SUPINE AND RESTORATIVE YOGA POSES:
Restorative yoga poses prepare our body and mind for meditation and relaxation. Supine yoga poses allow free range of motion and utilize the support of the ground as a prop in itself. After an intensive asana practice, the final resting yoga pose Savasana connects our physical body and mind. Savasana can be thought of as an awakening. Giving us the time to contemplate the question “If I died today, would I be fully satisfied and content with what I accomplished in this life time?” Have you lived up to your full potential? Have you fully acknowledged the people in your life that are of great importance to you? Would you be able to pass on with no regrets?
Reclining Pose Dedicated to Vishnu / Anantasana
(anan-TAHS-anna)
ananta = infinite, without end
1. From a seated position lean back on your elbows and roll onto your right side supporting your head with your right hand. Place your left hand in front of you for balance.
2. Straighten out your legs with your left leg stacked upon your right. Make sure that your hips are square and perpendicular to the ground and that your legs are in a straight line with your torso. Flex your feet and pull your bellybutton into your spine.
3. Pushing your right leg into the ground lift your left leg to the sky without shifting your hips. Keep them square to the front. When your left leg is high enough reach up and grab the outside of your left foot with your left hand pulling your foot over your head.
Preparation
Practice Upavistha Konasana and Hanumasana to stretch your inner thighs and groins before doing this pose.
Benefits
– Stretches your legs, groins
– Strengthens your legs and core
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have a hip, groin or hamstring injury
Reclining Pose Dedicated to Vishnu (Variation) / Anantasana (Variation)
(anan-TAHS-anna)
ananta = infinite, without end
1. From a seated position lean back on your elbows and roll onto your right side supporting your head with your right hand. Place your left hand in front of you for balance.
2. Straighten out your legs with your left leg stacked upon your right. Make sure that your hips are square and perpendicular to the ground and that your legs are in a straight line with your torso. Point your toes.
3. Engaging your legs and keeping them straight and together raise your feet off the ground as far as they will go.
Benefits
– Strengthens your legs and obliques
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have a hip injury
Yogic Sleep / Yoganidrasana
(yog-an-ee-dras-anna)
nidra= sleep
yoganidra= refers to Vishnu sleeping
1. From a sitting position with your knees bent and your feet on the ground lean back with the help of your forearms until you are lying on your back. Bend both your knees and place your feet on the floor in front of you.
2. Bring your right leg toward you and grab the top of your calf with your right hand and the back of your right heel with your left hand. Bending your chin toward your chest push your right leg behind your shoulder and head placing your ankle in the crook of your neck.
3. Holding your right leg in place with your right hand bring your left leg toward your head. Bringing you left arm to the inside of your legs and grab your left heel bringing your left foot behind your head and right foot. Interlock your feet.
4. Raise your arms to the sky and slowly lower them down around your thighs and lower back and interlock your fingers.
Preparation
-Practice Turtle Pose and Lotus to open up your knees and hips.
-Practice bringing your foot toward your chest and then you’re your ear preparing your foot to go behind your head.
Benefits
-Strengthens your back and neck
-Stretches your hip, groins, knees and hamstring
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have a hip, groin, knee, back or neck injury
Twisted Stomach Pose / Jathara Parivatanasana
(JAT-hara pari-VRIT-ti-nahs-anna)
jathara = stomach, belly or the interior of anything
parivritti = turning, rolling
1. Lie on your back with your arms stretched straight out to the sides palms facing down and grabbing the ground. Make sure that your shoulder blades are pulled together opening your chest. Bend your legs in front of you with your feet on the floor.
2. Lift your hips up and shift them slightly to the left hand side and place them back down. Extend your legs straight up in the air.
3. Engaging your core and keeping your legs straight and together lower them down to the right hand side so that your toes meet your right hand. This will lift your lower back off the ground but both your shoulder blades must remain on the ground. Look over your left shoulder to your left fingertips in the opposite direction of your legs.
Preparation
Practice of Half Lord of the Fishes Pose to develop the flexibility of your spine.
Practice West Back Stretching Pose and Full Forward Bend to help stretch out your hamstrings.
Benefits
– Stretches the back of your legs and your spine
– Stimulates your abdominal organs
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have a back injury
Reclining Hero Pose / Supta Virasana
(soup-tah veer-AHS-anna)
suputa = reclining
virasana = a brave or eminent man, hero or chief
1. Kneel down with your thighs and torso vertical to the floor. Bring your knees together and spread your feet so they are wider than hip distance apart with the tops of your feet on the ground.
2. Sit on the floor with your buttocks on the ground between your feet. Roll out your calf muscles with your hands in order to get your buttocks as close to the ground as possible.
3. Slowly lower yourself down to the ground using your hands and forearms for support until your back is as flat to the ground as possible.
4. Stretch your arms to the back of the room with your palms facing up.
Preparation
-Practice lying on your stomach and pulling your ankles toward the ground beside your hips.
-Practice Virasana before reclining into Supta Virasana.
Benefits
-Stretches your legs, knees, hip flexors and back
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have a knee injury
Fish Pose (Variation) / Matsyasana
(mot-see-AHS-anna)
matsya = fish
1. From Dandasana bend your right leg and bring the top of your right foot to the top of your left thigh close to the groins. Bend your left leg and bring it to the top of your right thigh close to the groins so that you are in full lotus.
2. Slowly lower yourself down to the ground using your hands and forearms for support until your back is as flat to the ground as possible.
4. Stretch your arms to the back of the room with your palms facing up.
Preparation
-Practice half lotus and lotus to stretch your groins, knees, hips and ankles before attempting Matsyasana.
Benefits
-Stretches the groins, knees, hips, ankles and back
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have a knee, hip or ankle injury
Corpse Pose/ Savasana
(shah-VAHS-anna)
sava=corpse
1. Final relaxation pose. Lay down on your back, shoulder blades tucked in, legs apart.
Arms relaxed and palms facing the ceiling letting your fingers naturally curl. Relax your body into a neutral, comfortable position
2.Close your eyes. Let your jaw naturally separate as you relax your whole body as if it was sinking down to the floor. Releasing all tension from your body.
Variation: Adjust pose however you feel comfortable, legs may be bent, or arms overhead.
3.Without letting the mind wonder, concentrate on your breathing, to reach a deep state of conscious relaxation, both physically and mentally.
Variation: To increase the difficulty, go deeper into the pose’s meaning to reach a greater psychological state.
The symbolic purpose of this pose represents a dying off of our egos allowing our true selves to be ‘reborn’. Learn how to cope with death and contemplate living life to its fullest.
For instance, the character Ebenezer Scrooge in the Christmas carol was enlightened after he discovered that he was taking life for granted and started to live life fully.
Benefits
Calms the mind. Improves focus. Decreases stress. Relaxes the whole body.
Cautions
Pregnancy. Back Pain.
Beginner Tips
-Not concentrating, keeping the eyes open and distracted
-Mind wondering and not being able to relax
-Trying to hard to adjust the body into perfect ‘form’ in this pose
-Coming up to fast out of Savasana resulting in dizziness
-Difficult to master a deep state of relaxation
Reclining Pose (Prep.) for Bhairavasana
(bhaira-VAHS-anna)
Bhairava = the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva
1. Lie in a supine position and bring your knees toward your chest crossing your right ankle over your left knee.
2. Reach behind your left knee with both hands and exhaling pull your left knee toward your chest bringing your right leg along with it.
3. Keep your spine and neck long as you gaze up toward the ceiling.
Benefits
– Stretches your buttocks and hip flexors
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have hip injury
Happy Baby Pose / Ananda Balasana
(an-AN-da bal-AHS-anna)
ananda = bliss
bala = child
1. Lie in a supine position and bring your knees toward the outside of your chest. Grab onto the outside of your feet or onto your big toes with your first two fingers palms facing inward.
2. Make sure that your feet are directly above your knees so that your shins are perpendicular to the ground. Work your thighs to the outside of your torso pulling them down with your hands.
3. Keep your spine and neck long pushing the crown of your head toward the back of the room and your tailbone toward the front.
Benefits
– Stretches your buttocks, groin and hip flexors
Cautions
– Do not perform if you have hip injury