South Okanagan Yoga Academy Yoga Teacher Training Programs

Featured Asana

Please start lying on your back. Walk you heels in towards your buttocks, as close as you can. Keep the feet apart, ensuring the second toe, ankle, knee, and hip are all in line. Your hands rest by your side with the palms pressing into the floor. If you have neck, shoulders, or lower back injuries, choose to stay here and try baby bridges or pelvic tilts. Initially try to walk your shoulder blades together a bit. Engage your mula bandha, and press your pelvis slowly up towards the sky. Walk your shoulder blades in a bit more to help open through the chest. If you wish to deepen further, you can clasp your hands underneath your back, keeping your hands down on the ground. Breathe deeply. When you are ready to come out of the pose, unclasp your hands, and begin walking your shoulder blades away from each other. Slowly lower your back, rolling down one vertebra at a time. Bring the knees up to the chest, and give yourself a big hug. Then enter into fish pose for a counter stretch.

Precautions include:

• If the hamstrings and adductors are not strong enough, the glut muscles will work too hard and cause external rotations of the legs
• Neck, Shoulder, or Back injuries
• High Blood Pressure
• Low Blood Pressure

Modifications include:

• Place a blanket under the hips
• “Baby Bridge” or pelvic tilts to keep back on the ground for injuries or HPB
• Can advance further into the posture by clasping hands beneath back or placing them under the back (not if you have wrist injury though). Or you may clasp your ankles.

Benefits:

• Strengthens and stretches spine, legs, shoulders, and arms
• Opens the chest, increasing breathing capacity
• Improves flexibility in the spine, improving posture
• A slight inversion, calming effect on the mind and reduces stress

Counterbalance:

• Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
• Apasana (Gas Relieving Pose)