Pose of the Week - Lizard Pose - Utthan Pristhasana

So....I seriously love this pose. I teach it in practically every class...and in my own practice. I know, I made a rule not to have pose of the week any of the poses that I LOVE...but I couldn't resist. Mostly because this weekend I am teaching a class which is focused on opening the hip area....and when I think of the hips, this is one of my favorite poses to practice and to teach, because most everyone including beginners can come into a variation of Lizard Pose. 

Some other great benefits aside from a hip opener are: the psoas and quadriceps muscles are stretching. Hang out in this pose for a few breaths to give into gravity to help you create flexibility.

Picture Credit/Source: Yoga Journal

There are soooo many options for the arms and legs...and you can mix and match depending on what is accessible for you, your mood, etc. In all versions, allow your neck to relax....and remember to BREATHE. I often find that it helps in intense hip openers to count my inhale length and exhale length and try to even the inhales and exhales to maybe a 4 count inhale/exhale.

• Leg Variations:
• Keep the back leg lifted off the mat, keep back quad engaged and lifted to heat up this pose
• Drop the back knee to the mat for a more restorative/relaxing pose
• Arm Variations:
• Stay upright on your palms
• Using a block, bring your forearms to a block
• Bring your forearms all the way to the mat

And...just for fun, I had to throw in this picture...we can be thankful we don't look like this. :)