• Elephant's Trunk pose! 1⃣ Start in a seated thread the needle. Cradle your shin and give it a rock side to side to warm up the hip in external rotation. 2⃣ Begin to work your calf towards the top of the shoulder. The higher it goes the easier the pose will be but is not necessary. 3⃣ Plant the hands framing the leg on the ground. Kick down with the leg over the shoulder as you actively press into the hands. Think about rounding your back and letting your hips shift backward. 4⃣ Once your hips lift away from the ground play with lifting the bottom leg away from the ground too. Bent bottom leg will be easier straight leg is more challenging.
• #YogaFlightFest Day 14: "L" Handstand
• “KUNTASANA” or Spear Pose. A fun, deep hip opening, and spinal opening, balance posture! Be mindful of the weight on your back knee - use extra padding for support underneath if you need it. If you have any questions about the pose, feel free to comment below. Keep all of your AMAZING, creative, & inspirational photos coming Global Yogis! And don’t forget to give a shout out as to where in the world you are posting from, if you haven’t already - we love connecting with you all! INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Begin in Downward Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana. Step your right foot between your hands, & come into a low lunge. Lower your back knee onto the floor. Release your back toes. 2. With the support of your arms lift the torso upright. The right hand will support your weight whilst you reach for your left foot with your left hand, drawing the foot towards the buttocks. 3. From this position, change the grip of the hands - the right hand takes the left foot, as you continue to draw the foot in to the buttocks. 4. Turn your gaze towards your left, rotating the spine gently. 5. Extend your left arm out to the left, & find gyan, or chin, mudra with the left hand. 6. Keep your spine lengthening, as you draw the tailbone downwards. Relax your shoulders, and broaden across the collarbones. Enjoy this deep hip opening, and balancing posture!
• tittibhasana aka firefly! This is one of my favorite arm balances!! As I take off I feel liberated!!! It does require a good amount of hamstring and spine flexibility as well as core strength! To get into the pose follow these steps! Stop anywhere along the way. Always listening to your body! 1⃣ Start with your feet wider than hips width apart. Put a generous bend in your knees and begin to work your shoulders behind your calves. The more you can snuggle back there the easier the pose will be. 2⃣ Set the hands on the ground right behind the heels, only shoulder width apart with the fingers pointing towards your heels. 3⃣ Bend your knees and begin to take a seat. You’ll rest the hips on the triceps. Once you get as low as possible begin to stretch your gaze forward and see if you can lift one foot off the ground, then the other, maybe both at the same time. 4⃣ The full expression of the pose can be done two different ways. First I show the variation where the toes stretch up towards the sky and second I show where the hips lift up and the legs are parallel to the ground. Once you are there if you still have more juice swing the feet back to bakasana! Good luck!! If firefly is just not happening in your body today think about working bhujapidasana or crow instead! Know that trying is a success. Failure is when we stop getting back up.

Chin Stand~Instructions: 1. Warm up your spine! Do a nice warm up with plenty of back bending. 2. Come to chaturanga, lower the chin down to the mat. Use blocks underneath the shoulders to start. 3. Start by lifting one leg up at a time bringing the weight into your palms, try and put as little weight as possible on the chin! 4. If you need to start with the knees down you can also try that.

• Head stand to Forearm Balance⭐️ This posture is a great way to strengthen the shoulders for #pinchamayurasana
• Charging Scorpion
• #vrschikasana #scorpionpose first on the forearms from #pinchamayurasana 1. Make sure to warm up your back, do some cobras and wheels, etc 2. Start by getting into your pincha, use a block to frame out your hands if you are a beginner and a strap around your upper arms. If you're comfortable in pincha no need :) 3. Use a wall to start. Set up almost a foot away from the wall to get a nice backbend. With control, hop up into your pincha with feet on the wall (for these instructions see @mackenzieyoga) 4. Begin walking your feet down the wall and shift your chest forward 5. If your back is flexible you can rest your feet on your head, if not they can stay above and that's great too!
• Patanvrksasana (Toppling Tree Pose). 1. Start in Virabhadrasana I. Extend your arms behind your back, and interlock your fingers and thumbs. On an inhale, extend upward through the spine, on an exhale fold forward over your front thigh (similar to Humble Warrior pose). 2. Gaze forward along the floor, and slowly lift your back heel up so you’re on the ball of your back foot - keeping your back leg strong and engaged. 3. Extending your sternum forward, slowly begin to lift your back leg up off the floor to your degree, keeping the leg straight. 4. Then, straighten your supporting leg the best that you can! 5. Roll your shoulder blades back and down, extending from the tailbone to the crown of your head. Maintain your ‘drishti’ - a visual point of focus to help maintain your balance! 6. Stay for 5 breaths, and gently release back to Virabhadrasana I. Repeat on the other side! *** Do not worry if your balance is wobbly, and do not worry about the height of your back leg. Maintain your drishti focus, engage the strength in your legs and abdomen, and SMILE! If you fall, you fall - get straight back up and try again!
• Funky Headstand
• Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana, or Revolved Half Moon Pose. Revolved Half Moon Pose demands a lot from the hamstrings, pelvis, sacrum, and lower back. It also requires considerable core strength. Awaken and warm up your torso and legs before you practice the pose. There are many ways you can access this posture, but to keep things simple, here are some basic instructions: 1. Begin in a high lunge, with your back leg straight, and your hands on your waist. 2. Begin to take more weight into your front leg, keeping your back leg strong, as you lean the torso forward maintaining extension of the spine. 3. Bring the opposite hand (to front leg) down to the floor, approximately a foots distance away, or more if you need it. Feel free to place a block underneath the hand if it seems a long way to go, or if your hamstrings are tight. 4. Begin to slowly raise your back leg, keeping it straight, and flexing the foot. Keep your pelvis and sacrum in a level position. 5. Roll the shoulder blade back of the upper arm, as you slowly rotate the torso in the same direction (away from the lower arm). 6. Turn your gaze in the same direction, finding your drishti to help you balance. Then, release the hand from the hip, and extend it straight upward to the sky! 7. Try to keep both legs and arms straight and lengthening as best as you can. Extend from the tailbone to the crown of your head. Remember to breathe deeply and freely. Relax the muscles in your face, and SMILE! 8. Hold for 5 breaths, then release, and repeat on the other side. Enjoy the stability of gravity's pull and the freedom of flying in Revolved Half Moon Pose!
• Eka Pada Bakasana II! I always refer to this pose as playing twister with yourself and as an only child I’ve perfected that game!
• #titibasana for a starter pose :) and make sure your hips are nice and warm! 1⃣ stand with feet parallel about a foot apart. Bend forward and lift your heels while threading the arms behind the legs. 2⃣ Press your hands flat on the floor behind the heels with the fingers pointing forward 3⃣ slowly sit back bending the elbows and brining your weight into your hands. Begin to lift your legs off the floor straitening out your back. 4⃣ Cross the ankles and press the thighs against the arms to prevent them from slipping down. Stay for about 10 breaths and try again switching ankles 5⃣ have fun and smile
• Handstands 101 Doorway PLAY Let's talk about getting comfortable upside-down. Are you? This is a great way to feel safe and practice all kinds of handstands. Takes a little practice getting to know your way up the frame so try a few different hand positions and angles with your hips. Ideally, you don't want to look like a banana - meaning your feet going past your head. You want to have a slight pike or be completely straight. Teach yourself how to hold handstand correctly from day one and you will see the benefit later. I am still correcting my banana
• Anjaneyasana 1⃣ From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot in between your hands. 2⃣ Lower your left knee to your mat, untuck the left toes. 3⃣ Keeping your elbows bent, clasp your hands behind your back. 4⃣ Slowly start to sink forward into your right leg. Keeping your hands close to your body and the palms together, start to straighten your arms. 5⃣ Expand your chest up and out... If it feels good, you can start to look up. Keep your core engaged to prevent dumping in the lower back. 6⃣ Eventually, your clasped hands will come to your mat. 7⃣ BREATHE... Stay here for 5-10 breaths. Slowly come up and repeat on the other side.
• Day 6 #byghandstands101
• Part II: PUPPY PRESS! Learned this from my girl @kathrynbudig and it was the first press I was able to accomplish. From down dog, walk the feet in so the shoulders stack over the wrists. Lift one leg up... Yep, like you're peeing on a tree! Exhale and press your hands into your mat... Eventually the bottom foot will float on up! No hopping allowed!
• Yoga To Improve Digestion: Pavan Sodhung Kriya. "Your liver will love you if you practice this. It’s also extremely effective in helping to prevent constipation and other digestive dysfunctions. Ultimately this exercise can be practiced for up to 31 minutes! It’s also a very effective technique for working through deep-seated fears. You may experience a slight sense of panic as you hold the breath out. Try to relax and let your fears evaporate." #kundalini

Standing Forward Bend Uttanasana ~ Let it Go. ~ And for the things that carry too much weight… Give thanks for their presence… Learn what you need to… then… Let go. ♥ DAY TWO #GlobalYogisDetox for JANUARY! *Marichyasana C* Step by Step: - Sit in Dandanasa, bend your right knee & put the foot on the floor, with the heel close to the right sitting bone. Keep the left leg strong & rotated slightly inward. Grounding the straight-leg thigh & bent-knee foot will help you lengthen your spine. - With an exhalation, rotate your torso to the right & wrap your left arm around the right thigh. Press your right fingertips onto the floor just behind your pelvis to lift the torso slightly up and forward. - Remember to keep your straight leg & bent-knee foot grounded. Lengthen your front belly up out of the groin along the inner right thigh. Continue lengthening the spine with each inhalation, & twist a little more with each exhalation. - Hug the thigh to your belly, & lean back against your shoulder blades into an upper-back backbend. - Turn your head to the right to complete the twist in your cervical spine. - Release with an exhalation, reverse the legs and twist to the left for an equal length of time. ***Benefits: Massages abdominal organs - including the liver and kidneys, Stretches the shoulders, strengthens & stretches the spine, helps to relieve constipation, Digestive problems, Asthma, Fatigue, Lower backache, Sciatica, & Menstrual discomfort.

• Goddess Pose On your final exhale in Warrior 2, bend the left knee and rotate both feet outward to 45 degrees. Bend your elbows at shoulder height into a cactus form with the palms facing each other. Lower the hips as far as possible to hover at the level of the knees. Press the knees back towards the pinky toes and the hips forward. Relax the shoulders, neck and jaw. Hold for 5 breaths.
• Extended side crow
• I know it's not a "real" tittibhasana because I didn't go fully down but it's a start. The transition from tittibhasana to handstand is one place that I felt so stuck, like my body just wouldn't move and I didn't know where to look inside for the source of movement. Two keys made it possible for me: first, squeeze your knees towards your shoulders so you don't let the legs slide down too far, second, as soon as you get a little lift off engage the core by drawing inwards and upwards right behind the pubic bone and lean a little more forward while keeping the shoulders girdle super firm. Good luck, keep the faith, never stop practicing. Have you ever been stuck at something only to have it shift magically one day when you least expect it?
• Variation 3: Side Angle with Bind Begin with the extended side angle with the arm resting on the thigh like in Variation 1 listed above. Get low into the bent knee so it is parallel to the floor and the knee is not past the ankle. Slightly rotate the torso at the waist and feel the extended arm fall away from the backside of the body. Release the bent arm and lower the shoulder of that arm deep towards the thigh of the bent leg as the arm that was on the thigh reaches under the thigh along the hamstring while the arm that was in the air winds back allowing pectoral girdle movement to glide around the shoulder blade and the arm reaches towards the hamstring of the bent leg. Allow fingers of both hands to interlace and breathe as you open the chest and allow the shoulder blades to play and give more room for the arm movement to make the bind easier. You can also grab a wrist with the opposite arm if interlacing fingers is too difficult to keep a steady breath in -