The Pose

By TERESA ANNE POWER | Special to the Palisadian-Post

This month’s yoga posture is Revolved Lunge Pose, Parivrtta Anjaneyasana. I enjoyed teaching this powerful pose to Gerry Blanck, owner of the Martial Arts Center in Pacific Palisades, along with actor Brandon Tyler Russell, who is training with Blanck for the movie “The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback.” Martial arts is similar to yoga in that it focuses on movement and being present with awareness and precision. Practicing Revolved Lunge Pose will help to increase your stamina and mental toughness.

Benefits of Revolved Lunge Pose:

• Strengthens the quadriceps
• Improves balance, concentration and core awareness
• Stretches the hips and thighs
• Stimulates the abdominal organs and improves digestion

Modifications:

• Lower your knee to the ground to lessen the intensity of this pose.
• Keep your gaze downward if you have a neck injury.
• Go slowly and don’t push your body beyond its limits.
• If you have medical conditions, talk to your doctor before practicing this or other yoga poses.

Instructions:

1. Start in a lunge, with your right leg forward. Bring your palms in prayer position in front of your heart.
2. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and on the exhale twist toward your right leg. With your palms still together, put your left tricep on your right thigh, trying to get your torso as close to your leg as possible.
3. Gently shift your gaze upward over your right shoulder, unless you have a neck injury.
4. Hold this pose for up to one minute and then switch sides.

A yoga practitioner for over 35 years, Power helps children (and adults) unleash their imaginations through yoga. Since 2000, she has been teaching yoga in schools, yoga studios and local organizations, and has helped thousands of people develop a healthy attitude toward their bodies. Power is an internationally acclaimed yoga expert, keynote speaker and the bestselling, award-winning author of “The ABCs of Yoga for Kids” product line, which has been translated into many languages and sold a quarter-million copies worldwide. She is also the founder of International Kids’ Yoga Day, an annual event that celebrates the health and wellness of our youth worldwide through the practice of yoga. In 2017, she created World Yoga Power, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make the life-changing practice of yoga accessible to everyone, regardless of age, location or finances. For more information, visit abcyogaforkids.com and worldyogapower.com.