Tip of the Week: 3rd Part of Awkward Pose

It's finally time for the 3rd part of Awkward Pose! This part is very good for the knees, your coordination and your balance. For great tips on the 1st part click here, and for the 2nd part click here.

 
For the third part of the posture: Keep your arms at shoulder height. Stand on your toes a little and squeeze your knees and inner thighs together. Squeeze them SO TIGHTLY like you have an expensive diamond between your knees that you don't want to drop. Keep your spine straight as if your back was pressed up against a wall.  Now  slide down the imaginary wall slowly to a count of ten, coming down until the hips prop just above the heels but not resting on the heels. Fingers are in line with your shoulders. Relax your shoulders. Push your knees down and forward so that if there was a ball on top of your thighs it would roll off.  The spine stays straight by engaging the abs, keeping a strong focus, and keeping the arms active. The momentum of the spine is moving continuously upward and your hips stay off your heels. As you come back up again, come up as slowly as possible to the count of ten. The slower you go, the more benefit you receive. This improves circulation to the hip joint. 

And as Bikram says, "No exercise in the world is more effective for shaping legs."