Four yoga poses that won’t frighten you!

Have you seen those skeleton figures in yoga poses in stores or on Amazon.com? They seem to be “the” Halloween decoration for yoga aficionados here on Cape Cod. They are cute and fun, but remember in real life yoga isn’t about rigidity and certainly no grimaces or painful expressions. The poses depicted above – Boat Pose, Child’s Pose, Forward Bend, and Camel are accessible to all students by using different props and variations. In your yoga practice, consider what is best for your body using the information below as a starting point to modify these poses. 

Yoga Pose Modifications

Boat Pose (Navasana) -   The full version of this pose requires a lot of core strength but you can build up to it with these 3 variations:

Sit in a chair with a straight spine, sitting bones even.  For the first version, keep knees bent, engage your abdominal muscles and slowly lift one leg, then the other.  From there, you can bring your hands under your thighs (or grab a hold of the edge of the chair seat), engage your abs, lean back slightly and lift both legs up.  You can also try this with legs straight.

For these versions seated on the mat, the preparation is the same: Sitting with a nice tall spine, knees bent with feet flat on the floor.  Start by leaning back slightly, hands on either side of you or holding on to the backs of thighs, engage the core muscles, and lift one foot off the floor at a time. 

You can work your way up to the full version of the pose by first holding onto the backs of the thighs and lifting both feet off the mat at the same time.  Next, grab your strap and wrap it around the bottoms of your feet.  As you hold each end of the strap in your hands, begin to slowly straighten the legs as you lean back.  Remember to engage the core muscles! I really like the demonstration of these alternatives from Body Positive Yoga.

Child’s Pose (Balasana)–Child’s pose is a resting pose is yoga. Your spine is extended so your low back can feel some relief.  But, for many people the traditional version isn’t very restful.  Check out these variations to see what’s best for you. 

Let’s start with the version seated in a chair.  Come to the center of the chair, your spine is straight, knees are bent with feet on the floor.  Move your feet and legs to a wider comfortable stance, even making a v shape if that’s more comfortable for your body.  Lift the arms up over head and allow the torso to fold over the thighs.  Your arms can rest by your side or you can hold onto the chair legs.

For these versions on the mat, you’ll need your cushion and blanket and block.

To come into the traditional version of child’s pose, starting in a kneeling position.  Widen the knees and let the big toes touch.  Gently sit the hips back onto the heels and rest your head onto your hands or on a block.

When the previous version of the pose doesn’t feel right for your body, try these options:

If knees need more cushion, place a folded blanket under your knees.

Roll a blanket and place it between your thighs and knees to raise the hips up relieve tension in your shoulders and neck.  Or place a bolster between your legs and rest the torso on the bolster or build this up by adding a blanket onto of the bolster.

You can also take this pose on your back.  Lie on your back and bring your knees into your chest.  Widen the knees apart and feel the gentle opening of your hips.  For more information on variations of Child’s Pose, check out this article from Ekhart Yoga.

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)– Forward bends, whether practiced seated or standing, can be done with legs bent or straight.  This pose is a deep stretch for the back and also, as the legs straighten, a good stretch for the hamstrings. 

Sitting tall in your chair with feet flat on the floor, inhale and raise the arms up over head then exhale and fold over the legs, letting the fingers rest on the floor or grabbing a hold of a chair leg.  If this is too much of a stretch, rest the forearms on the thighs as you lean forward.  Pause for a breath or two and then raise back up, pushing your hand into your thighs to protect the lower back.

To practice this pose seated on the mat, find a tall spine and sit evenly on your sitting bones. Flex your feet, toes pointed to the ceiling to engage the legs. Inhale the arms up and fold forward from the hips.   If your hamstrings are tight, keep your knees bent.  Use props under the knees – like a bolster or a rolled blanket.  You can also use a strap around the feet.   Here are some tips from EkhartYoga.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana) – Camel Pose is a heart opening and back bending pose that really stretches the entire front of the body.  If you have any back or neck issues, this might be too much of a back bend for you.    Let’s take a look at Camel Pose seated in a chair and standing.  

Sit on your chair, hands resting in your lap, come to a tall spine, feet firmly placed on the floor so your knees are level with your hips (place a block under your feet if you need to).  Let your arms reach for the back of the chair, bring the navel towards the spine and puff up the chest.  Keep the chin slightly tucked, squeeze your shoulder blades together and continue lifting the chest.  Take a couple of breaths and then release back to straight spine. To counter this pose, come into the seated forward fold described above.

From a standing Mountain Pose, bring the tips of your fingers (or heel of your hands, whichever is more comfortable) to your lower back, as if you were putting your hands in your back pockets.  Press your hips forward and draw the elbows towards one another.  Notice how this action gently puffs out the chest.  Explore options with your head and neck, either keeping the chin slightly tucked or letting your chin come upwards, gently stretching the front of the throat. Release to mountain for a few breaths, and to counter hug your shoulders and gently round your back. 

Check out other camel pose options, including some kneeling versions (like in the skeleton photo above) here from YogaQuota. 

Interested in practicing yoga on Cape Cod?  See my yoga teaching schedule or learn more about private yoga sessions and the Yoga to Soothe Your Soul program from my website.