Hallo allemaal,
Hoge plank, lage plank, Up Dog, Down Dog… Hoge plank, lage plank, Up Dog, Down Dog… Hoge plank, lage plank, Up Dog, Down Dog… De ware poweryoga-fan zullen deze woorden als een mantra in de oren klinken
Let wel: de Chaturanga Vinyasa of verbindingsflow is allebehalve ‘easy’. Voor iedereen die met name de lage plank en de Upward Facing Dog nog eens gedetailleerd onder de loep wil nemen, vormt de Daily Insight van afgelopen woensdag ideaal leesvoer. Bovendien staat er een verwijzing in naar een artikel over deze onvermijdelijke mini-flow.
If you’ve ever taken a flow class, you’ve no doubt heard the teacher call out, “Chaturanga, Upward-Facing Dog, Downward-Facing Dog”—over and over again. Known as a Chaturanga vinyasa, this sequence is often inserted between poses, making them the most repeated poses in a flow-based class.
When done correctly, they build suppleness, strength, and endurance. They also require the spine to extend as you arch into Upward Dog, and then lengthen as you move into Downward Dog—ultimately bringing it into a neutral position. These poses cleanse the palate of the body so it’s ready for the next pose.
Chaturanga and Upward Dog are difficult and demanding for any practitioner, and repeatedly slogging through them can feel like an uphill battle. Ever feel your neck tense and your shoulders hunch as you take a nose-dive into Chaturanga, ultimately collapsing into a heap on the floor? Or press into Upward Dog and feel a sudden twinge in your lower back, causing you to rush back to Downward Dog to find some ease?
These common — and natural — mistakes can be avoided if you learn proper alignment and build the strength to sustain it through the entire flow. In the long run, mindlessly racing through these poses can lead to injuries, typically to the delicate shoulder joints and the lower back.