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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

Bend to Right Leg (Jānuśīrṣāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Bend to Right Leg (Jānuśīrṣāsana)
Jānuśīrṣāsana (right leg) folds you over one extended leg at a time, stretching the hamstrings and lengthening the spine in this beginner se...
Hannah ColeJanuary 21, 20264 min read
Advanced Extended Right Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Advanced Extended Right Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana)
Floating the right leg to the side with no support, Advanced Extended Right Hand to Big Toe Pose puts hip stability, hamstring length, and b...
Hannah ColeJanuary 20, 20265 min read
Garland Pose (Mālāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Garland Pose (Mālāsana)
Garland Pose (Mālāsana) is a deep squat that opens the hips, stretches the groin, and mobilizes the ankles - accessible for beginners with s...
Hannah ColeJanuary 19, 20264 min read
Fish Out of Hero Pose (Matsyāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Fish Out of Hero Pose (Matsyāsana)
A reclined backbend from Hero Pose that arches the spine, lifts the chest, and deeply stretches the front body. Intermediate level.
Hannah ColeJanuary 18, 20265 min read
Forward Bend with Hands Against Back (Uttānāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Forward Bend with Hands Against Back (Uttānāsana)
A beginner standing forward fold with palms on the sacrum - teaches proper hip-hinge mechanics and stretches the hamstrings and lower back.
Hannah ColeJanuary 17, 20264 min read
Easy Crow Pose (Bakāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Easy Crow Pose (Bakāsana)
Easy Crow Pose (Bakāsana variation) is the most accessible arm balance in yoga - knees resting low on the upper arms near the elbows, spine...
Hannah ColeJanuary 16, 20264 min read
Cow Face Pose (Right Leg and Left Arm Up) (Gomukhāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Cow Face Pose (Right Leg and Left Arm Up) (Gomukhāsana)
Cow Face Pose (right leg, left arm up) stacks the knees for a deep hip stretch while binding opposite arms behind the back to open both shou...
Hannah ColeJanuary 15, 20265 min read
Warrior Pose on Half-Bent Left Leg (Vīrabhadrāsana I) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Warrior Pose on Half-Bent Left Leg (Vīrabhadrāsana I)
Both legs get their turn in Warrior I - the left leg forward builds quad and glute strength, stretches the right hip flexor, and corrects an...
Hannah ColeJanuary 13, 20264 min read
Rotated Warrior Pose on Left Foot (Parivṛtta Vīrabhadrāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Rotated Warrior Pose on Left Foot (Parivṛtta Vīrabhadrāsana)
Left foot forward, right heel grounded - Rotated Warrior Pose pairs a deep lunge base with full spinal rotation to build strength and thorac...
Hannah ColeJanuary 12, 20265 min read
Right Half Bound Lotus Intense Stretch Pose (Ardha Baddha Padmottānāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Right Half Bound Lotus Intense Stretch Pose (Ardha Baddha Padmottānāsana)
Standing forward fold with the right foot in half lotus and the right arm bound behind the back - an advanced balance and hip-opening challe...
Hannah ColeJanuary 11, 20265 min read