semisequitur

Cues to practice:

1. Start in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), then step your feet wide apart—about 3–4 feet.
2. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees and angle your left foot slightly in.
3. Align the heel of the front foot with the arch of the back foot.
4. Inhale, extend your arms parallel to the floor.
5. Exhale, reach your right hand forward, then tilt and lower it toward your shin, ankle, or the floor (or a block).
6. Extend your left arm straight up, stacking shoulders vertically.
7. Keep your chest open, gaze up or forward, and engage your thighs.
8. Breathe deeply, hold for 5–10 breaths, then return to standing and repeat on the other side.

Alignment issues and cues:

The hips often twist forward instead of opening to the side—both hip points should face the long edge of the mat. Students commonly bend from the waist instead of extending from the hip, which collapses the side body. The front knee tends to lock or hyperextend when it should maintain a microbend. Avoid pressing too heavily into the bottom hand on the shin or ankle, which dumps weight into that arm rather than engaging the core. The top shoulder frequently rolls forward when the chest should open fully to the side. Many students drop their head down rather than keeping it in a neutral position as a neutral extension of the spine. The tendency is to collapse into the bottom side instead of lengthening both sides of the torso equally. The stance can be too wide (causing instability) or too narrow (limiting the opening), and the back foot sometimes turns in too much instead of staying at about 45 degrees.

Props or Modifications:

A block under the bottom hand allows you to maintain length in both sides of the body and keeps the chest open. Practicing with the back body against a wall helps you feel the proper alignment and keeps the hips, shoulders, and head in the same plane. Taking a shorter stance makes the pose more accessible if balance or flexibility is limited. Place the bottom hand on the shin, thigh, or even a chair seat instead of reaching toward the floor. For those with neck issues, keep the head in a neutral position looking forward rather than turning it up toward the top hand. If the top arm overhead bothers the shoulder, rest the hand on the hip instead. For those with very tight hamstrings, a bent front knee makes the pose accessible while still providing a side-body stretch and can transition into Extended Side Angle. Using a wall behind you for the back heel gives additional stability and helps ground the back leg.

Chakras, Metaphors, Insights:

• Svadhisthana (Sacral) – Hip opening, fluidity, creative flow through the pelvis
• Anahata (Heart) – Opening the chest toward the sky, vulnerability in expansion
• Vishuddha (Throat) – When turning the head upward, finding voice and expression
• Metaphor: The strength of geometric precision—three points of contact (feet and hand) creating a stable foundation; finding expansion through structure; the triangle as one of nature’s strongest shapes, teaching us that stability and openness can coexist