Pillar

We develop uneven ways of moving that lead to discomfort. With yoga we find and ease these imbalances.

I write about this pose to help my students. The pose has complexity and subtlety and needs careful teaching. You will not learn it from these words.

This pose takes practise. You need a good feel for your feet and how you engage muscles. Get good at the stand pose first.

Align

We build this pose from our feet and then work up.

Start from the stand pose.

Have your feet wider apart than your hip joints but not wider than the outside of your hips.

Shift all your weight to one leg. If you feel unbalanced falling in the direction of your weighted leg you have your feet too close together.

Feel even weight on three points of contact under your weighted foot with the arch raised.

Have your weighted knee soft and feel the muscles of the front of your weighted thigh take the load of your weight.

Gently turn your weighted thigh out just slightly and feel muscles in the sides of your butt engage.

Have your pelvis level.

Push your pubic bone forward slightly and feel muscles at the back of your butt engage.

Gently firm your abdominal muscles.

Let your shoulders relax and drop down and back without effort.

Let your arms hang straight down and turn your palms to slightly face forward.

Feel your unweighted foot very soft on the floor.

Hold still and calm in the pose.

Return to and pause in the stand pose. Then shift your weight to your other leg and stand in pillar on that side. Then center and do both sides again.

Feel

This pose depends on holding the feel of specific points and holding muscles engaged.

  • Feel 3 points of contact under your weighted foot.
  • Feel the muscles at the front of your weighted thigh hold the load of your weight.
  • Feel the muscles at the sides of your butt stay engaged to turn your weighted thigh out slightly.
  • Feel the muscles at the back of your butt stay engaged to push your pubic bone forward slightly.
  • Feel your abdominal muscles hold gently firm.
  • Feel your torso tall.
  • Feel your shoulders relax down and back.
  • Feel your arms relax and hang down.
  • Feel your unweighted foot very soft on the floor.
  • Feel a stable pillar of your weight, like a 4-by-4 post, on your weighted side from your shoulder through your chest to your pelvis and your weighted foot.