Evolution of a Pose

How does a pose go from a collection of stiff parts to an integrated whole? Each section learns to do its part, and then to communicate with the neighboring parts. How does stiffness in the hips, pelvic girdle and thoracic spine affect the neck and shoulders in this pose, Viparīta Daṇḍāsana?

In Viparīta Daṇḍāsana, the chest is eventually vertical. For this to happen, the thoracic spine needs to move into extension. This is important because the lumbar spine is forced to pick up the slack if the thoracic isn’t extending, and this can cause stress to the bones over time. As an example, compare the spinal curve in the pictures above with the white shirt vs the black shirt. In the pictures with the white shirt, you can see a more of a distinct fulcrum in my lumbar spine. With the black shirt, my chest is more vertical because the thoracic spine was able to move in more, and you see a smoother arch with less stress to the lumbar spine. In studies of gymnasts, who are particularly vulnerable to such injuries, a common finding was lumbar hyperlordosis (in plain English, too much arch in the low back) paired with shortened hip flexors (ie tight psoas). Which brings us to the next difficulty many of us experience in this pose: hip extension (in plain English: stretching the thigh back without overarching the lumbar)...

While I must have worked my chest opening more in the black shirt photo, you can see distinctly that my buttocks are dropping much more on that day than in the white shirt practice. In the first of that white shirt series (the one where my son is climbing on me), you can see I’m having a hard time stretching my legs. In the next photo, despite the fulcrum in my lumbar, I manage to actually extend my hips in Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana, which stretches the psoas. You can see the effect in the next two photos, where my legs are much closer to approaching straight.

So how does one approach a pose like Viparīta Daṇḍāsana? The practice below is not for beginners, but note that the themes are addressed in some the very first poses we learn. Ūrdhva Hastāsana and Ūrdhva Namaskarāsana may not seem fancy, but the armpit opening is a must for mastering Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana, which I think of as the gateway to the more advanced backhanding poses.

Block Paryankāsana is a nice way to get into the upper back, and can be done with gradually increasing intensity by turning up the block height.

I open the thoracic and armpits together using an Iyengar trestler, which I was lucky enough to acquire shortly after moving to Vienna. Iyengar himself was incredibly creative about using props to open stubborn spots, and I take his lead by looking for stumps to backbend over while my kids run around at the playground. At home, a yoga chair or a folding chair can stand in as a chest and armpit opener.

Shoulder opening can be done with blocks, on a chair, a trestler (for those who to come to Iyengar Yoga Vienna, we now have one in each room!) photos to come soon…

Block Paryaṅkāsana

Eka Pada Rāja Kapotāsana II leg preparation to open the psoas

Bhekāsana

Supta Virāsana

Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana alone and then in Supta Vīrāsana

Uṣṭrāsana