Position your hands at shoulder width (or slightly wider) and your feet at feet width (or slightly wider).
Experiment with the width of hand and feet
placement, as well as distance between your hands and feet to find the most comfortable position.
If you are new to yoga, or the backs of your legs feel tight, slightly bend your knees.
Press firmly down into the entire span of your hands and length of your fingers. Bring slightly more weight toward your fingers to avoid overloading the wrists; with a little more weight toward your thumb and index finger to encourage internal rotation of your arms – this will help to broaden your shoulders and avoid feeling bunched up at the top.
Keep your
arms parallel to each other, and relax your head down between your arms.
Let your head hang heavy to encourage lengthening of the neck.
Keep your legs firm and active, and press into the balls of your feet.
Lift your kidney area (back bottom ribs) slightly up and tone up your abdominal wall to lengthen the spine and avoid “banana back.”
Play with the dog on your own; we will refine it next week in class.