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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

Dancing Shiva Balance, Right Leg Crossed (Naṭarājāsana, iconographic variant) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Dancing Shiva Balance, Right Leg Crossed (Naṭarājāsana, iconographic variant)
Right foot resting on the left knee, this standing balance builds hip mobility, single-leg strength, and focused stability in your practice.
Hannah ColeFebruary 15, 20264 min read
Crane Pose, Heels Drawn High (Bakāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Crane Pose, Heels Drawn High (Bakāsana)
Halfway between tucked and straight, this Bakāsana variation locks the legs at mid-bend, forcing the hip flexors and deep core to work witho...
Hannah ColeFebruary 14, 20265 min read
Crane Pose, Full Expression (Bakāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Crane Pose, Full Expression (Bakāsana)
Bakāsana with both legs extended up takes Crane Pose to its peak: straight legs, compressed core, full load on the hands.
Hannah ColeFebruary 11, 20264 min read
Crane Pose with Head on the Mat (Bakāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Crane Pose with Head on the Mat (Bakāsana)
Resting your forehead on the mat while holding Crane Pose creates a third contact point that builds the arm-balance strength and shoulder en...
Hannah ColeFebruary 10, 20265 min read
Cow Face Pose with Right Hand Up Grab (Gomukhāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Cow Face Pose with Right Hand Up Grab (Gomukhāsana)
A seated hip and shoulder bind - right arm over, left arm under - that deeply stretches the hip rotators and both shoulders simultaneously.
Hannah ColeFebruary 9, 20265 min read
Chair Pose on Toes with Knees Together (Utkaṭāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Chair Pose on Toes with Knees Together (Utkaṭāsana)
A fierce standing balance: classic Chair Pose lifted onto the toes with knees pressed together, demanding ankle strength, adductor control,...
Hannah ColeFebruary 9, 20264 min read
Chair Pose on Toes (Utkaṭāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Chair Pose on Toes (Utkaṭāsana)
Lifting your heels in Utkaṭāsana - fierce pose - turns a standard Chair Pose into an ankle, Achilles, and balance challenge stacked on top o...
Hannah ColeFebruary 8, 20264 min read
Chair Pose with Straight Arms Forward (Utkaṭāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Chair Pose with Straight Arms Forward (Utkaṭāsana)
Chair Pose with Straight Arms Forward (Utkaṭāsana) builds lower-body strength and shoulder endurance in one grounded, beginner-friendly stan...
Hannah ColeFebruary 6, 20264 min read
Tree Pose with Hands in Namaste Extended Forward (Right Support) (Vṛkṣāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Tree Pose with Hands in Namaste Extended Forward (Right Support) (Vṛkṣāsana)
Rooted on the right foot, Tree Pose with namaste arms extended forward challenges hip stability and sharpens spinal awareness in this interm...
Hannah ColeFebruary 3, 20265 min read
Mountain Pose with Upward Stretch (Tāḍāsana) - by Hannah Cole
Body, Mobility & Posture Mountain Pose with Upward Stretch (Tāḍāsana)
Arms rising overhead from a rooted stance, Mountain Pose with Upward Stretch lengthens the spine and side body while building shoulder stabi...
Hannah ColeFebruary 1, 20264 min read