With that being said, take that into a whole new direction! Instead of uniting our body & mind with yoga, unite our hands in a bind! Allowing our energy to circulate without an opportunity to release at the hands increases the intensity & deepens our practice. This will actually relax our body more. These postures may seem intimidating, but once we reach that "sweet spot" we'll find that they are much easier than holding our arms in an extended or neutral position. Remember this is YOUR practice, so modify & ease into the pose. Our arms are not used to deep stretches so it may or may not take same time. Have fun & enjoy the process!
Extended Side Bound Angle Pose- Baddha Utthita Parsvakonasana. Find a Warrior II Stance to begin. Shift our hips forward. As in the picture below, place our left forearm above our left knee & let the right arm sore over our ear. Shift forward & slide our left arm underneath & reach our right arm over & down. If we cant bind, use a towel or strap. Keep practicing & our hands will touch soon!
Add in a balance Bind! Bird of Paradise- Svarga Dvidasana. While holding our Bound Angles, step our back foot up in a squat, still binded. Balance on the leg that isn't bound & slowly make our way up. Good luck!
(Note: not everyone can look so good in this. So allow your knee to bend & rest.)
Tired of standing yet? Try a couple seated Binds as you begin to cool down.
Sage Pose- Marichyasana. Keeping a lengthened spine here, move at our own pace. We can have our leg extended if it feels good, otherwise have it in.
Cow Face Pose- Gomukhuasana. This one may be hard on the knees, so if it is too much, we can always sit in an Easy Pose & continue to bind our arms. Don't forget to open our hearts & allow our shoulders to be relaxed. We tend to hunch over while binding.
REMEMBER TO BREATHE!
If we fall out, the joy of yoga is that we can get right back in!
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