Yoga posture - Janu Sirsasana
Translation: Knee to the Head
From a seated position extend one leg diagonally out. Raise the navel and
chest up then lean forward trying to keep a good length in the front of the
body. Twist the upper body towards the extended leg and lean forward and down
as far as possible. Place the hands on the leg or if the legs and lower back
are flexible grab the foot. Point the toes, heel or ball points of the toes
in the leg that is extended out. The elbows are shown both up and down on
the mat.
When the traditional version of this pose is performed the foot of the
bent leg is placed at the top of the inner thigh on the extended leg. This
causes the lower back to be stretched more on the side of the bent leg and
leaves the side of the body crushed a little on the side of the extended leg.
If the foot of the bent leg is placed around the knee of the extended leg
the hips align better. This allows the lower back to be more evenly stretched
on both sides.
Tips
The neck holds a lot of tension. Try to ease this so that the element
of water flows better.
The foot on the bent leg can be sideways into the straightened leg or
the sole of the foot can be turned upwards and placed under the extended
leg. The knee moves down towards the mat if the sole of the foot is turned
up.
Benifits
The hamstring muscles are stretched (the biceps femoris,
semitendinosus and the semimembranosus).
Lower back muscles are also stretched along with deep muscles and
ligaments that run along the spine.
The Trapezius muscles are well stretched during this exercise. See more about yoga poses and back muscles. |
