Yoga Asana Lab: Kneeling Lunge Flow

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Welcome to Yogea’s Kneeling Lunge flow to open up the hips, side of the waist and spine. The series features kneeling variations of Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II); Alanasana (Crescent); Parsvakonasana (Right Angle); Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon) and Viparita Parighasana (Reverse Gate Pose). It is built on the principle of sequential flow, cultivates organic transitioning between breath and asana and makes up for an excellent warm-up flow.
The series starts with kneeling Virabhadrasana II – Warrior II. Take a side kneeling lunge and line up your knee with your ankle, your shoulder with your hip, extend the arms forward and fix your gaze on the fingertips into the distance. This externally rotated pose opens up the hips with no impact on the front and back leg. It brings stability and a strong center.
From Warrior II, take a lateral arch back into Alanasana (Crescent), rooting your lower hand into the calf, heel or ankle. Reach the fingertips up and back as you encourage the arch from the side of the ribs to create a sliver of the moon. As you stretch back engage the front leg stacking the knee over the ankle. Feel the oppositional pull. This pose opens the side of the waist and massages the intercostal muscles while strengthening the front thigh. It is a safe way to open the hip flexor and elongate through the sides of the waist.
Lower your crescent arm down as you place the hand to the inside of the foot and rotate the thigh bone out lining up elbow and knee into Parsvakonasana (Right Angle), reach the upper arm over the head and gaze at the finger tips. Continue to elongate through the side of the waist until you feel a straight line from the knee to the fingertips. This pose opens the hips, back and shoulder and this kneeling variation allows for deeper external rotation of the hip and lengthening through the sides of the ribs.
Drop the extended arm down into the opposite direction and plant the hand while brining the shoulder writs and fingertips of the other arm in one straight line. Lift your opposite leg up and rotate it externally so it lines up with the torso. Flex the foot and open the hip out as much as you can while you keep the front ribs flattened. You have assumed kneeling Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose). This variation allows you to work on aligning the torso with the leg and the shoulder with the wrist safely so you can work on the standing Star-fix like version later. It opens the hips, stabilizes the torso and radiates your light through the heart.
Root the extended leg down into the ground, flex the foot and reach the upper arm in a backward arch to come into Viparita Parighasana (Reverse Gate Pose). Arch back as much as you can as you lengthen through the sides of the waist and actively plant the extended leg foot, making sure your weight bearing shoulder is stacked over the wrist for better alignment and balance. This pose opens the spine safely, stretches the intercostal muscles and opens the shoulder.
This sequence is an excellent and safe way to warm up before the asana practice, as it contains hip openers, back bends, side curves and lunges. It will take into a seamless flow and inspire you to refine your transitions efficiently and organically.
Yogea Asana Lab is not a yoga routine and should be regarded solely as an educational platform to reinforce proper postural alignment and improve the quality of your practice. The approach is integrated as poses are grouped into different targeted categories. Each set of poses is demonstrated only on one side. The route of assuming poses and releasing through counter-poses is mapped clearly and slowly, allowing time for assimilation and grasping. The main objective is to guide you in and out of poses safely and smoothly, as well as to acquaint you with basic anatomical and energetic principles that weave the geometry of every asana. In turn, you will be able to perform the Yogea routines with clarity, precision and abandonment. As you follow the tips of proper alignment you will feel more stable, ready to deepen your practice and eager to transition gracefully from one stage to the next both on the mat and in life.