It’s National Umbrella Day! You can celebrate by watching Singing in the Rain or you can do the yoga pose that one of my first teachers called umbrella pose. The pose is a variation of standing forward bend with a shoulder opener.

Umbrella Pose

Getting into the Pose

• Start in mountain pose and clasp the hands behind the back, interlacing fingers
• Inhale and lengthen the spine
• Exhale and fold from the hip crease, leading with the chest so that the back stays long
• As you fold forward, let the hands rise off the hips as much as comfortable
• Keep the back straight but relax the neck; arms and legs are also straight
• Come up with and inhale, keeping the back long as you come up

Modifications

• If it’s difficult to clasp the hands behind the back, use a strap or belt to create more space between the hands
• If the lower back feels tight, soften the knees

Benefits

• Calming
• Stretches hamstrings, hips, calves, chest, biceps, forearms and front of shoulders
• Strengthens thighs, knees, and shoulders
• Aids digestion
• Eases headaches