Standing Poses At The Wall

Learn how to make sure you're getting all the benefits of Yoga Standing Poses

Most people don’t realize they’re doing yoga standing poses incorrectly.

Here I break down three yoga standing poses – triangle (Trikonasana), warrior 2, (Virabhadrasana 2), and extended side-angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana) – while using a wall to show you how to get the maximum benefits.

When we use a wall we realize how much the flexibility of the spine compensates for tightness in the legs, hips, and even the trunk and arm muscles.

Try doing these poses while keeping your back heel, shoulders, head, and top hand all at the wall. You will quickly identify the tight spots in your body and be in an excellent position to correctly lengthen them.

Even advanced yogis need to do a check-in at the wall from time to time. The mind’s eye does not always have a perfect or permanent read on the coronal plane, and I always learn a lot when I go back to the wall. If you’ve got it in your practice, try half-moon (Ardha Chandrasana) pose too!

Let me know how this goes for you. I’d love to know what you learned about your body. Were you surprised by what you felt? Was it very different from one side to the other? Have you figured out why you felt the sensations you did?