Simple strategies to Observe Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

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At first look, Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose) can seem like a fairly passive pose. Nevertheless this seated fold with a aspect bend and twist will probably be surprisingly energetic. The refined actions of inhaling as you carry tall, exhaling as you bend to the aspect, inhaling as you carry by your spine, and exhaling as soon as extra to fold a bit deeper ends in a sometimes-intense stretch all by your hamstrings, hips, once more, aspect physique, and shoulders.

The pose loosens up the muscle tissues in your once more and spherical your ribs, offering you with additional flexibility in your spine (that’s an incredible issue!) and allowing you to breathe additional deeply. You’ll uncover that this pose is every calming and energizing. It would in all probability relieve issues, ease neck ache, and the aspect bend stimulates your organs in a strategy that improves digestion.

Revolved Head-to-Knee fundamentals

Sanskrit: Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (puh-ree-VREET-tuh JAH-nu SHAS-ah-nah)

Pose kind: Seated; twist

Targets: Full physique

Why we adore it: “This pose has on a regular basis been simple and comfortable for me. In reality, in some unspecified time in the future after I used to be bodily exhausted, I actually fell asleep folded over my leg,” says Yoga Journal contributor Cyndi Lee. “Then three years prior to now I had every of my hips modified and sitting on the bottom was not accessible. I missed that grounded feeling of extending my legs alongside the bottom and folding over with no hitch. I decided to attempt sitting up on a bolster in a very slender place which will solely be known as a toddler straddle. I stacked a block on each aspect of 1 thigh and positioned my bottom forearm there, lifted the other arm up and bent sideways. And I stayed there, fully fascinated by the sensation of restricted range of motion in my thighs. I thought of the entire people in my classes over time who’ve felt this sense. I’ve alway tried to softly assist them with blocks, blankets, and straps as they found a method to switch into this place with out aggression or frustration. Nevertheless I on no account knew how they actually felt. Now these faculty college students grew to change into my inspiration as I used these self similar helps in my very personal observe. It’s three years later and now I can try this pose with out props. Nevertheless I don’t suppose I am going to fall asleep there.”

Grow to be a member proper now to entry Yoga Journal’s full Pose Library, which blends educated insights from excessive teachers with video instruction, anatomy know-how, variations, and further for 50+ poses, along with Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose. It’s a helpful useful resource you’ll return to repeatedly.

Pose benefits

Revolved Head-to-Knee stretches the spine, shoulders, and hamstrings, stimulates your abdomen organs, such as a result of the liver and kidneys, and improves complete digestion.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose: Step-by-step instructions

1. Begin in Upavistha Konasana (Broad-Angle Seated Forward Bend). Ground by your sitting bones and open your legs to about 120-degrees.  Your quadriceps must face the ceiling.
2. Bend your correct knee, and produce the heel to your groin.
3. As you inhale, lengthen your spine.
4. As you exhale, twist your torso to the acceptable.
5. Sustaining the rotation of your spine, tilt your torso laterally to the left.
6. Switch your left shoulder in direction of the inside of your left knee whereas revolving your torso in direction of the ceiling.
7. Lengthen your left hand, palm up, in direction of your left foot, and clasp your inside foot or attain your hand in direction of your foot.
8. Elevate your correct arm and produce it over your head. Should you occur to can attain it comfortably, seize the your left foot.
9. Press your left thigh into the bottom.
10. Press your correct knee in direction of the bottom to stability the burden of your torso.
11. As you inhale, lengthen your spine.
12. As you exhale, twist your torso further to the acceptable and revolve your chest to the ceiling.
13. Preserve for 10 breaths to 1 minute. Reverse the steps to return out of the pose.
14. Repeat on the other aspect.

Beginner’s tip

It’s larger to keep up the underside shoulder concerned with the inside knee, moderately than shedding the contact with a view to straighten the knee totally.

Educating Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

The following advice will help defend your faculty college students from harm and help them have the right experience of the pose:

1. This pose makes the hamstrings weak, notably near the sitting bones the place the muscle tissues join. To be safe, remind your faculty college students to contract their quadriceps, which sends a message to the hamstrings to stop contracting. Should you occur to tug the physique down and the hamstrings have not launched adequate to free the spine, if can damage the lower vertebrae.
2. This aspect bend will probably be an extreme quantity of of a stretch for some faculty college students. If a scholar’s physique isn’t capable of go over that far, advocate that they wrestle the underneath variation.

Variations

Delicate Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose

Solely lean into your aspect as far as you presumably can go together with out rounding your spine and slouching forward. This will likely often suggest holding your lower hand to your shin.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose in a chair

You’ll observe the pose in a chair. Sit wide-legged so that your left leg is over the aspect of the chair. Convey your correct leg in in direction of your pelvis. Attain up alongside together with your correct arm and bend your torso to the left. Assist your self by propping your left arm in your left thigh.

Preparatory poses

Upavistha Konasana (Broad Angle Seated Forward Bend)

Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)

Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Giant Toe Pose)

Counter poses

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Balasana (Baby’s Pose)

Research additional from our full Pose Library—which choices additional cues, step-by-step video instruction, educated insights, pose variations, anatomy know-how, and further for 50+ poses, along with Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose—by turning into a member. You’ll moreover receive distinctive content material materials along with sequences, video classes, a subscription to Yoga Journal journal, and further.