PARIVṚTTA JĀNU ŚIRṢĀSANA (REVOLVED HEAD TO KNEE POSE)
PARIVṚTTA JĀNU ŚIRṢĀSANA (REVOLVED HEAD TO KNEE POSE)
- Sit on your mat
- Bring your legs forward and straight, feet together
- Bend the right knee
- Place the right heel on the left inner thigh
- Twist your trunk to the right
- Stretch your left arm and grab the inside of the foot
- Raise your right arm over your head and grab the other side of the foot
- Look up to the ceiling
- Stay for 5 breaths
Asana in Depth
Parivṛtta Jānu Śirṣāsana, also known as revolved head to knee pose, is a variation of the regular Jānu Śirṣāsana where the trunk is twisted, creating a deep side stretch.
Start by sitting down on your mat. Bring your legs forward and sit on your sitting bones. It is important to sit fully on the sitting bones and you can do so by moving the flesh of the buttocks away to the sides, away from each other. Have full awareness of the sitting bones pressing down into the ground. Keep your feet together and ensure that the legs are straight. Bend your right knee and externally rotate the leg, placing the foot against the left inner thigh close to the pelvis. Press the foot firmly into the thigh, making sure there is no gap. Lengthen your spine upward and lift your sternum up.Turn your torso to the right, drawing the right shoulder back. Extend the left arm and stretch it out towards
the extended leg, grabbing onto the inside of the left foot. Raise the right arm up over the head, keeping the torso twisted, and lower down towards the left leg. Extend the arm out and then grab hold of the outer side of the left foot, thumb pointing down. Keep turning the trunk up, drawing the right shoulder back, and bring the head in between the arms. Look up towards the ceiling. Stay for 5 - 10 deep breaths and then repeat on the other side.
If you have tight hamstrings you can sit on a folded blanket or block. The raised hips will assist in the post and reduce pressure on the hamstrings and back. It will allow you to sit more comfortably. If you have any pain or discomfort in the knee, you can place a blanket under the knee as support. If you cant reach your foot with your hands, then rest the left arm down on the floor and the right arm extended in the air, coming down as far as possible.
One of the benefits of this posture is that it stretches the hamstrings, the calves and the groins. It lengthens the spine and stretches the kidney area and sides of the body. It is a calming pose for the mind and helps with relieving depression, anxiety and fatigue.
The contra indications are knee injuries and back injuries. Use blankets as a support for the knee to protect it and also to sit on to relieve pressure on the back.
Start by sitting down on your mat. Bring your legs forward and sit on your sitting bones. It is important to sit fully on the sitting bones and you can do so by moving the flesh of the buttocks away to the sides, away from each other. Have full awareness of the sitting bones pressing down into the ground. Keep your feet together and ensure that the legs are straight. Bend your right knee and externally rotate the leg, placing the foot against the left inner thigh close to the pelvis. Press the foot firmly into the thigh, making sure there is no gap. Lengthen your spine upward and lift your sternum up.Turn your torso to the right, drawing the right shoulder back. Extend the left arm and stretch it out towards
the extended leg, grabbing onto the inside of the left foot. Raise the right arm up over the head, keeping the torso twisted, and lower down towards the left leg. Extend the arm out and then grab hold of the outer side of the left foot, thumb pointing down. Keep turning the trunk up, drawing the right shoulder back, and bring the head in between the arms. Look up towards the ceiling. Stay for 5 - 10 deep breaths and then repeat on the other side.
If you have tight hamstrings you can sit on a folded blanket or block. The raised hips will assist in the post and reduce pressure on the hamstrings and back. It will allow you to sit more comfortably. If you have any pain or discomfort in the knee, you can place a blanket under the knee as support. If you cant reach your foot with your hands, then rest the left arm down on the floor and the right arm extended in the air, coming down as far as possible.
One of the benefits of this posture is that it stretches the hamstrings, the calves and the groins. It lengthens the spine and stretches the kidney area and sides of the body. It is a calming pose for the mind and helps with relieving depression, anxiety and fatigue.
The contra indications are knee injuries and back injuries. Use blankets as a support for the knee to protect it and also to sit on to relieve pressure on the back.
Major Benefits
- Stretches the hamstrings, calves
- Stretches the chest and abdomen
- Lengthens the spine
- Relieves Fatigue, depression, and anxiety
Contra Indications
- Knee and back injury
Anatomy Basics
- Stretches Spinal Erector Muscles
- Stretches internal oblique
- Stretches gluteus medius
- Stretches hamstrings
