The Daring Book for Girls - Andrea J. Buchanan [98]
Exhale as you bring your arms down in front of you and move into a forward bend (uttanasana). If you can place your hands on the ground next to your feet, great. If not, place your hands on your ankles or knees. Try to keep your back extended rather than rounded; if it feels like too much on your lower back, you can bend your knees slightly.
Inhale as you look up, your shoulders back and your fingertips still touching the ground (or your ankles/knees). Your back should be flat, and you should feel like a diver just about to dive into the pool.
Place your palms on the mat, fingers spread, and exhale as you jump or walk back into chaturanga dandasana, a low push-up position. Unlike a regular push-up, in this posture your elbows need to stay very close to your body, and your upper arms should be squeezing against your ribcage.
The weight of your body is on your hands and your toes. Take care not to sag your hips down; your body should be a straight line. If this is too much, keep your hands and toes where they are and lower the knees to the ground to help support yourself.
From here, inhale as you push yourself forward into urdhva muhka svanasana (upward-facing dog). Push from your toes as you roll through from a flexed foot position to a pointed-toe position. Your hands and the tops of your toes should be the only parts of your body touching the ground. Look up as you arch your back, and try to keep those shoulders down (and those eyebrows from rising).
Exhale as you lift yourself back into adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog), rolling back over your toes to the soles of your feet and keeping your palms on the floor. Stay here for five deep breaths. When you look at your feet as you breathe in this posture, you should not be able to see your heels. Move your heels so they are in line with your ankles, and try to think about the soles of your feet moving toward the floor. Looking upward toward your stomach will help keep you from hyperextending around your back and rib cage. Think about moving your chest toward your feet and your head toward the floor.
Look toward your hands as you bend your knees, and either jump or walk your feet to your hands.
Inhale as you look up with a flat back, your fingertips on the floor (uttanasana B)
Exhale as you bend forward into a full forward bend (uttanasana A). Think about having your stomach and chest on your thighs rather than curving over with a rounded back.
Inhale as you lift all the way up into hasta uttanasana, looking up toward your thumbs as your palms touch.
Exhale as you return to tadasana, mountain pose.
Three Silly Pranks
THINK BOYS are the only ones good at pranking? Think again! Here are three classic pranks for any daring girl.
STINK BOMBS
The old-fashioned kind,
from the herb valerian.
Head outdoors with the following:
a small jar with a screw-on lid
measuring spoons
any kind of vinegar you can snag from the kitchen
valerian root powder—this is the key ingredient for a stink bomb. You can find this at any grocery store that stocks vitamins and herbal remedies. It comes in capsules that can be opened and emptied. If you can only find valerian tea, mash it into a powder.
Mix one or more teaspoons of the powder with 2 teaspoons of vinegar, close the jar very, very quickly and shake. When you’re ready to set off the stink bomb, open the jar (don’t throw it), yell “Skunk!” and run.
SHORT-SHEETING BEDS
For this prank you’ll need to know the oldfashioned skill of making a bed, the fancy way, with tucked-in sheets.
Here’s a refresher: Fit the bottom sheet over the mattress. Tuck the top sheet under the foot of the bed and along at least part of the sides. Lay the blanket on top, tuck that in too, and then neatly fold the top edge of the sheet over the blanket, about six inches or so. There. Stand back and observe your handiwork, because you will want the short-sheeted bed