Three similar asanas

The first asana is uttanasana. It Sanskrit it means ‘intense stretch’.

The second asana is called hasta padanghustasana. It means ‘hand-toe stretching’. Hasta means hand. Pada means foot and anghusta means big toe.

The third asana is called pada hastasana, which translates ‘hand-foot posture’.

The asanas are rather similar, yet also different.

The pictures show me that there is still potential. Yet when I started with yoga I could scarcely touch the floor with my fingers when my legs were stretched.

Lately I improved all the forward bending asana. I let gravity do the work. The crucial difference was the time. I hang in the following pose for 5 minutes.

M legs are slightly bent and I hang forward. It’s important not to move. One can close the eyes, it’s OK to open the eyes. The hands shall not touch the floor. Gravity does the work. Exhaling shall be much longer than inhaling, because it helps to relax. Only a relaxed body is able to stretch. The nerve system must feel save. The most important point is: Stay in this position for five minutes. This makes the difference. Progress will come fast.

Many people sit all day long. Nevertheless it becomes more and more difficult also for those with a sedentary life to bend forward when getting older. I’m sure, that people who bend forward every day in the above way will be able to do this till the age of 100. They won’t need a person who helps putting on shoes. Staying flexible gives independence. What a gift.

To bend forward is also an inversion for those who don’t like to do headstand for whatever reason. Sometimes health issues prevent people to do poses.. The heart is above the head in this forward bending asana. This is the criteria for an inversion. This pose is refreshing and energizing.

All stretching asanas help to become patient. Yet practicing correctly helps to progress faster.

Using a chair

In Ashtanga Yoga it’s a tabu to use props. Support is given by a teacher.

I think it can be useful to use props. Most yogini practice at home these days. This gives the freedom to be creative. Lately I read a comment. Someone asked how to improve paschimottanasana. A similar form is hasta padangushtasana. When using a chair one can pull the upper body downwards. It’s much easier than holden the big toes. Practicing hasta padangustiasana on a chair will also improve paschimottanasana.

Sometimes a teacher is indeed the best solution. My paschimottanasana improved fast because a teacher lied on my folded body and pushed my body forward. I relaxed my hip joints. I could feel the progress.

There are always alternatives. The above pose with the chair is an alternative. it allows to pull the body downwards. The movement is downwards and not curving the back to reach the legs with the head.

Today I had the feeling that I wanted to practice. The body felt the need. I didn’t think anymore that it would be good to practice. I was not hungry. I didn’t think of my delicious breakfast. I was greedy to step on my mat. This is what routines do. What is done everyday becomes a need. It’s useful to form healthy routines.

My weakest point today were the vinyasa. I was so scared.

When practicing Ashtanga Yoga one gets used to a bit of discomfort. It’s bearable. When on the mat I focus on the breath and I try to relax when I feel the stretching discomfort i.e..

This morning when I was ready for breakfast I put a chair on the balcony. It was rather fresh. I like to be outside. To talk about fresh air when living in a city is perhaps an exaggeration. But I liked to be outside despite the freshness or was it cold already. I was rather happy that this bit of freshness, this bit of discomfort didn’t bother me. It was rather a joy to feel it. The body could adjust, I could relax and enjoy it

Have a good day.

Hasta Padangusthasana and Pada Hastasana

The four series of Ashtanga yoga are my favorite series. Despite all critics that I might express these days, Ashtanga yoga is my main practice. I ‘only’ adjust it to my needs. A home practice allows these adjustments.

There are two main challenges when practicing this style of yoga. Of course it’s the asana itself. Yet it’s also the vinyasa, that is how to get into an asana and how to connect them. Sometimes there are easier alternatives, sometimes not.

Hasta padangusthasana and pada hastasana are the first asanas of the standing sequence after the sun salutations. Also in the last years when I had issues with my SI joint, I was able to bend forward. I was able to touch the floor with my flat hands. In order to get into the asana without pain, I put my hands on my hips to support this movement.

This simple forward bending asana is so basic and so good. It shall allow to put on one’s shoes also when old. This gives independence. Extra blood is transported to the face. This might improve the eyesight. The extra blood that is transported to the head gives a fresh appearance.

There are many inversions. Hasta padangusthasana is one of my favorite as it can be performed everywhere. It refreshes me. Tiredness flies away after deep breathing in that position.

Engaging the bandhas helps to get deeper into that pose.

These days I add an asana. It’s a twist. It prepares the body for the next asanas, that is trikonasana.