Yoga Teacher Training Forum

1. Viparita Karani (legs up the wall pose and its variations) is a good alternative. Paul has a sequence for this and also he demonstrated legs through the chair. I'll write him to ask about showing this to all of us in the Aura newsletter web clips.

2. Twisting places compression on the heart. This action raises blood pressure. But Paul taught us that open twists place no compression on the heart. What's an open twist? Trikonasana (triangle pose is one good example).

3. Many teachers don't give warnings. Maybe they only teach young and very healthy students or never expanded their yoga training to avoid taking risks. One good alternative to the forward bend for students with high blood pressure is monkey pose with the spine parallel to the floor. The head and heart are on the same level so blood doesn't rush to the brain.