Practice Now

Strong upper body engagement is one piece of the puzzle in learning yoga inversions. In this exploration you will do several poses as a way to gain arm strength for pincha mayurasana.
Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/
01:11 Forearm balance with fingers interlaced
02:28 Forearm balance using block with forearms and inner index fingers hugging the midline of mat
03:30 Dolphin pose to walk feet to wall for supported inversion & to strengthen arms for longer hold
04:14 Forearm balance using a block and wall for supported inversion
05:26 Use a chair to explore backbending in the pose w/ longer distance from wall

#fulcrumblu #armbalance #pinchamayurasana

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A good reminder for us all -- even if you don't have time to practice, be sure to give attention to these 7 spinal mobility movements to keep your back flexible. Learn how to adapt these movements to meet your needs.
00:38 Axial Elongation with hand on head, forward on the sitz bones
01:39 Lateral Stretch of the left side body muscles
02:24 Lateral Stretch to the right side body muscles
03:10 Forward bend in wide stance, spine elongated with upper back rounding only at the end of the stretch
04:06 Back bend with hands to back of chair - open upper chest and upper back area
04:43 Twist to the right to stretch the left side body muscles - hands pulling & pushing on chair back
05:33 Twist to the left to stretch the right side body muscles - hands pulling & pushing on chair back
06:25 Axial Elongation with hand on head to discern differences after stretches

Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #chairyoga #spinalmobility

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Slow down, hold the poses longer, and focus on your breath in this restorative yoga practice.

01:00 Hip flexion - supta padangustasana knee to floor
03:50 Supta Baddha Konasana to bridge variation
04:36 Sucirandrasana to open hips
07:55 Crescent stretch - arms extended over head
09:07 Clamshell - abduction
11:43 Low Lunge with side stretch
15:00 Childs pose with head supported
16:56 Dandasana to gentle and limited paschimottanasana
18:28 Sukhasana to twist
21:28 Supported Bridge
22:33 Supported Sarvangasana variation
24:20 Supta padangustasana
25:40 Savasana

Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #restorativeyoga #hipmobility

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When you can't figure out what to do when you come to the mat, start with downward dog -- be creative and play in the practice. In no time you will have strengthened the arms and legs, elongated your hamstrings, and focused on fullness in your breath. As one of my former teachers said, "if you are stranded on an island and can't go to class, create your own by starting with downward dog.
00:37 Customize hand to feet length in your downward dog
01:33 Flow to walk the dog and swivel dog to elongate side body
02:48 Puppy Dog
03:40 Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana - lifted leg w/ thigh stretch
04:30 Short Dog Twist
05:30 Dolphin pose - forearms with interlaced fingers
06:30 Wide stance dog - prasarita padottanasana variation w/ twist
09:08 Sucirandrasana variation - legs in figure four for hip opening
10:16 Big toe hook to stretch achilles tendon, calf muscles, and hamstrings
10:50 Wild thing - forward bend dog to backbend through lifting one leg
13:10 Savasana

Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #yogapractice #yogalife

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Recovery often means yoga in bed. In order to ensure that muscle atrophy is minimized, move your legs and arms and strengthen abdominal, neck and back muscles with these supine postures.
00:30 Focus on breath
01:30 Crescent moves - arms extended, legs straight
03:40 Neck eccentric contraction moves
05:20 plantar flexion, dorsiflexion for foot strength
05:50 Zig zag feet for ankle strength
06:59 Cactus arms - elbows forward, hands back to prayer or clapping
08:38 Chin lift to strengthen neck muscles
10:00 Glute pumps with hip extension
11:23 Side plank - knees bent
12:24 Bicep eccentric contraction - strength as you lengthen w/ upper chest lift
14:04 Interlaced fingers w/ straight arms forward, overhead, and head lift
16:10 Toe tap abdominal strengthener
17:08 Side body strengthener with one leg circling
19:05 Outer hip toning - abduction
20:03 Lifting to bridge
20:12 Savasana



Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #yogapractice #restorativeyoga

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Attitude is critical to practice -- how positively we viewed yesterday and how we look forward to today's activities makes us motivated. Many of us come to the yoga mat regularly to throw our attention to the practice -- the breath, the movements, the alignment in order to motivate ourselves and give us the feeling of accomplishment not only to the practice, but in our daily lives.
01:40 Adho mukha svanasana - Downward dog to walking the dog
02:50 High lunge
04:06 plank to baby cobra, salambhasana and back strengthening positions
05:10 Bird dog - hip flexion and hip extension; move to vadrasana
11:05 Wide stance dog for a twist
12:37 Virabhadrasana 2 to goddess warrior
14:20 Prasarita Padottanasana fingers interlaced behind back
15:44 Natarajasana - dancer variation - balance w/ hip flexion to extension
19:12 Trikonasana - triangle pose with emphasis to lifting underside ribs
21:22 Squat from wider stance to come to sit on mat
22:16 Pinwheel
24:32 Moving in pinwheel for hip opening
26:21 Windshield wiper pose
28:30 Supported bridge
30:00 Savasana



Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #yogamotivation #yogaeveryday

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Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #yogapractice #hugs

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Warrior 3 provides a perfect focus for this practice -- leg and back strength, balance, and repetitions to feel the improvement in each cycle.
01:08 Low lunge to runners lunge sequence to open hips and gain hamstring flexibility
04:56 Digasana & Virabhadrasana 3 preparation with blocks
06:14 Utkatasana
06:38 Virabhadrasana 1 to Parsvottansana repetitions
09:00 Utkatasana Chair Pose
09:51 Virabhadrasana 1 to Virabhadrasana 3 Warrior 1 to Warrior 3
12:00 Utkatasana
12:50 Savasana

Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #yogapractice #strength

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Eccentric, concentric, and Isometric muscular actions are all involved in refining alignment and building muscle strength in yoga postures. In this practice we focus on eccentric muscle contraction in a yoga poses with slight variations to slow simultaneously engage through muscle elongation. 00:38 High lug repetition of bending back knee
02;20 Slow movements toward squat
03:08 Knee plank slow movement to mat
03:26 Baby cobra repetitions
04:20 Plank with slow and steady move to mat
04:36 Pulsing and lifting in cobra
05:05 Kneeling to move toward ustrasana in this variation
07:08 Tricep pump to move to purvottanasana
08:08 Bridge walk/inch out
09:40 Bridge with towel slide
11:11 Savasana

Rita's website: https://fulcrumblu.com/
Anusara yoga website: https://www.anusarayoga.com/



#fulcrumblu #yogapractice #yogastrength

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