Head-to-knee pose therapeutic for hypertension
By Kavita Maharaj - Nanaimo News Bulletin - February 9, 2009
Last week we looked at hypertension, or high blood pressure, and how yoga as a practice works to deal with it.
This week we look specifically at janu sirsasana, or head to knee pose, a wonderfully therapeutic pose for those suffering from high blood pressure.
To perform sirsasana, begin sitting on the floor with your legs extended out in front of you. Draw your right heel into your groin and allow your right knee to drop down to the earth.
If your hip-flexors are tight, you will find your knee unable to drop all the way down.If this is uncomfortable, place a support (foam blocks, blankets, etc.) beneath your right knee to support it.
Then reach under your buttocks, gently pulling the fleshy part of the buttocks out from under you.
This will lead to you sitting on your two sit-bones (the bony points in your bum).
If your hamstrings are tight, your sit-bones may not come to point directly down beneath you. In this case, you may wish to place padding underneath your buttocks.
If there is only mild tightness, a folded blanket will do the trick. If you are tighter, use foam yoga blocks.
If you are very tight, you may choose to bend your left knee in order to bring the sit-bones into place.
Rotate through your spine, vertebrae by vertebrae until you square your chest toward your extended left leg.
Lengthen your spine, pressing into the earth through your sitting bones and extending through the crown of your head.
Inhale deeply. As you exhale, hinge at your hips feeling your pelvis rotate over your thigh bones.
Feel your body lengthen out of your groin, chest lifting away from the thigh.
Do not allow the back to round or the abdomen to collapse. If your flexibility allows you, hold the extended left leg or foot. If you are unable to, use a strap looped around the sole of the foot and hold it with your arm extended fully (not bent). Hold for 30 seconds.
Inhale deeply. As you exhale, lower your abdomen toward your thigh, chest toward your knee, forehead toward your shin. At no time should you hold your breath.
Allow each breath to move slowly and smoothly in and out of the body. Hold, as your body relaxes into the pose.
Come out of the pose, inhaling up the way you came. Switch sides when you are ready.
A word of caution with janu sirsasana, do not lock the knee on your straight leg. Keep the thigh muscles engaged so the knee does not hyper-extend.
