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).
- 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
- 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