Ardha Matsyendrasana – Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
Sage Matsyenda was a renowned teacher of yoga who , according to legend, developed this pose.
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Yoga
These posts are about yoga.
Buddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose
Much as in paschimottanasana, if the focus is too much on getting the head down the resulting action is more spinal (flexion) than pelvic (sacroiliac and hip joints). For this reason, the intention should not be to get the head to the feet but to get the navel to the feet. The activity of the
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Upavistha Konasana – Seated Wide-Angle Pose
There is a strong action of nutation at the sacroiliac joint, as the top of the sacrum “nods” forward, while leaving the iliac bones behind. If the legs roll inward, there can be too much stretch for the inner knee and adductors. For tight students, it’s preferable to bend the knees a bit (with support)
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Parivrtta Janu Sirasana – Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose
Although the legs in this pose are the same as in janu sirsasana, the action in the spine is very different: Instead of rotating towards the extended leg, the rotation is away from the leg, and instead of flexion in the spine there is lateral flexion. This change in spinal action changes the action in
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Janu Sirasana – Head-to-Knee Pose
The asymmetry of this pose makes it very revealing about the ‘sidedness’ exhibited in the back muscles. Janu sirsasana can also reveal sidedness in the relative stability or mobility of the sacroiliac joints. Everyone has an “ease” and a “hard” side in this pose because of the inherent asymmetries of the human body. The more
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Paschimottanasana – West (back) Stetching
The back of the body is referred to as “west” due to the traditional practice of facing the rising sun when performing morning worship. Compare with purvottanasana— a stretch for the front of the body (purva = in front, before, eastward).
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Upavesasana – Squat—Sitting-Down Pose
The inability to dorsiflex the ankle-deep enough to keep the heels on the floor can be due to shortness in the Achilles tendon (specifically the soleus, in this position); however, the restriction can also be in the front of the ankle. A quick fix is available by using support under the heels, but it’s important
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Parsvottanasana Variation 1 – Intense Side Stretch With Arms in Reverse Namaskar
This arm position is most easily done with the scapulae abducted. As the pose deepens, the scapulae move back into adduction.
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Parsvottanasana – Intense Side Stretch
This forward bend is more intense in the hamstrings than uttanasana because the position of the back leg directs more of the flexion. into the hip joint, and spinal flexibility is less of an issue. Although the back leg is positioned with the leg turned out, the action of the musci.es is toward internal rotation,
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