Day 10: Mermaid Pose #yogadebbychallenge

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Mermaid Pose

Day 10 is Mermaid Pose. Congrats for making it to the end of the challenge, I hope you feel stronger and more open than when you started! Mermaid Pose, an advanced variation of Pigeon Pose, stretches the front side of your body, the quadriceps, thighs, shoulders and chest. Mermaid also strengthens the abdominal muscles, while increasing mobility in the spine and hips.

If you are still working on your Pigeon, please continue to do so. You may keep one or both hands on the floor beside you for support, then lift your chest away from your hips, and roll you shoulders back. If you feel stable - lift both hands up and look up, to create a backbend. Remember that you can adjust the angle of your front knee to increase or lessen the stretch of your front hip depending on what feels best for. The closer your front heel is to your body the lesser the stretch, and the closer your front shin is to parallel to the front of the mat; the deeper the stretch.

Once you are in Pigeon make sure your weight is distributed evenly across both hips. If you find the front leg hip is lifting off the floor, place a block or rolled up towel under your hip. Engage your pelvic floor, and pull it up to keep the torso lifted and strong. Square your hips and shoulders to the front of your mat. Bend your back leg; bringing your back foot in towards the body. Reach the same-side arm back to grab the foot. (ie. if your left leg is behind you, reach your left arm back to grab your foot.) Please stay in this stretch if your body informs you to.

To go deeper, let the foot slide down to the crease of your elbow. First, lengthen the other arm up, and then bend the elbow so it points straight to the ceiling; bringing your forearm behind your head. Clasp your two hands together. Gently press your head into the forearm of the lifted arm and press your back foot into the crease of your elbow. Make sure your back knee doesn't splay out to the side. Readjust if you need by lengthening your tailbone to the floor and squaring off your shoulders and hips again.

Need to modify?

  1. If your front hip lifts up, use a block or towel under your hip
  2. If you cannot reach your hand to your foot, place a strap around the foot and hold that while bringing the foot in closer
  3. If you can get your foot into your elbow but your hands cannot clasp, use a strap between both hands to make up the gap

Don't force the pose to happen. Have patience while you practice, and little by little your body will open. Make sure you are warmed up before you try any postures. Post your pics to Debby Nachmann Yoga on Facebook and use #yogadebbychallenge. If you have any questions or comments, please share them below.