Many yoga poses require us to keep our hips squarely facing front. This direction is something that we have all heard so many times and have done so many times that we assume we have mastered it. But, it is surprising how often our hips are not yet squared off. This inquiry about the facing of our hips helps us to develop awareness of our physical alignment in space as well as our inner ability to feel our breath evenly on a subtle level. If the hips are not square, then the waist is uneven and the ribs and lungs will be more open on one side. We are challenged with each pose to increase our awareness and make adjustments so that we can be as symmetrical as possible. This Warm up teaches us that in order to keep our hips square different adjustments are required depending on the pose. If you are not sure if your hips are even, just look. Keeping our hips square is a meditation of movement and requires a sharp focus.

	1. Cat
2. Cow (3X)
	3. ½ way down to Knee, Chest, Chin
4. Press back to all fours
	5. Thread the needle: right arm slides down.
6. Stabilization exercise: right arm up at shoulder height, left leg up at hip height. Keep your hips square by lowering your left hip so that it is level with right hip.
	7. Lower Left Leg:. place ball of left foot down behind you, left leg straight. 8. Twist: Circle right arm forward and up to sky, opening chest towards right. Keep hips square here by lifting left hip while turning to right.
9. Knees Together: Keeping right arm up and the twisting action, lower left knee next to right knee.
	10. Sit: lower both heels onto sit bones while twisting right, right arm back behind, left arm to right knee.
11. Return to all fours.
12. Repeat.