wheel pose Archives - THEYOGIMATT

Full Wheel

by Trisha Curling | Oct 31, 2024 | Main Page Display

Full Wheel

Urdhva Dhanurasana

FULL WHEEL

Teaching an intentional class becomes inevitable when you follow the Chromatic system Matt has created. In Chromatic, we’re following a system that sets up the body for maximum execution within our fullest potential. When it comes to more challenging postures like Full Wheel, it’s imperative to prepare the body for ultimate safety. Full Wheel puts us in a vulnerable shape due to the extreme spinal extension that’s required.

If we’re teaching a yoga class on Wheel, setting up our students for success means that we need to be clear on the step-by-step process of teaching such a layered posture. There are specifics for the shoulders, upper body, and hips that must be highlighted. In the video, Matt offers the cues and formula for a road map to guide our students. It offers the opportunity to direct our students, rather than just mentioning a fleeting option in our class.

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SET UP THE SHOULDERS

Drills like we see in the first part of today’s clip help warm up the shoulders, but they also create increased and lasting shoulder mobility when practiced consistently.

Another important detail is positioning. There is some controversy when teaching Full Wheel about whether to instruct to place the hands wide or closer together. Some say it depends on the student, which is true, but we might also consider the viewpoint Matt offers.

He teaches that having the hands wide in Full Wheel gives more access to the shoulder muscles and to external rotation in the arm bones. This will help practitioners get into the back body more, that is, more into the rhomboid muscles, by squeezing the shoulder blades towards one another, which will trigger erector spinae muscles in the upper back. This upper-back activation increases the backbend, making it more accessible.

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FULL WHEEL: TIPS FOR TEACHING THE TECHNIQUES

UPPER BACK VS. LOWER BACK

Of course the low back and pelvis are a part of the equation, but bringing more focus onto the upper back will create accessibility and improved range of motion.

When we watch the video, we see the importance of trajectory. The timing of straightening the arms when coming up into Full Wheel directly influences our push into the upper back versus the lower back. If we lengthen the arms too early, or teach our students to do so, we run the risk of pushing towards the feet and therefore into the lower back. This may cause compression in that area. If we set our students up against a wall, as is shown in the video, we can cue “chest to the wall, then push through the arms.” This will bring the trajectory more upward and encourage the upper back to mobilize.

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FROM THE FEET STRAIGHT INTO THE HIPS

There are 2 terms Matt consistently uses in Chromatic Yoga: Fundamental Action, or focusing on the muscles that are creating the action we need; and Balancing Action, or focusing on engaging the muscles of the opposing action of what our intention is.

When teaching Full Wheel, we cue extension of the hips, which will naturally create external rotation. We do want to employ some internal rotation for counter muscular engagement, but not to the point where we are inhibiting the fundamental action.

Place the feet where they comfortably land; a nice marker is to place the big toes more forward. Ultimately, the placement is about where we have the most power to drive through the heels, so that the hips extend and we activate the gluteus muscles for a more vertical trajectory.

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TEACHING OVER OFFERING

Now equipped with more insight into technique, we have the capability to offer Full Wheel with more intention in our classes. Safely guiding our students is always a priority. When we can offer step-by-step instruction and actually prepare the body for “bigger movements and shapes,” we have more confidence, and so do our students.

There are many who can “get into the shape” with ease, but we can extract increased potential from ourselves and our students when we explore techniques that support muscle engagements that increase mobilization.

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Redefine Chaturanga

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Tight Hips

Tight HipsHIP MOBILITYTIGHT HIPS When working to release tight hips, most people instinctively go straight for deep stretches. But one often overlooked area that holds a surprising amount of tension is the adductorS (the inner thigh muscles) that connect to the...

Retraction Of The Scapula

Retraction Of The ScapulaSHOULDER ACTIONSRETRACTION OF THE SCAPULA It may appear that scapular retraction holds less weight in finding deeper backbends, but this action can be quite significant in what we experience when it comes to strength, stability, and...

Conquering Compass Pose

Conquering Compass PoseSURYA YANTRASANACONQUERING COMPASS POSE Conquering Compass Pose isn’t about forcing your leg behind your shoulder—it’s about understanding and participating in the muscular coordination that makes the posture possible. The real power comes from...

Leg Over Head Pose

Leg Over Head PoseEKA PADA SIRSASANALEG OVER HEAD POSE Leg Over Head Pose is one of those postures that challenges not only our bodies but also our mindset. When faced with a seemingly impossible pose, we tend to respond in one of three ways: dismissing it as...

Spanda In Backbends

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Wake Up Your Wheel Pose

by Trisha Curling | Jun 27, 2024 | Main Page Display

Wake Up Your Wheel Pose

heart opener

WAKE UP YOUR WHEEL POSE

We don’t have to question it—we know whether or not we’re feeling open, free, and strong in Wheel Pose. There’s a lightness and expansiveness that takes over when everything falls into place: From the initial setup to the final expression, everything flows like a set of dominoes falling one after the other. When we don’t have a system of execution with knowledge, practice, and preparation behind it, our Wheel Pose can feel quite listless. So the question becomes, how can we wake it up and revive such a powerful posture? There are a few things to pack into the toolkit in order to find our greatest potential in Wheel Pose, but one of the simplest things Matt encourages us to be aware of is DIRECTION. This plays a key role in cultivating the experience we desire.

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UP AGAINST THE WALL

If you’ve taken classes, workshops, or courses with Matt, then you’ll know that it’s of the utmost importance to take an intelligent approach to a posture, or in other words, to progress toward it; progression is part of the Chromatic way. When practicing the Chromatic system, we break things down into digestible pieces.

At the beginning of today’s video, Matt demonstrates a Wheel Pose drill up against the wall. This drill removes the weight of gravity, allowing us focus on techniques that create more depth in spinal extension. This focus helps us get sensationally in touch with areas of the spine that require careful attention in order to take care in creating further mobilization. We gain the first inkling of the importance of direction, that is, where we send the chest and feet. You’ll see that once Matt walks away from the wall, he sends his chest forward and then up to the sky.

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WAKE UP YOUR WHEEL POSE: DELIBERATE DIRECTION & ALIGNMENT

ROLL UP YOUR YOGA MAT

Standing upright in the first drill allows for a fair amount of “easy” exploration. As we begin to feel more confident, we can progress further. So next, we get down in order to get up.

The next progression in the video is an exploration of Wheel in which we roll up a yoga mat against the wall. Here, we also get a sense of the placement of the forearms. Directing them in a wider, outward angle helps unlock the shoulders and again move the direction of Wheel Pose towards the wall. Matt explains that when the forearms are pulled closer together, it places the shoulders into a more locked position, pushing the direction of the pose into the feet. This is not where we want to be when attempting to maximize depth.

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WHEEL WITH BLOCKS

Here, we swap out the yoga mat for a couple of yoga blocks placed diagonally against the wall. Something to consider here is that even if the feet are not placed far away from the wall, we want to create the sense of a directional pull of the knees away from the wall as we lift the chest up and towards the wall. There is an oppositional pull between the chest and the knees. What may result is less bend in the knees in the final stages of the posture because of the softening of the heart and the depth created in the spinal extension.

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TEST OUT THE OPPOSITE

The sensations of the opposite ways we can feel in Wheel Pose are discussed above: We can feel listless and languid, or rather the desired opposite of the spectrum, namely vibrant, strong, and fully awake.

The only way to understand this is through exploration and practice. Through exploration, we can spend time slightly exaggerating where we “should not be” in the pose. Try it! Move deliberately in the opposite direction to investigate the outcomes.

At the end of the video, Matt first pushes his Wheel Pose in the direction of the feet, but you can see that adjusting by walking the feet out and then pushing in the direction of the wall changes everything about the posture. Changing the alignment and moving in the “right” direction transforms our experience.

Check out Matt’s recent workshop, Freedom of the Heart, to dive deeper into these concepts and transform your backbending practice.

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Video Extracted From: Freedom of the Heart Workshop

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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
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Caters to all levels with modifications and props
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Redefine Chaturanga

Tight Hips

Retraction Of The Scapula

Conquering Compass Pose

Leg Over Head Pose

Spanda In Backbends

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Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana

by Trisha Curling | Aug 24, 2023 | Main Page Display

Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana

Where to Induce Strength

back line strength

EKA PADA URDHVA DHANURASANA

There’s no doubt that back-line strength (more specifically, strength from the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and erector spinae) is a requirement to elevate your hips off of your yoga mat in Urdhva Dhanurasana. Moreover, when the element of the lifted leg in Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana is added, the awareness of where to distribute your strength becomes heightened—you need to consider the strength to elevate your hips, and there’s a requirement to induce strength from the quadriceps and hip flexors in the lifted leg. The demand from the back line increases because you are relying on sustaining the elevation from one side of your body. In today’s video, you’ll see how Matt and his wife Rebecca Rasmussen (@dancinbecca) demonstrate exactly where and how to maximize your body’s ability to cultivate strength for this masterful posture.

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INSIDE THE ANATOMY

In the top leg, the hip flexor muscles involved in pulling your leg towards your chest include the rectus femoris, sartorius, iliacus, psoas major, pectineus, and TFL. It’s important to understand the relationship between the strength of these muscles and how they oppose the tension of the glutes and hamstrings in the same leg. This tension will reveal itself even more when you attempt to straighten your leg, which also activates the quadriceps. Along with the weight of gravity, the tension will attempt to pull your leg away from your chest. Matt advises you to prioritize strengthening your hip flexors to draw the leg closer to your chest, rather than attempting to straighten your leg and allowing it to drift away. Opting to prioritize your hip flexors here simply means that you are stepping into the opportunity to increase strength rather than chasing the aesthetic.

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EKA PADA URDHVA DHANURASANA: WHERE TO INDUCE STRENGTH

BRIDGE POSE AS YOUR BASE

As always, Matt’s Chromatic approach helps to pattern and prepare your body for each progression. In Bridge Pose, you’ll see the importance of generating strength from your feet: In order to light up the power in your glutes, you press down through your inner heels and the “three points of your feet” (big toe, pinky toe, and heel). With your glutes, hamstrings, and adductor magnus activated, you’ll have enough strength to lift your hips up. Another of Matt’s tips is to feel as though you are pushing your feet away from you on the diagonal. This will help to activate your quadriceps, which translates to even more hip height. Once you’ve explored here, you can layer on the lifted leg in Bridge Pose. This variation allows you to practice taking your top leg closer to your chest in a more controlled position.

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WHEEL POSE PROGRESSION

As you progress towards Wheel Pose, you carry the same patterning you cultivated in Bridge (e.g., pressing through your heels). In Wheel, however, more awareness of the positioning of your hands, shoulder blades, and spine become vital. Before you even lift off of the ground, it’s important to create more extension in your spine, which you can initiate with an anterior tilt of your pelvis. In today’s video, Rebecca demonstrates the Wheel Pose setup as Matt cues specific articulations. With her hands wider than shoulder width, she presses up onto her head first, in order to draw her shoulder blades in closer before elevating even further. Drawing your shoulder blades closer towards one another will open the chest further, allowing you to press your chest in the direction of your fingertips and thus create a deeper heart opener.

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PROMOTE THE PUSH

Beyond understanding where to push into your hands and feet for elevation, you can encourage a push into an imaginary wall for the foot of your top leg. Pushing into the sky offers a completely transformative experience in Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana. If you are working with someone (like Matt and Rebecca are in the video), you can utilize the resistance of your partner pushing into the foot or thigh of your top leg to fire up your hip flexors. If increasing strength is your goal, incorporating these actions will get you there sooner. Additionally, when you have a deeper understanding of the anatomy, it’s easier to know where to induce strength.

Sign up for Matt’s Yoga Anatomy Course Waitlist and build a closer relationship with yourself and your body via anatomy and your yoga practice.

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Video Extracted From: Anatomy of the Heart

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Redefine Chaturanga

Tight Hips

Retraction Of The Scapula

Conquering Compass Pose

Leg Over Head Pose

Spanda In Backbends

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Kapinjalasana At The Wall

by Trisha Curling | Jun 1, 2023 | Main Page Display

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.

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ALIGNMENT

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Video Extracted From: Anatomy Of The Heart

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FLOW & FLY

MAY 2023 Immersion

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Continue Learning

Redefine Chaturanga

Tight Hips

Retraction Of The Scapula

Conquering Compass Pose

Leg Over Head Pose

Spanda In Backbends

All Videos

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the Technique Pack: 15 yoga pose breakdowns
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Get A Wheel Pose Upgrade

by Trisha Curling | May 25, 2023 | Main Page Display

Get a Wheel Pose Upgrade

Prop Options to Refine Your Alignment

urdhva dhanurasana

WHEEL POSE

Okay, buckle up for this one! These drills and variations are about to literally flip you upside down for Wheel Pose. The unique ways in which Matt demonstrates how to use props will help you get a Wheel Pose upgrade. Even if you think you have a grasp on what’s required for the pose, today’s video provides techniques that lead you away from common tendencies and guide you towards improved patterning in this heart opener. Adding to your toolkit as regards the preparation and execution of various asanas is vital in continuing to understand your body. You can only develop this understanding by mastering “micro actions.” It’s these micro actions that set a safe foundation for you to go deeper and explore further. Utilizing the support of yoga props and of the environment around you can dramatically shift your experience. Let’s find out what’s possible in Wheel Pose.

ALIGNMENT

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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

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SHOULDER MOBILITY WITH BLOCKS AND A WALL

Paying attention to the finer details makes for a significant shift in your yoga practice. This can be applied in various ways, including when it comes to improving shoulder mobility. The first two preparation drills Matt shares in the video showcase accessible ways to find shoulder mobility for greater range in Wheel Pose. The important detail here is the lifting of your shoulders “up to your ears” and keeping them there once your arms are overhead. Whether you are utilizing the blocks or the wall, Matt emphasizes how important it is to do this action first in order to avoid shoulder impingement.

In any conversation surrounding mobility, strength must be a part of it. In both drills, there is a pressing action that is added to keep your armpits lifted. As a result, you’ll activate the rhomboids and upper trapezius.

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GET A WHEEL POSE UPGRADE: PROP OPTIONS TO REFINE YOUR ALIGNMENT

LUNGE-POSITION PREPARATION

The lifting and activation from the first 2 drills nicely translates into the next Wheel Pose preparation. A vital component of the posture is the stretch of the pectoralis muscles, but hip extension is also essential. This lunge-position drill demonstrates how to combine both of these factors. The setup against the wall helps to pattern the activation of your quadriceps and glutes. The next steps involve spinal extension and the use of greater shoulder mobility. Narrowing the space between your shoulder blades (imagine that lift of the armpits) and sending the ribs forward really mimic the alignment of Wheel Pose. This bowing of the spine, as Matt refers to this technique, creates both a deep stretch in the front body and strength in the back body.

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ROLL UP YOUR YOGA MAT AND GRAB YOUR BLOCKS

Pressing straight up into Wheel Pose is not the next step; better advised is to break the press down into increments. The next two progressions involve a rolled up yoga mat and a couple of blocks placed diagonally up against a wall. Both of these options provide a great deal of support and less wrist extension, which may feel more comfortable when it is time to lift up into Wheel Pose.

The increments are as follows:

Lifting up into Bridge Pose
Coming to the top of the head, with chest towards the wall
Slowly extending the arms
Kicking through the heels (like the Lunge preparation)

Other imperative details in both drills include the following:

Keeping the elbows wide (in a cactus shape)
Activating the glutes
Adjusting the feet
Pushing down through inner heels

Equally important is to also exit the posture in increments. This maximizes safety for the spine.

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UPGRADE YOUR TECHNIQUE

Upgrading your technique essentially means that you’re in fact upgrading the alignment of your body. Doing this helps you maximize your potential. The drills from today’s video demonstrate that there’s much more to it than just practicing Wheel Pose over and over again. The mindful and methodical approach Matt offers with the use of props gives you the support and time to understand exactly how your body responds at each step. If you haven’t yet mastered a specific action, you can explore and learn how to execute the action without feeling compromised in a deeper position of the posture. This will allow you to gain as much as possible from your overall yoga practice.

If you’re interested in diving more deeply into how to maximize technique and alignment in common yoga postures, then you’ll want to register for Matt’s next immersion, Alignment.

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Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Anatomy Of The Heart

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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

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Full Wheel

FULL WHEEL

ITALY RETREAT

SET UP THE SHOULDERS

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FULL WHEEL: TIPS FOR TEACHING THE TECHNIQUES

UPPER BACK VS. LOWER BACK

200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

FROM THE FEET STRAIGHT INTO THE HIPS

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

TEACHING OVER OFFERING

ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

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Wake Up Your Wheel Pose

WAKE UP YOUR WHEEL POSE

FREEDOM OF THE HEART

UP AGAINST THE WALL

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WAKE UP YOUR WHEEL POSE: DELIBERATE DIRECTION & ALIGNMENT

ROLL UP YOUR YOGA MAT

200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

WHEEL WITH BLOCKS

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

TEST OUT THE OPPOSITE

ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

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Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana

Where to Induce Strength

EKA PADA URDHVA DHANURASANA

ANATOMY OF THE HEART

INSIDE THE ANATOMY

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EKA PADA URDHVA DHANURASANA: WHERE TO INDUCE STRENGTH

BRIDGE POSE AS YOUR BASE

200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

WHEEL POSE PROGRESSION

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

PROMOTE THE PUSH

The Teachers' Toolkit

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Kapinjalasana at the Wall

Find Maximum Stability in Your Alignment

KAPINJALASANA

ALIGNMENT

GET TO KNOW THE ANATOMY

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KAPINJALASANA AT THE WALL: FIND MAXIMUM STABILITY IN YOUR ALIGNMENT

LEAN TOWARDS THE WALL

200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

YOGA STRAP STABILITY

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

PROCESS OVER OUTCOME

FLOW & FLY

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Get a Wheel Pose Upgrade

Prop Options to Refine Your Alignment

WHEEL POSE

ALIGNMENT

SHOULDER MOBILITY WITH BLOCKS AND A WALL

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GET A WHEEL POSE UPGRADE: PROP OPTIONS TO REFINE YOUR ALIGNMENT

LUNGE-POSITION PREPARATION

200 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

ROLL UP YOUR YOGA MAT AND GRAB YOUR BLOCKS

300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

UPGRADE YOUR TECHNIQUE

FLOW & FLY

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