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Hannah Cole

Hannah Cole writes and looks after the yoga.com pose library - the guides that walk through each posture step by step, what it asks of the body, and how to make it kinder. She came to yoga the way a lot of people do, through a body that complained: years of desk work and running left her hips and shoulders asking for something slower. More than a decade of steady practice later, the poses are still her favorite teachers. Her rule for the column has not changed. Every claim about what a pose does for the body has to trace back to a named source at the end of the piece, and where the research is thin, the piece says so. Most weeks you will find her on the mat, testing a modification before she recommends it, or back in the library re-checking an old guide against newer research.

Hannah Cole

By Hannah Cole

Wrist Grab Left Bend (Pārśvāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Wrist Grab Left Bend (Pārśvāsana)
Wrist Grab Left Bend (Pārśvāsana) lengthens the entire right side of the body - ribs, obliques, shoulder, and arm - while the left hand clas...
Hannah ColeJune 1, 20264 min read
Wide Legged Forward Bend (Prasārita Pādottānāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Wide Legged Forward Bend (Prasārita Pādottānāsana)
A wide-stance standing forward fold that stretches the hamstrings and inner thighs while building hip-hinge awareness - accessible for begin...
Hannah ColeMay 29, 20264 min read
Upward Table Pose (Ardha Pūrvottānāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Upward Table Pose (Ardha Pūrvottānāsana)
Upward Table Pose (Ardha Pūrvottānāsana) lifts the hips into a tabletop from the floor, opening the chest and strengthening the glutes, shou...
Hannah ColeMay 26, 20264 min read
Upward Lotus Pose (Ūrdhva Padmāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Upward Lotus Pose (Ūrdhva Padmāsana)
Upward Lotus Pose balances Padmāsana atop a Shoulderstand, combining hip mobility and inversion strength in one advanced peak shape.
Hannah ColeMay 25, 20265 min read
Upward Facing Intense Stretch (Ūrdhva Mukha Paścimottānāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Upward Facing Intense Stretch (Ūrdhva Mukha Paścimottānāsana)
Ūrdhva Mukha Paścimottānāsana challenges you to balance on your sacrum while folding your entire trunk against vertically extended legs - a...
Hannah ColeMay 23, 20265 min read
Unsupported Shoulderstand with Hands Behind Back (Nirālamba Sarvāṅgāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Unsupported Shoulderstand with Hands Behind Back (Nirālamba Sarvāṅgāsana)
Nirālamba Sarvāṅgāsana with hands behind back removes all hand support from Shoulderstand, demanding pure core and shoulder-girdle strength...
Hannah ColeMay 22, 20265 min read
Upward Extended Feet Pose with Support (Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Upward Extended Feet Pose with Support (Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana)
A supported supine pose with both legs extended upward, stretching the hamstrings and calves while the elevated pelvis eases load on the low...
Hannah ColeMay 21, 20264 min read
Unsupported Shoulderstand (Nirālamba Sarvāṅgāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Unsupported Shoulderstand (Nirālamba Sarvāṅgāsana)
Classic Shoulderstand removes both arm supports in Nirālamba Sarvāṅgāsana, leaving pure core and shoulder strength to maintain the vertical...
Hannah ColeMay 20, 20264 min read
Upward Extended Feet Pose (Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Upward Extended Feet Pose (Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana)
Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana extends both legs straight up from a supine position, building core strength and stretching the hamstrings.
Hannah ColeMay 20, 20264 min read
Upward Bow Pose - Easy Variation (Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Upward Bow Pose - Easy Variation (Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana)
Upward Bow Pose - Easy Variation builds spinal extension and chest opening with hands grounded - a key intermediate step toward the full whe...
Hannah ColeMay 19, 20264 min read