Achieve Flying BalanceArm BalanceACHIEVE FLYING BALANCE Achieving an arm balance is quite extraordinary when you consider all that’s involved. And when we refer to an arm balance as a “flying balance,” there is even more involved. The “flying” in Eka Pada...
Kapinjalasana At The Wall
Kapinjalasana at the Wall
Find Maximum Stability in Your Alignment
partridge pose
KAPINJALASANA
When you practice with Matt, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that the creative use of props to support technique and alignment will be plentiful. The use of props will assist you in finding the strongest and most stable alignment. This is helpful in Kapinjalasana, or Partridge Pose, because stability can be one of the biggest challenges. With this in mind, Matt demonstrates how a wall can be your best friend when it comes to understanding which articulations of the body are vital to finding a healthy balance between grace and stability in this posture. The use of props doesn’t stop at the wall! Incorporating a yoga strap in various ways can help improve your mobility in this heart opener. Practicing the preparations that Matt offers in today’s video will bring you closer to finding superior alignment in Kapinjalasana.
ALIGNMENT
JUNE 2023 Immersion
- 12 Hatha-style practices
- Transformative and informative experience
- Alignment and techniques for the most common asana postures
- Step-by-step, easy-to-follow instruction
- Improve strength, balance, flexibility, and proprioception
- Accessible and empowering modifications
- Appropriate variations a modifications for all levels
$168.00 $138.00
GET TO KNOW THE ANATOMY
Eversion of the ankle is key in allowing the rest of the alignment for Kapinjalasana to unfold. Doing this action will further your ability to get your standing foot more fully onto the ground and assist you in sending your body weight towards your feet. Eversion of the ankle is created by the fibularis muscles. Strong fibularis muscles, combined with the flexibility of the tibialis anterior and posterior, ultimately translates to increased mobility/eversion of the ankle. In addition, strength in the glutes and abductors is required to lift the hips. So much for the stability aspect of Kapinjalasana, but what about grace in the pose? This comes from the opening of the front body (chest and abdominals) and is achieved by what Matt calls “bowing the spine,” which requires lifting the vertebrae up and sending them forward.
WATCH THE VIDEO
KAPINJALASANA AT THE WALL: FIND MAXIMUM STABILITY IN YOUR ALIGNMENT
LEAN TOWARDS THE WALL
You can’t prepare for Kapinjalasana without following the same techniques as for Wild Thing. In the first step, Matt offers a standing option against the wall for you to begin to integrate the initial patterning. The next steps are what create the distinction between the two postures. The main characteristic of Kapinjalasana is the lift of the back foot off the ground, and the only way to do this is to take the expansion of your front body more forward. In the video, Matt demonstrates Kapinjalasana using a wall as a prop.
Here are the steps:
- Start in Wild Thing
- Take your shoulder back
- Go up on the diagonal
- Lean towards the toe of the front foot and towards the wall
- The back foot becomes light and lifted
The wall allows you to test the limits and negotiate just how much you need to send your weight forward.
200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING
GET CERTIFIED & DEEPEN YOUR YOGA PRACTICE
- Deepen your yoga practice
- Build confidence speaking in front of groups in person and online
- Learn foundational class structures and templates
- Learn techniques for a wide range of yoga postures
- Get certified and highly qualified to teach yoga
- Yoga Alliance Globally Recognized Certification Program
YOGA STRAP STABILITY
Adding a yoga strap to the preparation of Kapinjalasana can also provide some great feedback as to where you may require more strength and/or flexibility. Matt offers 2 variations in the video. In the first variation, the wide loop of the strap goes underneath the sole of the back foot and around the shoulder. Matt notes that this loop may inhibit range of motion, so as you go into the posture, you can switch to a grip with your hand. The second variation is a great option if you’re already more familiar with the amount of mobility available to you. Starting with a shorter loop of the strap and a hand grip takes you into a deeper heart opener much sooner. Pushing the foot into the strap and creating resistance with the pull of the strap strengthens the back leg and offers increased stability.
300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING
GET 500 HOUR CERTIFIED AS A MASTER TEACHER
Master your skill set as a teacher through refined techniques, anatomy, biomechanics, sequencing, philosophy, meditation techniques, theming, yoga business, and much more!
- Get 500 hour certified
- Learn anatomy, biomechanics, asana techniques
- Expand your teaching skills
- Masterful sequencing and verbal delivery
- Learn meditation and breathwork techniques
- Transformative tools: theming, dharma talks, satsang
PROCESS OVER OUTCOME
Even though the objective of Kapinjalasana is to create a lightness in the back foot, it’s so much more than achieving the shape of the posture. In fact, in the full class, Matt discusses another variation, in which you reach overhead to grab your foot. He reminds you that there is always more to achieve in a posture. The benefit and value lie in enjoying and learning about the various techniques and alignments in each step of the process.
Register for Matt’s June 2023 immersion, Alignment, where you’ll improve strength, balance, flexibility, and proprioception—the essence of true alignment.
The 200 Hr. Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date
The 300 Hr. Advanced Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date
Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Anatomy Of The Heart
FLOW & FLY
MAY 2023 Immersion
- 12 Vinyasa-style practices
- Increase your cardiovascular activity
- Foundational and advanced arm balance techniques
- Improve balance and proprioception
- Accessible modifications and sequences
- Appropriate variations for your level of practice
- Improve wrist, core, and shoulder strength
- ALL LEVELS APPROPRIATE
$148.00
Continue Learning
Achieve Flying Balance
read more
Virasana
VirasanaHip ExtensionVIRASANA For some of us, postures like Virasana and Lotus can be uncomfortable or even painful for the knees, so we avoid them altogether. Depending on what we’re dealing with, this may be the best decision. If there is room for safe exploration,...
Get Bendy
Get BendySpinal MobilityGET BENDY In the yoga context, getting bendy can conjure up images of postures that may seem far-fetched or unattainable. What we should set our sights on instead is not an end result but rather all the things we learn while we're exploring...
Wall Drills To Progress In Handstand
Wall Drills to Progress in HandstandAdho Mukha VrksasanaWALL DRILLS TO PROGRESS IN HANDSTAND Wall drills for Handstand are an excellent way to master the mechanics required to go upside down with confidence. Using the wall as a support to refine alignment, rather than...
Mountain Pose Mechanics
Mountain Pose MechanicstadasanaMOUNTAIN POSE MECHANICS How often do we go back to refine the “basics”? Revisiting a posture like Mountain Pose (Tadasana) is like pruning a tree. We may have already developed a foundation, but it’s important to continue to clip away...
Plough Pose vs. Shoulder Stand
Plough Pose vs. Shoulder StandhalasanaPLOUGH POSE VS. SHOULDER STAND After we have engaged in postures that strengthen the posterior chain, Plough and Shoulder Stand offer a good stretch for these areas of the body. Plough in particular provides a more extensive...
THE FREE TECHNIQUE PACK
When You Subscribe, You Will Get Instant Access to
- the Technique Pack: 15 yoga pose breakdowns
- exclusive online course discounts
- exclusive blogs and videos