Yoga as Therapeutic Exercise: A Practical Guide for Manual Therapists

Selected aSelected asanas̄̄sanas Selected aSelected āsanas̄sanas

Finishing the posture

Stay for 3–5 breaths or longer if you can main-

tain the basic corrections and breathe naturally.

Exhaling, lower your legs, chest, arms (palms fac-

ing the ceiling), and head back to the floor. Rest

your forehead on the folded blanket to relax your

head, throat, and neck; from there relax the whole

spine.

Suggestions for modifications using

props

Support the upper thighs with a rolled blanket

(Figure 7.85).

Variations

•    Bend   your    elbows, interlock   your    fingers at  the 

back of your head, and lift the elbows towards

the ceiling.

•    Stretch    your    arms    forwards    beside  your    head    

(Figure 7.85).

•    Bend   your    knees,  keeping the shin    bones   

perpendicular (see Chapter 6, exercise 1.12).

26. U rāsana (Figure 7.86)

Meaning of the āsana and its name

U ra is a camel. The body is bent backwards, remi-

niscent of a camel kneeling on the front legs when

getting up; during this movement it is arching its

thorax and extending the head back. The back-

bending in U rāsana is built up slowly so that the

spine can accept the change.

Getting into the posture

1. Kneel on a folded blanket, with your knees
   and feet hip width apart, the toes pointing
   backwards.
   2. Moving your arms backwards, place the thumbs
   on your middle sacrum, your fingers flat on
   the hips; the elbows and shoulders are moving
   backwards.
   3. Push your shin bones into the blanket, slightly
   move your upper thighs forwards, your sacrum
   down, lift from your lower abdomen upwards,
   lift your sternum and upper ribs, and keep your
   head in line with your spine.
   4. Maintaining the actions of point 3, walk your
   hands further down the back of your thighs.
   5. Further maintaining these actions, and
   permanently lengthening your spine, and
   lifting your sternum and upper ribs, move your
   shoulders backwards; straighten your arms; turn
   them out till the palms are facing forwards;
   contracting your buttocks, lengthen more from
   the lumbar area to the back of your pelvis
   downwards; put one hand on the corresponding
   heel, then the other hand on the other heel.

Figure 7.85

Figure 7.86