Yoga as Therapeutic Exercise: A Practical Guide for Manual Therapists

7

Chapter

Selected āsanas for integrating the aims and principles

Selected asanas̄ Selected āsanas

Selected asanas̄ Selected āsanas

Being in the posture: basic work

1. Keep your elbows together at shoulder width.


2. Walk your hands further down towards the
   shoulder girdle; press your palms into your back
   to lift yourself more from the armpits to the
   heels.


3. Keep your throat relaxed.


4. Lift your navel.


5. Contract your buttocks to move your sacrum
   and tailbone inwards to lengthen your lumbar
   area.


6. Slightly move your front thighs towards the
   back.


7. Lengthen your inner legs through your inner
   heels, your outer legs through your outer
   heels.


8. Lift from your groins to your toes.


9. Breathe naturally.

Being in the posture: refined work

1. Move your upper arms closer together so that
   
   the outer elbows and outer upper arms come
   closer to the floor.


2. Lift your spine against gravity.


3. Contract your pelvic floor for a few breaths to
   lengthen your lumbar area more.


4. Lengthen the skin of your inner legs towards the
   inner heels, the skin of your outer legs towards
   the outer heels.


5. Keep the back of your head on the floor so that
   you get a subtle activity in your neck, and from
   there you get an impulse for the lifting of the
   posture.


6. Relax your eyes; look towards your chest.

Finishing the posture

Stay 5–10 breaths in the beginning; with practice

increase to 2–3 minutes, later up to 5–10 min-

utes. Exhale, bend your knees towards your head;

straighten your arms backwards on the floor.

Gradually   lower   your    back    and pelvis. Keeping the 

knees bent, rest your feet on the floor.

Stay for a few breaths with your back on the blan-

kets and your head resting on the floor.

Hold your head with your hands and slide

down from the blankets in the direction of the

head with a caterpillar movement (see Chapter

6, exercise 2.3); relax lying on your back for a

few breaths.

Suggestions for modifications using

props

•    Put    a   belt    around  the upper   arms    close   to  the 

elbows (Figure 7.101).

•    Have   a   bolster behind  the blankets    to  start   and 

finish with the pelvis on the bolster (Figure 7.101).

•    Have   a   chair   behind  the blankets;   hold    the 

chair with your hands, and rest your feet on

the chair; this is an easy and safe method to

lift your pelvis and trunk, and is suitable for

beginners (Figure 7.102).

Figure 7.101