Build Your Practice: Drills & Tutorials
Forget about the perfect pose. Here is where we focus on the small, consistent movements that build strength, mobility, and confidence. Let's grow.
Building compression strength and mobility, one rep at a time. This core drill, moving from a tuck to a V-straddle, is essential for handstands and arm balances.
This is a look at the drills I'm using to build my Kapotasana, or Pigeon Pose, from the ground up. It's a journey of patience and persistence.
A glimpse into the work behind a deep backbend like Kapotasana. This video shows wall holds with hip pikes, a drill to open the chest while maintaining engagement.
Using the wall is a great way to safely deepen backbends. This drill involves holding the pose at each level as I walk my hands down, focusing on length over depth.
Reverse Nordics are a fantastic drill for quad activation and learning to maintain tension in the hips while arching the spine, which is crucial for drop backs.
Hang backs without the wall help to articulate the spine better. This drill focuses on thoracic extension while avoiding dumping the load into the lower back.
Kapotasana push-ups are an advanced drill to build strength and control in the full expression of the pose. It's important to build up to this slowly and mindfully.
About this collection
These are not just random exercises. When we focus on drills like Reverse Nordics or pike handstand shrugs, we are training your nervous system to find stability and control under load. Whether you are chasing a full handstand or just trying to open up your back, these small, consistent movements are the real keys to unlocking depth in your practice.
The Science of the Small Stuff
Many students ask me how to get into advanced poses, and my answer is always the same: stop trying to force the big pose and start obsessing over the preparation. My background in ballet taught me that precision is everything. That is why I apply a 'ballet-eye' for alignment to my yoga teaching, focusing on micro-corrections that keep you safe while you progress.
Why Drills Matter
- Safety: We break down complex movements like Kapotasana (Pigeon Pose) or handstands into manageable chunks. This prevents injury and builds confidence.
- Sustainability: You cannot rush flexibility. By using walls, blocks, and straps, we create space in the body gradually.
- Intelligence: You learn why a muscle needs to be engaged. It is not about looking pretty on the mat; it is about understanding how your body moves through space.
How We Work Together
I do not believe in 'yoga robots.' In my classes, we work on:
- Inversion Prep: Using chairs and walls to understand weight transfer.
- Spinal Mobility: Techniques to open the thoracic spine without dumping weight into the lower back.
- Strength Building: Active drills that move you away from passive stretching and into active control.
Whether you are joining my boutique group sessions in South Delhi or Gurgaon, or training with me virtually, these drills are the foundation of our work. If you have been feeling stuck in your practice, or if you keep hitting a wall with your flexibility, these drills will show you a different way forward. Let's get moving, wobbly bits and all.
Surbhi Sachdeva
I’m Surbhi – dancer, teacher, and forever student. I didn't get here by forcing big poses; I got here by showing up for the small, wobbly bits every single day. I share these drills so you can experience that same sense of freedom and genuine progress.
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