asanas, try this warm-up first.
Bend the right leg and bring it up parallel to your chest. Cradle the lower leg in your arms and rock
it from side to side. Now, clasp ing the ankle, bring the sole of
the foot to your chest, then raise the foot and touch the toes to
forehead, then to your ear. with the lef leg. With practice, you will bring the leg behind your head and can work toward more of your
body in front leg. Event
ually the leg come right back
behind your shoulder. Then you
will no longer r;leed to hold your leg in place with your hands. You can also approach the pose from a lying down position, which makes it easier. This asa na exerts great pressure on the abdominal organs. Lift the right leg first. to massage the ascend ing colon, then the left leg, to massage the descending colon. The order is important.
The Shooting Bow
Sit with both legs out in front. Reach forward with both hands and clasp your big toes. Keeping the left leg straight, pull the right foot up and back with your hand.
Leg behind Head Pose 1 (right) Sit down with your left heel in to the perineum. Gently lift your right leg up, easing your right arm and shoulder under it, while pulling the foot up and back with your left hand, as shown right.
2(below) Now bend your head down and pull the foot back behind your head and shoulder. Bring your palms together in the prayer pose. This is Eka Pad a Sirasana.
Variation 2 (right)
Clasp the left big toe in your right hand and vice versa, crossing your left arm over your right. Now bend the left knee and pull the foot close to your chest, pointing your right elbow up.
Variation 1 (right)
For Omkarasana, place the left leg in Half Lotus. Lean forward and lift the right leg behind your head. Support yourself on your hands and try to straighten up.
Variation 2 (far right)
For Dwipada Sirasana, lie on your back and bring first one leg then the other behind your head, crossing your ankles.
140 ASANAS ANO VARIATIONS
The Splits
The only way to master Anjaney· asana, the Splits is by constant repetition. If you try it once a year you will never succeed, but if you incorporate it in your daily set of asanas, your legs will gradually ease apart. If it seems an extreme pose, it may inspire you to know that the legs are capable of an even greater stretch-with both back and front legs lifted some way off the
floor, knees straight. Once you
are comfortable in the Splits. the pose brings you a wonderful feeling of balance and sym ·
metry. It is a very stable asana. providing the longest base that your body can rest on. The Splits
opens the door to many other
poses- some of the advanced inverted or balancing poses be· come more accessible when you can reach your leg down or raise it up into them. And because practising the Splits improves
the circulation in your legs. it is
of great benefit to all standing poses. As soon as you have mastered both the Pigeon and the Splits, you can combine the two and practise Variation 3.
This asana will show up any asymmetry between your two sides and you a chance to rectify it- example, if your right side is more flexible, pull a
little bit more when holding the left foot. Once you can do this variation, you need no longer practise the Pigeon with any
other position, since press ing the leg straight down in the Splits gives you the most complete backward bend.
1 Supporting your weight on your hands. stretch one leg for ward to rest on the heel and the other back. keeping the knee up.
2 Gradually take less of your weight on your hands. bouncing gently up and down to stretch the legs further apart. Once you can rest both legs flat on the floor. bring your palms together in the prayer pose.
Variation 1 (below)
In the Splits. with your hands m
the prayer pose. inhale. Now exhale and. leading with the hands. bend forward from the waist and come down over
the front leg.
Variation 2 (nght)
With your legs m the Splits and your hands m the prayer pose.
inhale. Now exhale and arch back. bringing your arms over your head. Use your breathing to
keep your balance in the position and to focus your mind.
Variation 4
Clasp the toes of your left foot with your left hand. Now bend the right knee and reach back to clasp the foot in your right hand.
Variation 3
Bend your rtght knee: reach back and clasp the foot with the right hand(as onp. 126). Now puff the foot to your head and hold it with your left hand too.
142 ASANAS AND VARIATIONS