Yoga Pose:
Supta Padangusthasana
Important Note
Take special precautions while doing any asana. If you are learning yoga, then take the advice of a knowledgeable person. Do not put any kind of force in the event of pain or unable to do so. Keep in mind that you will be able to succeed only with constant practice.
Brief Introduction Of The Supta Padangusthasana
- You may have come across the yoga pose Supta Padangusthasana and want to know more about it. This yoga practice is also called Reclined Hand to Big Toe yoga pose. In the Sanskrit language, Supta means Reclining, Pada means Foot, Angusta means Big Toe and Asana means Pose. It is commonly pronounced as soup-TAH pod-ang-goosh-TAHS-anna. Practicing this asana regularly helps you to derive incredible stretch. It helps to open your legs fully as well as boosts overall mental and physical health. It is indeed an asana that modern people should practice every day to escape the stress and tension of life. This pose does offer myriads of benefits.
- Before you start to practice Supta Padangusthasana, make sure to empty your bowels. Also, your do consume any food until an hour after completion of this pose. Rather, your stomach should be empty while practicing this asana. Experts recommend practitioners consume meals 4-6 hours before starting this asana. This way, your food will get fully digested in your body. You will also have a sufficient amount of energy to spend practicing this asana for a long duration.
- This pose is best done early in the morning, which means your last taken food will be at night. After getting from bed, you can start doing this pose after stretching properly your whole body to increase your flexes. In case, you are busy with some other work in the morning, then you can always practice it during the evening.
- This basic styled pose is of Iyengar style yoga that should be practiced for thirty seconds. It should be repeated once each time. It helps strengthen your knees and stretches your groin, calves, hamstrings, thighs and hips region.
How To Do The Supta Padangusthasana?
- First, try to lie on your back with stretched legs and flexed feet. Then press feet through the heels.
- Now exhale slowly. Take your right knee closer to your chest. Then loop a strap enclosing arch of your right foot. Experienced yoga practitioners are likely to use two fingers to hook onto their big toe.
- Next, straighten up and stretch your right leg to the ceiling. Your arms should be in a straight position with your shoulder pressing towards the floor.
- Push continuously and extend the left leg. Use your left hand to press down the top part of your left thigh. Your right legs extension is to create a cozy stretch at the back of your leg.
- Try to hold the asana in this particular situation or simply turn your right leg outwards. This will bring this leg down to the right side. In case, you perform this particular act, your left hip should be grounded to the floor.
- There are different variations to perform throughout this pose. Try to hold each of them for a longer duration possible. If you feel uncomfortable, you can always lose your grip, but slowly and steadily.
- To repeat this pose, keep your left leg onto the top and practice similar steps as given above.
Advanced pose variations
- Use your fingers rather than that of the strap for holding your toes while performing Supta Padangusthasana pose. It is considered to be the asanas advanced version and can be derived only with perseverance and intense practice.
Benefits Of The Supta Padangusthasana
Practicing this pose regularly does offer several amazing benefits.
- It provides your groin, hamstrings, calves, hips and thighs with the much-needed stretch and flexibility.
- Your knees get strengthened in the process.
- The pose helps stimulate your prostate gland.
- Also are stimulated the digestive organs, thereby promoting proper and timely digestion. This in turn helps keep in bay various types of health ailments and allows you to lead a happy, satisfied and healthy life.
- Men & women of all ages suffering from various types of health issues like infertility, blood pressure and flat feet, etc. can benefit immensely from this pose.
- It also helps ease menstrual discomfort, sciatica and backaches.
Precautions To Be Taken While Doing The Supta Padangusthasana
Before you start to practice this asana, you should consider several points of caution. This will ensure that you are safe and can enjoy the fruits of your hard work.
- If you suffer from ailments like blood pressure, you need to perform this task. Raise your neck and head with the help of a folded blanket. Only then should you practice this asana.
- Avoid performing this asana in case, you experience diarrhea or headache.
Some valuable tips for beginners to overcome problems faced while doing Supta Padangusthasana.
- If you are a beginner, you should start this asana by pressing your bottom leg heel against the wall. In case, you find your body to be too stiff, then right under the hip of your raised leg, place a block. It will provide adequate support to your inner groins by softening the under-thigh part. Then rest your leg on the block by bringing it on the side.
Conclusion
- The asana when practice every day works effectively on your overall physical being. It also allows you to explore fully your inner consciousness and boosts calmness in your mind and body. Consciousness here comprises of three factors, namely, buddhi (intelligence), ahamkara (ego) and manas (mind).
- Generally, it is peoples ego that tends to dominate their views and knowledge, thereby dominating awareness. Hence, while practicing Supta Padangusthasana pose, you will find that your attention gets diverted automatically to your raised leg. But the leg that is down on the floor does not get much attention. You will have that feeling that action is taking place only on your raised leg.
- However, the truth is that even your leg that is down on the floor benefits from this pose. Maybe your ego dictates you to stretch your top leg and hold your toes.
- However, it is the lower leg that should make this decision on how far to stretch the raised leg. Besides being safe, you also benefit your legs, hips and back portion.
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