BENEFITS
- Lengthens and releases adductor muscles of the groin
- Relaxes the low spine
- Improves external rotation of the hips
- Opens the pelvis
- Stimulates the abdominal organs and aids digestion
- Relieves symptoms of PMS and menopause
CONTRAINDICATIONS
- Hip pathologies
- Ankle pathologies
- Low back pathologies (if supine positioning creates pain)
- Knee, hip, or groin injury
HOW TO
- Gently recline the body, lowering your torso all the way to the ground. Use your hands to shift your buttocks and release your lower back onto the mat.
- As you inhale, bend your knees and draw your feet together on the mat. Bring your heels in toward your groin.
- Exhale and let your knees fall out to the sides, toward the ground. Allow the soles of your feet to join and the outer edges of your feet to rest on the mat. Rotate your thighs externally by using your hands to shift the outer thighs away from the sides of your torso.
- With your next inhale, draw your hands overhead to open the chest and stretch the abdominals.
- As you exhale, soften the elbows and melt the shoulders away from your ears.
- Hold this pose for 30 seconds to a minute.
- To exit, inhale and draw the knees toward the midline. Exhale and relax your legs to the mat, or draw knees into chest.
MODIFY OR REPLACE
- Extend the feet further out in front of you.
- Utilize blocks under the knees for support.
SEQUENCING TIPS
Before:
- Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle pose)
- Bakasana (Crow pose)
- Upavishta Konasana A (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend A)
- Upavishta Konasana B (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend B)
After:
- Ardha Pavanamuktasana (Half Knee to Chest pose)
- Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
TEACHING CUES
- Send your breath all the way down to your pelvis.
- Let the knees fold out to the sides and relax.
- Draw the hands overhead to open the chest.
- On each inhale, feel your chest lift and spine lengthen. On each exhale, let your knees dissolve and inner hips open.
VARIATIONS
- To deepen the posture, draw the heels toward the body and bend forward at the hips to rest the chest onto the feet.
WATCH OUT FOR
- Strain in the inner thighs and groin
- Low back, hip, or knee pain
