About Yoga: Build a Pose - Dragonfly

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Yoga Yoga Yoga Styles Beginners Poses & Workouts From Ann Pizer, your Guide to Yoga Dragonfly (also known as hummingbird) is such a crazy looking pose, it's hard to figure out how to get into it. I've broken in down, step by step, if you want to try, but I also want to show you three poses of increasingly difficulty that can help you build the flexibility and core strength you'll need to get there. Beginners: Garland Pose - Malasana A basic squat opens the hips and groins. If your heels don't come easily to the floor, put a rolled up blanket underneath them for support. Take a look at dragonfly: you're basically going to be doing this squat with your foot on your upper arm. See More About:  hip openers  beginning poses  Intermediate: Side Crow - Parsva Bakasana When you set up for side crow, you squat down (see malasana, above), place your hands on the mat in front of you, and then turn your knees to one side while keeping the hands in front. This twisted set-up is also used for dragonfly. See More About:  arm balances  advanced poses  Advanced: Flying Crow - Eka Pada Galavasana The set up for flying crow also echos that of dragonfly. In both scenarios, you start by standing on one leg with your opposite ankle across your standing thigh just above the knee in a modified tree pose. With your shin parallel to the floor, you come into a forward bend. For flying crow, you keep the body straight, while for dragonfly you twist as described above (see side crow). See More About:  arm balances  advanced poses  variations Pose of the Week - Dragonfly And it all adds up to dragonfly pose. I've also seen this pose called hummingbird, and just to make things more confusing, there is a different yin yoga pose that is also called dragonfly. Remember what Aunt Yoga always says about why poses have a variety of names? See More About:  yoga for arms  yoga for abs  arm balances Yoga Ads Yoga Poses Pictures Yoga for Beginners Hatha Yoga Yoga Positions Yoga Asanas Featured Articles Advanced Yoga Yoga Glossary Yoga Frequently Asked Questions Beginning Yoga Practice An Index of Yoga Poses Yoga Styles   More from About.com Backyard Chickens 101 Dabble in the self-sufficient, eco-friendly life with these essential chicken-raising tips. More> 24 Amazing Container Gardens These gorgeous and creative gardens prove it doesn't take a lot of space to create something special. More> This newsletter is written by: Ann Pizer Yoga Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Yoga newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com   Must Reads What is Yoga? Yoga for Beginners - How to Start Yoga for Weight Loss Find Yoga Poses Yoga Pants Advertisement