Manic: Like most of us, I occasionally get lower back pain and when I first tried running (my hats are off to you runners out there), my hips hurt.
Managed: Asked our yoga expert how to stretch for help with these areas. Not only does he have a great pose for this, but read on to see the many additional benefits your body and mind get from Roman’s recommended yoga moves.
Roman says:
This pose is called the Janu Sirsasana or Head knee pose.
Your lower back will thank you with this pose.
This pose will do all of these wonderful things for your body:
*Stretches low back
*Hip opener
*Calms the brain and helps relieve mild depression
*Stretches the spine, shoulders, hamstrings, and groins
*Stimulates the liver and kidneys
*Improves digestion
*Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
*Relieves anxiety, fatigue, headache, menstrual discomfort
*Therapeutic for high blood pressure, insomnia, and sinusitis
Here is how you do it:
1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Inhale, bend your right knee, and draw the heel back toward your perineum. Rest your right foot sole lightly against your inner left thigh, and lay the outer right leg on the floor, with the shin at a right angle to the left leg (if your right knee doesn’t rest comfortably on the floor, support it with a folded blanket).
2. Press your right hand against the inner right groin, where the thigh joins the pelvis, and your left hand on the floor beside the hip. Exhale and turn the torso slightly to the left, lifting the torso as you push down and ground the inner right thigh. Line up your navel with the middle of the left thigh. You can just stay here, using a strap to help you lengthen the spine evenly, grounding through the sitting bones.
3. Or, when you are ready, you can drop the strap and reach out with your right hand to take the inner left foot, thumb on the sole. Inhale and lift the front torso, pressing the top of the left thigh into the floor and extending actively through the left heel. Use the pressure of the left hand on the floor to increase the twist to the left. Then reach your left hand to the outside of the foot. With the arms fully extended, lengthen the front torso from the pubis to the top of the sternum.
4. Exhale and extend forward from the groins, not the hips. Be sure not to pull yourself forcefully into the forward bend, hunching the back and shortening the front torso. As you descend, bend your elbows out to the sides and lift them away from the floor.
5. Lengthen forward into a comfortable stretch. The lower belly should touch the thighs first, the head last. Stay in the pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Come up with an inhalation and repeat the instructions with the legs reversed for the same length of time.
Roman Acevedo, Yoga Instructor
Roman began practicing yoga in 2000 to complement his rigorous workout and hectic work schedule. Leading to increased strength, concentration and flexibility, he found yoga far more beneficial in restoring peace in any stressful environment. Studying under Andrew Eppler and local instructors Dave Oliver, Cheryl Oliver and John Salisbury, Roman is currently working towards the 500 hour advanced Yoga Instructor training.
Read more about Roman on our team bio page.
What is your favorite yoga pose? Tell us in the comments section.
the “sun salutation” is my favorite because it encompasses so many poses into one flowing movement. do it very slowly with total awareness. As one movement flows into the next you begin to open like a flower, mind at peace, body energized. A very beneficial pose for an early morning greeting of the day, or anytime one just needs a good stretch and reconnect with inner Self.