Remember when you resolved to do more yoga? And then you sat at the back of a yoga class as the teacher said ridiculous things like “juice your spine” and you wondered what the heck you were doing?
Yeah, we’re here to help.
Yoga doesn’t need to be shrouded in mystery. This week, we caught up with Lisa Sochocki, owner of Yoga Loft Hawaii on the island of Oahu, to talk plainly about how to achieve each basic yoga pose with perfection.
Sochocki has spent the last 16 years practicing yoga around the world and the last 10 teaching it. She has helped hundreds of aspiring yogis turn their awkwardly stiff downward dogs into seamless standing splits, and she knows every mistake a rookie yogi will make on the mat.
“A lot of people think that in order to start doing yoga, you have to be super flexible. But the reality is that everyone has to start somewhere,” Sochocki told The Huffington Post. “And it all usually starts with the first breath. If you remember to breathe, then everything else will fall into place.”
So take a breath, relax and let this blissful yogini walk you through all the beginner’s yoga poses you need to know to master your practice. Your computer-hunched spine will thank you.
Hold each pose for three to five deep and slow breaths, in and out of your nostrils.
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10. Seated Twist with Leg Extended (Marichyasana)
The seated spinal twist neutralizes the spine. Start from a seated position, with butt on the ground and both legs parallel in front of you. Extend your left leg straight out, and flex the foot. Bend your right knee, and cross your right foot over the extended left leg. Left elbow pushes against the outside of the right knee, and right hand is placed on the floor on the right side of the body. Right hand should be planted behind the right side of the spine, supporting it. Look over the shoulder or as far as the neck allows. Repeat pose on the opposite side of the body.
Common mistakes: Do not round your back. Lengthen your spine by lifting your back up. Make sure your back hand is helping you life the spine up.
Sochocki says: “Exhale as you twist your spine. Inhale to create the space [in your torso] and the exhale will move you deeper into the space you’ve created.”
11. Upward-facing Dog* (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
*Our yogi says it can be dangerous to assume that the upward-facing dog is a beginner’s pose. It is, in fact, an intermediate to advanced pose because it is a deep back bend that requires a lot of power. Sochocki suggests that beginners start with baby cobra and build their way up to upward dog.
From the plank position, with feet hip-width apart and arms shoulder-width apart, exhale and use your arms to slowly lower your body down until your elbows form a 90-degree angle. Use your toes to tilt your body forward and roll over your toes so the tops of your feet are flat on the ground. On an inhale, straighten your elbows so your entire torso, knees and thighs are lifted from the ground. Your hands and feet should be the only parts of your body touching the ground. Look slightly upward, past the tip of the nose. Exit the pose on an exhale.
Common mistakes: “I most commonly see students go into this pose before their back is ready for it. You can tell when their shoulders are high and near the ears. I recommend that beginners start with a cobra pose, closer to the floor. Cobra has little to no weight in the hands and will slowly build up the strength in the back.”
Sochocki says: “For those who are determined to master the up dog, make sure you press firmly down with the feet and keep drawing the chest through the arms. Lift from the center of the heart while pulling your shoulders down your back.”
