Bridge Pose - Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Type of pose: Backbend
Benefits: Strengthens the spine, opens the chest, improves spinal flexibility, stimulates the thyroid.
Instructions:
1. Come to lie on the back.
2. Bend the knees, bringing the soles of the feet parallel on the mat close to the buttocks.
3. Lift the hips up towards the ceiling.
4. Interlace the fingers behind your back and straighten the arms, pressing them down into the mat.
5. Roll one shoulder under and then the other.
6. Lift the hips higher.
7. Draw the chest toward the chin, but do not move the chin toward the chest.
8. Make sure the feet stay parallel.
9. Release the hands and bring the upper, middle, and then lower back down.
10. Rest , allowing the knees to knock together
Beginners: For a restorative variation, bring a block under the sacrum. Let your weight rest on the block.
When coming down, keep the hands interlaced under the weight of the body for a shoulder opener.
Advanced: Try relaxing the buttocks while keeping the thighs engaged in order to lift the hips higher. Lift one leg at a time straight up to the ceiling. Come into the pose from shoulder stand.
Supported Bridge Pose
Type of pose: Restorative, backbend
Benefits: Allows the spine to open while being gently supported. Can help relieve back pain.
Instructions:
1. Come to lie on your back with the knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Have a yoga block handy.
2. You should be able to barely touch the backs of your heels with your fingertips when the arms are lying on the floor.
3. The feet should be parallel and stay that way through the duration of the pose.
4. Press down into the soles of the feet as you lift the hips off the floor.
5. Slide your yoga block under your back directly under the sacrum. Let your sacrum rest on the block. Let the arms rest alongside the body.
6. This should be a comfortable resting position. You may wish to stay here several minutes.
7. To come out, press down into your feet and lift the hips again. Remove the block and gently lower your back to the floor.
Beginners:
It is a good idea to start with the block on the lowest level (see photo number 1). If this feels comfortable, you can try turning it to a higher level (as in photo number 1). Since this is a restorative pose, choose the level that gives you the most ease. If you feel any pain, come out.
Advanced:
Try lifting one leg at at time off the floor, keeping the block in place. You may also lift both legs at the same time in a supported version of Shoulderstand
Cat - Cow Stretch
Benefits: Increases spinal flexibility and abdominal strength. Can help prevent back pain.
Instructions:
1. Start on all fours, bringing the wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips.
2. Think of the spine as a straight line connecting the shoulders to the hips. Try visualizing the line extending forward through the crown of the head and backwards through the tail bone.
3. Keep the neck the natural extension of the spine.
then:
Cow Pose
1. Curl the toes under.
2. Drop the belly.
3. Take the gaze up toward the ceiling.
4. Let the movement in the spine start from the tailbone, so that that neck is the last part to move.
Cat Pose
1. Release the tops of the feet to the floor.
2. Round the spine.
3. Drop the head.
4. Take the gaze to the navel.
5. Repeat the Cat - Cow Stretch on each inhale and exhale, matching the movement to your own breath.
6. Continue for 5-10 breaths, moving the whole spine. After your final exhale, come back to a neutral spine.
Staff Pose - Dandasana
Type of pose: Seated
Benefits: Strengthens legs, improves alignment
Instructions:
1. Come to sit with the legs outstretched straight in front.
2. Engage the thigh muscles and flex the feet. The heels may come up off the floor.
3. Bring the spine long.
4. Stack the shoulders directly on top of the hips.
Beginners: Take padding under the sit bones if necessary
Advanced: This pose looks easy, but if you are really working the thighs it isn’t.
Cobbler's Pose - Baddha Konasana
Type of pose: Seated
Benefits: Opens the hips and groin
Instructions:
1. From Staff Pose – Dandasana, bend the knees bringing the soles of the feet together and letting the knees fall out to either side.
2. Keep the spine long.
3. Press the outer edges of the feet together strongly.
Beginners: Take padding under the sit bones if necessary. Position a block under each knee for support if necessary.
Advanced: Keeping the spine long, come into a forward bend. 
Type of pose: Standing
Benefits: Strengthen the legs, stretches the groins, hamstrings, hips, opens the chest and shoulders
Instructions:
1. straighten your front leg (the right leg in this case)
2. Begin the reach the right arm forward
3. Drop the right hand down onto your shin or ankle, or if you are more open, onto the floor inside or outside the right foot. Do whichever one feels most comfortable.
4. The left shoulder stacks on top of the right as you open the chest reaching the left fingertips upwards while keeping the left shoulder rooted in the socket.
5. Take your gaze up toward the left fingertips.
6. Draw the right thigh muscle upwards, deepening the right hip crease.
7. Stack the left hip on top of the right.
8. Repeat on the left side
Beginners: Bring the right hand higher up on your leg or use a block on the floor to rest your hand on. It is more important to keep the right leg straight than to bring the right hand to the floor. Do not rest the hand directly on the knee, though, as this creates too much pressure on the knee.
Advanced: Line up the right heel with the arch of the left foot. For a variation, try dropping the left arm over the left ear so it comes parallel to the floor, while keeping the shoulder rooting into the socket.
Type of pose: Seated
Benefits: Opens the hips
Instructions:
1. From Staff Pose – Dandasana, bend the knees.
2. Bring the right shin parallel to the front of the mat.
3. Stack the left ankle directly on top of the right knee, bringing the left shin parallel to the right.
4. Flex both feet.
5. Repeat on the other side.
Beginners: Take padding under the sit bones if necessary. Position a block or blanket under the top knee if the gap is very big.
Advanced: Keeping the spine long, come into a forward bend.
Type of pose: Hip opener, Backbend
Benefits: Stretches the thighs, groins, back, and psoas. Opens the chest and shoulders.
There are many ways to come into this pose. One of the best is from Downward Facing Dog.
Instructions:
1. From Downward Facing Dog, bring the right leg up into a Downdog split.
2. Bend the right knee and swing the leg forward, bringing the right knee outside the right hand while releasing the top of the left leg to the floor.
3. Square the hips towards the floor.
4. Take padding under the right side of the butt as necessary to bring the hips square.
5. Try the following variations:
6. Bring the torso down into a forward bend over the right leg.
7. Let the weight of your body rest on the right leg.
8. Continue squaring the hips and breathing into the tightness.
9. Make sure the top of the left foot keeps pressing down into the mat.
10. Come back up, bringing the hands in line with the hips.
11. Bend the left knee and reach back for the left foot with your left hand.
12. Draw the foot towards your butt, stretching the left thigh.
12. Square your shoulders to the front of the room.
13. Release the left foot, curl the left toes under and step back to Downward Facing Dog.
14. Repeat pose on the other side.
Beginners: Be sure to take adequate padding under the right side of the butt. If necessary, use several blankets or a block.
Advanced: Start to bring the right shin more parallel with the front of the mat.
1. When the left knee is bent, draw the left foot into the crook of the left elbow.
2. Reach the right arm up, and clasp your hands behind your head (click the photo to see this variation).
3. When you are ready, move on to King Pigeon Pose.
