Extended Side Angle(Utthita Parsvakonasana) Pose: Instructions


It might be better, then, to think of Utthita Parsvakonasana as the "Extended Sides Angle Pose."
(oo-TEE-tah parsh-vah-cone-AHS-anna)
utthita = extended
parsva = side, flank
kona = angle

Step 1
Stand in Tadasana. On an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3.5 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down. Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the kneecap is in line with the center of the right ankle. Roll the left hip slightly forward, toward the right, but rotate your upper torso back to the left.
Step 2
Anchor the left (back) heel to the floor by lifting the inner left groin deep into the pelvis. Then exhale and bend your right knee over the right ankle, so that the shin is perpendicular to the floor. As you bend the knee aim the inner knee toward the little-toe side of the foot. If possible, bring the right thigh parallel to the floor.
Step 3
Firm your shoulder blades against the back ribs. Extend your left arm straight up toward the ceiling, then turn the left palm to face toward your head and with an inhalation reach the arm over the back of your left ear, palm facing the floor. Stretch from your left heel through your left fingertips, lengthening the entire left side of your body. Turn your head to look at the left arm. Release your right shoulder away from the ear. Try to create as much length along the right side of your torso as you do along the left.
Step 4
As you continue to ground your left heel to the floor, exhale and lay the right side of your torso down onto (or bring it as close as possible to) the top of the right thigh. Press your right fingertips (or palm) on the floor just outside of your right foot. Actively push the right knee back against the inner arm; counter this by burrowing your tail bone into the back of your pelvis, toward the pubis. The inside of your right thigh should be parallel with the long edge of your sticky mat.
Step 5
Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up. Push both heels strongly into the floor and reach the left arm forcefully toward the ceiling to lighten the upward movement. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left. Then come up and return to Tadasana.

Sanskrit Name

Utthita Parsvakonasana

Pose Level-1

Contraindications and Cautions

  • Headache
  • High or low blood pressure
  • Insomnia
If you have any neck problems don't turn your head to look at the top arm; instead look straight ahead with the sides of the neck lengthened evenly, or look down at the floor.

Modifications and Props

Here's an exercise that will help you get a feel for the proper action of the front thighbone in this pose. Buckle a strap into a medium-size loop and slip it over your front leg. Then perform steps 1 and 2 in the main description of this pose. Snug the strap into the right groin, into the crease where the thigh joins the pelvis (make sure the strap isn’t touching the floor). Then hang a 10-pound weight from the loop, and complete the movement into the pose. Let the head of the right thighbone, which is just below the strap, sink into the weight toward the floor. Use this action to align the thigh parallel to the floor, ground the heels, and further lengthen the spine, especially along the right (lower) side.

Deepen the Pose

Even for advanced students, the body's weight tends to shift forward onto the ball of the front foot, unbalancing the pose. Once in the pose, lift the ball of the front foot off the floor and re-affirm the anchor of the back heel by pressing the head of the back femur bone deep into its socket and lifting the inner back groin deep into the leg. Then soften the ball of the front foot onto the floor again.

Theraputic Applications

  • Constipation
  • Infertility
  • Low backache
  • Osteoporosis
  • Sciatica
  • Menstrual discomfort

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 10 Most Important Yoga Poses for Beginners

Image
If you are brand new to yoga, there are certain postures that are essential for you to learn so you can feel comfortable in a class or practicing on your own at home. It’s not easy to narrow everything down since there are over 300 positions in the physical yoga practice(asana), but these poses can start you off on the right path. If you do each one of these for 5-10 breaths, it also creates a great beginner’s yoga program for you to do every day. Here are my picks for the 10 most important yoga poses for beginners.  Note:  You don't have to be able to do all these poses exactly as pictured — ALWAYS listen to your body and modify if needed. 1. Mountain Pose Mountain Pose is the base for all standing poses; it gives you a sense of how to ground in to your feet and feel the earth below you. Mountain pose may seem like "simply standing," but there is a ton going on. How to do it:  Start standing with your feet together. Press down through all...
Read more

TREE POSE/ VRUKSHASANA - VARIATION

Image
Vrksasana, or Tree Pose, is one of the first postures any yogi learns. It seems simple enough, but is physically challenging for the hips, balance, ankles, and feet. It can also change daily depending on many emotional factors like your general mood, the day you’ve had, the amount of sleep you got, interactions that happened right before practice, and so much more. Overall, Tree Pose is chock full of juicy goodness, and is one of those foundational postures that every yogi should return to as much as possible. Here are a few of the many delicious holistic benefits of Tree Pose:  Cool Off and Slow Down Even just a few breaths in Tree Pose help ground you if you are having a whirlwind week. It creates peace in your mind and in your body, and is a wonderful way to slow down when life gets overwhelming. Curbing anxiety and stress is just one of the emotional responses this posture encourages, and it naturally cools you off and balances the fight or flight response. Take Tre...
Read more

O my envy of the moon

Image
O my envy of the moon, when your eyes first met mine, I was overjoyed Lightning struck and destroyed me; you ignited such a fire that it made me ecstatic Mixing beauty’s mischief into my drink, the moonlight smiled – how enjoyable! In the moon’s shadow, O my cup-bearer, you made me drink such a wine that I was ecstatic Intoxication spread through the bottle, and goblets clinked in the party of debauchees Mischief descended upon the tavern, and when storm clouds poured down, I was overjoyed Unveiled, she came before me, and her youthful splendor collided with mine aankh un ki lari yuun meri aankh se, dekh kar yeh laraaii maza aa gaya Her eyes clashed with mine in such a way that seeing this fight made me joyful Embarrassed by my questions, she lowered her head in such  a way that I was delighted Urdu : nusrat Fateh Ali Khan 
Read more