asana lab flashcards

Question

Modifications of Bharmanasana? | Core Asana

Answer 1

**Wrists** * If your wrists are uncomfortable, you can try placing a folded towel or wedge under your heels to reduce the angle of extension. You can also support your wrists with a fold of your mat, or balance on your knuckles instead of flat palms. **Knees** * If your knees are sensitive, you can place a folded blanket or yoga mat under them for extra cushioning. You can also prop up your heels with a rolled up mat, blanket, or blocks to give your hamstrings more length and your sit bones more height. **Neck** * To maintain a neutral neck position, try keeping your gaze slightly forward and down, and avoid craning your neck to look straight ahead or down. **Back** * If your back is rounded or you're pulling your torso down from your frontal hip joint, you can try bending your knees more

Answer 2

Injury and Surgery: * Any injury to the knees, wrists, shoulders, elbows, hips, and spine is a contraindication as the pressure in these areas will aggregate the pain and the swelling. Hence, yoga teachers should take care while introducing this simple pose to students with such injuries. Similarly, people who have undergone recent surgery on the knees, hips, ankles, shoulders, or spine should avoid this pose to avoid post-surgery complications and injuries. Physical Strength and Weak Body: * Students with weak ankles, knees, wrist joints, and shoulders should avoid this pose to avoid dislocation of the joints. Yoga teachers need to strengthen their joints with joint freeing exercises. Students with carpal syndrome should avoid this pose because of the pressure on the wrists. Students who are new to yoga and are suffering from arthritis of the shoulders, hips, and knees should avoid the practice of Table Top Pose. Since these joints bear the body's weight in this pose, students should be cautious when putting pressure on them.

Answer 3

1. Legs: bent, hip-width apart, knees grounded Feet and Toes: in line with knees, active arch, front foot resting, toes active, together 2. Hips: flexed, together, square, stacked above the knee, internal rotation Sit bones: lifted up 3. Arms: long, shoulder width apart, upper arm lifted upwards, inner elbows facing in Hands and Fingers: grounded, strong wrists, finger wide, pointed straight 4. Shoulders: rolled back, broad, away from ears, above wrists 5. Chest and Rib Cage: broad, parallel to floor Chin: a bit tucked 6. Spine: parallel to floor, lengthened forward Back and Front: broad, parallel to the floor, lengthened forward 7. Muscles: pelvic floor, core, triceps, biceps Navel: pulled in to keep back strong 8. Gaze: down Breath: soft inhaling exhaling

Answer 4

* Ardha Uttanasana - Standing Half Forward Bend * Padangusthasana - Big Toe Pose * Pada Hastasana - Hand to Foot Pose

Answer 5

* If the hamstrings hurt bad while at the stretch, bending the knees is a good option for some periods of practices till the hamstring muscles become strong. * If the balance of the body is not good while at the pose, using the wall by facing it should be a great support. Placing the upper back towards the wall and using the hand around the ankles to get a grip should do the trick. * If placing the feet together is difficult to balance, then bringing a block and placing it between the insides of the lower thighs will help to gain confidence. * If the pressure on the feet is too much while at the pose, one could use a blanket below the feet to help reduce the stress on the soles. * If the back is not strong enough, then going half way down is more useful along with lifting of the head. Once the body gains the strength, the complete forward bend can be slowly achieved. * Using the chair or a stool or even the wall for going half way down can be first practiced. This will slowly open the back muscles and the leg muscles. * If breathing is difficult causing giddiness, bending of the knees will help overcome these symptoms. * Using the palm strength to pull the body forward can be damaging to the hip and the lower back, hence keep the body loose while going down and let the spine take its time to stretch forward. * If reaching the floor with the palms is a challenge, using of blocks placed close to the feet will help in enjoying the pose. * If the throwing of the head down is a challenge, one could place a chair for the head supporting it with cushion. Placing the chair in front of you and then going down, gradually placing the head on the cushion placed on the chair will avoid sudden gush of blood to the brain.

Answer 6

******Injury and Surgery:** * Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose) should be avoided by people who have knee, hips, pelvis, shoulders, rib cage, neck, or spinal injury. If students are recovering from wear and tear in the hamstring, calves, ankles, shoulders, or any other part of the ligaments or tissues, should be discouraged from the practice of this forward bend pose. In addition, if students have undergone spinal, hip, knee, abdominal surgeries, then they should be refrained from this practice. **Lack of Body-Breath Connections: ** * Breath awareness is needed in this pose. The bend gets deeper with every exhalation. Secondly, keeping the spine aligned without hunching is important, since this pose is not about just bending forward but keeping the back alert while bending. Students without body breath coordination should not be encouraged to do this pose. They can move into and out of the pose in a jerk, causing more harm to their spine, hips, and pelvis when they lack breath support. **Physical Strength and Weak Body: ** * Students with tight hamstrings, weak ankles and knees should be guided into this practice with extra care. While this may not be a contraindication, care should be taken to avoid injuries or discomfort. Since there is a blood rush to the brain, students with high blood pressure, vertigo or migraine should avoid this pose. Students with spinal disorders like herniated disks, advanced cervical and lumbar spondylitis, scoliosis and kyphosis need to avoid this pose as there is a deep lengthening of the spine. Heart patients, Who have undergone heart surgeries need to avoid this kind of intense inversions. **Others:** * Pregnant people need to avoid this practice as the abdominal pressure is not good for them. Senior citizens also will find this pose difficult due to the balancing act and blood flow to the brain. Senior citizens or postnatal women can consider the practice of Seated Forward Fold Pose Chair Variation Arms Crossed (Upavistha Uttanasana Chair Variation Hasta Crossed) or Seated Forward Fold Pose on Chair to work on the back or hips, as this is a safe option. Postnatal women should practise this pose only after they strengthen their back and core with the initial gap of primary healing of 4 weeks after childbirth. Therapy and Restorative: * Though yoga teachers can use Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose) to treat digestive ailments, they need to be diligent because all digestive disorders are just not constipation, flatulence or indigestion. These symptoms may be a result of an underlying medical condition that needs urgent attention, such as food poisoning or an intestinal blockage. Though this pose is effective for strengthening the lower back, the therapist has to be diligent and analyse the patient and rule out slip disc, advanced cervical and lumbar spondylitis or herniated disc issues. Restorative spinal yoga postures help better than this intense stretch for such ailments.

Answer 7

1. Legs: together, thighs lifted upward, knee caps lifted up Feet and Toes: together, grounded, toes active, wide, pointed straight 2. Hips: grounded, soft Sit bones: lifted upwards 3. Arms: upper arms active, long, elbows bent, palms grounded, near feet, fingers active 4. Shoulders: rolled back, away from ears, create space in upper back 5. Chest and Rib Cage: broad, pushing down and in Chin: reaching down to the knees 6. Spine: lifted from base, long, forward bend Back and Front: broad, active, lifted, forward bend 7. Muscles: hamstrings, gluteus, pelvic floor, core Navel: active, pulled in to support lower back 8. Gaze: down at feet Breath: exhaling to lift hips up

Answer 8

* Ardha Utkatasana - Half Chair Pose * Parivrtta Utkatasana - Revolved Chair Pose

Answer 9

**Injury and Surgery: ** * Chronic knee pain or knee injury will make it difficult to practice this pose. Hence it’s best done once completely healed or with the knees strong enough. Students with shoulder, ankle, and hip injuries should avoid this pose because all these joints are active in this pose. **Lack of Body-Breath Connections:** * Students lacking body-breath connections may hold their breath to stay in the pose. This is not good for the respiratory pattern, and also, such students may jerk their knees while aligning in the pose or releasing it. Yoga teachers need to enlighten them on this before practice. Physical Strength and Weak Body: Students with high blood pressure, vertigo, or migraine ailments need to avoid this pose. Dizziness and imbalance can happen because of the neck bend with arms raised. This action creates a slight pressure on the jugular vein and the carotid artery. (Carotid arteries are a pair of blood vessels located on both sides of the neck that deliver blood to the brain. The jugular vein and the main arteries situated in this area are connected. The jugular vein is one of the several veins in the neck that drain deoxygenated blood from the face, brain, and neck, returning it to the heart.) This creates pressure on the brain and blood vessels for such people. Also, people with weak ankles, knees, and hip joints need to avoid this pose to avoid dislocation of joints while releasing the pose. Chair Pose Variation At Wall (Utkatasana Variation At Wall) and Chair Pose On Chair Hands On Knees (Utkatasana On Chair Hands On Knees) are good options for senior citizens and people with weak body frame. Severe arthritis or acute spondylitis will create more joint pain, and hence this pose is best done slowly with guidance or mastery of simpler poses to reduce the injuries before practicing this pose. Others: This pose should be avoided by pregnant women in the third trimester as it is strenuous on the hips and the legs to carry the weight of the womb. Similarly senior citizens lack core and knee strength and this pose is not advisable for them. Postnatal women still regaining strength in their hips and pelvic joints need to avoid this pose. **Therapy and Restorative: ** * Though this is a knee and body strengthening pose, yoga teachers need to assess the student's physical fitness and rule out major spinal ailments, knee surgeries, or acute back pain before practicing. Yoga teachers need to make the students practice Standing Shoulder Rolls Bent Elbows, Seated Knee Rotation, and Standing Ankle Rotation (Tadasana Goolf Chakra) to open up the joints and avoid injuries before practice of Chair Pose (Utkatasana).