to sit on the heels.
Downward
Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Keep the
actions you have been cultivating in kneeling plank and then child's
pose. The only thing that changes now is that the heels start to
press backwards, as though to the floor. They might not reach the
floor. Who cares? It is not that important. The legs might not
straighten. Who cares? It is not important.
What is
important is that the foundation you have set--ribs floating up with lower back
long--is maintained.
To ensure
you can do this, move slowly. If you find yourself starting to sag
in your spine then pause. Back off until you are not
sagging. Stay there and be content with where you are. Let's use
this pose to free and lengthen the spine rather than worry about straightening
the legs.
Many
people, if not mindful, will push their ribs through towards the floor. Perhaps
because a lot of people are photographed doing it and because it feels more
stretchy. I am not saying it is bad to feel
stretchy. However, the action of pushing the chest through rather
than lifting it up will teach you nothing about the more advanced arm balance
poses.
Crow
(Bakasana)
Bakasana is
basically a variation of kneeling plank but with the knees on the
arms. The actions of pushing sitting bones to heels, pushing chest
upwards, pulling the knees into the chest, and pressing the armpits in the
direction in which they face.
The main
difference is that the knees actually move towards the chest rather then just
feeling as though they are.
Lift up on
tiptoes, place the knees on the upper arms, keep trying to pull the knees up
higher, push the sitting bones towards the heels, armpits to waist, chest to
sky.
You will
feel when. You are ready as you will be able to shift your weight forwards and
float up.
Forearm
Stand (Pincha Mayurasana)
From down
dog, lower to your allows, again without letting the chest or lower back sag.
Sitting bones to heels, top of the pelvis back, ribs float towards spine. Head
hangs down. You should be able to see your navel. If you
ribs poke out or drop you will not be able to do this.
This pose
is really tough. Most of us just need to be content to stay here on
our elbows for a while, navel gazing. The most common things that
happen here are that the chest sags, elbows splay, and shoulders start to drop
into ears.
If these
things start to happen then try to rectify them and, if you cannot, go back to
kneeling plank and down dog, every now and then coming back to Pincha
Mayurasana to see if you can maintain the position without losing the
foundations you have set.
Summary
The lower
back is lengthened by moving the sitting bones down and forward towards the
wrists, top of pelvis up to the sky.
The middle
and upper back are lengthened as the ribs and chest move back towards the spine
or ceiling.
The armpits
press in the direction they face.
The posture
creates firmness in the belly. Don't try to pull it in. Breathe
into the belly.
Relax the
neck and face.
Be content.
Remember,
move slowly. If anything does not feel good, back off or don't do it.
May your
practice be safe, peaceful, and happy.
Classes (current at time of posting. See class schedule page for updated details): Mon 1300-1530h @ Barton [private classes] Wed 0615-0715h @ Hapkido Canberra, Colbee Court, Phillip, ACT, $12 Wed 1030-1130h @ Alive! Gym, Narrabundah Wed 1245-1315h @ Menzies Library Lawn, ANU, $5 Sat 0900-1030h @ St Aidan's Uniting Church, Brockman St, Narrabundah, $15 Sun 0900-1030h @ Hapkido Canberra, Colbee Court, Phillip, ACT, $15
Here I focus on keeping the groin-armpit connection then go back again to pressing hands forward but toes and heels backwards. This combined effort causes my knees to become light. They start to lift of their own accord. 
Maintaining those actions (you might need to let up on pushing feet back because they start to be less on the ground), bend your knees and walk your feet forward. I tip-toe forwards trying to stay as light on my feet as possible. 
If I keep pressing armpits to groins and vice versa, press hands forwards, lift knees up to chest, rest them lightly on the back of my arms, press elbows back and towards one another and just keep breathing and leaning forward then you might find yourself floating. Maybe you stay on tip toes. Wherever you are be happy wherever that is. Keep working on being where you are and staying for a little bit longer until you feel comfortable moving to the next stage. 
