This pose is important as it helps you to sit in the correct posture. Regular practice of this pose will make your hips, lower back and pelvis strong and flexible. This pose requires the whole body to engage to achieve the right balance, hence it is quite difficult. It is not as easy as it appears. Infact when you put it to work you will find this pose to be quite challenging.
This is a very simple pose which can be done by simple sitting and it is suitable for everybody. It teachers you to sit correctly and helps you to increase your flexibility. The following steps can be followed to perform this pose -
Start this pose by pressing the sitting bones in the floor and point the crown of your head to the ceiling to lengthen and straighten the spine.
Now flex your feet and then press out through your heels.
After this keep your palms on the floor adjacent to your hips for supporting your spine and relaxing your shoulders down. Keep your torso straight but in a relaxed pose.
Once this is done ground your lower half firmly to the floor by relaxing the legs.
Now stay in this position for about 20 to 30 seconds.
The main anatomical focus of this asana or pose is the uterus. It helps the keep the uterus healthy and benefits it in numerous ways.
The main therapeutic applications for this pose is sciatica. it is also a great stress buster and helps your entire body and mind to relax and calm down.
The following are the benefits of this pose -
It helps to improve the posture and improves the sense of balance.
It makes the back muscles strong and improves it flexibility.
It is also beneficial for the spine as it helps to lengthen and stretch it.
It is also helpful in relieving complications related to the reproductive organs.
It helps to stretch the shoulders and the chest.
It makes your body resistant to back and hip injuries.
It is also helpful in claming the brain cells.
It is believed to have powers to improve the functioning of the digestive system.
It creates body awareness.
It helps to improve the alignment of the body.
It also provides mild stretch for the hamstrings.
It helps you to connect to the three bandhas.
This is a very beneficial pose however there are certain conditions where one should avoid it. Avoid practicing this pose if you have a wrist or a low back injury as it tends to put pressure in these areas. Do not overstress yourself or try to push yourself beyond your limits. Always consult a trained yoga professional before you start doing yoga to properly understand the benefits or any challenges involved with the pose.
It is a very simple pose hence people should not really have any difficulty in doing it. The beginners can make it easier and simpler by trying to secure their elbows in this pose by elevating them on a rolled up sticky mat. One can also lay one to three 10 pound sandbags across the tops of their thighs at the hip crease to help ground their thighs.
You can alter the pose by following the following steps - interlace your fingers and stretch out your arms forward keeping it parallel to the floor. Make sure that the palms are facing away from with your thumbs in downward direction. Now inhale and raise the arms upward till they reach slightly behind the ears. Keep your shoulders relaxed. This helps to open up the chest and stretches the front of the abdomen.
Some of the preparatory poses one can try before performing this pose are - Adho Mukha Svasana and Uttanasana. These poses help to set the body in the correct mood for this asana.
One can follow up on this pose by the following poses like Adho Mukho Avasana, Purvottanasana and Bharadvajasana I.
This is a simple yet advanced pose however one can bring in more challenges to this pose by refining it further so that the alignment becomes automatic and that one is able to move in and out of the pose with good control. For advanced practice you also need to improve endurance of this posture so that the form does not degrade with fatigue which is likely to happen after many sun salutations usually at the end of a heavy yoga session.
To get the maximum benefit from this pose ensure that you are sitting in the right pose. You can follow a couple of things to sit up straight. Ensure that your weight is equally balanced across both the sit bones. Move your hips to reach the neutral position and ensure that your pubic bone and tail bone are at same distance from the floor. Work the pose from your feet up and draw the base of your big toes forward and align your feet, heels and toes. Ensure to align yourself in such a way that your ears, shoulders and hips are in a straight line.