Can’t get into a squat with your heels down?

≤45 min. Go from very accessible versions of childs pose, utkatasana (chair pose), virabhadrasana 1, and parsvottanasana to lengthen your soleus, stretch your calves, and open your hips so that malasana (squat variation) is accessible. Learn more about the biomechanics of the pose when you lie on your back and un-tuck your pelvis; in the prone squat you learn how to access the same. Using a towel, blanket, or yoga mat access greater dorsiflexion in your feet to make the connections to go deeper through chair pose toward a full squat. With a chair or something to hold onto, notice how you can engage the leg muscles in a wide stance squat. No longer will you be plopping or dropping yourself in the chair and trusting solely in your arm strength to get yourself out of a chair once your legs gained strength to engage in a deeper utkatasana and squat.