Rose Pelosi practices her Viparita Dandasana or Inverted Staff Pose.
by Rose Pelosi
Viparita Dandasana, or Inverted Staff Pose.
A deep backbend.
•Please, take the time to warm your spine up!
•Don’t forget to breathe as you enter and maintain this shape. It’s easy to stop.
•Lowering from full wheel onto the forearms can require a little wiggling, so once you arrive re-align.
•Engage your inner thighs gently in and down keeping your knees directly over your ankles rather than splaying outward.
•Press into your forearms to keep your head lifted away from the floor and your shoulders out of your ears.
•There is a continuous wrapping of the elbows inward as your shoulder blades work to broaden. Make space rather than pinching.
•Get firm through your feet and imagine sending your heart through your arms to intensify the stretch in your shoulders and upper back. One day the legs will straighten, but this is a stable starting point.
•Check your breath.
I find with deep backbends, like many things, the key is to relax your way into in rather than pushing. Imagine the muscles surrounding your spine softening and on an exhale allowing you to bend deeper. #openheart.
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.
