Boat PoseNAVASANABOAT POSE Our bodies are intelligent and adaptive, often finding ways to compensate when certain muscles are underused. Over time, these patterns can create imbalances, leaving some muscles overdeveloped and others neglected. In yoga, one area often...
Side Crow Strategy
Side Crow Strategy
PARSVA BAKASANA
SIDE CROW STRATEGY
When we step onto the yoga mat with a strategy, we open ourselves up to a practice that’s both intelligent and transformational. Side Crow is one of those postures that calls for a clear plan, one that breaks down the mechanics and balances effort with trust. Rather than relying on sheer strength or guesswork, Matt’S Chromatic Yoga method offers a layered approach rooted in precision. It’s not just sequencing, it’s a system that honours tapas (effort) and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender). With Side Crow, much of that effort is directed toward activating and stabilizing the adductors. This may not often be examined in a “typical” yoga class, but drawing our awareness here helps to keep us connected to the midline. This intentional use of muscular engagement provides both structure and support. A Side Crow strategy gives us permission to slow down and build awareness of our spine, our core, our balance, and how we distribute energy. From that foundation, we can begin to fly.
CHROMATIC LEVEL 1 TRAINING
CHROMATIC LEVEL 1 REGISTRATION
- 30 hours in person with Matt
- Short Online pre-training to maximize in person time together
- Become a Certified Chromatic Yoga Teacher
- Revolutionize your teaching skills
- Gain the strength of the global collective
- All Yoga Teachers get continued ed hours with Yoga Alliance
- Certified Chromatic Teacher’s attending this event will get continued Ed hours toward their next level within Chromatic Yoga
- Chromatic Yoga does not adhere to dogmatic alignment principals, instead you will learn to make deliberate alignment based on intention.
- Residential training – you will book your stay at the Hotel and Spa, close to multiple international Airports
- Location: Our Farm in Connecticut
ONE-LEGGED CHAIR POSE
In today’s video, Matt instructs us to place a block between the upper thighs and squeeze to activate the adductors. From there, we twist to the left, placing the right tricep on the left thigh. Leaning into the left foot makes the right heel light, and we start to build a one-legged variation of Revolved Chair pose, drawing the right heel to the glutes. This “flamingo-style” chair pose (as Matt refers to it) is less about aesthetics and more about teaching the body to rotate and stabilize at once. With the block engaged and the twist deepening, we simultaneously challenge balance and coordination. It’s a strong preparation for understanding how internal pressure and spiral activation become essential later on in Side Crow. Once the shape is complete, we bring the right foot back down and head to the ground for the next layer of training.
WATCH THE VIDEO
SIDE CROW STRATEGY: SYSTEMATIC SEQUENCING FOR SUCCESS
FLIP IT UPSIDE DOWN
From our backs, the same strategic tone continues, this time placing a block between the shins, (adductors still firing). Matt cues a subtle posterior tilt of the pelvis, then shifts the knees to the left while the arms move to the right. We engage in a sit-up that resists the temptation for the knees to drift. This upright engagement through twist keeps the focus on the obliques and reinforces spinal control. With arms stretched wide, Matt invites us to continue exploring the twist, only letting the pelvis rotate as far as we can control—never beyond that. There’s no forcing. There’s no rush. He then demonstrates a “side-to-side roll”, with the block still in place, which helps us refine symmetry and continue conditioning the midsection. This phase may seem simple, but it’s crucial. We are wiring the body for rotation, stability, and centerline strength, all components we’ll call on in the Side Crow.
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
SIDE CROW SET UP
The moment we’ve prepared for begins to take form. Matt sets us up for Side Crow with the option to place the block between the shins (more challenging) or thighs (more accessible). Facing the side of the mat, we take our hands wide, so wide that initially, we can’t even touch the floor. This forces us to lift the hips, find height, and make space before planting the second hand. Squeezing the block, we shift into a zone of possibility. Hips high, bum lifted, knees squeezing inward. We have the option to stay here and hover, or eventually fly. If we choose to “fly”, the lean comes next, moving our weight toward the fingertips while keeping the tailbone lifted and knees spiraling inward. Matt reminds us to “wag the tail,” a cue that activates the obliques and centers the pelvis. At every step, we are reminded to grip, lean, spiral, and squeeze. This is our Side Crow strategy in action.
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
INTEGRATION LEADS TO TRANSFORMATION
The beauty of this approach is that nothing is random. Each drill is intentional, each cue a puzzle piece that fits into the larger structure. From standing to seated to upside down, we build body awareness layer by layer. We don’t just attempt Side Crow, we construct it. The internal rotation, the spinal rotation, the controlled lean, all of it becomes part of us. This is what the Chromatic Yoga approach teaches: not just to perform, but to integrate. Our transformation doesn’t come from nailing the pose, it comes from respecting the path it took to get there. We practice discernment, meet resistance with strategy, and stay present in the process. As with any meaningful practice, the goal isn’t just to arrive, it’s to understand how we arrived. That’s the strategy. That’s the system. And in that, we prevail.
Take a deep dive into the Chromatic Yoga approach at Matt’s next Chromatic Level 1 In PersonTraining.
Transform your yoga offerings to your students by registering for Matt’s 200 & 300/500 Hour Yoga Teacher Trainings.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Chromatic Yoga 15 Hour Online Immersion
ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE
- Accessible, exciting, and easy to learn
- Anatomy and biomechanics for yoga
- Appropriate for both teachers and students
- Learn joint alignment vs pose alignment
- Demystify yoga poses and transitions
- Release aches and pains
- Learn how to avoid common injuries
- Caters to all levels with modifications and props
- 20 hours Continued Education Credits with Yoga Alliance
- 20 hours toward Chromatic Yoga Certification and 300 Hour
- Lifetime access
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