CHENNAI: The big-toe-pose. This is another dynamic standing posture where we clasp the big toes. This works on your lower back and abdomen- problem areas for most people. Let’s look at the steps we take to assemble and achieve this posture.
Steps
● Stand in shitila tad asana, the upright mountain pose with your feet apart by 4-6 inches. Inner lines of the feet should be parallel. Now inhale and raise your arms overhead. While keeping your knees straight bend forward at the hip joint and reach for your big toes with your thumb and two fingers as you exhale. Get a good grip with your knuckles facing outward.
● Intermediate posture: Next stretch your neck and look forward. Continue to stretch your shoulders and chest forward. Breathe normal. At every exhalation try to pull your abdomen in, thus pushing your diaphragm upwards towards the lungs. We hold the posture here for a minute or two as we do some fine-tuning.
● Meanwhile, allow your lower back to sink downwards towards the floor creating a concave back. This effort can be aided by pushing the tailbone backwards. Tip: You are mobilizing the spine here by moving it in both directions — the upper spin moving forward and the lower spine is stretching back. The muscular system is moving the skeletal system and movement is happening because of your will power and focus. The movement is micro and you can experience it only by trying.
● Move the hip joint directly above the ankles so your legs are upright at 90 degrees to the floor. You can achieve this by pushing your buttocks slightly forward. The buttocks have a tendency to push back.
Contraindication: People with slipped discs should not go to the final posture. They should terminate the posture here and return to standing as given in the last step.
● Final posture: Move your face towards your knees with an exhalation by contracting your stomach and bring your inverted face parallel to your knees. At this point you can bend your elbows outward, create more space for your head to move closer to the knees. This is an active stretch. I enjoy the progression. This posture brings as each time I try it. The body feels differently challenged because of the involvement of the back and abdomen.
Tip: The crown of the head can be brought parallel to the floor. The face can journey towards the knee in counts of exhalations. The belly button can be moved closer to the spine.
● To release the posture look forward. Again, bend your knees (for the safety of your knee joint and your back) and slowly come up to standing. Raise your arms over the head for completion and then release them to your sides as you return to tad asana (upright standing).
Benefits
Padangusthan asana is good for your abdomen. It takes care of bloating, digestion issues and gastric problems. It’s good for the liver and spleen. The ‘intermediate posture’ as depicted is good to adjust slipped discs. Padangusthan asana is one of the postures recommended for that condition. Doctor or physiotherapist’s supervision is advised for chronic slipped-disc sufferers.
(Anshu Vyas Seetharaman is a yoga and fitness trainer at Sri Aurobindo Society, Bengaluru.)