Page 1 of 57

A Little Book of yoga Tips

by Adell Bridges

 Page 2 of 57

A letter from Adell

Please read this first!

Thank you for downloading this guide, which is really just a compilation of all the
“tutorial” type posts I’ve shared on my Instagram, based on requests from people.

Please note that everything in this guide is merely a guide. Think of it as a manual
you can turn to for some ideas and inspiration, rather than a rulebook. Nobody on
earth knows your body better than you, so make sure you pay attention to THAT in
all of your movement practices, before taking anyone else’s advice, including mine.

A kind favour: If you have friends you know would like this, please do not send them
your guide, but instead give them the link where they can download their own
version!

It’s very helpful to me if everyone downloads their own copy. After all, it’s totally
FREE!

You can follow me on my Instagram: instagram.com/adellbridges

You can take classes from me for free on my YouTube: youtube.com/c/adellbridges

And you can also practice with me on AloMoves: alomov.es/adell

Email me at: adellbridgesyoga@gmail.com

By downloading this guide and providing me with your email address, you’re now
subscribed to my newsletter so you can stay up to date with all the ways to practice
with me. You may unsubscribe at anytime of course, but I promise I won’t clog up
your inbox with tons of emails!

Finally, I love you. And I’m grateful for you. Please know I mean that.

I hope you enjoy! xx 


 Page 3 of 57

Table of Contents
EFFICIENCY: Get the most out of your practice with these tips

Keeping the legs active Page 6
When to bend the knees Page 7
Using your centre of gravity Page 8
Creating space Page 9
Correct hand placement Page 10
Plank like a plank Page 11


HOW TO: Some of my favourite tips for how to work on common postures

Splits Page 13
Forward folds and tight hamstrings Page 14
Flipping the grip Page 15
Lotus pose Page 16
Toe taps Page 17
One leg wheel Page 18
Pincha hollowback Page 19


INVERSIONS: Try these tips for your upside-down practice


Headstands Page 21
Forearm stands Page 22
What not to do when kicking to handstand Page 23
Finding the right handstand shape for you Page 24
Building handstands into your asana practice Page 25
How to use a wall Page 26

BACKBENDS: My top tips for backhanding more safely, and going deeper

It’s about the front of the body opening Page 28
Getting the shoulders more open Page 29
Prepping safely for backbends Page 30
One thing to avoid when doing backbends Page 31
Going deeper Page 32

 Page 4 of 57

VARIETY: Some of my favourite ways to change an asana to get a little more

out of it (i.e. building more strength and mobility!) 

Standing forward folds Page 34
Seated forward folds Page 35
Downward dog Page 36
Dolphin pose Page 37
Gluteus Maximus strength in your vinyasa Page 38
Glutes strength in other asanas Page 39
Gluteus Medius and Hamstring strength Page 40
Core strength Page 41
Plank pose variation for core strength Page 42
Leg strength and ankle mobility Page 43
Active vs passive: build mobility Page 44
Add a side bend Page 45
Passive vs Active Page 46


YOUR UNIQUE ASANA: The many beautiful variations of asanas to make each
one work for you, each moment of your yoga journey

Wheel pose Page 48
Plow pose Page 49
Warrior One Page 50
Split Page 51
Cobra Page 52
Chaturanga Page 53
Tree pose Page 54
Handstand Page 55
“Warrior Dog” Page 56

 Page 5 of 57

Getting the most out of your practice

The following pages are all about how best to place, move, or engage your
various body parts so that every time you do those asanas, you’re getting the
MOST benefits!
 Page 6 of 57

Don’t forget your feet! Try pointing your toes to help switch on
your legs muscles.

Pointed toes don’t just look pretty ! They encourage the leg muscles to engage and
switch on 🔆 When the legs are engaged they’re working FOR you, helping lift you up or
open you up. Otherwise they’re just dead weight—and the legs are pretty heavy so that’s a
lot of extra weight you’re having to work with!

Try this in your next practice, and not just with these three postures but with your
handstand kicks or lifting your legs up in your headstand. Use your powerful leg muscles to
take you further in your postures!

You’ll see that you have a lot of strength you didn’t know you possessed already there
ready and waiting.
 Page 7 of 57

Know when it’s best to bend your knees!

It’s okay to bend your knees! More than okay—it’s hugely beneficial in a LOT of postures.

These are three examples of where you may be able to lengthen, strengthen, and open
much more effectively just by bending your knees.

🐶 In downward dog, open the shoulders more by bending your knees .

🌜 In crescent lunge, lengthen your spine and stretch the hip flexors (as opposed to
sinking into the lower back) by bending your knees
⛵ In boat, strengthen the lower abdominals by keeping the spine from rounding, made
easier by bending in the knees.

You can always work to straighten them later!

Bent knees also help work towards strong alignment in chaturanga, side plank, revolved
side angle, and sooo many more!
 Page 8 of 57

Floating: It’s about where the hips are, not your feet!

Don’t let the goal get in the way of the journey...

I often see when people are working to jump to handstand or jump forward to uttanasana,
their goal is to get their feet up. And it’s true, you do want your feet up.

But if you’re ONLY getting your feet up and leaving your hips behind, you’ll never control
your momentum.

Instead, think “hips up”. That’s where your centre of gravity is! Get your hips as high over
your hands as you can. Even if for a split second, feel your entire body’s weight in your
hands and PUSH the floor away. Your shoulders may even travel beyond your wrists in
order to keep your body’s weight stacked over your foundation (your hands).

This applies for any jumps forward, backwards, or upwards: your centre of gravity (your
hips) should stay over the foundation (your hands) in order to control and float. 🤙
 Page 9 of 57

It’s about creating space, to move into that space!

Place your foot between your hands” is a cue you hear a lot in yoga classes, as if it’s as
simple as that!! It’s often accompanied with some shuffling of the foot forward, am I right?
😅
But there are many ways to make this transition happen:

As illustrated, MAKE SPACE for your leg under your body. So lift your hips up, push your
chest and belly away from the floor in a “cat pose” 😾 type shape. AND compress your leg
to take up less space by squeezing your knee up to your chest and your heel up to your
butt.

I didn’t say it would be easy! 😆 It’s a workout!! But doing this and rocking forward to bring
your shoulders in line with your wrists will help you get there. In time 🕜

It will take time to build the strength 💪 . But move slowly and with control to get your foot
as close to your hands as possible, and the strength will come.

Then when you move the OTHER way — lunge to downdog — don’t just slide your foot
back, but work to create the space underneath you, press into the mat, and try lifting the
foot where it is before taking it to the back of the mat.

It gets easier over time, I promise! 

 Page 10 of 57

Get your hand placed correctly, and everything gets easier!

Start with a strong foundation!

In any posture with your weight in your hands, it’s mega important to give yourself a strong
foundation to balance on.

If the middle of your hand is lifting up, then adjust your hands so you can keep the knuckles
of your hand down. (This may mean pointing the fingers slightly outwards, so your index
finger is pointing forwards rather than your middle finger.)

Claw the mat by pulling your fingertips towards you, but keep the whole palm down.

This gives you more gripping power but it’s also healthier on the wrists! If your knuckles are
coming up, then more weight will be on the base of the hand and this can put pressure on
the ligaments and lead to wrist pain.

Do this in downward facing dog and plank as well as your arm balances and handstands.

This strong foundation will strengthen the rest of your body in your arm balances. You can
even see that with my knuckles lifted, my elbows are out wide and my crow pose isn’t as
high. Just by placing my hands differently the whole arm balance is transformed!
 Page 11 of 57

Once again, know when to bend your knees.

It’s okay to bend your knees!

☝ It’s ALSO okay to take a photo or video of yourself, or check a mirror, to really see how
you look in various plank holds like this. Sometimes we THINK we look a certain way until
we see a photo!

Planks are EXCELLENT foundational postures for many many other poses but you won’t
build the strength in the right muscles if your shoulders are sagging or your hips are
drooping. Equally, if your butt is up in the air and not in line with your shoulders and knees,
you’re not getting the full benefits.

To build the strength, put your knees down. And then get your mirror or camera out and
check that you are in a straight line from shoulders to knees. It should be hard work!! If
you’re chillin out relaxed, 😎 you’re probably not working the right muscles 💪
 Page 12 of 57

How To!

The following pages are my tips for working towards common (more
challenging) postures. 

 Page 13 of 57

Getting that split!

Achieving a split isn’t easy and the reasons are complex!

Firstly I think it’s important to know WHY you want to do a split. What does it matter? 🤔
Really?! You can live a wonderful and purpose-filled life without ever doing a split 😅

Got your reason? Good ☺

The areas to lengthen for split are basically everything around the hips and thighs —
hamstrings, hip flexors, hip adductors, and I’m sure the glutes and low back muscles play a
part too.

I believe long term lengthening comes through active stretching, so keeping the muscles
engaged. ✍ Relaxing in poses that stretch beyond your current range of motion can just
put strain on the tendons and ligaments.

Our bodies are designed to MOVE and bounce and spring and change direction, and so
going to full range of motion with activation allows for adaptation.

PS I have a 17-minute class on ALO Moves where I guide you through a fun flow using
these exact tips. Click here to access it: alomov.es/adell
 Page 14 of 57

Tight hamstrings? Keep reading!

It may not be your hamstrings at all. Or at least not the only thing holding you back in your
forward folds. Literally “holding you back” is ALL the stuff along the back line — from your
head to your toes!

So instead of focusing on just the postures that lengthen the hamstrings, bring attention to
your feet, calves, glutes, and ESPECIALLY the back and even the neck.

It’s also worthwhile to get the hip adductors (inner thighs) lithe too, because if they’re tight
then your hamstrings will feel it!

Things to note:
• Forward bending postures need not always be done with a “straight” spine. Allow the
spine to curve and use engagement of your abdominal muscles to do so; this will, over
time, work to change the structure of your fascia (the stuff holding you back) and
lengthen the back and neck tissues.
• Pick your toes up as much as you can in postures like pyramid, downward dog, and
standing forward fold, to stretch the feet.
• Keep the leg and booty muscles engaged in your seated postures — it’s not time to relax
here. It should be as active as if you’re standing!
• MOST IMPORTANT: these are just ✨ examples✨ There are a ton more postures that
will help. So just KEEP PRACTICING 😄 and moving daily.

And 🌬 breathe🌬
 Page 15 of 57

Flipping the grip!

FLIPPED GRIP. There are two parts to gaining this mobility:

1—opening the shoulders, and
2—strengthening the glutes and hamstrings / opening the hip flexors.

The actual flexibility required is in the shoulders, chest, and hip flexors mainly. My favourite
backbends that help open those areas are wheel pose and puppy pose (as pictured).

But it helps to have some hamstring and glute strength too! So add a heel-to-butt addition
to things like tabletop, upward dog, or your low lunge.

⭐ AND HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART: once you’re there and it’s time to come out of
the pose, keep all your muscles engaged to keep the hands and foot as close to where
they were as possible AFTER you let go. Don’t get there, then just fall out of it.

You know how if you can’t do a pull up, you start with lowering down as slowly as you can?
Same technique applies here. Lower yourself OUT of the pose as slowly as possible. Work
for it!! Every time, it’ll get easier and you’ll build more of that mobility towards flipping the
grip with ease.

PS: there’s a video that goes with this. View it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/
BmtVAcHh49W/
 Page 16 of 57

Tips for lotus pose

Lotus pose: looks super duper yogi. 5 6 7 8 Practising it is not necessary to BE a

super duper yogi.

But if you are adding it to your practice, make sure it’s because your hips are rotating
externally enough to get the ankles on the thighs, and it’s not because you’re pulling on
your knee ligaments.

Storytime: I messed up my knees when I first started yoga and I practiced ashtanga with
my ego. Lotus then had to leave my practice for a full year. And now I know to do it only
after extensive warm up. Don’t let this frighten you. I’m stronger and more aware due to
this injury, even though it sucked at the time. Now I know the importance of warming up!

Pictured are some of my favourite postures for prepping lotus. These are just my personal
faves for getting the hips open, glutes active, and knees strong, ready for lotus.
 Page 17 of 57

Want to toe tap? It’s totally possible! Start with these steps.

How to toe tap. Like anything,

start with manageable movements
that build the necessary strength,
and build up as your strength
increases! Which it will, because
your body will be like, “oh okay,
we’re doing this now...better grow
some more muscle cells woohoo!”
(Am I the only one who personifies
my body’s cells? 😂 )

NOTE: you do NOT need to have

straight knees. If you need to bend
your knees to achieve this, then
bend your knees! :

Begin by rocking your weight

forward into your hands, and lifting up with your core. This is important! Think about making
your legs light by lifting with your core, to create compression between your thighs and
chest.

Take it a step up by repeating this, but with one foot at a time. It may be slightly easier to
begin with some distance between your feet and hands (middle photo) Progress to close
the distance (bottom photo).

Try using the contact between your toes and your wrist as a “step” you are stepping up on,
but also keep lifting that core! And begin taking both feet to the wrists, one at a time.

Remember: If it’s hard, you’re doing it right! That means you’re working!

PS: there’s a video that goes with this. View it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/
Bnq5L1BBhXV/
 Page 18 of 57

One leg wheel

One leg wheel: it’s a challenge, no? It’s a step up on the flexibility and strength needed for
wheel, plus you go from a sturdy 4 points of balance (2 hands, 2 feet) to a trickier 3 points.

So to work up to it, use these progressions. One leg up in bridge, reverse-table-top, and
then one leg wheel with the top knee bent (this is a lot easier than with the leg straight).

These will help build your leg strength and mobility for the full straight leg up if that one just
isn’t happening for you.

✨ TIPS: ✨
• Start with the feet close together so that when you lift one leg, the bottom leg is more
towards the midline, making it easier to balance.
• Keep your hips parallel to the floor, rather than the hip of the top leg lifting. This makes it
more challenging but the benefits greater!
• Breathe. Enjoy where you are and say thanks to your body for doing its best! (This part
makes it super enjoyable!!)
 Page 19 of 57

Pincha Hollowback:

Pincha hollowback is one of my

favourite asanas. It feels amazing!
This inversion opens the chest
and shoulders like nothing else!

To build the strength and mobility

for this shape, I found three things
super helpful:
•Pincha hollowback at the wall!
Put your fingertips right at the wall.
Bend your knees and place your
toes on the wall. Then look up
towards your knees. You may be
able to keep pushing your chest
forward (away from the wall) and
reach your butt back to the wall
too. Take it slowly with move with
control!
• Dolphin pose. In any variation, but I really love looking right up towards my navel to get
that “switch gaze” feel that you’ll do in hollowback. Knees can be BENT!! Just keep
pressing your chest towards your thighs.
• Puppy pose against the wall. Stack hips over knees, place the elbows on the wall, and
press your chest down towards the wall. Think “length” in your spine and allow your chest
to open.

Play with different hand placements. If having your palms flat feels uncomfortable, try
bringing them together. If you’re hypermobile in the shoulders, I’d suggest keeping the
palms flat 🙌 (see page 37 for more on that!)

The hollowback shape is kinda weird at first. The bend in the spine doesn’t happen in the
lower back so much because the hips stay flexed; instead it’s about opening the chest and
shoulders, which is why it can be so lush!
 Page 20 of 57

Inversions

Working on going upside down? Use these tips for your inversions.
 Page 21 of 57

Headstands

It’s great to be ambitious in reaching your goal, but don’t forget the steps along the way! (In
yoga postures and in life 😊 )

Here’s an example. It may feel like kicking up to headstand with one leg up will get you to
your goal faster. But most of the time this opens the hip to the side causing a twist, and
when you jump you’re giving yourself momentum which you then have to stop while upside
down! The risk in falling is much higher!

Try this instead: find the balance on your head and forearms with your feet low to the
ground first, bringing your centre of gravity (the hips) over your foundation (your head).

And then slowly lift the legs, one at a time, and then upwards as if each centimetre is a
step along the journey. This is not only safer for the neck and head, but also a great
strength builder to make you more controlled in your inversions.
 Page 22 of 57

Steps for pincha mayurasana / forearm stand.

One way to do pincha. One way of

many!

First things first, don’t get

frustrated if it doesn’t come
overnight. Take each step as an
individual journey, instead of
getting caught up on the end goal.

Dolphin pose is the foundation.

Get comfortable with dolphin.
( check out my tips on hand
placement on page 37.) Knees
can be bent! But work on opening
the shoulders here.

Then, looking between your

hands, start to bring your
shoulders forward and raise a leg up, shifting more and more weight from your bottom foot
and into your forearms. This may be where you stay for a while! And that’s ok!

If you feel confident, using the raised leg to LIFT!! (this is hugely important!) start to shift all
of your weight off the bottom foot. A tiny jump may help too. But just make sure you’re
engaging the top leg to lift UP! Knees can be bent if you have tight hamstrings! No
excuses...LIFT the top leg up to the ceiling, the sky, the moon! If your butt is soft, you’re not
lifting 🍑 👈

Make sure you spread your weight all the way into the fingertips. Your fingers will help you
balance as much as an engaged core will 🖐 🖐 .

Find the balance first. Don’t worry about your legs being straight up over your head to
begin with. Just get used to the balance! Then start to slowly bring the legs up over you.

Be prepared to fall and fall again. This is how you learned to walk. It’s how you’ll learn
pincha.

PS: there’s a video that goes with this. View it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/
BdEXSKLhtcq/

 Page 23 of 57

When kicking up to handstand…

Scientific Fact: There are over 7

billion ways to learn a handstand.
Yup! Because learning to
handstand is going to be different
for every single person, depending
on your body, your background,
and your thoughts and attitudes
towards handstanding.

So I never want to suggest that

there’s a “wrong” way to do a
handstand. However, there are
three tips I’d like to share that may
be helpful, based on what I’ve
seen from my students and what
I’ve learned in my own
handstanding journey:

@ ! Use your legs to help you get up there! By engaging! Whether you’re kicking up to a
wall or in the middle of the room, jump off the bottom leg but also LIFT that top leg up to the
sky! It will help you stay controlled and help you to get:
A ! Hips over wrists: I know you wanna get your feet up there but your feet aren’t where
your centre of gravity is. Your hips are! Once your hips are over your foundation (your
hands), you’ll get a feel for having your body’s weight entirely on your hands, and you’ll
start to learn and build strength in this position.
B ! Balance with your hands. When you stand on your feet, you don’t sway your hips or
head around to keep balanced! No, your feet and your toes are doing the work. Same story
with your hands in handstand. Your fingers should be digging into the mat, working hard to
keep you balanced! If your fingers aren’t working, then you need to shift more weight
towards them and away from the base of the hand .
.
BONUS TIP: look in between your hands. This drishti won’t work for everyone but in my
experience it’s what works for most.

So that’s four tips of about 7,228,829,629 total handstanding tips that I’m sure are out
there. This may work for you, it may not. You’re not wrong though; you’re learning! I’m
learning! We are all learning! It’s fun!!
 Page 24 of 57

Finding your shape for learning to handstand

Handstand: (verb) to stand on your hands. It doesn’t matter if your legs are straight! C

One thing I see so often with handstand learners is that they try to kick up directly to a
straight handstand, legs together and extended, before being able to simply balance.

HINT: it’s SUPER challenging to balance in a straight handstand. It’s WAY easier to
balance with your legs bent! Think of a tight rope walker with arms out wide to balance D

Tuck, diamond, stag, double stag, straddle — all leg variations you may find are easier to
balance with.

So, by all means it’s a great practice to kick or jump up to a straight handstand.

But learn to find the balance by getting the HIPS over the hands. Not the feet.

☝ It doesn’t mean your legs are completely relaxed and deadweight though. Keep them
engaged and controlled!! Just don’t worry about that straight line.

Have fun with it!! ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

 Page 25 of 57

Practice your handstands even when your feet are on the

ground!

Are you working on handstand?? Teach your body the strong alignment of a handstand
even when your feet are on the floor!

Don’t just let your arms and shoulders flop around!!

Warrior poses, lunges, downward dog variations, tree pose — anything where your arms
are up over head can be a chance to practice pushing your shoulders up to your ears,
engaging your core, and energising through to your fingertips and toes!

Even so-called “simple” asanas like Urdhva Hastasana can be an opportunity to stretch,

strengthen, and rewrite your habits, which will help when it comes time to kick or jump up
to an inversion. It’s multitasking at its best!👌

Even if you’re not working on handstands, energising all the way to your fingertips will
make your asana practice more dynamic 💪

I incorporate all these tips in my 30-minute handstand class on Alo Moves. You can
practice that with me here: alomov.es/adell
 Page 26 of 57

How to use the wall for inversions:

The wall is my favourite

handstand prop!

Use a wall to:

•Learn how it feels to be upside
down,
•Build the upper body strength to
support yourself,
•Work on getting the alignment of
a strong handstand.

But to take what Wall teaches you

and bring it to the centre of the
room, we gotta trust ourselves.

Kicking up into the wall can be

helpful if you keep the integrity of
your alignment, meaning BEND A
KNEE to reach the foot back there, rather than arching in the back and losing control of
your core. Then practise using JUST YOUR HANDS to pull yourself off the wall. That
means no kicking, no moving your hips around; just pull with your fingers.

But also, walk the feet up the wall and handstand facing the wall. This is where you can
really learn to lean towards the fingers and grip grip grip the floor to find that sweet spot of
balance.

Hint: the sweet spot is where it may feel like you’re beginning to fall. Trust yourself. If you
do fall, look at where you’re going, and cartwheel out.

ONE MORE TIP: photograph or video yourself. It’s super crazy hard to know what your
alignment is while you’re up there. Take a video so you can see what you’re doing and
where you may need to adjust to create a strong straight line!
 Page 27 of 57

SOME ADVICE FOR BACKBENDING

POSTURES

Backbends are complex!! Not just physically, but also emotionally. They’re a
journey. The following pages are my top tips for your back-bending practice.
 Page 28 of 57

It’s about what’s happening in the front body, not the back

I used to think about backbends

as…well…bending my back. But
now I focus on opening all along
the front side of my body and
stabilising my pelvis with engaged
glutes.

This is a nice way to build the

strength, flexibility, and
proprioception to go backwards
into backbends. You can apply this
to a camel variation on the knees,
or dropping back to wheel from
your feet.

Make sure to:

☝ engage the glutes
☝ lift the chest UP
☝ press the hips forward
☝ keep your centre of gravity over your foundation for control.

Keep lifting up with the chest as you start to lengthen the arms back behind you. Think
LENGTH.

Do this several times but ☝ only go back to a point where you can still come back up the
way you came, slowly and with control. Don’t worry about going all the way back to your
hands; it’s just about building the mobility.

This is great for opening and strengthening the hip flexors and quads which will help in all
of your backbends.

Also: stretch your forearms. This helps massively in many backbends!

 Page 29 of 57

Opening the shoulders

Wheel pose! When I first started

practicing I found it so difficult,
mostly because I was stiff as a
board in my thoracic spine and my
shoulders and arms weren’t
exactly accommodating either!

Areas to work on to help get the

shoulders more stacked over the
wrists (ie a more comfortable
wheel pose and a position where
transitions are easier) three areas
to work on are:

• FOREARMS: stretch your

forearms! I personally like placing
my palms on the floor with my
fingers pointing back towards me,
but it’s a bit intense. Doing puppy pose against a wall with the fingers up is super useful
because it also gets the shoulder and thoracic spine opening at the same time!

• SHOULDERS: along with puppy pose, dolphin pose has got to be one of the best poses
to open the shoulders. Bend your knees if you need to, and let your heels lift. The point is
to press your chest back towards your thighs to open the shoulders up!

• THORACIC spine / upper back: again, puppy pose (in its many variations) is great for this
area of the spine. Make it active, by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Also do
lots of twisting! Twisting helps loosen up the upper back

But finally, if you want to improve your wheel pose, PRACTICE WHEEL POSE. Breathe,
slowly. Do 3 breaths to begin with, work up to 4, then 5, etc. I promise it gets easier!

I think wheel pose is the best example of where we must find the balance between ease
and effort. It’s not easy!! But how much ease can you find in this effortful posture? Tip:
you’ll find ease when you breathe.

One more thing: the top left photo is NOT wrong. If that’s where you are, BE PROUD of
yourself. Seriously. If you’re still working to get your head off the mat, BE PROUD of
yourself!
 Page 30 of 57

Prepping safely for backbends:

It may not be the first thing you

think of for backbends such as
wheel, but it is important for
making a deep backbend feel
amazing! — starting by activating
your core and back muscles!

There are many methods, (these

photos are just examples) but
when we activate the core
muscles, the back and booty
muscles, our spine is protected
and we move into our backbends
with stability. And that’s what
makes them feel AWESOME.

Core activators: boat, low boat

(pictured), plank, kapalabhati, etc — anything that gets the belly muscles lit!

Back body activators: cobra variations (pictured is one of many), locust, plank, etc —
anything that fires up the hamstrings, glutes, low back.

Bridge pose (pictured) is fantastic because it can fire up the core and back and act as a
great prep for wheel, as well as a resting posture between pressing up to wheel! It opens
the hip flexors and strengthens the hamstrings!

TIP: Bring your arms up over head in bridge as if going to wheel, and press the hands into
the floor without lifting up to help activate and open the arms for wheel too.
 Page 31 of 57

Avoid this in your backbending practice:

Does this sound familiar? 👉

You’re doing your backbends,
opening up and then you go for
wheel pose. You take a break, hug
your knees into your chest
(because it feels so right!) and
then go for another wheel pose.

But what happens while you’re

curled up is you undo a lot of the
opening you’ve done! In a practice
with lots of backbends, if you want
to go deeper and deeper, then
instead of curling up in a ball or
doing a forward fold, rest with a
neutral spine.

Allow your spine to go back into its

natural curvature but don’t flex it into the opposite shape you’re aiming for!

My rest pose of choice is a Supta Baddhakonasana but you may choose to rest your knees
together with the feet wide, or take a bridge pose, or just lay flat.

But RESIST THE URGE to curl up, because that just squeezes the intervertebral discs in
the opposite way.

Once you’re finished with your backbending, then of course, take a nice forward fold! But
not till you’re finished ☺

☝ Bonus Tip!! Twists will help you throughout your backbending practice. Twist before to
open up the thoracic spine, and twist after to neutralise the spine again.
 Page 32 of 57

Going deeper

If you look at people with deep

backbends you’ll usually see that
their hip flexors (the muscles used
to bring your knee towards your
chest, the muscles that get tight
from sitting down a lot) are super
open. I realised that in my
backbends, I was bending solely
in the lumbar spine.

So I started working on opening

my quads and hip flexors. And
these are some of the things I did
— I enhanced the already good
stretch of poses such as bridge
and low lunge, by bringing more
active stretching into my quads, as
shown.

NB: There are a gazillion other stretches and modifications too, because “hip flexors” make
up a whole lot of muscles, and of course there’s so much more to flexibility than this—but I
try to keep these explanations as simple as possible!

My main point is that you can enhance the active stretch of many postures if you’re working
to open the quads and hip flexors for your backbends, and a good way is to bring the foot
closer to your butt, and ☝ this part’s important ☝ ENGAGE the glutes and hamstrings.
They keep the pelvis stable but also act as antagonists to your front body muscles.

Cobra is also great for opening the chest too. Tip: try to keep your navel on the mat so the
opening happens in the chest. (Can you see I’m still working on this? 😅 )

Hope this helps! Please remember everyone is different and backbends are anatomically
and psychologically complex! Move in a way that makes you feel EMPOWERED 💪
 Page 33 of 57

Add Variety to your practice!

It won’t just keep your practice fun and fresh to change it up. It also means
you’ll build greater mobility, with more range of motion, by keeping your body
moving in as many ways as possible.

The following pages are some of my favourite ways to make a small change
to an asana, and gain big benefits!
 Page 34 of 57

Change up your standing forward fold

Yep...stretch those hamstrings.

Feels good. But let’s not neglect
the rest of the back body in our
forward folds.

When we aim to keep the spine

lengthened (some may say
“straight”) in the forward fold, this
really targets the hamstrings,
calves, and maybe the lower back.
But the whole body is connected!
And not opening up the top of your
back body will hinder progress in
your forward folds.

So begin by bringing the hands

behind your head and tucking the
chin to the chest, pressing the
head gently back into the hands. Then round your back to bring your elbows to your knees
(BEND YOUR KNEES as much as you need in order to connect the elbows to the knees).
Maybe this is enough. You will feel a stretching sensation in your upper back and neck.

If you want more, keep your elbows where they are but slowly straighten the knees. If you
still want more, rebend the knees to bring the elbows higher towards the hips, and
straighten the knees again. Repeat.

This can apply to standing or seated forward folds (do both!) If seated, keep the feet flexed
as if you’re standing.

I learned this from my super knowledgeable teacher and friend Dylan Werner 🙏 🙌 and it
has transformed not just my forward folds but my backbends and handstands. If that
doesn’t make sense to you, just understand: the body is all one single unit, connected, and
that’s how this stuff works 🙌
 Page 35 of 57

Variety in your seated forward folds:

I made this for my twin, because she asked me how she can deepen her forward folds and
feel a stretch in her back. To me, flipping seated poses like Paschimottanasana
and Janusirsasana onto the back is like a massage! Mmmmm.

This is mostly because it can be a nice way to understand your forward folds, a new
chance to listen to what your body tells you.
 Page 36 of 57

Variety in your downward facing dog:

No dogma in my downdog! Or any posture actually. The asana is a tool, and like any tool
you may have multiple uses for it.

Downdog is one of my favourite examples of how diverse a single a pose can be.

Top left shows a traditional variation, which is great for opening the hamstrings and
strengthening the shoulders.

But add a twist with the hips and you get a delicious side stretch.

Bend the knees and press (with active shoulders) the chest back to the thighs to open up
the shoulders and thoracic spine.

Or stay on the tops of the feet as you transition from upward dog for a lovely ankle and shin
stretch.

Maybe you have some other variations for downward dog — just keep your practice varied
and your body will thank you!
 Page 37 of 57

Variety in your dolphin pose

Can you spot the difference in

these? Many people find dolphin
pose a challenge because it
requires both strength and
flexibility in the shoulders. And
that’s why it’s SO GOOD for the
shoulders! (Hello prep for pincha!!
H 🙃 ).

But did you know by making small

changes to your hand placement,
you’re changing the rotation of the
shoulders?

Bringing the hands closer together

allows the shoulders to rotate
internally slightly. More internal
rotation occurs when you bring the
palms together. Even more if you have the plans facing up.

So what’s the difference? And which should you practice?

☝ Practice a variety! ☝ If you have tight shoulders you will likely find bringing the palms
together makes this pose feel easier, because we have more mobility with more internally
rotated shoulders.

But we have more stability when the palms are flat and the shoulders are more externally
rotated. Therefore if you are very flexible in this area, build strength with the palms flat.
But again, I think variety in movement is mega important so 👊 practice in many ways 💪

IMPORTANT TIP: whatever you do with the hands, keep the elbows under the shoulders. If
you find your elbows want to splay out, get a strap (such as Infinity Strap) or hold a block,
to help hold the elbows in place under the shoulders.
 Page 38 of 57

Glutes strength in your vinyasa

I’ve never loved the gym or using machines or weights. For me, using my body weight and
gravity is the best way to gain strength!

And if you know anything about my practice you’ll know it’s about building strength to
stabilise the joints, and not about flexibility.

So this is one of my favourite things to add into my practice: one leg up!

The challenge is not to lose form. Especially in something like a high plank — keep the
core engagement and a solid straight line. It’s not about adding a backbend! However
strengthening those booty muscles will help your backbends!! 🍑 💪
If you love adding vinyasas to your practice and regularly flow through plank->chatutanga-
>upward dog, then try this variation and get ready to feel the burn! Keep the leg up as you
raise the hips to downward facing dog 💪 💪
 Page 39 of 57

Build strength in your gluteus medius (trust me, it probably needs

it!)

Let’s talk (more) glutes! Booty muscles! They’re so important for ... 🤔 everything! But
while a lot of us can think “squeeze” and get the biggest muscle—the gluteus maximus—
working, often the gluteus medius isn’t doing much!

The glute med (for short) is what wraps around the outside of the pelvis and you’ll feel it
switch on if you take your leg to the outside like shown in this image!

The glute med is a hip abductor, which means it aids in bringing the legs out to the side
and plays a role in internal and external rotation. If this is weak (and a LOT of people’s are!)
then your glutes AS A WHOLE won’t be able to do their job of stabilising the pelvis, OR the
knees, and so they won’t be helping in everyday functional movement.

Add these moves to your yoga practice and let me know what you think!
 Page 40 of 57

More booty burners for your asana practice…

However you feel about booties, I can assure you postures and transitions are easier with
more BUTT POWER 😁

Honestly I think a lot of yoga kind of neglects the glutes, and they are not a muscle group
that should be neglected!! But you can deffo get butt gains within your yoga practice if you
add variations like these!

TIPS:
• If you get a crampy hamstring when you pull your heel to your butt in these, then dorsiflex
your foot (toes towards shin)
• These variations will strengthen the hamstrings and low back too. That’s good. They all
work together
• For more booty work, keep the heel as close to the butt as possible as you move in and
out of these postures

Can you think of some other asanas you can add a heel-to-butt?  
 Page 41 of 57

Core strength means the low back muscles too!

I know you yogis love your

backbends, so make sure you
balance them out with postures
that lengthen the back body too!

There are a lot more postures in

yoga that contract in particular the
low back muscles, and we may
not have so much strength there
when that area is lengthened.

So take your chest and arms

forward but not resting on
anything, with the glutes and legs
engaged (squeeze! 🍑 )

Try this in postures such as:

🔥 tadasana (pictured)
🔥 crescent lunge (pictured)
🔥 goddess pose
🔥 malasana
🔥 seated wide leg forward fold
🔥 any seated forward folds

Move slowly, with control. The slower you move, the more strength you’ll build!

Keep the core engaged. Keep the back body engaged — that means pressing your toes
down in standing postures, legs and glutes active, navel lifting up and in.

I cover this stuff in my ALO Moves class “Backbody length and strength”. Get it here:
alomov.es/adell
 Page 42 of 57

Think plank is hard? Try this variation!

What’s harder than plank? Upside down plank! 😅 whew!

Get out your camera or use a mirror to check your alignment to ensure you’re getting that
plank posture even upside down.
 Page 43 of 57

Some variations for leg strength

Pay more attention to your feet in your postures and I promise you’ll open a whole new
world of variations! M 🤯

These are some examples of postures with traditionally dorsi-flexed ankles, changed to
plantar flexion (ie “pointed”).

But also, think of the multidirectional abilities of the foot and ankle — what other ways can
you play with foot variations?

Our feet are our foundation and the fascia in our feet affects the rest of the body! So unlock
your foot mobility!

MEGA TIP: Start with one foot at a time if this seems impossible. Put just a small amount of
your body’s weight on that foot and add as you build strength. Allow your body to adapt at
the pace that works for you!
 Page 44 of 57

Can you do these postures with no hands?

*PUT* yourself into your postures, rather than pulling, flinging, or pushing into them!

We very often use our arms to help us get a foot in place or to twist deeper, and that’s
okay. But I believe it’s SAFER and it’s more EFFECTIVE to get as far as you can using
your own mobility, before the hands get involved.

It’s safer because it means you activate the muscles that are responsible for this
movement, and with the muscles switched on 💡 your ligaments and tendons are
protected.

It’s more effective because this engagement trains your strength as well as your flexibility
which leads to increased mobility.

Happy yogaing! Remember it’s about connecting the mind and body — so whatever you
do, do it mindfully.

PS: there’s a video that goes with this. View it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/
BpCxJozhbH7/
 Page 45 of 57

Add a twist for a nice side stretch!

Add a side stretch! They’re good for backbends! Also good for bending sideways, and for
feeling great ☺

Most of the time getting a deliciousness from your practice involves just the tiniest
adjustments and variations.
 Page 46 of 57

Passive vs Active…

Relaxation is so important! But if you want to go through life and grow old without pain, it’s
important to have, build, and maintain strength. Especially in the core.

And if you’re like me and love to get sweaty and train hard, remember the importance of
restoration and relaxing!

Basically, do both! If you sit in an office all day and only go to restorative or yin classes,
then you may benefit greatly from an exercise that will strengthen the muscles. Plus, we
gain more flexibility through engagement of the muscles in their lengthened form.

We need balance in all areas of life. Balance of strength and flexibility. Balance of stress
and calm, of familiarity and adventure, of good times and challenging times. Yin and yang.
 Page 47 of 57

Find your unique variation

Remember, your practice doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s (least of all
mine!) The following pages are some variations on common postures that you
may find helpful.
 Page 48 of 57

Bridge and Wheel pose

How I get into wheel. For me, lifting the hips first, and having my head on the mat before
pressing into my arms, helps me keep my glutes and hamstrings switched on and pelvis
stable so that as I lift up, my lower back is protected.

Resting with the top of the head down and hips still up (top right photo) between wheel
poses is also helpful. Instead of coming down all the way to my back, I find as my body
opens up I can go deeper if I “rest” (it’s not a relaxing rest 😅 ) in this posture, and then
bring my hands closer to my feet before pushing back up again.

But this is how I do it. It doesn’t mean it has to be how you do it. Maybe try it. You might
love it. You might hate it. Somewhere in between, perhaps.

Yoga is challenging. But it’s something everyone can do because it’s a matter of finding
your individual balancing point between ease and effort.

The tip is to find out where you feel you can still breathe calmly while also in a space of
growth and development.
 Page 49 of 57

Plow pose

When I first began my yoga practice I was so confused by this pose!

It’s an intense stretch and can feel uncomfortable if you’re pushing beyond where your
body is ready — what I used to do!

Then I discovered the wall! But you can use your bed or couch or a stack of blocks too.
Have your feet elevated and knees bent, and support your back with your arms.

Find where it feels good and you can BREATHE. Make space between your chin and chest
and have your weight on your shoulders and upper arms, not your neck.

Breathe into the back of the body and when you leave the pose, move slowly and with
control.

As your body changes with your continued practice, you’ll be able to walk your feet lower
towards the floor, and straighten your knees and it will feel AWESOME, not uncomfortable.

Remember yoga is supposed to make us feel good! It’s never about how it looks. It’s about
how it ✨ FEELS✨ .
 Page 50 of 57

Warrior One

I gotta talk about Warrior 1. Specifically the traditional alignment cues for it.

Supposedly you’re meant to have your hips square to the front, (ie not opening to the side)
but also your back foot turned 45° with the heel flat and the inner thigh engaged.

But when I do that, my knee becomes VERY unhappy, my hip socket gets angry, and
everything just feels 😵 .

So you’ll never see me do a traditional warrior 1 and I never put it in my classes.

Some people can do it!! Yay!! That’s awesome!! But I know I’m not alone with this — some
of us don’t have hips that allow that kind of rotation.

So if that’s you, don’t be afraid to modify with a crescent lunge: back heel lifted and the
knee facing down. Or allow your hips to open up to the side, so the back knee is in line with
the foot. Make it feel good 😀

While I’m here: if your palms don’t touch with your arms straight overhead, just separate
your hands apart! (As illustrated)
 Page 51 of 57

Splits a.k.a. hanumanasana

Which one of these is hanumasana? AKA monkey pose. Or “splits”

If you said the bottom left, you’re correct! If you said top left, top right, or bottom right,
you’re also correct!

Every asana is a journey. It doesn’t matter if yours looks like anyone else’s. You are
wherever you are in your journey and that’s PERFECT! Whether it’s a split or a backbend
or breaking a bad habit or learning a new language.

The best way to get better at something is to practice it. And to practice with joy ☺ .
 Page 52 of 57

Cobra pose

Cobra is one of my favourite poses with all its variations! 🐍

Cobra to me is about two things: 

1- engagement of the back muscles,
2- scapula retraction (ie squeezing your shoulder blades together).

I think we all manage to use our back muscles when doing cobra. But often that is all that
occurs. My cobra (and all backbends) began to transform as soon as I brought attention to
my scapulae.

Note: squeezing your shoulder blades together does NOT mean squeezing your ears with
your shoulders. Keep the shoulders down as you open the chest. Think about PULLING
your hands towards your hips!

ALSO IMPORTANT: This posture is also not about how close you can get your head to
your feet, so if you take your head back, let it be the last movement you do, not the first.

Honestly, the top two variations are what I practice much more regularly. They do so so
much to open up; the deeper backbends are often unnecessary for me!
 Page 53 of 57

Chaturanga

Chaturanga. Love it or hate it? It’s definitely a pose that is easy to want to skip, but it has
so many benefits!

I think the right mentality towards it is the key to gaining these benefits. By that I mean:
forget the idea that it has to look like the top photo. All of these are chaturanga.

Like any posture, chaturanga can come in many forms! Practicing with good form in
modified versions will build a strong foundation.

So lower your knees, or don’t bend your elbows so much, or use some blocks to prop you
up! Your body will learn and grow and strengthen each time you do it, so the top variation
will become easier and easier!

Also, you’re doing it right if it’s hard. 😅 Your core should be activated, pelvis stable, and
ELBOWS OVER WRISTS!

Repeated chaturanga with the shoulders over the wrists can lead to strain on the biceps
tendon. So make sure you keep the elbows forward and in (stacked over the wrists).
 Page 54 of 57

Handstands

When I was first learning to hold a handstand, I knew about the long list of alignment cues
to do it “properly” but I forgot them all the second I was upside down! Anybody else? 😅

So I abandoned the idea of doing a perfect handstand with perfect alignment. I just focused
on GETTING THE BALANCE C I had a banana back, my shoulders weren’t engaged, my
hands were all wrong and it was sloppy. And guess what—I didn’t die!

I learned to balance. I learned how it felt to balance on my hands and from there, I cleaned
up my form. I’m still cleaning up my form. It’s a journey!

I just think that the best part of a handstand is actually being there in the balance. So find
the balance. You can practice your alignment in other positions (like downward dog, and
urdhva hastasana) so that your body learns what it’s supposed to be doing when upside
down. But please don’t be afraid of doing something because it’s “wrong” 🙃
 Page 55 of 57

Tree pose

All of these are tree pose. All of them are great!

 Page 56 of 57

“Warrior Dog”

Finally, I was talking to my mom’s friend who loves her morning yoga practice, and I told
her about my made-up “warrior dog” — upper body like downward dog, lower body like
warrior 2.

She said, “I’m so glad you said that! Sometimes when I practice I just feel like my body
wants to move in one way or another, but I’m afraid it’s not right so I don’t do it.” Meaning, if
it’s not a pose that’s got a name and is in the yoga books, it could be harmful.

I told her, “I reckon if it feels good then it’s right”.

Smiles all round. 😄 Yoga is very individual, because we are all living in bodies that are
slightly (or very) different. What makes you feel good may hurt me. What energises me
may tire you. So when you move on your mat and listen to what works for YOU and your
body, you get to know yourself a little better.

Listen to your body. Listen to your mind’s reaction to what your body says. Listen to how
your emotions affect your movement or vice versa.

On that note, I encourage you to check out my blog on how to have a SAFE
home practice, which you can find here: https://adellbridgesyoga.com/yoga/
2018/8/9/how-to-practice-yoga-at-home-safely
 Page 57 of 57

Discount Codes!
Because everyone loves a bargain

Liforme yoga mat:

If you want to practice on the

best mat in the world, get a
Liforme mat. You can get 10%
off yours with my code:
ADELLB2019 (valid until Dec
31 2019).

Infinity Strap:

For 10% off an infinity strap,

use code: ADELLYOGA

These straps can be very

helpful for helping guide your
body into more challenging
postures!

Yes, I earn a very small commission on every sale I make from your
purchases, so you’re helping me and you when you use my code! Thank you!