5 Yoga poses and stretch to help you to pass the bar

Downward facing dog pose / Vinyasa-Plank to Cobra

Sit on your heels, lower your head on the mat, stretch your arms forward. Go to the table pose. Push with your hands and straighten your legs. Extend your pelvic bones up and heels down. Let your head hang freely, stretch your waist.

Come down to your plank pose and shift your body forward from this high plank and lower yourself down to hover in Chaturanga before gliding forward to Upward Facing Dog. If you are unable to do this then the safest transition in your Vinyasa flows is knees-down-lie-down for Cobra.

Peacock pose

Stand up straight with your feet at your hips width. Clasp your hands behind your back. Move your arms away from your back with your shoulder blades pointing at each other. Arch back a little and start bending forward keeping your back straight. Let your head hang freely and keep on moving your arms away from yourself.

Eagle pose

Stand up straight. Stretch your arms to the sides parallel to the floor. Bend your elbows and raise your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Put your right elbow over your left elbow and press your palms together. Look straight.

Bend forward keeping your back straight. Let your palms together and try to straight your arm in front of you by open your elbows as much as you can as you bend forward and keep on moving your arms away from yourself.

Extended Puppy Pose / Dolphin Pose

Come onto all fours. See that your shoulders are above your wrists and your hips are above your knees. Walk your hands forward a few inches and curl your toes under.
As you exhale, move your buttocks halfway back toward your heels. Keep your arms active. Keep a slight curve in your lower back. To feel a nice long stretch in your spine, press the hands down and stretch through the arms while pulling your hips back toward your heels.

Variation: From downward facing dog pose come onto your elbows and press the forearms, fingers and the palms into the floor, and press the hips up and back. Keep a slight curve in your lower back reaching up high through the tailbone.

To release come all the way down to child pose.

Shoulder Releasing Spinal Twist

Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.
Lower your left shoulder to the floor as close to your right hand as possible, while keeping your hips stacked over your knees
Extend your left arm straight
Gently pull your left hand away from you, feeling the stretch in your shoulder. Actively press your hips to the left to increase the spinal twist.

Do the same in the opposite side.

Now time to go back on the water and to grab the bar!!!

Published on: 9th November 2016