Opening to possibilities: Parivrtta hasta padangusthasana
Here’s the first of many asana tip sheets to come. Whether you’re a practitioner or teacher, these small tips will enhance your experience of your asanas.
If you have a favorite pose you want to see us feature, let us know in the comments below!
Be sure to download the pdf of this “Revolved hand-to-big-toe pose” tip sheet at the bottom of this post.
asana name = parivrtta hasta padangusthasana
- parvritta = revolved
- hasta = hand
- pada = foot
- angustha = big toe
- asana = seat
benefits
- increases core, spinal and leg strength
- stimulates digestion and abdominal organs
- calms the nervous system
- improves balance and focus
- stretches hamstrings and thoracic spine
contraindications = those with spinal, sciatica or sacroiliac injuries should go easy—don’t twist so far open.
modifications = for those challenged by balance, use a wall or keep the gaze turned forward; for tight hamstrings, keep the extended leg bent; self-adjust by leaving the back hand on hip to assist the hip to lock down.
attitude = embracing the past while moving forward into future possibilities.
What you can do next
- Hey, leave us a comment below…which pose would you like us to feature in the future??? We wanna hear from you.
- Grab your free asana tip sheet by clicking the button below.
I’ve learned so much. Excellent Information!
Thanks for stopping by, Enid!
im gonna try this right now while the baby I’m watching is sleeping 🙂
Way to multitask, Marina! Let me know how it goes… 🙂
Wow! So much to think about… next time I’m on the mat I will keep these tips in mind. Thanks so much!
Hahaha…yoga is the settling of the mind into stillness. But here we gave you so much to think about, didn’t we?!
Well, Morgan, I guess first the mind must focus on the details and then we can let the mind go, heeheehee…funny dichotomy. :o)
Beautiful Rupali!!! I love the translations too. I would love to see the ol’ standard, downward dog:)
You got it, Tarah! Keep your eyes open for the good ‘ol dog, coming soon!
Awesome!! I am in teacher training right now, this is very, very helpful 😉
How about peacock?
Xo and aloha!!
Sure! We’d love to do peacock, Kristine! Great suggestion…stay tuned.
Wonderful,useful and interesting information.
I’m so glad it is helpful to you, Deepa! Please stop back by again sometime.
Better yet, be sure to sign up for emails here: http://www.blissfulyogini.com/signup-for-updates/
Mahalo ~
Commendable Efforts Ladies. Really Appreciate, esp the Justice done to Knowledge, along with Humor Add-On:-))
also a small contribution, from me, I find valuable for All Yoga Lovers, Its Always Chakras(Cycle/Energy Points) & Aasans(Poses) together
Their Combo gives us detailed insight how exactly, a given Aasan, Energy-Wise stimulates certain Energy Cycle, thereby working on the Root-Cause of every Issue/problem, & also helps it to Tailor-Customise for Every Single Individual.
(Beginners, do consult a Experienced Yoga-teacher, to begin with)
Thank you, Deshbandhu, for your kind words and input! We really appreciate it.
Especially the reminder to beginners.
We hope to hear more from you in future posts!
~ Jai
Hi, Thank you very much for such detailed tips! they are wonderfully helpful… I would like to know how to make “Padmasama” (lotus posture) easy for elderly people, or people whose joints are bit stiff… please do help me deal with this problem…
Thanks for the compliments, Nikhila…we appreciate it!
Regarding making padmasana easy for elderly people and stiff jointed people, my answer would be, “slowly, slowly…”. It first depends on HOW stiff the joints are. The knee joint is one of the MOST vulnerable joints in the body so GREAT care must be taken. I’d try to decide if this is a necessary pose for the student at all.
But if the student has their mind set on doing it, then it is necessary for them to be very consistent with their efforts (daily practice, a little at a time) and to be sure to warm the hip joints up thoroughly each time. The action of padmasana actually starts in the hips. So LOTS of hip preparations will help. Do externally rotating poses, like janu sirsasana, and internally rotating poses, like tiriangamukaikapadapaschimottanasana. Also work on ankle flexibility.
Any tightness in the hips will translate into pain further down the legs while doing this pose…all the way to the ankles.
There is a whole sequence that I’ve done with my students that is very effective. You’ve given me the idea to feature it on this blog. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, I hope this helps. Have your students listen to their bodies and back off when they need to…no pushing or straining, whatsoever. Gaining one single pose is not worth an injury to the knees.
Hope this helps!
Thank you Rupali, this is really very helpful for yoga instructors.
We just shared this webpage on our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tummeeYoga) and on our website (http://www.tummee.com/yoga-sequence-builder/Revolved-Hand-to-Big-Toe-Pose/143408833232233) so that yoga instructors can benefit from it.
Love your site, Tummee! Thanks for sharing our post with your readers. I’ll be sure to share your site with our readers too!
Thanks Rupali! Greatly appreciate it.
I hope you and your readers will find tummee.com useful for your needs – creating and sharing sequences (especially useful for teacher training), listening to pronunciation of Sanskrit yoga pose titles (see http://www.tummee.com/sanskrit/pronunciation), saving cues, etc.
What a great resource, Tummee! I posted it on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/blissedoutyogini
Thanks for letting us know about that! Keep up the good work!
O wow! Thanks Rupali!