Articles About Yoga Pose


  • Ustrasana: Classic Heart Opening in Camel Pose
    Ustrasana: Classic Heart Opening in Camel Pose

    Author Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

    Ustrasana extends the back of the body to stretch the front. The shoulders draw back to link the hands to the soles of the feet, and the knees lever the body up and forward to deepen the pose. The thighs tend to drift backward in Ustrasana, decreasing the angle between the upper and lower legs. Contract the quadriceps to extend the knees. This brings the thighs perpendicular to the floor, deepening the backbend (especially when the hands are holding the bottoms of the feet). Review the section on facilitated stretches to see how isolated stretching of the fronts of the shoulders and hips can improve this pose.
  • Anatomy of a Pose: Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Lateral Angle Pose)
    Anatomy of a Pose: Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Lateral Angle Pose)

    Author Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

    This pose represents a natural progression from Virabhadrasana II—another example of continuity between poses. Imagine that in Warrior II you are taking an exaggerated step in preparation to throw a spear. Utthita Parsvakonasana would be the “follow through” of throwing the spear. We go from an erect trunk in Warrior II to one that is laterally flexing in this pose.
  • Parsvottanasana: Intense Side-Stretch Pose
    Parsvottanasana: Intense Side-Stretch Pose

    Author Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

    The focal point of the stretch in Parsvottanasana is the front-leg hamstrings. Remember to firmly engage the quadriceps and hip flexors to stimulate reciprocal inhibition of the hamstrings; observe how engaging these muscles changes the sensation of the stretch. A subplot of this pose is the stretch of the back-leg hamstrings and gastrocnemius.