Posing on Tuesday; Cobra/Updog/Sphinx

The pose I chose for this week was Cobra because it's the next step in a vinyasa, but then I thought, "how can I do a post about Cobra without also showing you guys sphinx and updog?" The people need options!
I'm sorry about the picture quality again. I was up studying all last night and by the time I remembered to take the pictures I was in my pajamas and my air was everywhere and it just wasn't going to happen. So, please take a second to appreciate that - in addition to the low quality of the images - I am wearing jeans and my undershirt for the day.

COBRA
(Bhujangasana)

So, let's pick up where we left off, shall we? From chutarunga...

Let your body lower all the way to the floor.

Make sure your hands are planted directly underneath the elbows. Firm your core and press your torso up, keeping the tops of your thighs and your pubic bone pressing into the floor.



Drop your shoulders away from your ears, keep the back of your next long, pull your shoulders blades back to open up the heart to the front of the room, and reach the crown of your head towards the sky. Lift up as high as you comfortably can, keeping your elbows bent. You can even try lifting your hands up off the floor if it's comfortable for you.

If this is easy for you or you want a little more of an arm workout, you can try Updog instead.

UPWARD FACING DOG
(Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)

Remember how your toes propelled your forward into chutarunga? 

Use that and continue to pull your heart forward. Without lowering to the ground, pull your heart forward, straighten your arms, and lift your chest up and open to the front of the room.
Just like in cobra, pull your shoulder blades back and press your heart open to the front of the room.

Keep your quads and glutes engaged so that you don't sink into your low back. This will keep most of your legs off the floor too.

Updog can be a kind of intense back stretch for some people, so if you feel like you should be doing something a little more mellow, try Sphinx pose.

SPHINX
(No Sanskrit name for this one) 

After you've lowered to the ground from chutarunga, slide your elbows forward so they're directly underneath your shoulders, and - just like in cobra - drop your shoulders away from your ears, keep the back of your next long, pull your shoulders blades back to open up the heart to the front of the room, and reach the crown of your head towards the sky. Keep pushing into the tops of your feet to keep the legs engaged.

Then thank Panda for all her help and give her a hug because she's not feeling good today.

Done properly, all three of these poses will work your entire body - shoulders, arms, quads, glutes, and back. They're all excellent back bends, great for warming up your spine. They are also known to relieve stress and help with mild depression.

They're all wonderfully warm and great for getting reading for deeper backbends. :)

Now I have a couple of options I'm considering for next week's break down. It will be my first one after my yoga teacher final. ;)