^{Nancy Sutton's} 

 House of YOGA

                                             “Poise, Strength, Endurance... Yoga.”

1325 Tehama Street             

Redding, CA 96001    (530) 246-7256 

FYI:  Holidays we observe by closing our studio are:  New Year's Day, Memorial Day Weekend, 4th & 5th of July , Labor Day Weekend, Evening classes on Oct 31st, Thanksgiving weekend, and two-weeks at Christmas . Summer Schedule began on June 1st!  ...Fall classes begin Sept 1st!

Parsvottanasana (Side Flank Stretch)

Parsva= Side or Flank  Uttana= Intense stretch

Step by Step  See Photos using Props

1. Begin in Tadasana with feet hip distance apart.  (Imagine you are standing on a railway track that is exactly the width of your hips.)

2. Step your left foot behind you, and keep that back foot on its own rail.  Experiment with the distance between your two feet - front to back, and with the width of your stance to find the position that feels most stable.

3. Notice the tendency of your abdominal organs to be thrust forward off the spine, and for the weight to come off the back heel.

4. As you stand, draw your abdomen in toward your spine.  Notice that moving from this outer layer tends to restrict your breathing.  Now imagine the soft organs underneath your abdomen, and slowly roll the contents of your belly back toward your spine. 

5. When the contents of the belly are in parallel contact with your spine, the weight will be firmly anchored down the back leg into the Earth.  This sensation is very distinct; wait until you have established it before continuing forward from the hips. 

6. Slowly tip forward.  If your hamstrings are tight they will tend to limit the forward rotation of your pelvis and you will tend to shorten your spinal column instead of flexing from your hips.  To correct this tendency, take a visual sighting of the distance between your breastbone and your pubic bone, and sustain this distance as you tip forward.

7. If you tend toward hyper-mobility (sometimes referred to as a swayback), your dilemma is somewhat more challenging.  Your tendency will be to break the line of force at the level of your sacrum and lumbar spine and thrust the lower ribs forward.  Rather than pulling the ribs in, which only serves to restrict breathing, imagine the organic line from our kidneys (either side of your spine, just below your waist) through your ureters (the long tubes that run from the back of the body to the front) to your bladder (just underneath your pubic bone).  Before you tip forward, draw any slack out of your ureters, so there is a long, unbroken tautness from the kidneys to the bladder.  Just as the psoas muscles provide a connecting bridge between the spinal column and the pelvis, the organic connection of the kidney, ureter, and bladder maintains the same integration. 

8. As you tip forward, concentrate on sustaining that taut inner support.  Feel your kidneys expand upwards toward the surface of your skin so that they float on the back.  This image is immensely helpful in gaining control over a hypermobile back without restricting the breathing process.

Anatomical Focus

• Hips

• Hamstrings

• Pelvis

• Lumbar Spine

• Calves

• Ankles

• Chest opening

Benefits

• Opens and releases the deep muscles of the hips

• Lengthens the hamstrings

• Improves flexibility of the wrists

• Provides a deep opening for the shoulders

• Cools and calms both body and mind

Variations

Using props such as a chair, the wall, or blocks to aid the practitioner in understanding the dynamics of the hip/spine/leg connection.  Most students error by going to far too fast and then they experience pain and miss out on the benefits of the asana.  See Photos using Props

Contraindications/Cautions

• Those with carpal tunnel syndrome should be cautious of placing the hands in prayer position behind the back

• This pose may exacerbate sciatica or hamstring injuries

Preparatory Poses

• Adho Mukha Svanasana

• Uttanasana

• Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana (High Lunge)

• Gomukhasana

• Utthita Trikonasana

Subsequent Poses

• Parivrtta Trikonasana

• Adho Mukha Svanasana

• Uttanasana

• Balasana

Beginners Tip

Keep hands on hips while learning the balance.  Use a chair in front of you to place your hands on in order to gain the length in the anterior spine.  Concentrate on maintaining the back foot to the earth, and work towards the hips being level.

Deepen the Pose

Take the preparatory stance, and on an inhalation extend your arms to the sides and bring them behind your back into the reverse prayer (namaste) with the palms pressing together and the fingers facing up toward your neck.  Tip forward from your hips while you focus on sustaining the firm cohesion among your trunk, your legs, and the ground.  If your palms begin to separate, you are rounding your shoulders forward and shortening the spine in an attempt to come forward.

You'll notice that as you approach your limit you will be on the razor's edge between feeling together and falling apart.  When you reach this edge, slow down.  Open to the incremental sensations in each breath cycle, and let your intention be to sustain your integrity rather than focusing on how far you can go.  The true measure of advanced students is how committed they are to advancing toward themselves - advancement cannot be measured in inches; it is a state of mind.  As you explore that razor's edge, the moment may open to take you a little deeper to a new edge.  In the final stages of the physical posture the head rests on the shin.  Stay here long enough to experience both the physical and the psychological benefits of this gesture of repose.

visits as of August 24, 2005

Send mail to nancy at nshouseofyoga.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 08/16/08