Introduction
A basic sequence of standing poses to be practised with some regularity. Standing poses are the most corrective of all the poses, informing us of misalignments and restrictions.
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Reclining Bound Angle Pose
2 minutes
Join your feet together, your heels pressed to your pelvis. Lie back over a bolster or other form of support. Relax and let your chest open. If necessary, use a strap to hold your feet in place.
Downward-Facing Hero Pose
30-45 seconds
Join your feet together under your buttocks and keep your knees far enough apart for your ribs to fit in between your legs as you fold forward. You can rest your forehead on the floor or on a block.
Mountain Pose
On the breath
Stand up tall and straight, place your feet close together, with your heels and big toes touching. Imagine as if you are standing with your back against the wall. Extend your whole body from the heels up through the crown of your head.
Upward Salute with Interlocked Fingers
Five steady breaths
Stretch your arms in front of you and interlock your fingers. Turn your palms inside out and lift your arms up overhead, making sure to keep your shoulders open. Change the interlock of your fingers and repeat.
Mountain Pose
On the breath
Stand up tall and straight, place your feet close together, with your heels and big toes touching. Imagine as if you are standing with your back against the wall. Extend your whole body from the heels up through the crown of your head.
Reverse Prayer Pose
Five steady breaths
Stand in Tadasana and spread your arms outward. Then bring your hands behind your back, join your palms together, and walk them up to capacity.
If you lack wrist mobility, you can also simply grab hold of your elbows.
Half Forward Bend
30-45 seconds
Stand in front of a wall. Keeping your back and legs straight, tip from your pelvis until your chest is parallel to the ground. Push your hands into the wall and stretch your hips backwards.
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
30 seconds
Press evenly into your hands and feet. The main aim is to elongate the back of your body and lift your hips up as high off the ground as possible without losing the stable foundation created by your hands and feet. If you lack the hamstring flexibility, bend your knees a little.
Full Arm Balance (Handstand)
20-30 seconds
Open your hands into the floor and strengthen your arms as you lift your body up, one leg at a time, into an inverted balance. Use the wall for support if necessary. If pushing yourself up proves to be too difficult, you can walk your feet up the wall.
Mountain Pose
30-45 seconds
Stand up tall and straight, place your feet close together, with your heels and big toes touching. Imagine as if you are standing with your back against the wall. Extend your whole body from the heels up through the crown of your head.
Extended Triangle Pose
30-45 seconds
Keep the toes and kneecap of your left leg pointed forward and, keeping your spine straight and long, stretch over your leg. Place your left hand on your ankle or on a block next to your foot. Look up towards your extended right arm.
Extended Side Angle Pose
30-45 seconds
Bend your front leg and place your hand by of your foot as you stretch your other arm up and over your head. Pull your waist away from the floor, keep your back straight. Place a block under your hand if necessary.
Warrior I Pose
30-45 seconds
Angle your back foot outward slightly and straighten your back leg. Lift from your navel up, bring your arms up, and lengthen through the crown of your head. Make sure your front knee and toes are aligned and pointing straight forward.
Warrior II Pose
30-45 seconds
Angle your back foot out slightly and straighten out the leg. Bend your front knee into a lunge, pointing it forward so that it's aligned with your hips, shin, and toes. Stretch your arms out in a parallel line. Lengthen through the crown of your head.
Half Moon Pose
30-45 seconds
Get rooted through your left foot, point your toes and kneecap forward. Then, place your left hand on the floor or a block in front of you as you stretch your other right leg back in line with your straight back. You can use the wall for support if you lack the balance. If possible, lift your right arm up.
Revolved Triangle Pose
30-45 seconds
Start off with your legs spread out as for Triangle Pose. Then, take your left hand to your right foot and twist.
Pyramid Pose
30-45 seconds
Place your feet one leg-length apart, your back foot angled out slightly. Keep your legs straight as you start to fold over your front leg, maintaining a concave spine for as far into the bend as possible.
Wide-Legged Forward Bend
30-45 seconds
Plant your feet as wide apart as you can. Place your hands on the floor and lengthen forward through your spine. Once you have achieved the concave spine, start to walk your hands backward to capacity, aiming to lengthen and release your spine as evenly as possible.
Reclining Hero Pose
3 minutes
Lay on your back with your legs bent, your toes pointing backward.
Forward Facing Hero Pose into Downward Facing Dog Pose
4-5 steady breaths
Back and forward transition from Virasana Forward to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Change poses on the breath, attempt to go deeper into each pose with every repetition.
Headstand 1
3-5 minutes
Activate your shoulders and upper back muscles as you lift your body up into inverted balance. Use the wall for support if necessary.
Downward-Facing Hero Pose
30 seconds
Join your feet together under your buttocks and keep your knees far enough apart for your ribs to fit in between your legs as you fold forward. You can rest your forehead on the floor or on a block.
Shoulderstand
5-6 minutes
Activate your arms and shoulders as you lift your body up perpendicular to the floor. Use blankets or bolsters to support your shoulders. Make sure the back of your neck stays relaxed and maintains its natural curve.
Plough Pose
2-3 minutes
Use support under your shoulders if necessary. Keeping your shoulders open, lift your hips up high above your head, dropping your feet down behind you. Place your hands on your back to help keep it from rounding.
Simple Cross Legs Forward
1 minute
Sit with your legs crossed. Keep your sit-bones pointing downward as you fold forward over your legs to capacity, lengthening your spine.
Corpse Pose
5-6 minutes
Lie down on the floor. Spread your arms and legs slightly at your side. Relax and concentrate on your breath.
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Save PDF and print
You are welcome to download the PDF of the sequence and print and distribute it freely. You may have to wait up to 30 seconds for the PDF to generate. Please credit the teacher who created it. All illustrations from Dona Holleman’s ‘Yoga Darśana’, RIMYI Institute texts and Yoga Vastu illustrators for original asana drawings.
By Pixie Lillas
Pixie is the founder of Yoga Vastu and runs the Balmain Iyengar Yoga Studio in Sydney, Australia. She has over 45 years of teaching experience and regularly runs teacher training courses. She regularly teaches workshops in Europe and New Zealand.
