Yoga For You
Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy
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MANOA YOGA CENTER
Linda Faucher and Laurie Freed, students at the Manoa Yoga Center, show stage 2 of Bharadvajasana 1.
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Bharadvajasana 1
Pose Dedicated to a Sage, Stage 2 » Last week we presented the first stage of this pose. In Stage 2 the twist is intensified. This sitting twist relieves lower back pain and makes the spine supple. Regular practice tones the kidneys and increases the range of movement in the shoulders. Due to the action of the arms, tightness in the shoulders, chest and neck is released. People who are unable to sit on the floor can do the chair twists we have previously shown.
1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight (Dandasana).
2. Fold legs to the left with the front of the left ankle resting in the arch of the right foot.
3. Keep your knees close to each other and sit your left buttock on your right heel. If your pelvis tilts down to the right, raise your right buttock on a folded blanket or two. The pelvis should be level.
4. Keeping your buttocks down, inhale and stretch your right arm up. With an exhalation, lean forward and swing your arm behind your back. Clasp your upper left arm. If this is difficult, wrap a belt or rope around your left upper arm and hold it with your right hand behind your back.
5. Now inhale and lift your trunk, then exhale and turn to the right. Hold your right knee with your left hand.
6. Use your arms to help you turn your trunk to the right. Use your breath. As you inhale, lift your trunk, exhale and turn. Keep your chest open and your shoulder blades down and into the back. Gaze over your right shoulder. Stay for up to a minute, then return to the center. Straighten your legs and repeat to the other side, reversing the directions.
Ray Madigan and
Shelley Choy are certified Iyengar Yoga teachers and co-direct the Manoa Yoga Center at Manoa Marketplace. Visit
www.manoayoga.com or call 382-3910. Manoa Yoga Center, the authors and the Star-Bulletin take no responsibility for any injury arising from the practice of these yoga postures. Readers should seek a doctor's approval before commencing this yoga practice.