Practicing Two New Postures

I love to find new postures that build on the foundational ones. They keep me on my toes (figuratively) and help me understand my body. Here are two postures that I have added to my practice recently.

Standing Head to Knee with Extended Arms is a variation of the foundational Standing Head to Knee posture. With the arms extended forward instead of grasping the foot, the energy in the posture shifts dramatically. Effort goes to holding the leg up with the thigh, abs and psoas instead of relying on the arms. When I release my hands, the energy in the posture skyrockets.

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Another posture that I just learned is this Bridge variation on the head. (Be careful with this one.) The weight of the body goes into the neck, and the chest stretches outward. This seems good for building neck strength and balance, and it is a nice transition posture between Bridge on the shoulders and Wheel.

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