The wall in the Game of Thrones separates the living from the dead. While in real life, it may not serve such great purpose, that simple wall can help you in many ways to stay healthy. A wall is one of the most easily available elements to elevate your yoga regime. While practicing at home, it’s always fun to experiment with props and new ways to enhance or support your yoga poses. Adding extra bits and pieces can be a really fun way to expand your practice and push your limits. From supporting the body to stabilising a pose, there are many ways the wall can assist you in your yoga practice. Wall Yoga is a modified way to deepen and explore poses with this prop everyone has at home.
Even better, it can be seen as a great teacher in your home practice that motivates you to go the extra mile. It helps you access parts of the body and mind that need deep release and simply makes the seemingly impossible, possible. All yoga postures can be practiced by all age groups. However, those suffering from vertigo, high blood pressure or are recovering from any recent major surgery or injury may avoid the Wall Yoga poses mentioned here.
Thigh Stretch
Bring your right knee as close to the wall, pointing your right foot and shin straight up against it. Step the left foot outside your left hand on the floor in front of you, coming into a low lunge with your left heel flat and the left knee stacked over the ankle. Bring your elbows up onto your front knee. Press your hips back toward the wall. As you’re ready, pull your waistline back, and begin to lift up through your chest, placing your hands on your left knee and straightening your arms. Lengthen down through your tailbone as you lightly lift your lower belly and extend up through the spine.
Core Work in inversion
Come into downward facing dog pose, heels touching the wall. Firmly press your palms and lift one leg up onto the wall. Then lift up the other leg. Stay there for five deep breaths. Now release one leg diagonally from the wall. Take five deep breaths and then change the leg. Brush the sole of your foot along the wall on its way down. Now, bend your top knee and tap the bottom toes on the floor before taking the leg all the way back up. Rest in the child pose for five breaths.
King Cobra with shins up the wall
Start with lying face down with your knees inner hip-distance apart at the base of the wall, and the shins straight up against the wall. Place your palms flat on the mat at shoulder level. Spread your fingers, press the palms down as you lift your chest away from the floor. Push down through the knees and lightly draw your pubic bone in and up, and lengthen the spine. Take a few breaths. To release, bring your head back up to neutral, gazing straight ahead, and slowly begin to re-bend the elbows along the sides of your body as you lower your torso back to the floor.
Uttanasna
Standing near a wall, facing away from it, come into a forward fold with your feet hip-width apart and knees bent. Bring your posterior against the wall. Press down through the inner edges of your feet, as you begin to lift your sitting bones (posterior) higher up the wall, and bringing your chest closer to your thighs to straighten the legs. To go deeper, step back until your heels are touching the wall. Stay here for five deep breaths.
Forearm strengthen with wall ( Preparing for Pincha)
Come into downward facing dog, spread your fingers and press your palms onto the floor. Now, drop both your knees down, and both the forearms onto the mat. Bring your knees closer to the wall then lift up one leg against the wall and press your palm to lift up the other leg slowly. Walk the palms closer to the wall. Release one leg, bend your leg working with your lower back, try to bring the foot above your head. Stay there for five deep breaths and then change to the other leg. Slowly bring one leg down and then another. Rest into the child pose for another five breaths.
Shivani Rao, founder of Divine Yogshala, is a Gurgaon-based yoga teacher. She is passionate about using the power of alignment-based yoga. Practicing yoga since 2008, she believes that it has helped her grow stronger, more flexible and fearless, both on and off the mat. She has explored a new way to nurture the more energetic and spiritual side through Ashtanga and Yin Yoga.
