Vrksasana

  • Beginner's Tip:
    • If you tilt onto the twisting-side buttock (which compresses the lower back), raise it up on a thickly folded blanket. Consciously sink both sitting bones toward the floor.
  • Modifications and props:
    • For an easier variation of this pose, sit sideways on a chair with the chair back to your right. Bring your knees together and your heels directly below your knees. Exhale and twist toward the chair back. Hold onto the sides of the chair back and lift your elbows up and out to the sides, as if you were pulling the chair back apart. Use the arms to help widen the upper back and move the twist into the space between the shoulder blades.
  • Deepen the pose:
    • You can increase the challenge in this pose by slightly varying the position of the arms and hands. First, exhale and swing your right arm around behind your back as you twist to the right. If you can, grip the left arm just at the elbow with the right hand; if you can't, hold a strap looped around the left elbow. Then turn your left arm outward (so the palm faces away from the knees) and slip the hand under the right knee, palm on the floor.
  • Partnering:
    • A partner can help you learn to ground the opposite-side buttock. If you are twisting to the right, have your partner stand to your left side and place his/her left foot on the very top of your left thigh, with the inner edge of the foot in the groin. Apply gentle pressure at first, then increase the pressure as seems appropriate. Exhale into your twist but keep the top left thigh releasing away from your partner's foot.
  • Info
    • One of seven legendary seers, credited with composing the hymns collected in the Vedas.
  • Benefits:
    • Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips.
    • Massages the abdominal organs.
    • Relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica.
    • Helps relieve stress.
    • Improves digestion.
    • Especially good in the second trimester of pregnancy for strengthening the lower back.
    • Therapeutic for carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Therapeutic Applications:
    • Stress.
  • Contraindications and Cautions:
    • Heart problems .
    • Headache: Practice this pose lying back on a bolster.
    • Knee or ankle injury: Avoid this pose unless you have the assistance of an experienced instructor.