Wild thing
Camatkrasana, or Wild Thing, is definitely my favourite pose and is kind of my signature pose (it's even in my logo!). I love the strength, the softness, and the grace of it. If you're not ready for this, please practice the modified side plank, which will help strengthen your body as well as free your shoulders for this beautiful pose. There are different ways of getting into it but here is how I like to get into Wild Thing because it helps me to connect more deeply to the earth and the core, softens my body to help me hug in, and gives me room to then open up and expand.
STEP-BY-STEP:
1. Come onto your hands and knees. Hands should be (outer) shoulder width apart, with the creases of the wrists aligned with the front edge of the mat and the fingers spread. Press down into the finger pads and the thumbs. Knees are under the hips and hip width apart. Tuck the toes under. Breathe out to round the spine (tailbone under, back of the heart lifted and head down), ground into hands and feet and wave up to Downward Dog.
2. Inhale to rise high onto the balls of the feet. Exhale to round the spine and bring the right knee and the forehead toward each other as you wave the shoulders slightly in front of your wrists.
3. Inhale, begin to drop the outside edge of your left foot down (and then the whole foot) to the floor as you rotate open to the right, and place the toes and the ball of your right foot down behind your left knee. Your right hand can come to your right hip first or just let it hang. You will find that the left elbow and the knees are bent. This is great because it will help you to connect more deeply to the earth beneath and to free up your left shoulder a bit more.
4. Exhale, create the earth to core connection by pressing your finger pads and thumb, and left foot into the earth more as you life in and up the pelvic floor and the lower belly. Get a little closer to the earth here.
5. Now inhale, press down more into the earth with your left hand and both feet, begin to rotate your left shoulder open as you start to straighten the arm and left leg. Ground into the left hand and the left foot and spin the heart up toward the sky. Slide the crown of the head back. Raise your right arm up and over, releasing the shoulder blade down your back.
6. Keep grounding down through the left hand and both feet while lifting up the pelvic floor and the lower belly. Try not to jut the ribs out. Think about hugging the ribs and the front of the spine in toward the back, and then lengthen the spine. Breathe into the chest and the upper back and breathe out from the lower belly. Stay for as long as you like and do the other side. Rest in child's pose when you're done.
Go on, be wild, and have fun with it.
STEP-BY-STEP:
1. Come onto your hands and knees. Hands should be (outer) shoulder width apart, with the creases of the wrists aligned with the front edge of the mat and the fingers spread. Press down into the finger pads and the thumbs. Knees are under the hips and hip width apart. Tuck the toes under. Breathe out to round the spine (tailbone under, back of the heart lifted and head down), ground into hands and feet and wave up to Downward Dog.
2. Inhale to rise high onto the balls of the feet. Exhale to round the spine and bring the right knee and the forehead toward each other as you wave the shoulders slightly in front of your wrists.
3. Inhale, begin to drop the outside edge of your left foot down (and then the whole foot) to the floor as you rotate open to the right, and place the toes and the ball of your right foot down behind your left knee. Your right hand can come to your right hip first or just let it hang. You will find that the left elbow and the knees are bent. This is great because it will help you to connect more deeply to the earth beneath and to free up your left shoulder a bit more.
4. Exhale, create the earth to core connection by pressing your finger pads and thumb, and left foot into the earth more as you life in and up the pelvic floor and the lower belly. Get a little closer to the earth here.
5. Now inhale, press down more into the earth with your left hand and both feet, begin to rotate your left shoulder open as you start to straighten the arm and left leg. Ground into the left hand and the left foot and spin the heart up toward the sky. Slide the crown of the head back. Raise your right arm up and over, releasing the shoulder blade down your back.
6. Keep grounding down through the left hand and both feet while lifting up the pelvic floor and the lower belly. Try not to jut the ribs out. Think about hugging the ribs and the front of the spine in toward the back, and then lengthen the spine. Breathe into the chest and the upper back and breathe out from the lower belly. Stay for as long as you like and do the other side. Rest in child's pose when you're done.
Go on, be wild, and have fun with it.