FLEX-Anastasia BEST YOGA TEACHER

We all have the ability to navigate change and challenge with grace. One way we learn to do this in yoga is by using our breath—a powerful tool that helps get us through difficult transitions by linking different poses with its consistency. Yoga also helps build physical and mental strength. As you shift your weight in a pose—and particularly as you move through transitions—fear, doubt, and instability can show up. Successfully navigating these moments requires a strong body and belief in yourself. One method for finding strength is by using your core. When you’re fully immersed in your yoga practice, core is about more than just muscles. Engaging it means tapping into who you are, what you believe, and what you stand for. In short, yoga can help you find stability and rootedness at the core of your identity. This challenging practice works with the physical body, but its benefits go further. Try engaging with feelings of discomfort (not pain) to identify how you respond to transition and change—moment to moment, breath to breath. The journey to a single-leg pistol squat, like the one to any advanced asana, will involve falling, failing, rising up, and trying again. Stay rooted in your breath, anchored by your center. Discover strength, mobility, and trust in your physical and mental stamina. This flow will fire up your core, elicit lower-body burn, and teach you to meet challenges with ease. See also 7 Yoga Poses to Open Your Heart and Shoulders 1. Supta Baddha Konasana variation (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR Lie on your back, about midway down your mat. Bring the soles of your feet together to touch, and allow your knees to fall open like pages in a book. Take a few cycles of breath to settle into the shape of your body, the present moment, and your higher Self. (If you need support, use one block under each knee or thigh.) Let heavy hands fall to the ground, palms down, next to your hips. Firming up your feet against each other, inhale, and lift your hips a few inches off the ground. Exhale, and release back to the earth. Focus on maintaining the width of your knees rather than the height of your hips. Repeat for 5 breath cycles. See also 4 “Bitter” and “Sweet” Stages of Starting a Yin Practice 2. Urdhva Prasarita Padasana variation (Leg Lifts) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR Use your hands to draw your knees to your chest. Extend your legs straight up to the sky, and activate your feet by pointing or flexing them. Press your palms into the earth on either side of your hips. With your lower back glued to the ground, breathe in. Breathe out, and lower your legs one-third of the way to the ground, keeping them straight. Inhale, then exhale, lowering your legs another third of the way to the floor. Inhale again. Exhale, and hover your feet 2 inches from the earth. Inhale, and lift your legs back to perpendicular with the floor. Repeat for 10 full cycles. See also Fuel Your Willpower to Transform with Tapas 3. Vasisthasana variation (Side Plank Pose) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR Hug your knees to your heart. Rock up and down the length of your spine. Cross your ankles, and roll over your feet to Tabletop. Practice Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow Poses) to warm up. Inhale, extend your right leg back, and tuck your toes near the edge of your mat. Exhale. Spin your right heel to the floor with the outer edge of your foot rooted firmly to the ground. Extend your right arm overhead. Lift up and out of your left shoulder by engaging your left oblique. Keep your core active: Pull your navel toward your spine, and knit your ribs together. Hold for 3 breaths. See also The Power of Devotion Can Transform Your Yoga Practice and Life 4. Parighasana variation (Gate Pose) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR Grounding down through the outside edge of your right foot, zip your thighs together. Inhale, and use your obliques to sweep your left fingertips up and over. Slide your right hand down the side of your right leg. This should feel similar to a Peaceful Warrior side-body stretch on your left oblique. Exhale back to Side Plank Pose variation. Inhale to Gate Pose and exhale to modified Side Plank 5 times. See also Make This Your Year: 5 Steps to Keeping New Year’s Resolutions 5. Chaturanga Dandasana variation (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR At the end of your fifth breath cycle, cartwheel both hands to the floor, and float your right leg off the mat to hip height. Lift your right heel to engage your glutes. Inhale, and shift your weight forward to your fingertips. Exhale, bend your elbows, and lower your chest and chin to the ground. Inhale, and press back up. Repeat for 3 breath cycles. Repeat poses 3–5 on the other side. See also Two Fit Moms’ Picks: 8 Best Yoga Poses for the Core 6. Adho Mukha Svanasana variation (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR From Tabletop, walk your hands forward one hand-length. Tuck your toes, and lift your hips to Down Dog. Pedal your heels, shake your head, and wag your tailbone. Adjust the distance between your hands and feet to get comfortable. Inhale, and float your right heel skyward. Exhale, drawing your knee to your nose. Press your palms into the floor while moving your shoulder blades outward. Draw your navel up and in. Inhale, and float your right leg skyward. Exhale, draw your knee to your nose, and step your right foot between your palms. See also #NoFilterYoga: 8 Top Yoga Teachers Share What Their Real Home Practice Looks Like 7. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR Crawl your hands in front of your right foot, shifting your weight into it. Guide the crown of your head forward as your left foot floats off the mat. Engage your left glutes by lifting your back heel higher. Keep your hips in one line. Reach your arms behind your back like wings and turn your palms to face the earth. Roll your shoulders back to open your heart space. Float your knuckles upward another inch to encourage that same broadness in your collarbones. A soft bend in your standing (right) knee can help with balance or tight hamstrings. Eventually, work on straightening this leg by engaging your quads and pulling up and out of your standing (right) hip. See also 12 Yoga Poses to Spark Creativity 8. Tadasana variation (Mountain Pose) None ZEV STARR-TAMBOR Exhale, and draw your hands to Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal) at your heart center. Bring your left knee to your chest. Inhale, rise up to standing, and balance. For additional support, hold the underside of your left leg. Stay here for 3 breaths.