Relaxation asanas
|ॐ|
|ॐ|
The importance of the correct practice of these asanas cannot be stressed enough. One of my masters once told me that yoga is done mostly with your mind and in the previous post we spoke about the eight limbs of yoga. Remember that asana is just one of them; a healthy body is necessary to develop a healthy mind for sure, but it does not all the job. I guess it's also true the other way around, that is, a healthy mind can be mirrored as a healthy body. The other limbs are mostly concerned with breath, life ethics, concentration and meditation.
Relaxation asanas should be practiced after a session of pranayama, before sleeping, before and after an asana session, to practice yoga nidra and every time the body feels out of energy during the practice. The asanas might seem easy at first, yet to do them properly you will need to relax all the tension in your body. And that's not an easy task at all. Some of you will find hard to stay in shavasana, without moving, for more than 5 minutes; yet these asanas are very important because they give the body the rest it needs, as they help relax the whole psyco- and physiological system. Also they are recommended for back and spinal problems.
These asanas have no contraindication. Stay in a relaxation pose for 1 to 2 minutes between asana practice when needed, while the final relaxation should last no less than 10 minutes. A nice meditative music with binaural beats or a mantra can be played during the practice.
Be completely still during the practice, even the smallest movement can disturb the practice.
Shavasana (Corpse pose)
Lie on your back with the arms by the side of the body, about 15 cm away from the body, palms of the hands up, relax the fingers. Separate the legs to a comfortable position and close the eyes. Head and spine should be in a straight line. Relax the whole body and do not move. Focus on your breath. After some time, again become aware of your body and of the surroundings, start moving the fingers and the toes, then arms and legs, open your eyes. Move as you please, stretch, roll the spine, then come back to a seated position.
Sávasana is recommended to practice yoga nidra and for the final relaxation after the asana practice.
Makarasana (Crocodile pose)
Lie on your stomach, place the right hand on top of the left hand, palms facing downward. Rest your forehead on your hands, so that the spine is equally relaxed.
Alternatively, you can place the right or the left cheek on your hands, taking care of switching side.
Open your feet mat-width apart, let the heels fall on the inside; you can also keep your legs together, big toes in touch and heels pointing outside.
Close your eyes and relax the whole body focusing on your breath. After sometime again become aware of your body and the surroundings and release the pose.
Makarasana is recommended after practicing challenging backward bends as Dhanurasana or Shalabhasana.
Matsya Kridasana (Flapping fish pose)
Lie on the belly, bend the left leg on the side bringing the left knee close to the ribs. The right leg is straight and in touch with the floor.
Bend the elbows and place your arms so that you can rest the side of the head on the crook of the right elbow. The left elbow should be close to the left knee, place the hands one on top of the other with palms facing down.
Relax in the position and after some time switch sides.
Balasana or Gharbhasana (Child's pose)
Sit in Vajrasana. Raise your arms straight up over the head, inhale deeply and as you exhale bend the trunk forward so that the arms, palms of the hands and forehead come in touch with the floor. Bend the arms slightly so that they are relaxed, do not touch the floor with the tip of your nose so that the neck is in the right position. The spine should be equally relaxed and rounded, the heels should touch the hipbones.
Relax the whole body and close the eyes while you focus on your breath. After sometime become aware of the surroundings and release the posture coming up slowly as you inhale.
This position too is indicated after the practice of lower spine bends such as Bhujangasana.
Variations:
Rest the arms besides the body, palms facing down.
You may bend your elbows and use your hands as support for the forehead. Make sure both your elbows touch the ground.
Knees can be opened but big toes should remain in touch.
These positions are a focal point in the practice of yoga, as they allow to relax the whole body and release all tension. This is not only indicated if you want to reach the so-called "higher states of mind", but also just to diminish stress and the fight or flight state in which we can find ourselves sometimes.
Do you practice relaxation after your asana practice?
I wish my readers a happy day with love, light and shanti! ॐ
No comments:
Post a Comment