Now you are finally done with Half Moon Pose! Whew — That was a long one! Just like the Half Moon series, Awkward Pose is made up of multiple parts. It is like 3 poses in 1! While the last pose(s) have targeted opening and warming the upper body, specifically your spine, the Awkward Pose focuses mainly on the lower half of the body. Every pose in this series is holistic (meaning it works the whole body), but this pose specifically tones and trims the hips area, the lower abdominals, the thighs, the backside, and stretches the shins. Below, I list instructions and benefits for the pose in 3 different sections. Like the pose itself, each section has a slightly different alignment and different benefits.

Part 1: Keep all of your body weight back in your heels and sit down very low, as if you were sitting into a preschoolers' chair. Ideally, the hips are in line with the knees, but as long as you sitting as low as you can (without sitting below the "chair") you are getting all of the benefits. The heels and toes stay 6 inches apart as to not sickle the foot, which often causes the knees to twist slightly. Always keep the knees pointing in the same direction as the toes (forward). Arms are reaching forward as a counter-balance keeping you from falling down backwards. The fingers should be squeezed together and in line with the shoulders so the shoulders are almost invisible in the front mirror. Relax the shoulders‹make the neck tension-free! Relax the muscles of the face; notice if you face is crunchy! Bring the tongue off the roof or your mouth. I find that a calm expression creates a calm practice, especially here when your legs are on fire. Lean your upper body back, so from the side you look like a standing cobra. Tailbone back towards the back wall and slightly down towards the floor; upper body up to the ribs are visible in the front mirror.

Keep the abs firm: a tight body is a light body. And this compresses the organs giving them a rinse. This helps with digestion and prevents things like hernia and strengthening the abdominal wall.

Part 2: When you come up on your toes maximum, concentrate mostly on your big and second toes of each foot pressing into the floor. The rest of the toes are mostly decoration. As your toes press down and out into the floor, pull the abs in toward the spine and up towards the rib cage creating an abdominal "lock". Everything in class is oppositional, so if you are pushing something down, something else has to pull up. Again, fingers in line with your shoulders. Melt the shoulders down the back and slowly lower down. Spine stays straight as if you are sliding down a wall. Like the first part of Awkward, ideally your hips will come into like with your knees at chair-level. If you legs shake, great! My legs still shake sometimes and I have been practicing for over 5 years now. Keep breathing; often shaking legs means a lack of oxygen moving to that part of the body. When you come back up, don't rush it. Move slowly. Not only does it strengthen your legs, abs and back the slower you move, but it creates this sense of control over your body's movement and moving slowly helps prevent injury from jerking motions.

Again, abs lock! This pose is great from runners. As an ex-Varsity runner in High School, I know about shin splints and this pose really stretches the front sides of the feet, ankles and shins.

Part 3: Come a little bit on the toes, but not so high that you lose the balance. Like the last part, move slowly as you descend, again as if you are sliding against a wall. Abs lock, and when you get down toward the feet, hover above the heels. This strengthens your control over your own body once again and it gives you a sense of floating. Fingers are in line with shoulders. Relax the shoulders! No shoulder-earrings! Inhale as you come up and do it slowly. Working the body is great, but working the mind is better. Do not let yourself get overwhelmed if you fall or lose the balance. Keep your spine straight all the way back up.

Again, this pose is great for the abdominal wall and the abdominal organs. I also think this part of the pose really is great for the lower back as well, because it makes us really tap into our ab muscles which protect and strengthen the integrity of the lower spine.

Most importantly, remember that this class is about joy. Sounds crazy, but yes it is all about JOY. You are using your own wonderful, healthy body to make yourself even more wonderful and healthy! If you fall, you fall. You can lose your balance but never lose your confidence in your posture. That is where we gain the power in this yoga!