Pose Down: Upavishta Konasana / Wide Angled Seated Forward Bend

My latest pose for myyogaonline

Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angled Seated Forward Bend)

Benefits

• Stretches Adductor muscles of the groin
• Stretches Hamstring muscles
• Strengthens the supportive musculature of the spine
• Encourages activation of the core
• Traditionally thought to increase blood flow to the pelvis, keeping it healthy

Contraindications

• Low Back Pain: Sit up on a block or blanket, high enough that you can maintain the natural curve of your low back. When you are folding forward, use your hands for support on the floor. If you cannot safely enter and exit the pose without pain, it is not appropriate for you.
• Sacroiliac Joint Pain: If you have been diagnosed with Sacroiliac Joint pain, avoid wide legged poses until the pain subsides. Return with caution, using your core to support you.
• Pregnancy: The hormone Relaxin causes the bones of the pelvis to be more mobile that usual. Take your legs slightly less than 90 degrees, and gently lift and support the pelvic floor muscles (a Kiegel) to prevent unnecessary shearing in the pubic symphis. Do not allow your stomach to be compressed against the floor.

Step by Step
(oo-pah-VEESH-tah cone-AHS-anna)
upavistha = seated, sitting
kona = angle
1. Sit with your legs open to a 90 degree angle (with your pelvis in the centre). Flex your feet to align the knees, toes pointing up to the sky. If you feel your pelvis rocking back, or a loss of the curve in the low back, sit up on some height, allowing the pelvis to tilt forward.

2. Place the finger tips on the floor behind your hips. Inhale, drawing the sides of the body long, creating space in the spine. Stay here if you are feeling a stretch in the legs.

3. To move deeper, first support your low back using your core musculature. Draw the muscles of the pelvic floor gently upward (the same muscles you use to stop and start the flow of urine). Draw the lower abdomen gently in.

4. Start to walk the hands out in front of you, slowly, using your breath as a guide. Keep the spine long and lead with the heart. Stop when you feel you have reached a challenging but sustainable position. Rather than trying to get closer to the earth, imagine growing longer through the spine.

5. Advanced: If you are able to bring your chest to the earth, you may wish to reach for your ankles or feet. Keep your core muscles drawing in. If you are hovering above the floor, use a supportive prop to avoid straining the Sacroiliac Joints and the lumbar spine.

6. Breathe comfortably.

7. To exit the pose, reconnect with your core, and slowly walk the hands back towards your body. Use your hands to gently bend the knees, and bring the legs back together.

Modifications / Cautions

• Knee Discomfort / Inability to straighten legs: Place a rolled up blanket or towel under the bend in each knee for support.
• If you are in between the stage of supporting your self with your hands, and allowing your torso to meet the floor, use a bolster to rest your torso on, or a block for your forehead but ensure you are supporting your low back by gently contracting your lower belly.
• Avoid rounding the lumbar spine to avoid stress on the discs between the vertebrae.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca

Sivasana: Even Blogs Need One

Oh my it has been a while. But as the title of this post reads, even blogs need a sivasana once in a while.

To make it up to you I will post below a wonderful script for 61 points relaxation. This is a powerful way to shift from our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) to our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). The wonderful and surprising thing about our bodies is that we can trick them into a parasympathetic state. Simply by recreating some of the actions that occur during that state, our body will start to shift. Deep, slow breaths, which in turn cause our heart rate to decrease, which allow us to slow down and notice the tension in our body - and voila we are in a parasympathetic state of being.

Enjoy a deeper, calmer state of being.
61 Points Relaxation
Lie in sivasana.
Begin to slow down your breathing – taking deeper inhales and longer exhales.
Become aware of your right thumb and mentally say ‘right thumb’ without moving. Bring your awareness to:

Right hand thumb, first finger, second finger, third finger, pinky finger, palm of the hand, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, waist, hip, thigh, knee, calf muscle ankle, heel, top of the foot, sole of the foot, right big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe.

Now go to the left side. Become aware of the left hand thumb, first finger, second finger, third finger, pinky finger, palm of the hand, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, waist, hip, thigh, knee, calf muscle ankle, heel, top of the foot, sole of the foot, left big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe.

Next move to the back of the body. Back of the head, back of the neck, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, right buttock, left buttock, right heel, left heel.

Now the front of the body. Top of the head, forehead, right temple, left temple, right ear, left ear, right eyebrow, left eyebrow, middle of the eyebrows, right eye, left eye, right nostril, left nostril, whole nose, right cheek, left cheek, upper lip, lower lip, both lips together, chin, neck ,right collarbone, left collarbone, right side of the chest ,left side of the chest, middle of the chest, navel, upper abdomen, lower abdomen, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, the whole of the head. The whole body, the whole body, the whole body.

Become aware of the body lying on the floor. Bring your awareness to the points of contact between your body and the floor. Both heels are on the floor and there is a point where they touch the floor. Now, from the top of the body. The head and the floor, the back and floor, the right hand and the floor, the left hand and the floor, the right elbow and the floor, the left elbow and the floor, the buttocks and the floor, the hamstrings and the floor, the heels and the floor. Imagine the meeting points of the body and the floor, the whole body and the floor. The body is on the floor. Become aware of the whole body, the whole body, the whole body.

Slowly bring your attention back to the room, making small movements with the body. Roll to your side and come back to sitting.

To learn more about Dr. Robin visit stayactive.ca