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Eka Pada Vrschikasana (variation)
25 Tuesday Sep 2012
25 Tuesday Sep 2012
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20 Thursday Sep 2012
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This posture is dedicated to the great Sage Vamadeva.
From downward facing dog.
Go to pigeon pose.
Sit on the (right/left) hip
Bend your knee
Draw your front heel (right/left) close to your groin/Perineum.
Make sure that your upper body is straight and perpendicular to the floor.
Bend your back leg and bring your back foot particularly close to your front foot.
Hold your front foot with your hands and draw your soles together.
Hold the pose for 10 breathes or longer.
Benefits
This is an excellent posture to make the hip joint more flexible and to work on abdominal muscles.
The thighs and the gluteus muscles are stretched to their fullest degree and helps in strengthening and keeping these muscles supple.
31 Tuesday Jul 2012
Pronounced as:
eh-KUH PAW-duh VEE-puh-ree-tuh DAWN-DAWS-uh-nuh
Translated as:
Eka means one, and Pada means foot in Sanskrit.
Viparita means reversed or inverted.
Danda is a staff.
Asana means pose or yoga posture.
Benefits may include:
..Builds inner confidence and courage
..Heart opening posture, with emotional and physical effects
..Open the thoracic spine and lumbar spine (Make space between your vertebrae in backbends)
..Powerful leg stretch and front body stretch
..This Pose stimulates many organs and glands: adrenal, thyroid, pituitary and pineal glands, makes more space in the lungs for respiration and effects the heart while improving circulation
..Increase spine and shoulder flexibility
..Strengthens and invigorates the whole body
..Develops poise and stillness of mind, and humbles the practitioner
This pose is considered as one of the advanced back bend yoga poses. However, you have to get yourself comfortable with Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana), Camel Pose (Ustrasana), Bridge Pose(Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) or any other back bend yoga postures. They will definitely help you with this advanced pose. Some people are gifted with jelly-like spine, so it is easy for them to just fall back after a supported headstand.
I accidentally learned this pose while I was trying to do my supported headstand. Balancing myself upside down was an issue for me, so I ended up falling back. Every time I practice headstand, I unintentionally fall behind.
Intense back bending is not an easy pose, because there are things that you should consider. Is your body ready? Are you ready to commit yourself to take this adventure? Is your back flexible enough?
If you have spine issues like Ruptured disk, Prolapsed Disk, Bulging Disk, Spinal Injuries and the like. It is automatic that you should not dare to try poses which might aggravate your condition.
Remember that you are your own teacher. Listen to your body. If this is your first attempt, it is better and safe to practice with a skillful and trained Teacher.
Yoga Asanas are harmful to you and your own well-being once done improperly.
Additional Precaution:
Spinal nerve damage and disc problems
Chronic shoulder dislocations or problems
Pregnancy
Unmanaged high blood pressure
May be intense for menstruating women, listen to your body.
Retina problems
“Like most yoga poses, Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana takes strength, flexibility, and focus. And more so than with many poses, mastery of this one requires a good deal of time and effort. Most of us can achieve the beautiful actions of this asana only by practicing regularly and earnestly for months or years. There are no magical potions or secrets; it takes hard work. But the extraordinary benefits of backbends like Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana make them well worth the energy we invest in them. They don’t just bring agility and longevity to our spine and shoulders, counteracting the tendency of the upper back to round as we age. As we use them to explore the unknown, they bring joy and freedom to our soul as well. ”
Way in: (depends on your preparatory pose)
1. Upward Bow Pose/Wheel(Urdhva Dhanurasana)
-Lower down your palms and elbows to the ground.
2. Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Upward Facing Two-Foot Staff Pose )
– Both feet on the floor
3. Sirsasana (Supported Headstand)
– Fall back on your feet
Once you are in Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, check your balance and slowly raise one leg up on the air. Keep your elbow and wrists firmly planted on the ground. You can stay in this pose as long as you want. In Astanga Yoga, you can stay in the pose for 5 beautiful, deep Ujjayi Breaths in each side. Keep your legs hip width apart. Roll the inner thighs down and the outer thighs up throughout. “The pose should feel almost as if you have a very slight and subtle pike position at the hips. ”
Dristi:
nāsāgre/Nose
“All postures influence the chakras, the body’s energy centers, but the strong backward curve of the body in Urdhva Dhanurasana especially awakens and inspires all the major chakras, from the muladhara (root) chakra at the perineum to the sahasrara (thousandfold) chakra at the crown of the head. The pose has an especially vibrant effect on the anahata (heart) chakra (literally, “wheel of the unstruck sound”), at the center of the chest. The big opening of the upper thoracic spine in backbends like Urdhva Dhanurasana and Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana fuels the emotional fire of our practice, burning impurities and opening and expanding the heart center. As yoga philosophy tells us, this opening can deepen our sensitivity to the world and help us develop an understanding of and compassion for all life everywhere.”
30 Monday Jul 2012
Tags
concentration, infertility, inner self, Insomnia, Low blood pressure, Prana Benefits, Pregnancy, sharpen senses, sinusistis, Therapeutic, yoga, Yoga benefits, Yoga caution, Yoga teacher supervision
Mukta Hasta Sirsasana
Mukta = Let Loose, free, Liberated.
Hasta = hand, the hand or the forearm.
Sirsa = The head.
The benefits are aplenty..
.. it Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
.. Stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands
.. Strengthens the arms, legs, and spine
.. Strengthens the lungs
.. Tones the abdominal organs
.. Improves digestion
.. Improves circulation
.. Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
.. Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis
.. enhance your overall mood
.. sharpening your concentration and your senses
.. overcome fear (and you’ll become braver than before)
.. enhance connection to your inner self.
“Headstand comes with spiritual and energetic, or pranic, benefits. Prana is the life force that flows through your body, a force that includes sexual energy. Headstand enhances your overall prana, but it also transforms the sexual energy into spiritual energy, known as ojas. An increase in ojas, in turn, can improve your spiritual practices such as meditation. The headstand also offers a whole new way of looking at the world by flipping you upside down.”
If this pose has a lot of advantages, it does not mean that it is harmless. Therefore before engaging yourself into something, ask yourself if you can commit to practice the pose over and over again. Make sure that your body is properly ready for this pose. No one can perfect a particular pose without earning bruises and other unpleasant results. It is advisable to have a hands-on yoga teacher’s supervision. Enroll yourself in a studio, then if you are confident enough, you can continue practicing at home.
Cautions:
Back and Neck injury: Cervical Spine Compression
Pressure Spikes: Eye pressure
Headache
Heart condition
High blood pressure
Menstruation
Low blood pressure: Don’t start practice with this pose
Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don’t take up the practice of Sirsasana after you become pregnant.
Your Gaze is your Nasagra/Nose.
Hence this pose is advanced, you can enter into this pose through one of your preferred headstand. However, if you have problems with staying up there alone, you can ask someone to guide you (a teacher) or you can take advantage the walls in your house (for sure you have many at home or at a studio). Just make sure you are a distant away from any appliances or hard objects if you are practicing at home (to prevent injuries when you fall or lose your balance). You don’t want to hit your knees or shins on a table. If you need additional support like blocks, you are welcome to do so.
If you cannot stay inverted for a long time. Do not feel frustrated. It may sound cliche, but patience is the virtue. You can always return to the pose anytime. “When first attempting a headstand pose, stay in position for 10 breaths, and then gradually increase the amount of time each time you practice the pose. If the pose becomes too easy no matter how long you hold the position, then deepen it by turning your wrists”.
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