GET SHRED READY WITH ANNA LANGER

yoga is one of the best means to get your body, mind and soul ready for the mountains.

the various strengthening and lengthening exercises don’t only prepares bones and muscles for the action up hill, but also trains the mind to focus, balance, and stay calm in all situations. and since everything just flows that little bit smoother with proper inspiration, this whole sequence was shot in front of the perfect winter backdrop in a little Bavarian forest to add some external motivation.

with a bit of yoga experience you can obviously try some of the poses on your next walk or in your favourite nature spot – just make sure you have tried them before and are absolutely confident with their execution as we will not take any liability for any mishaps!

 

start standing in Tadasana with your feet hip-width apart, outer sides of feet parallel to the sides of your mat. have the knees slightly bent and your pelvis upright (tailbone slightly tucked without losing the curve in the lower back). open your arms and palms towards the sky and charge yourself up with nature's energy in Prana Mudra. Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths here to center yourself and ignite the practice. 

eyes still closed, swipe your arms up until palms meet and cross all fingers except index fingers and thumbs for the centering Sampurna Mudra. exhale lower your hands exhaling through the midline and bring them in front of your heart. repeat as many times as you like – or until you feel really focused and centered.

Uttanasana

exhale, bend your knees and bow forward for Uttanasana. bend knees so much (or little) that your finger tips reach the ground. inhale lengthen your spine (and bend knees more if you have to), exhale round and bow again. repeat 3 times. add a couple rounds of Sun Salutations to get the energy moving and the muscles warmed up. You can use any variation / style that you know or like. if you’re not familiar with any yet, there is a bunch of video tutorials on YouTube.

Utkatasana

continue from Uttanasana by rotating your hands so palms face forward and thumbs out to the sides. Exhale, bend your knees and sit back until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor and you can still see your big toes (if not, carefully bring your weight more to your heels until you can). inhale and sweep your arms up for Utkatasana, palms facing each other. make sure your knees don’t drop in to the middle but keep them pointing in the same direction as your toes. This is a great pose to strengthen your thighs, insides of the thighs and the knees! before staying, we’ll add a little dynamic flow to get in the right energy. exhale bow forward again and straighten legs for Uttanasana, inhale sit back and sweep arms up again. repeat a couple of times, then stay with your arms overhead when exhaling. play with the alignment of your pelvis to make sure your lower back is neither hollow nor flat but in a smooth, long curve. breath deeply and evenly through your nose. after 6 to12 breaths, exhale and bend forward, straighten your legs, grab hold of opposite elbows and swing your upper body from side to side for a couple of breaths.

read more 

High Lunge

 

place your hands back on the mat, take an inhale to lengthen your spine and with an exhale step the left foot way back so far that your right thigh is parallel to the floor, knee bent at a 90 degree angle. look back between your legs to make sure your feet are still hip distance apart, if they’re too close together you’ll give yourself a harder time than you need. Press firmly into the floor with the ball of your left foot and on an inhale rise up with your upper body for High Lunge, arms by your sides. bend the back (left) knee so there’s room for the pelvis to align up right and the tailbone to tuck a little. straighten the back leg again without moving the pelvis and cross your fingers except index for Sampurna Mudra. with the next inhale, reach your arms up high, exhale let your shoulders drop and keep them down when on the next inhale you slingshot your heart to the sky for a little backbend. stay here for 2 more breaths, then lower your hands in front of your heart. 

Warrior 3

from High Lunge we'll continue to Warrior 3. Keep your hands in front of your heart for a more advanced version or lower them to the floor for a bit more balance when you press the palm of your back foot more into the ground to push yourself forward to balance on your front (right) leg. Exhale step back to High Lunge and inhale push back to balance on your front leg. Repeat 3-4 times and then stay balancing on one leg. your upper body and back leg should be parallel to the floor, toes pointing down. focus on a point on the floor in front of you or reach your finger tips to the floor for more balance. to deepen the pose, straighten your arms out in front of you, spine stays long and strong. try to balance here for 3-6 breaths. exhale step your left foot next to the right and bow forward in Uttanasana. repeat flow on the left side, starting with right foot back for High Lunge.

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana

bowing forward, bend your knees and with the next inhale, rise up to standing with a long spine. shift your weight to your left foot and bring your left knee towards your chest, right leg strong and straight. hug your knee with both hands to straighten your spine a tad more on the next inhale and exhaling open your left knee out to the side in Utthita Hasta Padangustasana. extend the right arm to your right and look over your right thumb. if keeping your balance is tough, stay here and breathe. if you want to go a bit further, slide your left hand down your left shin until you reach your foot. grab the left big toe with your thumb, index and middle finger and try to straighten your left leg, but only go as far as you can still keep your right, standing leg completely straight. after 6-8 breaths, slowly come back to the middle, hug your knee into your chest once again and then kick the left foot back in Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3). Take one centering breath here, then step the left foot back so far that your right knee comes to a 90 degree angle.

Virabhadrasana II

  

open your hips to the left, right thigh parallel to the floor and let your left heel sink down to the floor in line with your front heel. straighten your arms out to the sides and look over your front hand in Virabhadrasana II. align your pelvis upright, bring your shoulder blades together and sink a bit deeper with the exhale. open your front palm to the sky, place the back hand on your thigh and on the next inhale, grow your spine before leaning back over your left leg, opening your right flank in Parsva Virabhadrasana, the Dancing Warrior. Make sure your front leg stays deeply bent and you don’t compromise your left side but stay equally long on both sides. Stay for 2 deep breaths.

Utthita Parsvakonasana

inhale come back to the middle, spread your arms out to the sides and on the next exhale, place your right elbow on your right thigh/knee. inhale extend the left arm over your ear and look past your upper arm in Utthita Parsvakonasana. stay for 2 breaths, then bring the left hand to your hip and lower your right hand to the floor.

Ardha Chandrasana

 

place your right palm a hand's width or 2 in front of your right foot (come closer with your left foot if you need to). look down to your right hand, straighten your right leg and lift the left one parallel to the floor, toes pointing out to the side in Ardha Chandrasana. once you’ve found balance, extend the left arm up to the sky and glance up. 

Parivrtta Utkatasana

after the second side, take a moment to stand still in Tadasana. on your next inhale, sit back and rise for Utkatasana, this time with palms touching. exhale lower your hands in front of your heart. Lengthen your spine again here and on the next exhale, bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee, for a deep twist to the right in Parivrtta Utkatasana. stay here for 3-6 breaths and come back to the middle on an inhale, bow forward and straighten your legs on an exhale. swing out in Uttanasana for a couple of breaths until your breath is back to normal. repeat on the other side.

 

Skandasana

step one leg back and turn both feet 90 degrees so you face the long side of your mat. make sure your feet are parallel to the short ends of your mat and not turned in. Inhale and come onto your fingertips to lengthen the upper back, exhale keep your spine straight but bend your right leg for Skandasana. inhale back to the middle, exhale to the second side. you can keep your fingertips on the floor and walk them from side to side as you move to increase balance. or for more engagement of your core, lift your arms and spread them out the sides like wings, crossing in the middle when you inhale and spreading out again on the exhale. repeat 3-6 times on both sides, come back to the middle and bend forward in Prasarita Padottanasana, the wide-legged forward bend. 

Upavistha Konasana

turn your feet out a bit and bend your knees so you can sit back on your mat, facing the long side with your legs still wide. check if your lower back is rounding and sit up on a block, folded blanket or cushion until it is upright. engage the muscles in your legs and pull your toes towards you. place your fingertips in front of your thighs and grow tall on an inhale before starting to bend forward on the next exhale. stay as high or go as deep as is possible for you today. more important than the depth of the pose is that you can still breathe comfortably in Upavistha Konasana, the wide-angle seated forward bend. If you like, close your eyes and bring your palms together in Anjali Mudra. keep them in front of your heart or place them on the floor and rest your third eye (the point between the eyebrows) on the thumbs. stay for 6-12 breaths, focusing on the exhale, until it is double the length of your inhale (if you’re not sure how to do that, count your inhale up to 4 and the exhale to 5, then to 6, 7, ...). slowly come up again on an inhale and close your legs to lie down for a final relaxation in Savasana. alternately you can come to seated meditation for a couple of minutes or as long as you like. close your practice by bringing your hands to your heart one last time before you open your eyes. repeat this every day or twice a week and you're ready to shred your heart out this winter!

text and asanas Anna Langer

photography Conny Marshaus

hair and make-up Gaby Schütze

if you are around Munich you are lucky enough to live near the mountains and furthermore you can join Anna every monday live from now on. click here for more infos about her dynamic and powerful as well as centering and grounding lessons.

for the german version of the flow please head to golden ride.