The surprising way to deepen your twists

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We have been taking some progressively deeper twists in class this week, and this is the order they've been appearing (dotted throughout the class). In the top two, and bottom left, photos my upper body is turning gradually more towards the camera, and in the last one my upper body stays where it is but my lower body turns a little away from the camera (when I bring my back heel on to the floor). A key warm up for working towards taking the bound twists (bottom photos) is internal rotation of the shoulders - think bottom arm in gomukhasana. And if you're not sure what 'internal rotation' means hold your arm out to the side at shoulder height, palm facing down. Now turn it so your thumb points down to the floor and palm faces behind you. Your arm has internally rotated (palm facing forwards with thumb pointing up is the opposite- external rotation).

So, after getting slightly sidetracked, back to my original point: warming up the shoulders is great for twists. And these poses will help to stretch out your back. But if you find you're getting stuck don't forget that twists also require flexibility in your outer hips, so that you can twist towards each leg. For example, in these pictures I need flexibility in my right outer hip so I can turn my upper body towards that leg. And vice versa for the other side. A good warm up for outer hips is to lie on your back and straighten one leg (eg your right) up towards the ceiling. Hold on to your foot or use a strap to hold it. Then keep your back and pelvis level on the floor but take your leg across your body (so for your right leg, take it over your body towards the left). Move your leg until it stops, or until you feel a stretch in that outer hip. Then repeat on the other side. And remember not to force yourself into a twist (or any other yoga pose!): inhale to back off a little and lengthen your spine, exhale draw your lower belly in  and maybe turn a little deeper. Inhale, exhale, repeat 🌟

Step by step: eight angled pose or astavakrasana

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I've had some requests from students for content to help them practice at home some of the poses we tackle in class. So after posting a picture of this posture on my Instagram, here's our first instalment: my step by step guide to lift off in astavakrasana or eight angled pose 🚀

1. Start sitting cross legged. Bring your right shin so it's parallel to the floor. Take hold of either side of your right foot and draw your right knee back towards the wall behind you (photo 1) 

2. Take your right arm underneath your right shin, then take a couple of goes to get that leg as high up on your arm as you can. Squeeze your right leg into your right arm strongly, otherwise it'll slide down when you move your hands. Place your hands on the floor either side of you (photo 2- comedy facial expression optional)

3. Lift your left leg and hook your left ankle on top of your right. Squeeze your legs tightly together on to your arm (photo 3)

4. Keep your elbows stacked over your wrists, but bend your elbows so that your chest moves forward and your hips slide back. If sliding your hips back while on your sticky mat is difficult, trying coming off your mat on to a more slippery surface like a wooden floor. Squeeze your legs together at the same as extending them away from you (photo 4) 

5. Engage your core muscles. Keep your elbows bent and chest but lift your hips off the floor, while squeezing your legs together and lengthening them away from you (tip: elbows must bend- don't try and pick yourself up by straightening your arms!) (photo 5) 

And now try on the other side! Hope this helps- if you have any questions please just leave us a comment or send me a message!

Four limbed staff pose or chaturanga dandasana

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I think my students probably wonder if I'm obsessed with them keeping their elbows in and not dropping their shoulders as they transition from plank to the floor. It's to give them the right set up for this pose. It's harder than it looks and weirdly hardly ever seems to be broken down and taught in detail in flow classes, even though it's done over and over again and can put a lot of pressure on your shoulder joint if not done correctly. Getting it right will protect your shoulders, build upper body and core strength, and give you a strong foundation to build on for lots of arm balances. However, getting it right also takes a certain amount of core and upper body strength! To build that up you can take mini pushups (with your knees on the floor). Come on to all fours and switch on your lower belly muscles on super strongly, so that your lower back isn't dropping towards the floor. Then keep your arms squeezing in against your sides and lower yourself forward and down. Only go as far as you can bring yourself back up again! Keeping your elbows squeezing in against your side as you move up and down is super important - you may not go so far but you'll be building up correct form. And only ever lower as far down as when your shoulders are in line with your elbows. NO FURTHER! Keeping at that height is much harder than letting your shoulders drop, but is by far a much more stable position for your shoulders. Once you can do a few reps of bending your elbows to 90 degrees, making sure your shoulders don't drop below your elbows and your arms are squeezing your ribs, you're probably ready to try the full posture (pictured).

So from plank:
1. Core engaged
2. Shoulders lifted away from floor and moving away from your ears
3. Elbows hugging in towards your ribs
4. Look slightly forwards
5. Come forward on to your tiptoes and lower forward & down 💪🏼✨

(Errr and if you're having your photo taken don't wear a baggy top or it'll look like your core isn't working!! 😂)