RICHARD ROSEN'S ASANA BREAKDOWN : UTTANASANA

Uttanasana

(oot-tan-AH-suh-nuh) 

ut = intense;  tan = to stretch or extend (cognate with Latin verb tendere, “to stretch or extend,” cognate with English “tension”)

Intense Stretch Pose, commonly called Standing Forward Bend 

Benefits:  Calms the brain. stretches the hamstrings, calves, and hips,  strengthens the thighs

1. Stand in Tadasana, hands on hips (see the Asana Breakdown for September). Exhale and lengthen forward from the hip joints, not from the waist. As you descend draw the front torso out of the groins and open the space between the pubis and navel. As in all the forward bends the emphasis is on lengthening the front torso as you move more fully into the pose. 

2. If possible, with your knees straight or slightly bent, and maintaining the length of the front torso, press your palms or fingertips on the floor, either slightly in front of or beside your feet. If this isn’t possible, cross your forearms and hold your elbows with the opposite-side hands. 

3. Press the bases of the big toes firmly into the floor, spread the balls of the feet, and lift inner ankles. You can pull up on the ankles witih your hands to get that action. Then from that lift, draw imaginatively up along the inner thighs to the groins, then lift the groins deep into the pelvis. Rotate the thighs slightly inward, but keep the center of the knee caps, as if they were a pair of eyes, looking straight forward. Spread the buttocks out from the mid-line of the sacrum, soften the outer hips, and imaginatively lengthen down the outer legs to the ankles. 

4. With each inhale, lift the front torso just slightly and lengthen between the pubis and navel; with each exhale release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates almost  imperceptibly with the breath. Let your head hang from the root of the neck, which is deep in the upper back, between the shoulder blades. 

5. Uttanasana can be used as a resting position between the standing poses. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It can also be practiced as a pose in itself for anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. 

6. Don’t roll the spine to come up. Instead bring your hands back onto your hips and reaffirm the length of the front torso. Then press your tail bone down and into the pelvis and come up on an inhale with a long front torso.  
- Contraindications: If you have a serious back injury, do this pose with bent knees, or perform Ardha Uttanasana (pronounced are-duh = half) with your hands pressed to a wall, legs perpendicular to and torso and arms parallel to the floor. 

- Modifications & Props: To increase the stretch on the backs of the legs, stand in the forward bend with the balls of your feet elevated an inch or more off the floor on a sand bag or thick book. 

- Variations: A more intense variation of Uttanasana is called Padangustasana (not to be confused with Supta Padangustasana). After bending forward, slide your index and middle finger of each hand in between the big toe and second toe of the same-side foot. Then curl the fingers under the bottom of the big toe, wrap the toe, and finally wrap your thumb around the fingers. With an inhale straighten the arms and lift the front torso away from the thighs, making your back as concave as possible. Hold for a few breaths, then exhale and lengthen down and forward, bending your elbows out to the sides. 

- Beginners Tip: To increase the stretch in the backs of your legs when in the pose, bend your knees slightly. Imagine that the sacrum is sinking deeper into the back of your pelvis, and bring the tail bone closer to the pubis. Then, against this resistance, push the top thighs back and the heels down and re-straighten the knees. Be careful not to straighten the knees by locking them back (when doing this exercise you can press your hands against the back of each knee to provide some resistance); instead let them straighten as the two “ends” of each leg move farther apart. 

- Advanced Tip: To increase the stretch in the backs of your legs when in the pose, lean slightly forward and lift up onto the balls of your feet, pulling your heels a half-inch or so away from the floor. Draw your inner groins deep into the pelvis, and then, from the height of the groins, lengthen the heels back onto the floor. 

- Partnering: The partner can help you increase the stretch on the backs of your legs. Perform Uttanasana as a wall hang. Rest your buttocks against a wall with your heels 6 to 12 inches away from the wall. Bend your knees. Have the partner press firmly against your sacrum. Imagine that the bone is sinking into your pelvis and lengthening through the tail bone, which in turn is growing up the wall. Slowly straighten your knees against this resistance. As above in the Beginners Tip, don’t simply lock the knees back to straighten them; instead resist the back knees slightly forward as the two “ends” of the legs, the heads of the thigh bones and the heels, move apart. 

Hungry for Mudras

Samputa Mudra

Baxter Bell

I was recently approached by Kim and Megan at Nest Yoga with a request. They had become aware that I start and end each class with a new yogic hand gesture and share it all 3 of my regular classes at Nest for the week, and they were intrigued to learn more about Mudras! So, they floated the idea that I might share a bit of what I know about this often missed or downplayed part of the yoga traditions. Turns out, I had done just that a few years back for my first blog (that I co-founded), Yoga for Healthy Aging. 

So, I am happy to share the beginning of the post here with a link that will take you to the blog to read the rest, where you will also learn one of the many wonderful hand gestures that can enhance your practice in some beneficial ways: 

Yoga for Healthy Aging Blog, September 29th, 2016

What’s is in a Gesture? Nearly of Year with Mudra

Late last year, my colleague Mary Northey gave me wonderful book on yogic hand gestures (hasta mudras) written by Joseph and Lilian LePage. As I first flipped through the pages, my curiosity was piqued. This book alone describes 108 hand mudras (there are other categories of mudra we won’t get into here, such as facial gestures, whole body gestures and others), and there are likely many more hand mudras out there. This was actually not my first exposure to the idea of the uses and potentials of specific hand gestures. Some years ago, I had attended a workshop with Richard Miller, PhD, in which we learned the famous Indian chant and prayer the Gayatri mantra, and the extensive series of hand mudras that are sometimes performed while chanting the mantra. And many of my teachers over the years used the most commonly done mudras at end of class or during a final sitting meditation, such as Anjali mudra (prayer position) or Jnana mudra (wisdom mudra). I also remember seeing hand mudras as part of an Indian classical dance performance on my trip to India in 2005, an art they have long been associated with… (read more: http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-is-in-gesture-nearly-year-with.html) 

Join Baxter for an upcoming class at Nest via Zoom and learn a mudra live!

Mondays, 5-6pm

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-12pm

https://www.nest-yoga.com/livestream 

For more newly minted blog posts, check out Baxter’s new blog, “What’s on Your (Yoga) Mind?”, and feel free to send him your questions regarding yoga, health and life! 

https://www.baxterbell.com/blog

For more of Baxter’s archived blog posts on Yoga for Healthy Aging, search:  http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/ 

** Photo: Baxter doing Samputa Mudra, the Gesture of the Treasure Chest, for Cultivating Truthfulness- Satya

Staff Spotlight: Alise Crain

Nest Staff Spotlight allows fellow teachers, staff members and our yogis the opportunity to delve into the life of a selected community member. We hope this gives everyone a chance to learn more about our teachers and staff.

Our yoga teachers bring life to Nest Yoga. Each teacher is passionate, welcoming and unique. Some have been teaching yoga for decades while others have been instructing for a few years. Because of their desire to learn, we are able to offer a variety of classes including SmartFLOW® Yoga, Yoga Tune Up®, Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Restorative and Yin Yoga, Egoscue Method, Yoga for People with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions and Meditation.

We are thrilled to welcome Alise Crain back the Nest team! Alise has over 500 hours of training in Hatha, Vinyasa, meditation and Yin with Annie Carpenter, Lauran Janes and Erinn Lewis. Her classes incorporate creative sequencing and movement focused on strength building and alignment. Read more to learn about Alise’s yoga journey, plant obsession and getting lost in Dublin!

Tell us about yourself. Anything you want the Nest community to know. 

I’m originally from Austin, Texas, which is where I get my love of hot weather, breakfast tacos, and green space from. I’m still a relatively new Bay Area resident, with 1 year in SF and 2 years in Berkeley. I have 2 wonderful cats, Ty who is 10, and Nimbus who is 6, that are beautiful examples of how to be curious and be still at the same time. I own too many indoor plants and yet there is always space for more. For the past 5 years, my top 3 artists on Spotify have been Drake, Bright Eyes, and John Mayer (in that order).  I decided to leave my 10 year career in project management to pursue UX Design in July of this year, so I quit my job and signed up for a 3 month UX design bootcamp. 

What are three things still left on your bucket list?

Ha! I don’t have a bucket list! My current 5 year inspiration is to live in a home built by myself and my partner, that is a house inside of a greenhouse. 

What are you happiest doing when you’re not working?

Cuddling with my cats, drinking good quality coffee, practicing in my “home studio” which is my bathroom with the doors closed and the air heater on.

When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? 

I’m not sure about laughing, but I often happy cry (at least once a week) about how thankful I am to spend quality time with various people in my life. Time together is such a blessing and I really believe that.

What are you currently reading, watching or listening to?

Reading: Make It New, A History of Design in Silicon Valley

What do you do with friends/family in your spare time?

Visit over red wine and topo chico.

What do you love most about your hometown?

Spending 8 months of the year sitting outside in the grass in sunny 95 degree weather.

How did you find yoga and what does it mean to you?

I took my first yoga class in 2011. My mom and I had decided to overhaul our lifestyle. I was post-college, first job stressed out, working 60 hour weeks at times in a chemistry lab, and she was ready for a change. Along with becoming raw food vegans, we also signed up for a 30 day membership at a local studio. I found that my developing practice was creating space in my life that I hadn’t found in a long time. I learned to carve out time for me, to pay attention, to pause even in the middle of a hectic day and in so many ways, beyond but including physically, I felt stronger than I had in years. In 2014, I took my first 200hr training with Erinn Lewis and Lauran Janes, who sparked in me the joy of Yoga as intentional and balanced action, a form of exploration in the subtle body, and the act of paying attention with a clearer lense in all of the moments in life.  Yoga to me is the practice of slowing down enough to pay attention and to continuously connect and reconnect to ourselves, to the divine, to God, to the universe.

 Have you ever gotten super lost? What happened?

I got lost while in Dublin, Ireland on my way back from the James Joyce museum. I had biked there from my friend's house and was completely turned around on my bike home. My phone died along the way, and I had no address of where I was going, no phone numbers to call. I was so lucky to find this pasted map on the back of a mailbox on the side of the road that showed major city features, one of which my friend lived a couple of blocks from. After several attempts of trying to navigate based on my memory of the map, returning to the map, and trying again, I made it back to her house just before sundown.

What is the best gift anyone has ever given you?

A beautiful crystal singing bowl, F note and colored green, for the heart chakra.

What style of yoga do you teach? Why did you choose this method or style?

I teach Vinyasa alignment classes. When I first started practicing yoga, I found myself often in pain - in my low back, in my knees, and in my hip joints - which led me to seek out teachers, training, classes and ultimately a teaching style with a focus on freedom through intentional action and movement. It’s so important that we all as students are empowered to understand how our body works and moves and feels, and so we are able to continuously adjust or do less or do more accordingly. 

 What hobby would be a lot of fun to get into? Have you started any hobbies during shelter-in-place?

I’d like to start sketching and classifying plants - creating mini books of leaf drawings! I’ve bought the sketch pad and pencils, now I just have to start.

Alise teaches Vinyasa with us twice a week! Mindfully flow and build strength with Alise Wednesday at 12:00 pm and Saturday at 9:00 am! These classes are all levels. Follow her on Instagram @curlyogalise or visit https://www.alisecrainyoga.com to learn more!

Staff Spotlight: Bekah Andrew

Nest Staff Spotlight allows fellow teachers, staff members and our yogis the opportunity to delve into the life of a selected community member. We hope this gives everyone a chance to learn more about our teachers and staff.

So much occurs behind the scenes to keep our wonderful community thriving! Staff members design newsletters and Instagram content, troubleshoot errors, manage the schedule and organize community programs! One of our behind-the-scenes yogi’s is Bekah Andrew, Nest Program Manager. Many of you know Bekah from her time at other studios including You & and the Mat. Her yoga teaching career began in 2011, completing over 500 hours in trainings. Bekah’s vinyasa classes incorporate unique sequencing and dynamic flow with music. Read her interview below to learn more about Bekah!

Tell us about yourself. Anything you want the Nest community to know. 

I am a yoga teacher, rock climber and animal lover! I have three cats, Stuart, Buckets and Numa who I utterly adore. My husband is the coolest ever and you can catch us climbing, signing to our cats, and geeking out on anything Star Wars.

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?

I am currently painting all of my own kitchenware with intricate mandala designs!

(Check our Instagram to see her plates!)

What are three things still left on your bucket list?

Making a documentary about wolves

Going on an African Safari

Moving to France 

When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? 

Basically anytime I am with Nick’s youngest sister Katherine Andrew, she is hilarious and just gets me.

What are you currently reading, watching or listening to?

Wow, great question, so many things!

Currently reading Ninemile Wolves 

Just finished listening to Jurassic Park on our roadtrip to Yellowstone

Rewatching the whole Modern Family series

What do you do with friends/family in your spare time?

Mostly climbing and camping.

Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Dolphin Trainer ;)

If you were to describe yourself as a sandwich, which would you be? 

Sabich Pita from Saul’s!

If you had one day to live over again, what would you pick?

Christmas Day 2020 - Nick and I spent Christmas in Las Vegas and climbed at Red Rocks National Park which was so much freaking fun, but also suuuuuper cold! After we went back to our hotel and had a fancy dinner at the rooftop restaurant and then went and saw Star Wars episode 9 for the 9th time ;)

What style of yoga do you teach? Why did you choose this method or style?

I teach vinyasa because I love the effect a faster moving practice has on my body and mind. It consistently eases my mind, connects me with my body and makes me feel strong.

What is the scariest thing you've ever done for fun?

A multi-pitch climb! It's basically stacking multiple climbs into one taking you VERY high up! It requires a lot of knowledge and mental fortitude. Fellow yoga teacher @wanderignvayu took me up my first multi-pitch and she was the perfect teacher and partner for this endeavor… we got up 300ft!

Bekah does not have a regular class on our schedule but does host pop up classes. Follow her on instagram @benditwithbekahor visit her website https://www.benditwithbekah.com/ to read more about Breath&Beats, a live yoga class with a DJ!

RICHARD ROSEN'S ASANA BREAKDOWN

TADASANA 

tada = mountain

1. Stand with your feet slightly apart, inner feet parallel or big toes slightly turned in. The latter will impart a slight inward rotation to your upper thighs, which is something you want. Lift your toes away from the floor (but keep your fingers relaxed) and spread the balls of your feet, then lay the toes lightly down. Press the bases or mounds of the big toes firm to the floor, then draw imaginatively back from there to the inner ankles.

2. Next draw up imaginatively up from the inner ankles along the inner legs to the inner groins, where the inner thighs join the base of the pelvis. Firm the front thigh muscles (quadriceps) so that the knee caps are pulled up toward the hips. Make sure as well that the center of the caps are looking straight forward. If they’re slightly turned in, it’s likely you’re hyper-extending and so locking your knees to some extent. If such is the case, bend your knees slightly and turn the outer knees back as much as needed to bring the kneecaps forward.

3. If you need to do this, however, you might find the upper thighs turning out as well. In this case, you’ll hae to play back and forth between the external rotation of the knees and the internal rotation of the upper thighs. As you turn the thighs inward, the sacrum will widen across the back of the pelvis, and the hip points will narrow toward the navel. The inner rotation though pushes the tail bone out and deepens the lumbar lordosis, not an ideal condition. So to counter the “duck tail,” think of lengthening the tail bone down toward your heels. Understand though this isn’t a  “tail tuck,” which will flatten the low back, another undesirable situation. Simply stretch your tail  imaginatively straight down to the heels and then let it “lengthen” out behind your body like a long kangaroo tail. Imagine the back heels reaching down into the floor to the center of the Earth, 3900 miles away. 

4. Now join the two imaginary lines rising along the inner legs and watch that line continue up through the core of your torso, from the middle of your perineum to the very top of your head and out. The line of imaginary energy terminates at the “end of 12” (dvadashanta), an imaginary point about a foot above your head. Lift the base of your skull lightly away from the nape, then release the nape down the back torso and through the tail. 

5. Release your shoulders away from your ears and let the arms dangle, keep the fingers relaxed. 

Open equally across the upper back and chest, don’t squeeze the shoulder blades to spread the collar bones. Then press the lower tips of the scapulas up and into the torso, angling diagonally up to the top of the sternum. Be sure not to push the lower front ribs forward to encourage this. Always think of lifting the back ribs faster than the front. 

6. Finally close your eyes and allow yourself to sway, feeling how your weight shifts on the soles, side to side, front to back. Gradually slow the swaying almost or completely to a stop, and bring a bit more pressure to the bases of the big toes and inner heels without collapsing the arches. Stay for a minute or two, feeling the distribution of your weight on your soles. As the tail descends, lift the manubrium straight up and let your head float lightly atop the spine. Breathe slowly and smoothly. Then open your eyes and continue on with your practice. 

INTERMEDIATE PRACTICE

Bring your feet together to narrow your base of support. Touch the bases of the big toes but keep the heels slightly apart. You can also sweep your arms out to the sides and up over head. This is called Urdhva Hastasana, Raised Hands Pose. Reach through the little fingers to the ceiling, being careful as always not to push the front ribs forward. Think of reaching up from the back ribs. Hold for 15-30 seconds and release the arms in wide arcs out to the sides. To increase the challenge even further, with your arms raised, lift off your heels onto the balls of your feet. One old text calls this the Camel Pose (ushtrasana). Again hold for 15-30 seconds, then lower the heels back to the floor.