Our back body is not easily seen unless we look in a mirror. Unfortunately, what is hidden from our eyesight can also be lost to our awareness, which may be why many people suffer stiffness and pain along their spines. Although we often think our spine is in the centre of our body, it is located in our back body. Forward bends, such as Uttanasana, extend the entire back body from the soles of the feet up to the crown.
Opening such a large area of muscle and connective tissue — feet, Achilles, calves, knees, hamstrings, buttocks, lower-middle-upper back, neck, and scalp — is challenging. Some of these locations will be stiffer than others, so be gentle to avoid straining or tearing muscles. Over time, train your back leg muscles to lengthen through gentler poses such as Wall Stretch and Ardha Uttanasana. There is no place for aggressive effort in yoga, and hamstring muscles and Achilles tendons are particularly challenging to heal.
Mastering Uttanasana improves balance and proprioception. Use your inner awareness to align your outer ankles, outer knees, and outer hips. When you achieve this stacking of the hips, knees, and ankles, stability is enhanced, and you find yourself standing more evenly on your feet. In its resting place, Uttanasana balances the inner body weight equally between the feet and hands. Therefore, if your palms do not fully release into the mat, place two blocks in front of or alongside your feet.
Yoga Action (Annamaya Kosha):
1) Place a block between your inner thighs and snuggly belt your upper thighs. Squeeze the block with your inner thighs, and expand your outer hips/thighs into the belt.
2) With your awareness, sense the inner trochanters rolling in toward the backs of the inner legs.
Yoga Action (Pranamaya Kosha):
1) INHALE into your outer hips. Feel the tissues expand.
2) EXHALE from the pelvic floor up to your navel. Feel the abdominal muscles tone and move in toward the spine as you fold forward into the pose.
Yoga Action (Manomaya Kosha):
– rest in the pose by silently repeating to yourself “My feet are my foundation.”
NOTE: It may take more than one pose before you awaken these yoga actions or areas in your body and begin to feel the arising sensations and releases. In that case, apply the three yoga actions to the following poses –
WALL STRETCH
ARDHA UTTANASANA
PRASARITA PADOTTANASANA
PASCHIMOTTANASANA
For more yoga actions and teachings, click here. Namaste.
