Step-By-Step
-
Lie relax on your back. Bend the knees into your stomach with an exhale.
-
Inhale then hold the outer side of the feet with your hands (in case, you find it difficult to hold your feet directly with the hands, hold them up onto a belt looped over every sole). Open the knees wider than the torso, and bring them towards the armpits.
-
Place each ankle over the knee in such a way that your shins are perpendicular to the floor. Now, flex through your heels. Smoothly, push the feet in your hands as you bring the hands down for creating resistance.
-
Coax the thighs in towards the torso and down towards the floor while lengthening your spine – release the tail bone towards the floor and increase the base of the skull away from the neck.
-
Stay in the same position for about thirty seconds to a minute. Thereafter, release your feet back to the floor with an exhale. Rest and relax for a few breaths.
Anatomical Focus – Hips
Benefits
-
Helps relieve stress and fatigue and calms the brain
-
Gently stretches the back spine and the inner groins
Contraindications and Cautions
-
Neck injury, support head on a thickly folded blanket
-
Knee injury
-
Pregnancy
Beginner’s Tip
-
If you fail to hold your feet with your hands, try to hold each foot with a yoga strap looped around the middle arch.
Preparatory Poses
-
Virasana (Hero Pose)
-
Balasana (Child Pose)
Follow-Up Poses
-
Adho Mukh Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)