How to do Big Toe Bow Pose

For day 28 of the Free Yogis challenge, I did Big Toe Bow Pose, shown below, and many of you were wondering how to get into it. 

Hopefully this post will be helpful to you!

Step One: Come into Tabletop position.

Step Two: Reach your right arm up and towards your back. Bend your left knee and lift your toes towards your back. Take hold of your big toe with your hand. 

Step Three: After gaining a strong grip, kick your foot towards the ceiling, then work to pull your foot towards your right shoulder. 

Step Four: If you feel comfortable in step three, try pushing your foot down towards your midline. To do the full version, your elbow will end up pointing towards the ceiling. 

Hold here for 3-5 breaths, release and repeat on other side. Hope that helps!

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How to Begin Doing a Headstand

The headstand can be such an intimidating pose, but if you break down the pose and have some patience, it can be a pose that grows organically with your practice! 




Step One: Ready yourself into your prep pose for headstand (table top, then clasp hands and lower head to meet your hands). Lift your hips up into something of a Downward Facing Dog. Continue to walk your feet towards your hands until you begin to feel your weight shift onto your head. (If you are not accustomed to the sensation of being upside and/or taking weight on your head, feel free to stay here for a few breaths before lowering into Child's Pose until you feel more comfortable.) To prevent yourself from collapsing onto your neck while you adjust to headstand, press firmly into your mat through your forearms. Hold for 5 deep breaths. If you feel comfortable advancing from here, proceed to step 2; if not, try to hold this pose for 5 deep breaths (or less if you feel uncomfortable), then sink into Child's Pose.


Step Two: From here, bring one leg into your chest, hold for a 3-5 breaths. 

Step Three: Lower your leg back down, then lift and tuck the opposite leg into your chest. Hold for 3-5 breaths. If you feel comfortable advancing from here, advance to step 4, if not, lower your leg down and sink into a Child's Pose.


Step Four: Begin to pull your hips over your shoulders until your toes leave the ground, allowing you to tuck both of your legs into your chest. Hold here for 5 breaths. If you feel comfortable advancing from here, advance to step 5, if not, lower your leg down and sink into a Child's Pose. 

Step Five: Alternate lifting your knees a few inches towards the ceiling and back down to further strengthen your core. If you feel strong, stable, and comfortable at this point and wish to advance, extend your legs straight up into Bound Headstand, hold for at least 5 deep breaths, then lower into Child's Pose. If not, release into Child's Pose after completing 3-5 rounds of raising and lowering your knees.
 

As always, listen to your body and do not push it past its limits. The headstand is a challenging pose that takes time to perfect, and it is completely normal for some days to be better than others. The most important thing to do is stay safe, stay in control, and never advance before feeling comfortable and confident. All things come with (safe) practice!

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How to Practice Yoga Without Going Broke

With the recent spike in popularity, many people have decided to view yoga as an industry to profit from. It can be hard to grow and develop your practice on a budget these days, but there is something important to keep in mind. Yoga was originally free. The easiest way to keep costs low in yoga is to get back to the basics of what yoga is.[[MORE]]

Yoga Props:

• Sure, you can buy a $10+ yoga block. Or you can just use some thick books. I know a woman who taped together the boxed set of Star Wars VHS tapes and used that as her block. If it works, it works.
• For the yoga strap, don’t bother spending money. Grab a scarf, a belt, a rolled towel, or your dog’s leash. The important thing here is that it shouldn’t give, so nothing stretchy. 
• Yoga towels and yoga blankets can easily be replaced with regular towels and firm blankets; things you likely have at home already.
• For yoga clothes, wear whatever is comfortable! To keep it cheap, buy some generic leggings, and ribbed tank tops. You don’t have to have fancy yoga pants or tops to practice yoga, you just need to be comfortable. 
• Now, many people do still prefer to work on a yoga mat, but you do not need the most expensive mat on the market. Here’s a link  to some cheaper options. 

Classes:
Obviously the biggest yoga expense is the classes themselves. The most important thing about practicing yoga is safety, and to practice safely means you need proper alignment, which is best learned from an instructor in a class.

• First of all, check your options! Many yoga studios offer a trial period ranging from 1 class to 1 week of classes for free, and/or even offer discounted rates for newcomers! That’s the perfect time to take some cheap classes, get assistance on your alignment, and even begin to feel how a typical yoga class should flow.

Now, if the classes are completely not an option for you, there are some other options, but it will take more of a commitment from you and I urge you to research the poses before attempting any new ones to ensure that you are practicing them safely.
Youtube Videos:
There are may Youtube Channels that offer both yoga sequences to follow as well as tips to help you learn individual poses. These are a few of my favorites:

• For Yoga Sequences and Flows: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
• For Working on Specific Poses: 1, 2, 3
• For Learning More About Yoga: 1

Websites:There are also a number of websites out there to assist you in your yoga journey! Here are some of my favorites:

• For Yoga Sequences and Flows: 1, 2
• For Working on Specific Poses: 1, 2
• For Learning More About Yoga: 1, 2

There are tons more out there, but these are some of my go-to channels and sites. Just like going to a studio, it's all about finding a yoga instructor that resonates with you; you want to find someone that you understand easily, that has a good pace for you, and ultimately just gives you that good vibe that you're looking for. Some yoga instructors push you, others offer gentle encouragement. Find what you need.
There is one last option, and it is one I utilize regularly: Apps.
While I would love to give you a list of great apps out there, I have only found one that I can stand behind whole heartedly:

• Yoga Studio: This app costs $3.99 in the app store, and while I normally refuse to spend money on apps, this one is worth so much more. It's basically a mix of yoga classes (sorted by duration, skill level, and focus) as well as the ability to create your own sequences (with lots of features to help you), in addition to the app allowing you to browse through poses and get a walk through of each one! The best part is that the makers of Yoga Studio are always adding in new things and updating it, so you're ever bored. The only downside is that they currently do not have an app for Android... 

If anyone has any other apps to suggest, or any sources in general, please let me know and I'll add it to the list!

I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any questions!

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