Level: General
Theme: Stabilizing and opening joints, opening chest, strengthening core and back

Here in New York there is quite a substantial community of swimmers, including a very impressive open water swimming group. We are fortunate to have a few of them as students at Yogasana Center for Yoga in Brooklyn and I was asked to develop a sequence for a workshop for them. I thought I might take a break from the Basic Asana Cycle to bring you this sequence. It is a general level practice, so if there are poses that you have not been taught in class, such as Head Stand, then please omit them. Bear in mind also that the inversions and abdominal work are not appropriate for women who are pregnant or menstruating.

Swimmers face unique challenges that other athletes never have to consider. Though water as a medium for exercise is supportive and low-impact, the mechanics of any given stroke, coupled with way the body responds to exerting itself in water, create their own problems. Attention must be paid to the joints and the muscles that manipulate them, lest they become unbalanced and de-stabilized. The arms and legs must work in coordination and be integrated into the core for an effective stroke. This sequence is designed to complement a regular swimming regimen.

The primary aims of the sequence are as follows:

a) To stabilize the hips and shoulders, counterbalancing the tendency for muscle to lengthen away from the joint;
b) To increase range of motion in the hips and shoulders;
c) To open the chest, counterbalancing the tightening that can come with heavy upper-body work and the stress that can be placed on the rotator cuff as a result;
d) To strengthen the muscles of the core and back;
e) To integrate the arms and legs into the trunk for effective stroke coordination.

The sequence is extensive, potentially taking an hour or more to complete in its entirety, depending on how long you choose to hold each pose. The poses are grouped together in progressive units, however, and it is possible to break the sequence down into smaller chunks.

1. STANDING POSES - strengthen legs, stabilize and open hips, tone core muscles.
2. BACKWARD EXTENSIONS AND ARM BALANCES - strengthen back, chest and arms, integrate arms into core.
3. ABDOMINAL POSES - strengthen abs and legs.
4. HEAD STAND - strengthens back and shoulders, integrates legs into core.
5. ARM AND CHEST OPENERS - open chest and take stress off rotator cuff.
6. SHOULDER STAND, PLOUGH POSE AND VARIATIONS - open chest, strengthen back and arms, integrate legs into core

For the most inclusive practice, do each pose (except for Head Stand and Shoulder Stand) twice, holding the poses for at least 20 seconds and anywhere up to 1 minute. Head Stand and Shoulder Stand can be held for 3 to 10 minutes. (Head Stand should only be performed once you have achieved competence in the pose in a class setting.)

For a shorter practice, you have a few options:
a) Practice one or two poses from each section and end with the arm/chest openers and Shoulder Stand.
b) Practice one section with the arm/chest openers and Shoulder Stand. This would give you three or four practices to cycle through over the course of a week.
c) Practice two sections with the arm/chest openers and Shoulder Stand.

Click here for a fully illustrated, printable PDF of the sequence.

The Practice

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)
Utthita Parshvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)
Thigh Stretch At Wall
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose)
Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)
Chaturanga Dandasana II (Four Limbed Staff Pose)
Vashisthasana (Vashistha's Pose)
Ardha Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (Right Angle Hand Stand)
Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Full Arm Balance)
Half Forearm Stand
Pincha Mayurasana (Peacock Feather Pose)
Shalabhasana II (Locust Pose)
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Upward Extend Feet Pose)
Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose)
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana/Halasana (Upward Extended Feet Pose/Plough Pose)
Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose)
Jathara Parivartanasana (Belly Turning Pose)
Salamba Shirshasana I (Head Stand)
Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero Pose)
Arm Stretches
Salamba Sarvangasana I (Shoulder Stand)
Halasana (Plough Pose)
Supta Konasana (Reclined Angle Pose)
Parshva Halasana (Side Plough Pose)
Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Click here for a fully illustrated, printable PDF of the sequence.

Level: Fundamentals
Theme: Rolling the sacrum and tailbone towards the heels/baby back bends.

Importance of the Theme:

The spine has three curves: the lumbar curve, which curves into the body, towards the navel; the thoracic curve, which curves out of the body, away from the heart; the cervical curve, which curves from the back of the neck towards the front. Each of these curves is critical to the distribution of weight through the frame in the standing position, but often, as a result of habitual bad posture, injury or genetics, any one of these curves can become altered, either becoming a deeper curve or flattening out. This will then throw off the body's finely-tuned system of guide wires and pulleys, impeding the ability of some muscle groups to bear weight and causing others to overwork or become tight in order to compensate.

When performing a back bend, or backward extension, what happens so often if we are not vigilant, is that the lower back, the lumbar curve, takes the brunt of the pose and we feel crunched down there. There are two major factors that can contribute to the this. The first is mobility of the upper back. The thoracic vertebrae are smaller and would, therefore, be more mobile if it were not for the rib cage, which can have the effect of binding up the middle and upper back, especially if the muscles there are stiff and lack tone. The second is length or shortness in the front of the thigh and in the hip flexors. Tight quadriceps and a tight psoas (the major hip flexor which attaches to the lower back and to the inner thigh) will pull on the lower back, increasing the tendency for the lumbar curve to deepen and the vertebrae and muscles to compress.

Body Actions:

The primary body action that we will be working in this practice involves the tailbone and the sacrum. By strongly rolling the tailbone and sacrum towards the heels and away from the lower back we will be tilting the pelvis so that the lower back elongates and broadens, relieving compression.

To briefly access this action, lie on the floor with the legs together. Observe the lower back and the pelvis. Observe the curvature of the lower back. Is it close to the floor, or completely up? Observe which part of the buttocks and pelvis are in contact with the floor. Is it the upper part, closer to the lower back, or the lower, closer to the thighs? Now, roll the tailbone towards the heels and observe how the body changes. You will find that the pelvis tilts so that it is more the upper part that rests on the floor. You will also find that the lower back drops towards the floor and broadens.

Even though this action will tend to become less clear as the poses progress and intensify, it is important to keep in the forefront of your awareness.

The Practice:

In this practice we will begin with two restorative poses to allow the muscles of the trunk, front and back, to soften and lengthen. We will then create freedom in the front of the thigh with lunges and Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) to take some of the pressure off the lower back. From there we will move through a progressive sequence of backward extensions, often referred to as the "Baby Backbends".

Click here for a fully illustrated, printable PDF of the sequence.

The Sequence:

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)
Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose)
Lunge (back knee down)
Lunge (back leg straight)
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)
Lunge (back leg straight)
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)
Thigh Stretch at wall
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I) - hands on hips
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I)
Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero Pose)
Shalabhasana (Locust Pose) x2
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) x2
Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose) x2
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) x2
Parshva Dhanurasana (Side Bow Pose)
Ushtrasana (Camel Pose) x2
Adho Mukha Shvanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
Adho Mukha Vajrasana (Downward Facing Thunderbolt Pose)
Parshva Bharadwajasana (Side Bharadwaja's Pose) - over a bolster
Viparita Karani (Inverted Action Pose)
Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Click here for a fully illustrated, printable PDF of the sequence.

Level: Advanced
Theme: Integrating core and back in revolved poses/core poses, twists and inversions.

Importance of the Theme:

The more you can lengthen the trunk, the more you will bring the spine into a neutral alignment and the more balance your trunk will be as you revolve. It is possible to focus on any number of body actions in your twists, but in this practice we will be looking to organize and integrate them all: lifting the rib cage and opening the chest, connecting the arm and shoulder blade into the back, elongating the waist; revolving from the base, the middle and upper part.

Body Actions:

We will, essentially, be looking at three different actions in this practice.

1) Knit the abdominals inwards and draw them up. Think of your abdominal wall as a girdle supporting the trunk. You will be engaging the abs - front and sides - without shortening them. Pull the lower abs in towards the spine. Wrap the sides of the waist inwards towards the navel. Firm the upper abs. And then take all three of these and draw them up, lengthening them toward the chest.

2) Expand and lift the side ribs. Revolved poses work from the outer extremities to the core, so it becomes necessary to engage and define those extremities. Building on the lift and support of the abdominal wall, expand the rib cage laterally as much as possible and lift the ribs straight up so you get a sense of the full length of the side trunk elongating from pelvis to collarbones.

3) Connect the shoulder blade into the back. The purpose of this is to engage the muscles of the upper back to both lift and open the top chest and to initiate the revolution from the back rather than the front. Initiating from the front will thicken the chest and shoulders and will pull downward, towards the navel, limiting the expansive elongation you have created in the belly and sides.

The Practice:

We begin with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) to get the whole body working in a synchronized manner. Try not to think of these Sun Salutes as a way to get hot and sweaty. Think of the rather as a way to observe the organs of action, the arms and the legs, as they support, elongate and manipulate the trunk. Instead of whipping through them, take them slowly and follow the transitions with your awareness as much as the poses themselves.

After the Sun Salutes we have a series of abdominal poses. The goal here is to create maximum length in the trunk by using the organs of action once again, in conjunction with the abs. In Makarasana (Crocodile Pose) shift the awareness to the arms and the connection of the shoulder blades into the back. Take that awareness then into Vashisthasana (Vashistha's Pose) to fully integrate the side of the trunk: hip, waist, ribs and back. Take your time as you flow through the core vinyasa, following the transitions once again.

The practice up to this point is really a preparation for the poses that follow. If you do not have time to do the whole practice, pick and choose from these earlier poses to lead you into the inversions and twists. The twisting action is more straightforward in Head Stand and the seated twists. The combined elongation and revolving here will help you integrate the poses in the Shoulder Stand variations. Here the actions become less clear as you manage your center of gravity and balance in these challenging inversions.

Click here for a fully illustrated, printable PDF of the sequence.

The Sequence:

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Dandasana (Staff Pose)
Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose)
Dandasana (Staff Pose)
Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose)
Dandasana (Staff Pose)
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Upward Extended Feet Pose)
Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)
Vashisthasana (Vashistha's Pose)
Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)
Vashisthasana (Vashistha's Pose)
Jathara Parivartanasana (Belly Turning Pose)
Core Vinyasa
Shirshasana I (Head Stand I) and variations
Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero Pose)
Bharadwajasana I (Bharadwaja's Pose I)
Bharadwajasana II (Bharadwaja's Pose II)
Marichyasana III (Marichi's Pose III)
Ardha Matsyendrasana I (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose I)
Pashasana (Noose Pose)
Salamba Sarvangasana I (Shoulder Stand I) and variations
Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose)
Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Click here for a fully illustrated, printable PDF of the sequence.