YogaClub August Challenge Day 2: Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
Wheel Pose, or Urdhva Dhanurasana in Sanskrit, is also sometimes called Chakrasana for its ability to awaken your chakras. Read a little more about that here!Benefits: Boosts your energy plus strengthens your arms and legs. A great abdomen stretch which also increases flexibility in the spine.
How to: From laying on your back, plant your feet under your knees rooting down with your heels turning your feet slightly inward (naturally they try to turn out!). Reach your arms straight up to the ceiling like you are a zombie plugging your shoulders back and down, then bend your elbows and place your hands on the ground on either side of your head just above the shoulders with fingers facing towards your shoulders. Press down with your hands and feel to come to the crown of your head and then press all the way up from there. Keep pressing your chest back, draw your elbows towards one another, and breathe.
How to spice it up: This is already a BIG pose, but you can take this deeper by dropping to your forearms or by starting the pose from standing and dropping back, inversely learning how to come to standing from the backbend. Additionally, if you want your way towards this pose, take the time to let your spine open up by using blocks in a supported fish pose and taking bridge pose (see below!)
Check out Cobra pose on Day 1 here and then click HERE to get 20% off of your first box from YogaClub
