The Wellness District

So I made a little discovery while practicing headstand today.  I believe it will help to correct many of the common issues I see with the alignment of the arms, hands and shoulder blades in this pose.

In the pose oftentimes the palms tend to unravel outwards and the outer armpits tend to flair outwards.

To correct this here are my suggestions: while in the pose, slide the thumbside of the hand along the skull and towards the back of the neck and roll the upper armbones in.  Rolling the armbones in will correct the issue of the flaring outer armpits, as that area too draws in.  Overall you should get the sensation of bringing all your members in towards a center line as you use the legs to extend stronly upwards.

The Iyengar method focuses a lot on the base of the pose, which in this case is mainly the arms.  I have observed that by focusing on the base many of the issues in the rest of the body immediately correct themselves.

Doing the pose in the manner described here should help the trapezius muscles lift, thus giving freedom to the neck and taking the weight off the head.  In addition, it protects the shoulders and gives stability to the posture.

One of the things I have noticed about the Iyengar system, is that it trains it's teachers, to scan their classes, and to choose a theme based on the common habit. So if a teacher observes that the majority of the class has a tendency to under utilize a certain area of the body, then the class could possibly be focussed on the actions required to strengthen that area.

This is often delivered by allowing the student to experience the correct actions in a seemingly less complicated pose (often Tadasana/ Mountain Pose) and then allowing them to experience the very same actions in the remaining asanas of the class.

What this means is that the more senior the teacher, the more his/her classes are organized around a central and identifiable theme. It is identifiable mainly by a mantra, or oft repeated phrase.

The mantra I found myself repeating in class this week was 'Take the diamond of the abdomen back and take the tail bone to the floor'.

Now first some definitions:

The Diamond of the Abdomen - this is the entire wall of abdominal muscles, that begins underneath the lower ribs and continues to the top of the pelvis. It is nicknamed as such because of the shape of the bones that define the region. Instructing a student to take that area back, is more efficient an than instruction than 'Take the abdomen back', as the abdomen is often perceived as a small area surrounding the navel. The diamond of the abdomen, when clearly identified, helps the student perceive the whole abdominal wall of muscles, regardless of the pose/configuration they are in.

The Tail Bone - This is at the very tip of the spine. In many individuals, especially those with lower back issues, the tail bone points back and up, rather than back and down. This is due to the lordosis or concavity that occurs in the lumbar region. The purpose of taking the tail bone down, is therefore to create extension in the back lumbar region.

These two action correct many things in one, but overall they create awareness in the back body. I will illustrate with Tadasana.

In Tadasana, often in an effort to open the chest, the part of the abdominal wall near the floating ribs is thrown forward, the hips go forward of the heels, the top front rim of the pelvis tilts forward, and the majority of the feet's weight goes in the toes.

When the whole diamond of the abdomen is taken back and the tailbone is brought down, the lower ribs can line up with the hip bones, the pelvis is realigned and the weight on the feet goes back towards the heels.

These are seemingly simply actions that have profound consequences:

Physically,
1) they realign the pelvis. (This is especially important in women who have borne a child.)
2) they relieve lower back issues, as the lower back is encouraged away from a state of lordosis.
3) they bring tone to the entire abdominal wall

Mentally, they can do a lot as well. Many of us live mentally in the future. We are often think of what we have to do when we get out of practice, or when we reach the supermarket etc., rather than live in the moment. This physically manifests itself by a heavy inclination towards the front body. Protruding foreheads, protruding lower ribs, bulging abdomens, are all a physical manifestation of that mental tendency.

This whole idea then, of bringing as much awareness to the back body as to the front, is a physical manifestation of yoga bringing you back to the present. It can initially be experienced in Tadasana and then in all the other straight-spine postures as well.

This week's post is a continuation of the last post 'Improving Triangle Pose'.  We go deeper into the explanation of why the distance between the legs and the height of the hand are so important for many a beginner and intermediate students. In addition we see how this all ties back to yoga philosophy.

Reason One: To maintain an open chest

One of the main reasons mentioned prior, was to maintain an open chest.  

It should be no secret that the breathing techniques are extremely important in yoga. As such, it is introduced in many a beginner class in a variety of ways.  In some schools of yoga, the breath is first laced within a flowing sequence of postures.  In other schools of yoga, a full fledged Pranayama practice is introduced from day one. In Iyengar yoga, the importance of breath first manifests itself by aligning the pose so that chest is open and the breath can be full.

Opening the chest then, should take priority over everything else. Reviewing the sets of pictures from the last blog post, will quickly reveal how the chest opens up in the final set, where the legs are wider apart and the hand is higher. In the case of Triangle Pose then, widening the stance and introducing a block or chair for the front hand is a good option. It is all depends of the direction of the center of the practitioner's chest. Is it pointing directly outward or is it pointing down to the floor?.  The former, of course, is ideal.

Reason Two: To allow the torso and head to turn freely

Triangle Pose is a twist. It is often thought of just a standing pose, but there must be some revolution of the torso and head for the pose to be done correctly. As with all twists the spine must be extended before twisting can begin. Creating more distance between the legs allows the the torso to extend and the twist to be deeper. At the same time it becomes more therapeutic for the neck and shoulders.

To see if you twist enough in Triangle Pose pose, see if while in the pose,  the lower side of the torso is directly above the top of the front leg. This way you practice self-study or Svadhyaya.

Reason Three: To find Tadasana in the posture

The third reason underscores one of the understated aims of yoga: and that is, to find Tadasana (Mountain Pose) in every posture.  

The picture below will illustrate how Tadasana can be found in Triangle Pose.

The back leg is the standing, or Tadasana leg. The chest is open, and facing forward, just like in Tadasana.  In any other variation of the pose (see last blog post's pictures), Tadasana can not easily be found, as the chest closes and the back leg wanes.

Not only is this important from a physical stand point, but from a mental standpoint as well.  The question is, Can we maintain the steadiness of mind, the focus, the alertness that Tadasana requires, in every single posture?  Can we then carry that over into life, and be as present in every situation that we find ourselves in? We will expand a little more on this in a future blog post but that is the question many of the standing poses ask.

 

Reason Four: To allow the legs to work correctly

The fourth main reason for the alignment mentioned in the last post is to make the legs work correctly.  I will again demonstrate with pictures.  

One of the missions of the front leg in this pose, is to teach the hip opening action that is found in more advanced poses such as Padmasana.  There are several ways to experience it:
1) Turning the knee to the little toe side of the foot.
2) Rotating of the thigh muscle to the outer hip.
3) Rotating the front buttock well underneath, until the sit bone is in line with the heel.

Regardless of the action(s) you are familiar with, they all results in the same thing: the rotation of the front femur (the thigh bone) in its socket.

If the pose is too narrow, the back leg is disturbed by these actions.  The back thigh tends to pop forward and the back knee tends to bend. This happens because the legs don't have enough room to work independently.  Then the back leg looses its 'tadasana-likeness' and the groins get compressed.

 

 

So in many cases, to allow the legs to work independently, without affecting the potential contribution of each other, they must be further apart.
 

Yoga Philosophy and Triangle Pose

Now just to touch briefly on how the suggestions made in this blog post tie back to the philosophies of yoga.  Remember in Iyengar yoga,  the intention is to reach a meditative state within each posture, regardless of the level of the practitioner. 

Its a little bit different from other forms of yoga where asanas are done and then meditation follows. In fact this is one of the reasons the poses are held so much longer. The idea is that if we can meditate in each of the 600 postures identified in modern yoga, then we can meditate in any situation in life.

To reach a meditative there are certain requirements. Here are just a few:
1) The mind must be free of fluctuations (vrittis) - physical discomfort is one possible source of distraction hence the emphasis on having them removed.
2) An alert mind - hence the attention on attaining a 'tadasana-like' state of mind.
3) Self-study - hence the encouragement to align the pose from within.
4) A steady full breath - hence the priority given to opening the chest.

 

Once modifications in general move us closer to a meditative state, then the aim of yoga is being achieved.

Summary

Observing the suggestion 'Step Wider, Go Higher', Triangle Pose can move from just being a hamstring stretch, as the hand reaches to the floor, to opening up the possibilities that it could be much more.  With the correct adjustment for the practitioners level, it could be a hip opening, chest building, neck freeing, leg strengthening experience as well. More importantly, it is one way (not the only way) of moving closer to the aim of yoga.

That is not to say that the hand must never reach the floor. It simply is not the first priority. Most importantly, it should not be done at the expense of all the actions and benefits here mentioned.

 

 

One of the first poses learnt in many a yoga class is Utthita Trikonasana, also known as Triangle Pose.

It is known 'to tone the leg muscles and give one a sense of balance and poise'' - see Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar.

Often asked is what is the first point of improvement I would recommend for this posture. Based on what I see over and over again in many a beginner session, the answer to that question is 'Step Wider, Go Higher'.

I will explain.

Observe the Triangle pose in the photo below. I have deliberately made the stance too narrow and taken the hand way down to the floor. 

There are several things that can be noticed here:

1) The lower ribs are significantly more compressed than the top
2) The center of the chest points a little down toward the floor rather than facing directly outward
3) The shoulder and neck area are congested and as a result the upper torso doesn't have much room to turn.

Now look at these other pictures.  The hand is still on the floor mind you, but the back leg was taken back to give the pose a must wider stance.

And then observe:

1) The lower ribs get more room to expand
2) The chest opens a little bit better
3) The upper torso can begin to turn

Now look at this third set of pictures.  Note that the hand was taken a little bit higher with the stance remaining as wide as before.

As a result:

1) The lower ribs are just as open as the top.
2) The center of the chest now faces out towards you.
3) The torso has significantly more freedom to turn.

To appreciate the complete change in alignment of the pose, look at the pose from the side:

The challenge to the mind with these modifications is that we often feel this pose is all about taking the hand to the floor. In addition our bodies tend not to want to believe the pose has to be that wide. After all it feels unnatural having the legs that wide at first and who doesn't want to feel they have reached for the floor. Then the pose looks like the first set of pictures, shoulder and neck issues could possibly arise and lower back issues as well. 

The third set of pictures however, really indicate a straighter spine, calmer nerves and a potentially more therapeutic experience overall.

Yes in the final posture the hand does go to the floor but that does not take priority over everything else. Its more about forgiving one (1) per cent of the pose so that you can get the other ninety-nine (99) per cent correct, rather than going for the one (1) per cent we think is so important and then losing everything else.

One of my favorite teaching topics is the Posture Brace. It is the opening of the chest with a strap, as will be described in this blog post. The expression on the faces of those who experience it, is one of complete and utter relief, as stresses due to bad posture are instantly released.

Not many of us practitioners get to experience the fullness of breadth that comes with an open chest, due to the limitations that exist in our own bodies. This exercise is a way to compensate for these limitations and teach the body new and valuable habits which are helpful in any posture.

Instructions:

1) Take the strap accross the bottom tips of both shoulder blades.
2) Take the strap in front and loop it over the trapezius muscles (these are near the base of the neck on either side)
3) Cross the strap in the back and use a either hand to hold the loose ends and pull downwards.

With this several actions about chest opening can be observed.

Stage 1 - Strap stretched across bottom tips of the shoulder blades	Stage 2 - Strap looped in front and over the trapezius muscles on either side near the base of the neck	Stage 3 - Straps crossed in back and then being pulled by either hand downwards

Observed Actions:

1) The bottom of the sternum moves forward
2) The trapezius muscles move away from the neck
3) The upper arms roll outwards
4) The back of the armpit moves the front
5) The shoulder blades press into the back and a deep groove is formed in between them.

Front View - Showing the bottom of the sternum going forward and up.	Side View - Showing the back of the armpit moving to the front and the upper arm bones rolling outwards.	Back View - Showing the shoulder blades pressing in towards the chest and the trapezius muscles moving away from the neck.

The awareness created by learning the foregoing actions, can be used to decipher any pose that requires an open chest.

For example in Paschima Namaskarasana (Reverse Prayer Pose) , if the above-mentioned instructions are repeated, this can be very healing for the shoulder and neck area. In Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Legged Standing Forward Bend), though the body is in a forward bend, the very same instructions and the very same actions will deepen the pose as well. Although Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) is an inversion, it also requires the same actions to fully experience the pose.

This is not something that can be just read an understood. It requires that you take the time out to study and experience it for yourself in each of the above mentioned postures.

However the Posture Brace of itself, is sure to brighten your day. In fact if you feel satisfied and you wish to keep it on longer, simply buckle the strap in front and tighten accordingly.

It is my please sharing yoga with you.

Namaste.

Asha.