reference: http://lovemyyoga.com/side-plank-pose.html
Music: Ravi and Anoushka Shankar - Raga Anandi Kalyan
Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KXk_8_8oLY&feature=related
Friday, November 18, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sanskrit name - translation and meaning
Vasisthasana (vah-sish-TAHS-anna) - Translated as "most richest pose."
Vasisthasana comes from the word Vasistha, which means "most excellent, best, richest."
Vasistha is named after one of the most honored sages in the Indian tradition. Vasistha was one of the lords of creation (prajapatis) and the author of several Vedic hymns.
Vasisthasana comes from the word Vasistha, which means "most excellent, best, richest."
Vasistha is named after one of the most honored sages in the Indian tradition. Vasistha was one of the lords of creation (prajapatis) and the author of several Vedic hymns.
Elements of Vasisthasana
The first step of achieving this pose is standing in tadasana, the mountain pose. You must stand with your feet hip width apart and. While standing in tadasana, you should relax your tailbone towards your heel and soften your front ribs by relaxing them and breathing into them. You should breathe into the uppermost part of your lungs, to help you fully open your chest. You should balance your weight evenly among your feet; you can achieve this by lifting and spreading your toes and laying them softly down on the floor.
Then, you should perform uttanasana, the intense forward stretch. In order to do so, you should inhale and stretch your hands above your head. When you exhale, you should roll your spine forward. With each exhalation in this position, you should release a little more fully into the forward bend. You should broaden your shoulder blades and soften the tops of your shoulders by shrugging them if you need to. Finally, you should spread your palms on the ground with your fingers spread out. You can microbend your legs if you need to.
The next step is to descend into adho mukha svanasana, downward facing dog. In order to get into adho mukha svanasana, you should step or hop both feet back. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor while lengthening your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis. Then, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor.
Then, you should inhale to the plank position. You should flatten your back when you are in plank position and should hold your core muscles tightly. Then, lift your hips slightly up to begin the transition to vasisthasana. Shift your weight onto your right arm as you roll onto the outside of your right foot, opening your whole body to the right side. You should shift to the outside edge of your right foot and stack your right foot on top of your left foot. Do not forget to flex your feet and press your heels towards the floor. Then you can rest your left arm on top of your torso. Make sure that your right hand isn’t directly below your right shoulder; position the hand slightly in front of your right shoulder. Your triceps should be firm and your fingers pressing firmly into the ground. Also, you should keep your hips as lifted as possible and your thighs as strengthened as possible. Your body should be aligned in a straight line from your heels to the crown of your head. Next, reach your left arm straight up towards the sky, forming a line from your right wrist through your left fingers. Keep the head forward or turn it to gaze up at the top hand.
To achieve the full posture, your left leg must be raised perpendicular to the floor. In order to achieve this, you must exhale and bend the left knee, drawing the thigh into the torso. You then reach inside the bent leg and use the index and middle fingers of the top hand to grab the big toe. Then, you stretch the leg perpendicularly toward the ceiling.
In order to get out of the position, you release the grip on the toe, and return the left foot to its original position. Then, you should shift to adho mukha svanasana. The final shift in this pose is the shift to balasana, or child's pose. In child's pose, you kneel on the floor, sit on your heels, separate your knees, and rest your head towards the floor.
You should repeat the posture on the other side.
As a variation of stacking your left leg on top of your right leg, you can also place your left leg towards the floor in front of your right leg in a squat-like form.
Then, you should perform uttanasana, the intense forward stretch. In order to do so, you should inhale and stretch your hands above your head. When you exhale, you should roll your spine forward. With each exhalation in this position, you should release a little more fully into the forward bend. You should broaden your shoulder blades and soften the tops of your shoulders by shrugging them if you need to. Finally, you should spread your palms on the ground with your fingers spread out. You can microbend your legs if you need to.
The next step is to descend into adho mukha svanasana, downward facing dog. In order to get into adho mukha svanasana, you should step or hop both feet back. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor while lengthening your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis. Then, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor.
Then, you should inhale to the plank position. You should flatten your back when you are in plank position and should hold your core muscles tightly. Then, lift your hips slightly up to begin the transition to vasisthasana. Shift your weight onto your right arm as you roll onto the outside of your right foot, opening your whole body to the right side. You should shift to the outside edge of your right foot and stack your right foot on top of your left foot. Do not forget to flex your feet and press your heels towards the floor. Then you can rest your left arm on top of your torso. Make sure that your right hand isn’t directly below your right shoulder; position the hand slightly in front of your right shoulder. Your triceps should be firm and your fingers pressing firmly into the ground. Also, you should keep your hips as lifted as possible and your thighs as strengthened as possible. Your body should be aligned in a straight line from your heels to the crown of your head. Next, reach your left arm straight up towards the sky, forming a line from your right wrist through your left fingers. Keep the head forward or turn it to gaze up at the top hand.
To achieve the full posture, your left leg must be raised perpendicular to the floor. In order to achieve this, you must exhale and bend the left knee, drawing the thigh into the torso. You then reach inside the bent leg and use the index and middle fingers of the top hand to grab the big toe. Then, you stretch the leg perpendicularly toward the ceiling.
In order to get out of the position, you release the grip on the toe, and return the left foot to its original position. Then, you should shift to adho mukha svanasana. The final shift in this pose is the shift to balasana, or child's pose. In child's pose, you kneel on the floor, sit on your heels, separate your knees, and rest your head towards the floor.
You should repeat the posture on the other side.
As a variation of stacking your left leg on top of your right leg, you can also place your left leg towards the floor in front of your right leg in a squat-like form.
Physical and therapeutic benefits of Vasisthasana
Vasisthasana enables you to stretch your hips and groin. The practice of this pose strengthens and tones your abdomen, shoulder girdle, low spine, legs, latissimus dorsi, and gluteus maximus. You are both stretching and strengthening your wrists. If you are performing the full pose, where your top leg is raised perpendicular to the floor, will are stretching the backs of your legs, especially your hamstrings. Vasisthasana also focuses your mind, which leads to deeper concentration, focus, balance and coordination. It enhances your senses of trust and equanimity, or mental calmness and composure. It brings about the flow of energy throughout your body and reduces depression, anxiety and fear. Stamina, determination, and will-power are enhanced by the practice of this pose as well. Vasisthasana is said to be a natural treatment for epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. It is also said to help a weak mind, imbalanced spirit and weak core.
Awareness
In Vasisthasana, since I am supposed to be staying still, I am trying my best to tighten my legs and gluteus maximus. Doing so makes my legs and gluteus maximus feel a burning sensation. In addition, when I look up at my extended arm, I try to resist the temptation of my arm to sway downwards to my hips by focusing on keeping it straight and perpendicular to the group. As I stay in this position, I feel my hips sinking into the ground and I focus upon keeping them upward. While I do so, the hip that is farthest away from the ground stings with pain. I feel my shoulders shifting towards each other. In order to prevent them from shifting towards each other, I breathe into my chest, soften my neck, and let my chest expand so my shoulders blades can open up and therefore become straight. This makes my shoulders feel surprisingly relaxed. My chest feels filled with air and more stiff than I normally feel it. The arm that is touching the ground and holding me up starts to hyper-extend and become numb. I have to micro-bend that arm and send the breath into that arm in order to prevent it from hyper-extending. My core feels as if it is on fire because I am tightening it to hold my body off the ground. I feel that the more I concentrate upon tightening my abdomen, the more my body is able to hold itself off the ground. Finally, my spine seems to feel elongated as I am in the position because I am supposed to be working on keeping it straight. Since I am breathing into my spine, I feel my spine relaxing and straightening. I feel extremely concentrated as I focus upon not falling and look straight forward to the same spot to present myself from toppling over.
References
http://www.cnyhealingarts.com/2011/07/21/the-health-benefits-of-vasisthasana-side-plank-pose/
The Health Benefits of Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)
I learned physical benefits and how actions of muscles involved here.
http://health.indianetzone.com/yoga/hathyoga/1/vasisthasana.htm
Vasisthasana
I learned therapeutic benefits here.
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2581
Let It Shine
I learned physical benefits here.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/783
Side Plank Pose
I learned how to get in and out of Vasisthasana, the Sanskrit name and meaning, and the English name.
http://faern-in-the-works.com/2010/04/01/pose-of-the-month-vasisthasana-pose-dedicated-to-the-sage-vasistha/
Pose of the month: Vasisthasana
I learned how to get into and out of the pose.
The Health Benefits of Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)
I learned physical benefits and how actions of muscles involved here.
http://health.indianetzone.com/yoga/hathyoga/1/vasisthasana.htm
Vasisthasana
I learned therapeutic benefits here.
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2581
Let It Shine
I learned physical benefits here.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/783
Side Plank Pose
I learned how to get in and out of Vasisthasana, the Sanskrit name and meaning, and the English name.
http://faern-in-the-works.com/2010/04/01/pose-of-the-month-vasisthasana-pose-dedicated-to-the-sage-vasistha/
Pose of the month: Vasisthasana
I learned how to get into and out of the pose.
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