Chair to Skiing Mountain Pose
The Connected Yoga Teacher Live Show: Episode 17Today on The Connected Yoga Teacher live show, Shannon Crow shares the rib cage breath, chair pose and what she calls skiing mountain pose. These two poses are strength building and they engage the true inner core.
Shannon also answers a question from a fellow Connected Yoga Teacher, Trevor Parks. Trevor asked this week, in The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook group, how to create and share a playlist.
There is a video (to the left) that will walk you through the rib cage breath, chair pose and skiing mountain pose, giving some cues along the way.
Below are the benefits and cues for both poses.
Chair to Skiing Mountain Pose Benefits:
- Builds strength (muscles and bones)
- Uses core 4 / inner unit – great pose for pelvic health and core
- Challenging pose for all levels of yoga students
- Helps to improve posture and lengthening of the spine
- Symmetrical pose (helpful when students are dealing with SI joint asymmetry)
- Engages leg and gluteus muscles
- Can be added to standing flows or used instead of more challenging standing poses
Chair Pose Cues:
- Continuous breath
- Bend the knees
- Keep knees back behind the toes
- Long line of energy from crown of the head to the tailbone
- Root down through tailbone
- Feet are grounded on all four points, as in mountain
- Arms can extend out to straight or stay down by the sides
- Imagine connecting to your inner core – emotionally and physically
Skiing Mountain Pose Cues:
- Continuous rib cage breath
- Micro-bend the knees (less than in chair)
- Long line of energy from crown of the head to the tailbone
- Weight moves a little more into the balls of the feet
- Imagine you are skiing
- Heart reaches forward
- Arms are at the sides, palms face back behind you
- Lots of space between the shoulder blades
- Relax the shoulders
- Lengthen the spine so that you feel the roof of the mouth reaching towards the sky
