Yoga with Jeero

You might think you are inflexible, and that yoga is way out of reach. Jeero thinks you should count your blessings -- at least you have a waist. Despite being waist-challenged, Jeero is still a master of several important asanas. He thinks you should give yoga another chance. Jeero has shared his favorite sequence of ten asanas (poses) with pictures and instructions, below.

Click on any picture below to enlarge it. On a separate page, Jeero demonstrates the classic Sun Salute, Surya Namaskar A.

Meditation: Like many yoga practioners, Jeero often finds it difficult to maintain a neutral spine and relaxed hip flexors during seated mediation. Jeero has rolled up his mat to make a small seat, though it is hard to see in this photo (see the Savasana photo instead). This lifts his sit bones enough to reduce the angle between his pelvis and hips, allowing him to relax while he builds focus and awareness.

Tadasana: Not having a waist makes this Mountain Posture easier for Jeero, but his soft and rounded feet turn Tadasana into a challenging balance pose.

Plank and variations: For most of us, plank in any form challenges our core muscles. Jeero considers plank a resting pose. Here, Jeero demonstrates reverse plank, also known as purvottanasana or inclined plane. If Jeero had elbows, he would keep them slightly bent to encourage energy flow and develop strength.

Vasisthasana: Because he is unable to raise his left arm to complete side plank, Jeero focuses on openning his chest by softening his shoulders and letting his shoulder blades ease down his back.

Locust (Salambasana): Here, Jeero practices a modified Locust pose that stretches forearms and elbow joints. His arms are supinated flat against the floor. If he had elbows, they would probably be just in front of his pelvis. If he had fingers, his pinkies might be touching one another.

Crow (Crane), Side Crow (Bakasana, Parsva Bakasana): Jeero is a beginner when it comes to the crow poses, but he still works hard. Most importantly, Jeero tries to breath deeply without strain in these and all other poses. In fact, Jeero maintains the same breathing depth and rate throughout his entire practice. Though not generally recommended for beginners, Jeero is practicing advanced leg extensions in Side Crow.

Headstand (Sirsasana): Though humans have spent thousands of years practicing yoga, and hundreds of years with asana practice, there is no official guidance on whether we should use our ears to help balance in headstand. Jeero claims he feels an energy path through his ears, so I think it's fair. Since he is using his ears for support, this pose is more properly termed Supported Headstand, or Salamba Sirsasana. If you want to get tricky, you might consider the fancifal name Karna Sirsasana, since Karna means "ear". Without shoulders or a waist, Jeero has to accept that supported shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana) and "legs up the wall" (Viparita Karani) will never be part of his practice.

Matsyasana (Uttana Padasana prep): This is the first pose we saw Jeero practice spontanesouly and completely on his own (exluding Savasana). Many people use it to counter a shoulder stand. Jeero has no shoulders and cannot practice shoulderstand, but he loves this "fish" pose. So he uses Matsyasana to counter headstand instead. Note how his head gracefully reaches back and down (without compressing his cervical vertebrae), stretching his throat. Jeero recommends at least one round of Lion's breath with Matsyasana. Not all teachers call this pose Matsyasana, a name which is sometimes reserved for this pose with legs in lotus position -- a real challenge for Jeero. An alternative name is Uttana Padasana prep.

Savasana: It is likely that this is Jeero's favorite pose. He routinely holds this pose for hours, sometimes days, to absorb the full benefit of his workout. Note how Jeero relaxes all his muscles when practicing Savasana, eliminating all expression from his face and allowing his legs to rotate outward.