CURVY YOGA EXPLORATION CHECKLIST OF COMMON CURVY POSE ISSUES

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Aubrie Lawson
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1 CURVY YOGA EXPLORATION CHECKLIST OF COMMON CURVY POSE ISSUES

2 Checklist of Common Curvy Pose Issues (+ How to Address Them) The intention of this document is to give you a quick go-to checklist. Other documents in this course go into more depth on these issues. I ve only included poses here that get curvy students a particular challenge. The languaging column is intended to give you examples please do make it your own as you become more comfortable with it Pose Name Issue Languaging Seated Poses Janu Sirsasana (Seated One-legged Forward Bend) Marichyasana (Bent Knee Twist) Virasana (Hero) Belly compression Belly/boob smush (arm won t come to outside of leg) Sometimes no matter how open they are, curvy people won t be able to bring their bum to the ground because the height of their thighs/calves is too high (Once they re in position): If your belly feels compressed in forward bends, tuck your belly skin toward your pelvis before folding forward. If your belly and/or boobs prevent you from getting your arm to the outside of your leg, try this instead: with R knee bent, bring your R arm behind you on the ground. Wrap your L hand around your R knee & twist. This gives your body space to actually twist & not just feel uncomfortable. Ask them to use a block. This is the same as anyone who can t come down, but I wanted to explain an additional reason why this might be happening for curvy folks Curvy Yoga 1

3 Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Belly compression If your belly skin inhibits your movement in this pose, bring your hands to either side of your lower belly. Tuck the skin down toward your pelvis & then fold forward. Standing Poses Utkatasana (Chair) Misalignment if feet aren t wide enough When coming into the pose, ask students to step their feet a comfortable distance apart Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down Dog) Garudasana (Eagle) Utthita Parsvakonasana (Side Angle) (1) Misalignment if feet aren t wide enough & (2) Possible boob strangulation (1) Thigh skin prevents legs from crossing fully & (2) Boobs prevent arms from wrapping Crunching/compressing where the belly meets the bent leg thigh (1) See Utkatasana instruction & (2) If your boobs are strangling you, your neck is probably wonky. Try gently tucking your chin towards your chest. I know it seems counterintuitive, but it actually gives your neck room to relax. (1) You don t have to make this one about the thigh skin. You can offer everyone the option to simply hook their foot around their calf (or even do their legs in Vrksasana) & (2) If your arms don t go like this, try giving yourself a hug instead. Bring your L hand to your R shoulder & vice versa. This will give you a similar shoulder opening, which is what we re really going for. As you bring your arm to your thigh or to the block, take a moment and tuck your lower belly skin towards your pelvis. This will give you more spaciousness in the pose. Curvy Yoga 2

4 Malasana (Squat) Low Lunge Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch) Tadasana (Mountain) Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) Virabhadrasana I (Warrior 1) Not enough space to come down if feet aren t wide enough Belly/boob compression if foot is between hands Belly/boob compression if not accounted for Discomfort/knee risk if feet aren t wide enough Belly compression Feeling of instability if feet aren t wide enough apart Step your feet a comfortable distance apart. As you come down, if you have to turn your feet out to make room, you can; just make sure your knees and toes are pointing in the same direction. Some people feel more comfortable with a wider stance here. If that s you, try stepping your foot behind or outside your hand to make a little more room and get into the opening. There are a couple ways to alleviate this: (1) Ask students to place their hands on blocks on either side of their foot & (2) As you fold forward, tuck your belly skin towards your pelvis so you can more fully access the hamstring opening. To begin the pose: Step your feet a comfortable distance apart. Two things help here: (1) Beginning with the feet wider apart, even mat width & (2) As you fold forward, bring your hands to either side of your belly. Keep your hands here, slightly lifting the belly, as you fold forward. Once you come down, release your hands. To begin pose, Step your feet a comfortable distance apart. Curvy Yoga 3

5 Inversions/Backbends Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge) Bhujangasana (Cobra) Possible boob suffocation Thigh smush (Note: this also applies for Sphinx & Urdvha Mukha Svanasana Up Dog) If your boobs make you feel like you re being strangled and/or unsure if you can breathe, try coming out, strapping them & going back in. Demonstrate the strap. Before coming up, ask students to Tuck your toes and walk your feet back an inch or two to lengthen your legs and make space for your belly & thighs. Salabhasana (Locust) (1) Thigh smush & (2) Difficulty bringing head down to rest because boobs lift chest up too high (1) See instructions for Bhujangasana & (2) Give students the option to rest their head in their arms. This will allow them to rest their head on level with their chest. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon) Savasana Restoratives (1) Size of hips/thighs prevents hip from coming to ground, regardless of hip openness & (2) Belly/boob compression when folding forward Lower back discomfort because hips/butt are preventing back from lying down (1) Blanket/block under hip & (2) As you fold forward, tuck your belly towards your pelvis to make space. You might also like to move it to the side a bit away from the bent knee. There are a few different ways to say this. You might try a couple b/c people will hear this in different ways: (1) If you feel uncomfortable with your legs extended, keep your knees bent with feet flat on the floor. (2) With knees bent, gently lift your hips up. While here, tuck your tailbone very slightly & then lower down; this lengthens your Curvy Yoga 4

6 spine. (3) Tuck your chin gently towards your chest to lengthen your neck if it feels too short. (4) Place a blanket under your head to encourage your chin to gently come towards your chest. Curvy Yoga 5

Sequence for Parsva Bakasana

Sequence for Parsva Bakasana Courtesy of: Advanced Level Practice September 2017 Sequence created & modeled by: Aretha McKinney Blevins, Intermediate Junior III CIYT, Nashville, TN Photography: Cassie O Sullivan, Introductory I/II