Featured Pose Chair Seated Forward Bend

by Baxter and Nina

This simple pose is another good antidote to sitting upright in your chair. An excellent hip opener, this forward bend counteracts the tightness of your hips that you develop from sitting with your legs straight in front of you, helping you to maintain mobility in your hip joints. The release in your hips can feel wonderful, and you may also feel a good stretch in your lower back and inner thighs. The pose also helps stretch and wake up your arms as you press them toward the floor.

By changing your relationship to gravity, this pose helps release tension you’re holding in your back, neck, and head. This can be particularly helpful if you’ve spent hours in front of your computer screen or driving, and your neck is stiff or even painful. The partial inversion also stimulates your circulatory system and can re-enliven you if you’re feeling sluggish, stimulates your circulatory system.

Because your knees are bent, this is a very accessible forward bend. If you are unable to enjoy straight leg forward bends, you may find this version pose some of the fabled quieting and soothing qualities that you've heard about but never before been able to experience. Try it sometime for stress or anxiety.

Like the other poses in our full-length office yoga sequence (coming soon!), you can do this pose almost anywhere there is a chair and in almost any attire, though probably not in a tight skirt!

Baxter prescribes this for:

• tight hips
• tension in the spine
• mental sluggishness or fatigue
• weakness in the arms (if you engage the arms)
• substitute for inverted poses for those who can’t do full inversions
• alternative for Standing Forward Bend poses for those who can’t bear weight on their legs
• arthritis (for maintaining joint mobility in the hips)
• anxiety or stress

Instructions: Sit near the front edge of your chair. Separate your feet so your thighbones are 90 degrees apart and position your knees directly over your ankles. Point feet your feet in the same direction as your thighbones, as shown in the photo, and place your hands on your knees. On an inhalation, establish the length of your spine.

On your exhalation, tip from your hips as much as you can to come into the forward fold with a straight back. When you reach your maximum (your pelvis stops moving), carefully allow your spine to round forward and bring your arms down between your legs. You can either push your palms firmly into the floor with your arms straight, lengthening from your pubic bone to your collarbones, or you can press your elbows into your inner thighs to create more widening or lengthening of your inner leg muscles.

Stay in the pose for one to two minutes. Come up on an inhalation, keeping your back relaxed and using your hands on your knees to assist if your lower back feels vulnerable. If you want to use this pose to increase your back strength, you can try coming up with your back straight.

If you have lower back issues or are very stiff in the hips, try a variation of this pose with your elbows on your knees come down about a quarter of the way.

Cautions: This is a relatively safe pose. However, if you have lower back disk disease or pain in your hip joints, approach the pose carefully. And if the pose aggravates your symptoms, come out immediately, and get advice from your teacher about how to get in and out of the pose safely. If you feel excessive pressure in your head, don’t stay in the pose very long.

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Featured Pose Seated Forward Bend Paschimottanasana

by Baxter 

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) provides an excellent stretch for the muscles and fascia of your entire back body, from your heels to the back of your head. In general, many of you will also find the pose soothing to your nervous system and quieting for your mind and emotions, so it’s a good pose to include at the end of a practice, to prepare you for relaxation or meditation. The exception to this that some of you who experience intense stretch sensations in your back body in the pose due to muscle tightness may feel agitated instead. Two of our variations below, however, can help even some of you stiffer people find a more peaceful experience. 

I prescribe this pose for:

• Improving flexibility in the spine, hips, hamstrings and calves 
• Stimulating your digestive system 
• Soothing your nervous system 
• Quieting your mind 
• Managing stress 
• Reducing anxiety 
• Improving insomnia 

Cautions: Two vulnerable areas can potentially be aggravated or injured in this pose: the lower back and the starting point of the hamstrings near your sitting bones. Therefore, if you have lower back disc problems, lower back pain, or a torn hamstring tendon, you should avoid this pose altogether. Those with osteoporosis and osteopenia should only do versions 2 and 4, and those with wedge fractures also should only do version 2. See Friday Practice Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine for more info. And if the pose worsens symptoms of depression, don’t practice it. Pregnant women in the second or third trimesters should practice only version 4 of the pose or substitute with Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend (Upavista Konasana). 

 

1. Classic Version

If you typically use support in seated poses, set up a folded blanket on your mat to support your hips and if you can’t easily reach your feet in this pose, place a strap where you can easily grab it. Then, sit either on the edge of the folded blanket or directly on the mat with your legs straight out in front of you. With knees straight, either bend your ankles and feet forward to a 45-degree angle (which can help with hamstring and calf muscle tightness) or flex your feet to a 90-degree angle. 

Elongate your spine, and then on an inhalation take your arms overhead. On your exhalation, tip forward from your hips. When your hips stop rotating forward, release your arms and reach your hands towards your feet. When you come to a comfortable limit, either bring your hands on to your feet if you are flexible enough or place the strap around your feet as shown in the photo above if you are less flexible (if you don’t have a strap, you can place your hands on the outsides of your legs—this could be your knees if you are really tight). 

With your hands in position, mindfully release your spine into a forward bend. Keep your arms firm to stabilize your forward bend, but do not use them to pull your chest closer to your thighs; this could strain your lower back or worse. Instead, with each round of breath, invite your body to release into the forward fold. Look for a reasonable stretch sensation along the backs of your legs and spine, letting your internal experience of sensation be your guide rather than the desire to look like a photo in a yoga magazine. 

Start by holding the pose for about one minute or 16 rounds of breath, and gradually work up to longer holds, as long as 2-4 minutes. To come out of the pose, strongly engage your leg muscles and, on an inhalation, release your hands and come back up to an upright position as you sweep your arms towards the sky. Then, exhale and release your arms to your sides. If you are tight, try bending your knees to release the tension in the backs of your legs. 

2. Straight Back (Extended Spine) 

This variation is excellent for those who cannot safely round their spines, such as those with lower back pain, disc issues, or osteopenia or osteoporosis with or without wedge fractures (see See Friday Practice Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine for more info). 

If you use a blanket and/or strap in the classic version, use them in this version as well. Enter the pose as with the classic version, but after tipping initially from your hips and bringing your hands into position, instead of rounding your spine forward, keep your spine extended as you would if you were trying to do a slight backbend. Keep your head and neck in a neutral position, aligned with your spine rather than thrown back. 

Use the same timing for this variation as for the classic version. And come out of the pose in the same way. 

3. Knee Support 

This variation is excellent for those of you who are very tight in hamstrings and buttocks because practicing with bent knees takes tension out of those muscles and allows you to tip your hips more easily over your legs (you probably won’t need a strap!). And, for others, this variation is as relaxing and restorative as version 4. 

Before coming into the pose, place a round bolster or a thick blanket roll underneath your knees, so your knees are bent and your legs are relaxed and completely supported. From there, follow the instructions for the classic version. 

4. Restorative Version 

Using a chair to support your head and arms allows you to experience the quieting nature of this pose without any strain. So this version is appropriate for anyone who wants to practice Seated Forward Bend as a restorative pose, either as part of a restorative sequence or simply on its own. This variation is also for those who cannot safely round their spines (except those with or at risk of wedge fractures), as well as for those with tight hamstrings and buttocks. 

Start by sitting in front of the chair (if the chair has a hard seat, place a folded blanket or sticky mat on it to create a softer surface). Sit on a folded blanket if you use one in the classic version. Then extend your legs straight in front of you and between the legs of the chair, so your feet and calves are under the chair seat. (You will have to experiment with having the chair closer or farther away from your hips find a distance that allows either for a straight spine or for just a gentle rounding that does not stimulate much stretch in the back of the spine or legs.) 

Come into the pose as you did for the classic version, and as you extend your spine toward the chair, place your forearms on the chair seat near its front edge. Now release your neck and rest your head on your arms, gently rounding your spine only if necessary. (If the chair seat isn’t high enough for you, try adding a folded blanket on top of the seat.) 

Start by holding the pose for about one minute or 16 rounds of breath, although if you are very comfortable, you could stay for much longer, for 5 minutes or a bit more. Come out of the pose slowly by rolling your head and chest up to a sitting position. Then bend your knees a bit and use your hands to help you scoot back away from the chair. 

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Featured Pose Warrior 2 Virbrdrasana 2

by Baxter and Nina

This week’s featured pose is one of Baxter’s favorite poses for osteoporosis (see here). In addition to building bone strength, Warrior 2 strengthens your arm and leg muscles. This pose also improves your balance and stretches your inner thighs. The variations we describe below make it accessible to almost everyone (it can even be done on a chair). 

Baxter prescribes Warrior 2 for:

• osteoporosis
• balance problems
• anxiety (it burns off excess energy and is “grounding”)

General Instructions: Step your feet wide apart (about the length of your legs). Turn your right foot out about 90 degrees and your left foot in slightly, so the toes of your back foot line up with the long edge of your yoga mat. Inhale and extend your arms out to your sides. Then exhale and bend your right knee toward 90 degrees (but not further), making sure your right knee is aligned with your middle right toe. If it’s comfortable for you, turn your head to gaze over your right hand. Repeat the pose on your left side. 

Recommended Timing: 30 seconds (8 breaths) for beginners, working up to 1 minute (12 to 16 breaths).

Some Helpful Variations:

1. To build arm strength, leave your arms up while changing from the right side to the left.
2. If you have balance problems, practice with your back to a wall, with the hip of your front leg touching the wall. If balance is a serious concern, you can touch your hands to the wall as you bend your knee and while you stay in the pose.
3. If you are generally weak or tight in the hips, practice the pose with your back heel touching the wall. This is also useful to get a clear sense of the straightness of your back leg. 

Cautions: If you have knee problems, don’t bend your front knee quite as deeply. Make sure it stops just shy of being over the front ankle. In addition, standing with your feet a bit closer than the 4 to 4 1/2 feet apart that is usually recommended can also help. And if your knee is acutely painful, you could sit on a chair with your front thigh supported by the chair seat to take all weight off your front knee.

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Balance Pose of the Week Sky Diver

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Reclined Cobblers Pose The Video!

When we first envisioned this blog, we had the idea we could include videos that demonstrated the yoga poses we were recommending. But first we had to buy the camera and learn how to use it, clear out a room where we could shoot the video, figure out how to use youtube, and, well, you get the picture. In the meantime, we decided to go ahead and start the blog without the videos, but we never gave up on our original vision.

So now at long last, we've made our first video, which you can view here. 

It's Baxter demonstrating how to set up for, practice, and come out of Reclined Cobbler's pose (see here for further information about the pose, including benefits and cautions). We hope you find it helpful! And since it turned out to be easier to make a video than we expected, we plan to make more in the future. If there any poses or practices you'd like us to demo, do let us know either in the Comments section of this post or by contacting us (Click the Contact Us at the top of the page).

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A Woman Did a Single Yoga Pose and What Happened Next Will Blow Your Mind!

by Nina

She felt better. (see Featured Pose: Legs Up the Wall Pose)

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Video of the Week Classic Hunting Dog Pose

This is a great pose for strengthening your back body, upper body and, spinal stabilizers. It is also a balancing pose and a weight-bearing pose for your wrist bones (which will help strengthen them).

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Side Plank Pose Vastithasana Could Reduce Spinal Curves in People with Scoliosis!

by Nina

Side Plank Pose (photo "borrowed" from Wall Street Journal)

I’ve been hearing for some time that a single yoga pose, Side Plank pose (Vasithasana), is particularly beneficial for people with scoliosis (see Friday Q&A: Scoliosis). In my post Late-Onset Scoliosis is Common in Older Adults, I wrote about a New York Times article that said that late-onset scoliosis, a condition I have myself, is actually more prevalent in adults than it is in adolescents. The author of that article, Jane Brody, is not a regular yoga practitioner, but she described a “yoga exercise” that was recommended to her after she found out about her late-onset scoliosis.

"Determined to minimize further shrinkage and to avoid pain and nerve damage, I consulted a physiatrist who, after reviewing X-rays of my misshapen spine, said the muscles on my right side, where the spinal protrusion is, were overdeveloped relative to the left. He prescribed a yoga exercise — a side plank — to strengthen the muscles on the left and exert enough of a tug on my spine to keep it from protruding farther to the right. He suggested that the exercise might even straighten the curve somewhat. And I myself had the same pose, Side Plank pose (Vasithasana) recommended to me by my chiropractor (yes, I have a chiropractor for my scoliosis—I don’t believe that yoga is the answer to everything), so I have incorporated this wonderful strengthening pose into my regular yoga practice."

Now a recent scientific study, which was reported in the Wall Street Journal article Study: Doing the Side Plank Reduced Spinal Curving in Scoliosis Patients, found that for a small group of patients with scoliosis (21 women and four men, ages 14 to 85) practicing this one pose resulted in a curve reduction of almost 50 percent among teenage practitioners and 38 percent for adults. Yes, they studied just this single yoga pose!

"In this study, we assess the possible benefits of asymmetrical strengthening of truncal muscles on the convex side of the scoliotic curve through a single yoga pose, the side plank pose, in idiopathic and degenerative scoliosis."

For this particular study, they recommended that the participants do the pose on one side only, "with the convexity downward." For information on the original study, see Serial Case Reporting Yoga for Idiopathic and Degenerative Scoliosis.

While this study of Side Plank pose is—like so many other scientific studies of yoga—limited by the small number of participants being studied and the lack of control group, there is no question in our minds that this is an excellent strengthening pose. In his post Friday Q&A: Yoga for Surgically Repaired Scoliosis, Baxter mentioned Side Plank pose as one of the strengthening poses that he recommended for strengthening the muscles at the front, back, and sides of your body. Shari says the pose strengthens the serratus anterior, the obliques, the latisimus, quadratus the lumborum, the gluteus muscles, the fasciae latae, hamstrings, scapula stabilizers, teres minor and major, and then all the paraspinal muscle stabilizers. Wow that’s a lot of muscles! That's why we recommend this pose for anyone who wants to build upper body strength. And I’m betting that strengthening those paraspinal muscles (the muscles all along the spine) is particular beneficial for people with scoliosis.

So today seems like a good day to review our instructions for how to practice this pose. For people who don’t yet have the strength to do the pose on the floor, we provide the option of doing the pose with one hand on the wall. You can practice the wall version regularly until you build up the strength to do the floor version.

Side Plank Pose on the Floor

1. Start by taking Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) pose.

1. From Downward-Facing Dog, swing your shoulders forward almost into Plank position while keeping your hips lifted.

3. Make your right arm stronger by contracting the muscles of the arm to the bone, and tip your heels to the right, bringing the outer edge of your right foot and the inner edge of your left foot to the floor, with your feet slightly apart.

4. Turn your chest away from the floor and bring your left hand onto your left hip. Since this takes a lot of strength, stay just few breaths at first, and gradually add more time with more practice.

5. To come out, swing back into Downward-Facing Dog pose

6.  Unless you are practicing on one side only as in the study, repeat the pose on the second side. Afterward, rest in Child’s pose a few breaths.

Side Plank Pose on the Wall 

1. Start with your right side to the wall. 

2. Reach your right arm out to your side, parallel with the floor, and place your palm on the wall with your fingers pointing up. Engage your right shoulder blade into your chest wall and down slightly towards your right waist.

3. Step both feet out away from the wall, until your right foot is positioned directly under your left shoulder.

4. If your balance is good, try bending your left knee and bringing your left foot into Tree pose (Vrksasana).

5. Take your left arm up and overhead, reaching strongly towards the wall with your left arm and shoulder blade, aligning it like the top arm in Extended Side Angle pose (Utthita Parsvakonasna). 

6. Unless you are practicing on one side only as in the study, repeat on the second side. 

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