Filed under: Digital Asana Project
Sometimes, especially in flow-style classes, you may hear your yoga teacher say something like “Step back or jump back to Chaturanga.” There are many to do this, of course, and it’s obviously not a good idea to jump back to Chaturanga if you can’t do Chaturanga all that well to begin with. Once you are strong in Chaturanga, though, it can be a fun addition to your practice to start jumping into Chaturanga during the flow.
In this video, I’m demonstrating the most advanced way of jumping back into Chaturanga.
1) I make sure to plant my hands firmly into the mat. For me, this means that I need to bend my knees quite a bit.
2) I start to transfer more weight into my hands.
3) With a little hop, I leave my feet and transfer all the weight into my hands. To soften the impact, I allow my elbows to bend here.
4) With my shoulders over my wrists, I allow my hips to float up into the air, and then I extend my legs out. I hold in this position for a few breaths (thus, “Flying or Floating Chaturanga”) before lowering down into traditional Chaturanga.
Disclaimer: I am not a certified yoga instructor, and the ideas and opinions expressed here are not intended to be formal instruction on yoga poses. If you plan to start up a yoga practice, or if you have one and plan to do any of the yoga poses described in this blog, please seek out an experienced, living, breathing yoga teacher to guide you with hands-on instruction.
