Practice Point #71 - Bhekasana

I received a question from Bea from the USA. Their question is...

How can I improve my Bhekasana? This is a challenging pose for me. I'm ok with Eka Pada Bhekasana but I have big difficulty with the full version?

You are not the only one:)

It is one of those poses that demands a tremendous amount of effort but feels like you are going no where.

The sooner you realise and accept this the pose will become significantly easier and you will be more accepting of your progress.

One key action I really appreciate in this pose is to simultaneously press the hand down into the foot while also pressing the foot up into the hand.

Bolsters are a great way to play with the pose too.

Here is a recent sequence I did in the Home Yoga Practice Membership Video Library.

Each posture was done with Bhekasana in mind.

I hope this gives you some clues for you to progress with.

Practice Point #69 - Inversion Practice

I received a question from Sarah from France. Their question is...

l'd like to focus on inversions and sirsasana in particular. But I don't always have much time and I am not sure what asanas I should practice before headstand to prepare my body?

I have two suggestions.

1. Do a second practice in the day which is for your inversions so you don't feel like you are rushing or squeezing your postures. A second practice in the evening of inversions and forward bends can be an excellent way to make sure you practice your inversions daily without having to have lots of time.

2. As for which poses to do before headstand my favourite are

• Adho Mukha Svanasana

• Uttanasana

• Adho Mukha Vriksasana

• Gomukasana

• Paryankasana or something similar with a brick in the thoracic

Here is some inversion inspiration.

I hope that helps.