Asana Kitchen: Vatayanasana with David Garrigues (Horse Posture)

http://www.davidgarrigues.com

In this Asana Kitchen video I teach you to safely test and improve your skill in balance and also to gain hip and shoulder joint flexibility. As an added bonus you’ll walk through the unusual transition that involves taking one leg into Half Lotus and moving through the positions of Surya Namaskara.

The video covers these 5 focus points.

1) Using your foot and knee well in order to create a strong, stable foundation.

2) Pulling up your navel and imagining that your tail is both weighted and long in order to achieve a neutral pelvic position (as means of increasing the range of motion in the hip joint and creating a stable body position).

3) Focus on getting an upright torso and aligning your spine accurately along the central, vertical axis.

4) Gaining shoulder flexibility by dexterously crossing one arm over the other and then reaching up and away through your arms.

5) Learning to enjoy the puzzle of the balance game where you allow yourself to safely risk, to be uncertain, to wobble, and to struggle in your effort to turn an inherently unsteady position into a steady position.

Lastly the video offers some tips for troubleshooting common difficulties that come up when attempting to learn how to do this posture.

KEYWORDS: VATAYANASANA HORSE POSTURE YOGA ASHTANGA VINYASA DAVID GARRIGUES ASANA KITCHEN SECOND SERIES INTERMEDIATE SERIES HIP FLEXIBILITY SHOULDER PELVIS LEGS STRENGTH POSITION HATHA YOGA JIVAMUKTI IYENGAR