Focus: Asanas can be versatile ‘supporting’ practices to all other life endeavours.  If you are a runner, asanas have the potential to do a lot more than ‘stretching’.  The sessions in this Short Course offer carefully chosen options that can help the runner target specific areas of the body, work with actions/ positions that are not adequately covered by running, as well as bringing strength and flexibility to those areas that are continuously working while running.  The sessions offer options for increasing strength and flexibility, injury prevention, resting and recovery, not just on a physical level, but at the level of the mind and the breath. These sessions aim to maintain the rigour (and therefore, the effectiveness) of Iyengar Yoga, but can be attempted by any healthy non-asana practitioner.

We recommend that you start with the INTRODUCTION to the Short Course.  But after that, the sessions may be attempted in any order (pt 4 and 5 were recorded together, and you might want to follow this order).

In this session we focus on the outer hips, which stabilise the upright position in humans, and is therefore a crucial element in any upright activity.  The understanding of the ‘core’ is quite different in asanas than in regular ‘exercise’. You will find your core being engaged in these positions.  For a deeper understanding of this, please explore other recordings in our portal on ‘abdominal’ actions. Like most sessions in this Short Course, this session can be done as a stand-alone session

Duration: 40 mins.

Props needed: a long yoga strap, one block, stretchy bands recommended, mat or any other cushioning for the floor

Note:

• We are assuming a general level of physical fitness in these sessions – in the interest of keeping the sessions focussed, we do not discuss adaptations for injuries/ accidents/ any other special conditions