Rose Pelosi practices her Utthita Hasta Padangustasana, or Extended Hand to Foot Pose.
by Rose Pelosi
A Balancing Posture.
•Start at your foundation. Even out the weight in your standing foot and leg. Ground down, grow roots.
•Feel that stability move up your standing leg to your core.
•It is more important that the rooted leg is straight, rather than the extended one. Find balance and lengthening there first. Kneecaps lifted, quads engaged.
•Feel the vertical line of energy run all the way to the crown of your head creating a continuous energetic extension. Stand tall, shoulders back, chest broad. It is common to round your spine forward to keep hold of the big toe and straighten the lifted leg. Work to maintain a long spine so the energy can flow more freely and your muscles don’t have to work as hard with the body in alignment, even if that means bending the top leg! Release ego.
•Extend through both arms eventually guiding your gaze toward your free hand.
Feel great balance by activating the immense focus and concentration needed to do so.
•As you stand tall, tune in deeply and respond to the places where you are clenching or cheating yourself out of the beautiful lines or channels that run through the body.
•Work to keep the body centered drawing both hips directly underneath you as much as possible. One will want to lift!
•Feel your extended leg lifting out and up, out and up, every breath a little higher, a little longer.
Feel beautiful. Radiate. Enjoy!
Tune up your yoga practice with helpful tips from Venice-based yoga teacher Rose Pelosi. Pelosi teaches private lessons both inside and at the beach. Follow her on Instagram @bodyloveyoga.
