Learn how to work the arms and chest in Tadasana

-

In the previous post I have explained several exercises to work and learn to engage the feet, legs and pelvis, now I'm going to show how we can work our chest and arms in Tadasana (Mountain Pose).










  1. Firstly, with the arms in front of you wrap a belt around the forearms, in order to find the correct measure of the strap. So if you feel the pressure of the belt against the ribcages with the forearms touching the side ribs, you have the shoulder-width measure.
  2. After, remove the strap and send the arms back and wrapping the strap around the bones of the outer elbows behind you.
  3. Lift the side chest up and stretch the arms down, by moving them sideways, as you stretch the strap.
  4. Extend the palms and fingers down in line with the arms, pressing the thumb against the sideways of the hand, in order to engage the arms.
  5. If you don't feel comfortable with the strap, or you don't have one, you can also just interlock the fingers behind you, and when you lift the ribcage up, stretch the arms back and then down.


  • When you activate and press the arms against the strap this helps to move the shoulder blades in, opening the chest.








Placing a strap under the chest, help us to attain conscience of the placement of our rib cage.

  1. Loop a belt around the chest under the breast and fasten it. Then stand in Tadasana.
  2. In order to understand the placement of the rib cage, inhale and tuck the tailbone in. On exhale, do the opposite movement with the tailbone.
You can also lift the arms into Urdhva Hastasana.


The belt brings awareness towards the ribcage and also the shoulder blades, helping to keep the ribs in place and also a better engagement and alignment of the spine, activating the entire torso and top chest.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Half Forward Bend Pose)

-
Image
Ardha Uttanasana also commonly known as "Flat back pose", "Half Standing Forward Fold" or "Half Forward Bend" prepares the body for Uttanasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana because stretches, lengthens and rejuvenates the hamstrings, calves, spine and upper torso and therefore also improving our posture. This asana is often done in Sun salutations, as a transition between Uttanasana and Chaturanga Dandasana. Newbies on Yoga that find changeling to bend from the pelvis should practice this asana before attempting full Uttanasana, in order to prevent bending instead from the lumbar region, an unsafe action that could create compression on the vertebras. This pose will lengthen and strengthen our body in time and with patience and practice, is going to allow us to go deeper in our practice. Stand in Tadasana with the feet parallel - big toes touching together and heels slightly apart. Root down through all four corners of the feet. In
Read more

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

-
Image
Source: "Yoga anatomy" written by    Leslie Kaminoff " Uttanasana reminds me of a waterfall, the legs being the cliffs from which the trunk is flowing down like water – make the legs strong and tall and the trunk soft and flowing! " from Eyal Shifroni in " Props for yoga - Volume 1: Standing asanas " This healing, powerful and rejuvenating asana that soothes the mind, work and stretches the hamstrings, gastrocnemius, piriformis muscles, spinal muscles, and so many others muscles and connective tissues. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). On inhale circle the arms up in Urdhva Hastasana, extending from the low belly up through the fingertips.  Maintaining the length, on exhale and hinging from the hips, bend forward in order to have the trunk folding over the legs and resting the palms on the floor by the sides of the feet. If you need to bend the knees, maintaining the contact of the belly with
Read more

Activating the arms in Urdhva Hastasana

-
Image
The work we have to do with the body in Urdhva Hastasana is almost the same as in Tadasana, so the previous posts were I demonstrate exercises and variations for the feet, legs, pelvis and chest we can also apply to this asana. I am going to add other variations to help you understand the work and engagement of the arms and the correct alignment of the spine . As I previously said, if you have any cardiac condition or high blood pressure don't raise the arms up over than 30 seconds . Stand up with the feet parallel. Big toes joining together and hells slightly apart. Ground down through the four corners of each foot. Place a strap around the mid-forearms or on the elbows and tighten it to shoulder width (see how to find the shoulder distance on the post " Learn how to work the arms and chest in Tadasana "), and then place a block between the hands. Lift the shinbones and the kneecaps up, engaging the quadriceps/thighs muscles and drawing the 
Read more