High Lunge - July '09

 High Lunge Pose - Ashva Sanchalanasana

We all know I love the Lunge...it's truly no secret!  In honor of the 'Happy Hips & Hamstrings' workshop I'm teaching this month, I thought it fitting that our pose be the dreaded High Lunge.  This pose is wonderful for stretching the psoas muscle, which we need after sitting at our computers for any length of time.  It's also a great hamstring stretch and works all the muscles of the legs.  This stretch helps to free up the hips and unlock freedom in the lower back. 

Here's how to get into it:  From Mountain Pose, take a deep breath in and reach your arms overhead, touching your palms together.  Exhale and swan dive forward, spending a few moments in Uttanasana (forward fold).  Feel your calves and hamstrings starting to warm.  Inhale and look up, looping your shoulders onto the back and reaching forward through the heart center.  If your hamstrings are tight, keep your knees slightly bent.  Exhale and step the right foot/leg back as far as you can.  Make sure your left knee tracks directly over your left ankle.  Make sure you're rooting down through the four corners of the left foot, the toes should be relaxed.  Inhale, and as you exhale push back deeply through your right heel.  Try to push the back of your right kneecap toward the ceiling.  Engage the quadriceps muscles (thigh muscles) of both legs.  If you need more stretch, wiggle your right foot even further back.  Keep pressing back through the right heel.  Take 5-10 full rounds of breath here, then step the right foot back up alongside the left.  Inhale, sweeping the arms up and touching your palms together.  Exhale and repeat on the opposite side.  If you find yourself too crowded in front (between your chest and your front leg), open this pose up by placing your hands on blocks (there are three heights to choose from).

A Lunge a Day Keeps the Pain Away!