Previous image
Next image
It’s okay to change your opinion. 😊
As a teacher and student of Alignment yoga, I used to practice Vasisthasana stacking my bottom arm directly under my shoulders.
One day a teacher told me to place my hand slightly forward of my bottom shoulder in Vasisthasana.
I was skeptical. Aren’t we supposed to STACK THE BONES? 🤷
From a biomechanics perspective, properly aligned muscles and joints optimise power and stability.
Stacking your joints together allow you to use your strength more efficiently and safely. I followed the instructions. I tried taking my hand slightly forward and immediately I am a convert.
It took away tension from my shoulder joint, especially when I practice more advanced postures like Kasyapasana and Kapinlajasana.
Most importantly, my “hyper-extension” elbow, something that bothers me in many poses, didn’t hurt.
Since then I have been practising and teaching Vasisthasana with my bottom hand slightly forward, because it works. 🙌
In side plank, the body makes two lines – the first line from the shoulder to the bottom hand and the second line from the armpit to your feet. The second line is not parallel to the floor. It’s a sloped line.
A sloped line (armpit to foot) and a vertical line (shoulder to bottom hand) does not create a 90° angle! It means when you stack your bottom arm directly under the shoulder the angle is less than 90°!
It’s more like 60-70°, which can be less effective, especially when it’s weight-bearing.
In order to create a 90° angle in the shoulder joint, you need to move your bottom hand slightly forward of your shoulder.
While yoga has thousands of years of history, the practice of asanas only started 60-70 years ago.
Vasisthanasa, like all the yoga poses, was once “innovative”. 👀
Being willing to change shows we are open to ideas; we are honest with our “mistakes”, and we are willing to revise and are continuously seeking improvements and growth.
𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗩𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
Comments