Do you ever wish you could just get in a pose, hang out for a while, feel great while doing it and even better when you are through? This is what Viparita Karani can do for you! Viparita Karani , Legs Up The Wall pose is a restorative inversion asana. Who would think lying around with your legs up the wall would produce such peace, relaxation, balance and tranquility? It takes about 3 minutes for your blood to circulate throughout your entire body in reverse blood flow . Your heart, instead of working hard pumping all the way through your legs,, catches a break by having all the blood from the legs and lower body flowing toward it and easily available for circulation. Because of gravity, the blood flows feely into the face, feeding the skin and muscles producing a fresh glow- keeping your youthful appearance. Viparita Karani also relieves tired legs, leg cramps, gently stretches the spine, front torso and neck. It relieves mild back pain and calms the mind. It is a great pose to use on a regular basis and I even use it when taking a power nap. It is my pose of choice if my back is hurting.  What your need: A mat, bolster or block, strap and a wall!For The Beginner : Normally, Viparita Karani is done with the hips raised on a bolster or block, sometimes layered with a thick blanket to create a higher surface or to cushion a block. However, many students will start on the flat surface of the floor. Start by sitting sideways on the mat, close to the wall , with one hip touching the wall and resting the weight of the body on the hip not touching the wall. In a smooth motion , roll over onto your back with the legs straight up the wall. Press the back of the femur heads into the wall, or make sure your cheeks are touching the wall ( not the ones on your face)! To keep the legs from falling out during the relaxation part, or restorative part of the pose, place the strap over both legs, just above the knees or option at the ankles. This allows you to completely let go and not worry about your legs sliding out. Then internally rotate the legs, flex the feet back toward you , arms are resting on the floor about a foot away from the body, palms up. Close your eyes and restore 5- 15 minutes. For The Student Who Is Ready To Take It To The Next Step: Follow the same set up as a beginner- one hip touching the wall, weight resting on the other hip. Roll down onto the floor, legs up the wall, with glutes touching and femur heads pressing into the wall. Slide the feet down , pressing your feet into the wall, lift the hips and slide the bolster or block under the pelvis. This is a critical part of the placement of the prop. You want to make sure that the bolster or block is supporting the hip in the sacral area, not placed up too high into the waist, and not too low onto the tailbone. The sacrum is the flat part of the back, below the ilia crest (top of hip bone) and above the tail bone. You should feel completely comfortable and it fact, you should feel good about resting your pelvis on this prop. If you feel discomfort, adjust the prop. Once your hips are in place, you will feel the gentle stretch through the torso. The shoulders are rotated open and back, creating a dome effect on the chest. Arms out about a foot away from the body with the elbows bent, palms up to further encourage the opening of the front body. Strap is above the knees or at ankles to keep the legs from falling out and allowing you to completely let go in the pose. Internally rotate the legs, flex feet. Stay in pose 5-15 minutes or longer as you become acquainted with the results. Alternative: A variation would be to place the legs in baddha konasana---use the same set up , then while your legs are up the wall, place the soles of the feet together, let the feet slide down the wall toward your body, with the knees falling out to the side(similar to sitting on the floor, but lying down). You can see this variation demonstrated by the first student in the front part of the photo above. Stay in this pose – 15 minutes. To Get Out Of The Pose: If you are up on a prop, slide the feet down the wall, press feet into the wall, lift the hips and slide the prop out. Let your low back release down to the floor. Rest a moment and let your spine adjust. Roll over onto your side , rest a moment. Then press up to a seated position. Enjoy the sensation of peace, relaxation, balance and calm- take that with you on your journey throughout the day and truly feel your happy place! Namaste! Laurie Write your post here. |
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