Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee

I have so much to write about still from Saturday's seminar. Things keep popping into my head that I must blog about. Talking to other yogi's at the studio today it is unanimous that the seminar was a success. Everyone found something new that has expanded their knowledge of the practice. The only negative was the length the of day. Some people had to leave and miss the class at the end. I had cleared the whole day as I knew this would happen. I only wished I could have stayed longer and got to thank Craig at the end. There was a line forming and I couldn't keep my fellow car poolers waiting.

One regular was telling me how she realised she'd been doing Triangle wrong as the people she was following in front were doing it wrong, unbeknown to herself. It was the 'just move your arms' part again. Instead of moving the arms and collapsing your whole side body down so you can reach your toes, we were shown how to move just the arms, stretch down whilst stretching up. Thus keeping the side waist lifted and the 'triangle' shape between the body, leg and arm visible. To get the fingers with the toes you have to have those hips down low, where they should be, not slump the body down. I had been shown this move before but it didn't compute till then. It was great this morning and Sunday watching the seminar goers doing it the new way. I shouldn't keep saying new as it's actually the right way. Hopefully we shall lead the people who weren't there the right way from now on.


I'm going to focus this post on a pose that I really like. Standing separate leg head to knee (Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana). Despite 90% of the time I am blinded and my nose gets filled with a waterfall of sweat in this one it feels good. It comes after Triangle and is the third last of the standing series. It's a great compression posture that massages the thyroid and helps control obesity, diabetes, blood sugar and many kidney processes. It allows the heart rate to come back to normal after it's work out in Triangle. I'm highlighting this pose because it has been bugging me that I see some students doing weird things in the set up despite being told not too.


When it comes to the set up and we are told to move our hips five times to get the hips level. At this point some people start busting out some funky moves. Twisting their shoulders and arms back and fourth quite vigorously towards the front leg. I am guessing they think this is the right way to get the hips round. In actual fact what is happening is yes the hips are moving but then as the arms fling back again so do the hips. Both Shawn and Jo have brought this up in class and have even demoed how to set up and do the 'five times' move correctly. Then on Saturday Craig highlighted. Yes everyone laughed at the funky arm waving but people this is what you look like. I know I'm no expert or authority here I'm just reiterating what we have been told by the instructors.


What I have picked up on this is you need to turn the hips like a ratchet. If you have your shoulders and upper body square onto the mirror/side wall there is no need to move them forward and backwards with the hips. Just bring the hips round. Turn once, stop/freeze, don't let them slip back round, turn twice, stop/freeze carry on till you have turned them five times and they are level with your squared up shoulders. Jabbing the shoulders back and forth may look funky and give you a nice stretch/twist but it's doing nothing but twist the hips back and forth too. Keep the arms/shoulders still people, save your energy for the compression.

Set up, everything aligned to the side wall

The final expression - Courtesy of BYJ