Bounce Magazine 77

WELLBEING
SEPTEMBER 2016 | ISSUE #47 | BEAUTY, HEALTH & WELLBEING
MARCH 2019 | ISSUE #77
NOOSE
POSE
(posh -AHS-anna)
Benefits
Stretches and strengthens the ankles
Stretches the thighs, groins, and spine
Opens the chest and shoulders
Stimulates the abdominal organs
Improves digestion and elimination
Improves posture
Cautions:
Avoid deep squats with any knee injury, Lower-back
injury, Herniated disk
How to try the pose:
1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) next to a wall
with your feet hip-width and parallel to each other.
Ideally, you will stand forearm distance from the wall.
So, as you stand in Tadasana with the wall on your
right side, turn to the right and press your right palm
into the wall-from wrist to elbow, your forearm should
be parallel to the ground. Adjust your distance to the
wall accordingly and turn your torso back to center.
2. Bend your knees into a full squat, with your
buttocks sitting on your heels. If you’re not able to get
the heels fully on the floor, squat with the heels raised
on a thickly folded blanket or sandbag.
3. Swing your knees slightly to the left. As you exhale,
turn your torso to the right and press both hands into
the wall. As your left hand presses into the wall, the
elbow should press against the outside of your right
knee. Support the pose by using your right hand for
leverage-the right hand will be high and the left hand
will be low. For the full pose, it’s necessary to close
any space between the left side of the torso and the
tops of the thighs. So work the back of the left arm
down the leg, moving the back of the left shoulder
toward the outside of the right knee.
4. Press the knee and arm (or shoulder) firmly against
each other. Use this pressure to lengthen the left side
of your torso out of the inner groins, sliding it along
the tops of the thighs. There’s a tendency in these
deep twists to harden the belly, so try to keep your
belly soft.
5. Keep the right hand on the wall or bring the palms
together with the elbows angled sharply away from
each other. Use the pressure of the palms to increase
the twist.
6. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to a minute.
Release the twist with an exhalation, then repeat for
the same length of time to the left.
Deepen the Pose:
To increase the twist, use the bottom arm (the one
wrapped around the legs) to pull down on the top
arm.
Follow Up Poses:
Pasasana is usually performed near the end of a
long seated-twist sequence, though it could be used
as a warm-up for twists like Ardha Matsyendrasana
(Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) and Marichyasana III
(Marichi’s Pose, variation III).
With thanks to www.yogajournal.com/poses.
Please take care in all poses, if unsure please attend a
class or ask for a private lesson.
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