In Yoga diaryIn the Archives series, we share a curated collection of articles originally published in back issues dating back to 1975. These stories offer a glimpse into how yoga has been interpreted, written about, and practiced over the years. This article first appeared in the September-October 1980 issue Yoga diary. You can find more of our archives here.
During my first year as a teacher, an athletic student in one of my beginning classes asked me to show him the most difficult yoga pose. My inexperience was evident when I suggested I try Handstand in the middle of the room. He then squatted down, placed his knees on his elbows, balanced and pushed himself up from that position into a handstand. (He trained as a gymnast.) While I was impressed, he never returned to the classroom.
I have since learned that the most difficult yoga pose is the one that directly confronts each student’s weaknesses. Power poses were not a challenge for this student, but perhaps a stretching asana would have been. I also learned that strength means more than just facing your weaknesses; probably the most difficult ‘asana’ of all is to stand on one’s own feet and question and analyze for oneself the deeper meaning of asana, yoga and life.
For this reason the standing postures, so well developed by BKS lyengar, are particularly valuable. At a time when enormous lip service is paid to individual freedom, it seems that people are outsourcing their critical thinking in greater numbers than ever. If ultimate freedom – the freedom of the soul – exists, it must begin with the freedom of body, mind and personality. The standing poses help the student confront weaknesses such as tightness in the legs, while developing the strength needed to stand up in a vertical line, and realizing the value of standing on one’s own two feet, both physically and mentally.
Parsvottanasana in Sanskrit
Parsvottanasana is an aptly named asana. ‘Parsva’ means ‘side or flank’ and ‘uttana’ means an ‘intense stretch’. So the pose is an intense stretch on the sides of the chest.
Benefits of Parsvottanasana
Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Body Stretch or Pyramid Pose) is therefore a good pose for both the beginner and the experienced student; it helps the student become aware of and then work on any tightness in the legs and wrists, and sets the stage for other challenging work. The position is also suitable for the more experienced student when the head is placed closer to the shin, which requires greater extension.
It stretches the wrists
Anatomically, the pose works on two basic areas. The first is the group of muscles known as the wrist flexors. This muscle group is located on the forearm and can contract when the palm is held up and the fist is clenched and brought towards the arm. These muscles are involved in most actions of the hand and wrist, and are often used in everyday life in common activities such as picking up heavy objects, eating, writing, and playing musical instruments. Because these muscles are used so often, they can become tight and little is normally done to stretch them.
Figure 6 is a close-up of the hand position of the completed Parsvottanasana. The palms are pressed together, the fingers extended and the shoulders are rolled back and down. This position stretches the wrist flexors by reversing the action performed when the muscles are contracted. For the student whose shoulders are tight, Figure 7 shows an alternate arm position, which can be used until the shoulders become more flexible.
Many students feel no discomfort when holding this position of the arms and wrists, but may experience sharp discomfort when leaving the position. This is usually not significant and disappears quickly. One remedy, however, is to bend forward and press the backs of the wrists (that part of the wrist on the opposite side of the arm from the palm) firmly to the floor for 10 to 15 seconds.
It helps release the hamstrings
The second muscle group used in Parsvottanasana is in the legs. The lower leg or calf muscles (gastroc-soleus group) and the upper posterior (hind) leg muscles are involved. The hamstrings in particular must be released, so that the student can bend forward with a straight back (photo 3).
The straightness of the back in a forward bend depends on the movement of the pelvis forward, around the axis of the heads of the femurs (thigh bones). The pelvis is connected to the hamstrings on one side and to the spine on the other, via the sacroiliac joint. (The sacroiliac bone is formed by the union of the ilium bone of the pelvis with the sacrum of the spine.) For the spine to remain straight, the pelvis must be able to tilt. To achieve this the hamstrings must be loose. If not, the pelvis is held stationary and the forward bend of the posture is achieved by rounding the back, which places stress on the lower back structures.
By bending forward with maximum use of the pelvis, the spine is held in a more stable position and the work of the posture is felt in the hamstrings. Then there is less chance that the vulnerable part of the lumbar spine will be injured during forward bends.
It teaches discernment
One way to view the discomfort is to realize that the position has caused, for example, the stiffness of the wrists to surface. Yoga does not place stiffness in the body; rather, it is a technique to make us aware of our limitations so that these limitations can be removed. Yoga reminds us how everyday life dulls us to the reality of body and mind. The discomfort is therefore a necessary part of the exercise.
Without discomfort, it is very difficult for the mind to focus on the internal aspects of the asana. With a little discomfort the mind is made to sit up and pay attention, the breath is to be channeled and the whole being comes into the present. This process of coming into the moment is the beginning of meditation.
However, it must be remembered that the experience of discomfort should not be exaggerated. There is a difference between ‘good pain’ and ‘bad pain’. Good pain is the discomfort that allows us to explore our limitations, both physical and mental. Severe pain occurs when we push the body or mind too far. Severe pain may indicate an injury and will certainly preclude any conscious perception of the discomfort.
How to practice Parsvottanasana
Stand in Tadasana or Mountain Pose (arms at sides, head level, feet parallel and together), making sure the kneecaps are drawn up and the legs quite straight.
Place the hands in the “namaste” position (Image 6) or in the variation shown in Image 7. Jump with the feet 3 to 3 ½ feet apart as you inhale. Pivot to the right leg (image 4).
With an exhale, bend forward (image 3), keeping the knees tight, back straight, and shoulders rolled back. Turn the right foot outward 90 degrees and then turn the left foot inward 75 or 80 degrees, swinging the torso so that you are now bending forward, as shown in Figure 5.
Hold the pose for a few breaths and then rotate to the left leg. Come up with an inhale and a straight back. Repeat the pose, starting with the left leg.
When you have finished and come out of the pose, jump with the feet together, release the hands and breathe normally for a while
short time.
For students with tight hamstrings, a mat can be placed under the hands (photo 2) so that the spine is stretched and the knees are kept straight. As the student progresses, the head can be moved closer and closer to the shin until the completed position is achieved (Figure 1).
Note: The author gratefully acknowledges her teacher BKS Iyengar and his book Light on yoga, while writing this article.
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