How to do Scale Posture in Yoga

Video Transcript

"GINA KENNEDY: One of the Bandhas in yoga, Uddiyana Bandha, drawing your belly button into the spine is one that we like to work on and use for abdominal core strength which you use throughout your yoga practice. There's no better pose than Tolasana to help you gain abdominal strength, and you must use Uddiyana Bandha, which means a flying up, a lifting up, where you pull your belly button into the spine, and then lift it all the way up to give you an energetic lift. I'm going to have Faith, we're going to do Tolasana scale pose, and she's going to use these blocks under her hands to help her. Good. So first, I'm just going to have you crush your ankles, Faith, and bring your knees in towards each other, so seated, yeah, right like that. Good. So, I'm going to have Faith press in to her hands, draw her belly button into the spine using Uddiyana Bandha, and lift her tailbone up off the ground. Good. Now, she's really going to have to pull her belly in even tighter to then lift her feet up. And there she swings like the scales. Good. Lower down for just a moment. Good. Breathe in, and then she's going to lift up again. She's going to press her hands into the blocks, lift her behind, and then, if she can, lift her toes. Now, she might not be able to do that right away. You might just be able to lift one or the other, and feel free to just practice there 'cause this is a pose that takes an awful lot of abdominal strength."