386 Light on Yoga- Vrschikasana I Thirty-two* (Plates^536 and 537)
Vrschika means a scorpion. In order to sting its victim the scorpion
arches its tail above its back and then strikes beyond its head. This
posture resembles that of a striking scorpion, hence the name.
Te chnique
I. Kneel on the floor, bend forward and rest the elbows, forearms and
palms on the floor parallel to each other. The distance between the
forearms should not be wider than that between the shoulders.
- Extend the neck and lift the head as high as you can above the floor.
3· Exhale, swing the legs and trunk up and try to balance without
dropping the legs beyond the head. Stretch the region of the chest up
vertically, keeping the arms from the elbows to the shoulders per
pendicular to the floor. Stretch the legs up vertically and balance. This
is Pincha Mayurasana. (Plate 357)
4· After balancing on the forearms, exhale, bend the knees, raise the
neck and head as high as you can above the floor, stretch the spine from
the shoulders and lower the fe et until the heels rest on the crown of
the head. (Front view: Plate 536.) After you have learnt this, try to keep
the knees and ankles together and the toes pointing. (Side view: Plate
537.) From the heels to the knees, the legs should be perpendicular to
the head. The shins and the upper arms should be parallel to each
other.
5· As the neck, shoulders, chest, spine and abdomen are all extended in
this pose, breathing will be very fast and heavy. Try to breathe normally
and stay in this posture as long as you can for about 30 seconds.- After holding the pose to your capacity, drop the legs to the floor
beyond the �ead, lift the elbows from the floor and straighten the arms
to perform U rdhva Dhanurasana. (Plate 486)
7· Then, either stand up in Ta<;tasana (Plate I) or do Vipar'ita
Chakrasana. (Plates 488 to 499) - To relieve the strain on the back caused by Vrschikasana, bend
fo rward and touch the palms on the floor without bending the knees
Uttanasana. (Plate 48) - Vrschikasana^11 Thirty-three* (Plate 538)
This is a harder version of the earlier one as it is practised while doing
the full arm balance-Adho Mukha V�k�asana. (Plate 359)