HATHA YOGA SEQUENCE HOW TO
HATHA YOGA SEQUENCE FULL

Be aware that, because of the inverted position and the addition of full shoulder flexion, the challenge will increase. If the staff pose outcome is positive, participants may be ready to perform downward-facing dog. If sitting on the floor is a challenge for a participant, then a blanket, bolster or block can be placed under the buttocks to increase the degree of hip flexion or to enable greater knee extension. Staff pose allows you to look at the relationships of the ankles, knees, hips and trunk without participants being inverted (upside-down) as they are in downward-facing dog. At the hip joint, staff pose is similar to downward-facing dog, with hips flexed to 90 degrees (as much as possible) and knees in extension (as much as possible). If participants are new to yoga or have certain physical limitations, it may be preferable to first evaluate them using seated staff pose (dandasana).

wrist (extension with pronation, palms to floor).

JOINT POSITIONS INVOLVED IN DOWNWARD-FACING DOGĭownward-facing dog involves the mechanical relationships between shoulders, trunk, hips and knees. It is also an inversion (head below heart), which adds to its complexity, owing to the influences of ground forces (gravity) and friction. When performed strategically, this pose is a great strength builder for shoulders, abdominals, spinal erectors, hip flexors and ankles. Of the 84 classic hatha yoga asanas, downward-facing dog (adho mukha svanasana) is one of the best-recognized and most-often-demonstrated poses in Western culture.

HATHA YOGA SEQUENCE HOW TO

Learning how to deconstruct these postures will offer helpful insights on how you can similarly assess clients when they practice other asanas. Here, I will break down three popular yoga poses from the ground up and explain how to perform a bilateral evaluation and joint assessment for each of them. Using techniques similar to those that fitness professionals employ to assess movement patterns in other modes of exercise, yoga instructors can examine the biomechanical aspects of each posture to help every participant make the greatest possible gains. There should be constant attention to the various modifications that may be needed along the way. The practice of hatha yoga should focus on training within the student’s available joint range, with careful monitoring of his or her daily ability. Monitoring and Evaluating a Student’s Progress Joint stability flows naturally from increases in strength, which can increase ROM, as well. The outcome of any yoga position is also based on the interrelationship of involved joint structures and the muscles around them. In the OPT™ model, the result of developing muscular endurance and joint stability is improved ROM over time. In this phase, the focus is “to increase muscular endurance and stability while developing optimal neuromuscular efficiency (coordination)” (NASM 2018).

Using the NASM Optimum Performance Training™ model for perspective, this interdependency can be seen in Stabilization Endurance Training (Phase 1). For this to happen, it is crucial that the muscles supporting these joints be responsive and able to fully contract and stabilize the joints.

To achieve this last goal-flexibility-when performing an asana, various involved joints will ideally be at the end of their available range of motion. Yoga, after all, is a great addition to any fitness professional's toolbox. Today, Western cultures have adopted hatha yoga, and many people now practice it for health and fitness, seeking to lower stress levels, improve overall strength and increase flexibility. In hatha tradition, ASANAS (yoga postures) and PRANAYAMA (breathing exercises) were seen as preparation for deeper spiritual practices such as meditation (Muktibodhananda 1998). Hatha yoga is the branch of yoga that deals with the physical body, and its early practice focused on rigorous discipline.

Hatha yoga sequence