HOW TO: ANJANEYASANA VARIATION, EXALTED LOW LUNGE

This asana is low lunge variation (a heart-opener and side body stretch) that I built into my home flows sometime last year. It's a sort of hybrid of Exalted (aka Reverse) Warrior and Low Lunge, and I find it gives me a little boost of energy (or confidence, perhaps?), as long as I'm properly warmed up and my body is open to it -- sometimes it just feels too deep, like I'll be compressing my low spine to reach my heel and achieve the depth (don't do that). 

You can modify this pose by placing a yoga block on the outside of your back foot or calf muscle. Or alternatively, you can hold onto your calf, closer to your knee, as long as that feels stable and supportive: make sure you're not collapsing your weight down. 

As always, practice at your own pace and don't push yourself through pain or excessive discomfort. Breathe deeply and stay connected to your body, modifying your practice as needed. I hope you find these tips useful! 

MORE TIPS:

• enter this pose from a deep low lunge, with your hands either at your hips, by your sides/reaching the floor, or over your head and reaching back
• use a yoga block (or similar prop) to modify as needed, bringing it to its lowest level beside your ankle before grabbing onto the heel or ankle
• continually lengthen your spine and open your chest, using your inhales to find more expansion through the front body
• root down firmly, particularly with the front foot, and slowly send your hips forward as your stretch your upper arm back
• try flowing from the first to second position a few times with some grace and fluidity for a nice heart-opening effect
• come out of the pose slowly, squaring your hips and shoulders; rest in child's pose, or take some time in another shape of your choice that allows some spinal flexion (ie. forward folding, to balance out the backbend - half split with a fold is a nice option following this asana.)