Yoga For You
Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy
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MANOA YOGA CENTER
Carol Ahuna demonstrates stage 2 of Supta Padangusthasana.
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Supta Padangusthasana
Stage 2 » "Supta" means supine, "pada" means foot and "angustha" is the big toe. Last week, we presented the first stage of Supta Padangusthasana.
In this second stage, one leg is taken out to the side, bringing space and freedom to the organs of the abdomen and pelvis. This pose variation helps to maintain and improve the health of the reproductive system and makes the legs elastic.
Both Supta Padangusthasana 1 and 2 also help to relieve backaches. The poses should be practiced until one can clasp the big toe without bending the legs or straining.
1. Lie on the floor with your legs out straight and feet together.
2. Extend your buttock bones to your heels to stretch the back of the legs and press your legs into the floor.
3. Keep the back of your right leg against the floor as you bend the left knee and place a belt around the ball of the left foot. Hold the belt with your left hand and place your right arm on the floor, even with the shoulder and the palm facing the ceiling. Press your right arm and whole right side of your body into the floor for stability.
4. Straighten your left leg. This is the first stage (see last week's column).
5. Keep your right leg extended and pressed into the floor as you slowly take your left leg 10 degrees to the side. Do not allow your legs to bend. The right side of the body will want to lift off the floor, so turn the abdomen to the right and keep your right shoulder, arm, buttock and leg down.
6. Breathe evenly through your nose and extend out through the inner left leg from the groin to the big toe. Expand the balls of your feet and press the left foot into the strap as you pull the leg into the hip socket with your left arm.
7. Exhaling, take your left leg a little further to the side, observing the stability of the right side of the body. Breathe and feel the width and space coming into the front of the body. With practice you will be able to bring your left leg lower without losing this openness or lifting your right side up.
8. Exhale and pull the straight left leg into the hip socket. Inhale as you press the right side of the body down and bring the left leg back up to Stage 1.
9. Repeat on the other side.
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.