ardha = half
purva = east
uttana = intense
AHR-dah PUR-vah-tah-nahs-anna
Benefits
- Opens the heart space
- Opens the frontline of body
- Engages the core and quadriceps
Contraindications
- Shoulder pain or injury
- Knee or hamstring pain or injury
How To
- Find a seat on your mat or the floor
- Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the ground
- Plant your hands several inches behind your hips, aiming to rest underneath your shoulders
- Spread your fingers wide and turn your fingers to face your hips
- Roll your biceps in towards your face to engage your shoulders
- Inhale, lift your hips up towards the ceiling and lift your abdomen, chest, and shoulders as well
- Shine your heart above you and rest for a couple rounds of breath
- Exhale to lower down to your mat
Modify or Replace
- Place a bolster or block underneath your hips or shoulders if either are having difficulty staying lifted
- Lift your hips slowly and repeatedly to build strength through the pelvis and core
Sequencing Tips
Before:
- Forward Fold
- Shoulderstand
- Plow Pose
After:
- One-Legged Reverse Table Top
- Reverse Table Top with Figure Four Legs
- Upward Plank Pose (Purvottanasana)
Teaching Cues
- Allow the crown of your head to drop towards the back of your space if it feels comfortable in your neck
- Maintain a 90-degree bend in your knees with your ankles resting directly beneath your knees
- Keep the palms of your hands flat on your mat
- Tuck your tailbone slightly under
- Press down through all ten toes
Variations
- Reverse Table Top on a chair with hips down the palms to touch overhead.
Watch Out For
- Knees resting wider than the hips
- Hands planting wider than the shoulders
- Neck pain as crown of head drops back