Pose of the Month: May - Reclining Buddha Pose

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THE POSE: Reclining Buddha/Reclining Lord Vishnu Pose/Anantāsana/Eternal One’s Pose/Side-Reclining Leg Lift

THE BENEFITS: This balancing pose has many names and many benefits. It stretches out the sides of your torso, the backs of your legs, and tones your belly.  It helps strengthen your shoulder muscles. It stimulates blood circulation to your heart and brain. It’s great for your digestive system. It can help edema in your arms and legs, disorders related to the bladder, uterus, prostate, testes, and ovaries, and can help regulate menstrual cycles. It also helps relieve stress and tension, by calming your central nervous system, leading to lower levels of anxiety and depression. Yayyyyyy!!!

 ACCESS THE POSTURE:

  1. Lay on your back

  2. Roll on to one side, create one straight line from your heels to your fingertips

  3. Place your head on your bottom bicep, with your bottom arm extending straight out over your head (parallel to your torso, so that you create one straight line from toes to fingertips)

  4. Bend your top knee towards your heart, and take a yogi toe lock around your top leg’s big toe.

  5. Stay here working on your balance, or extend your leg straight, creating an “L” shape with your legs - “L” for Love <3.

  6. You can prop your head up with your bottom arm for more support, for more of a challenge, leave your bottom arm extended on the ground.

  7. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute, release your top legs, take a few breaths on your back, then roll to your other side, and repeat.

 ALIGNMENT CUES:

Keep…

…Your sacrum firm against your pelvis as you raise your top leg. Usually your top leg will tend to angle slightly forward, and your top buttock will drop back.  Drawing your lower back and sacrum towards your mid-line (aka “firming” your sacrum against your pelvis) will help you to remain in one straight line

…Pressing actively through both your heels

…A bolster behind your back, if you feel unbalanced

…A blanket under your bottom hip, for extra support

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DON’T PRACTICE THIS POSTURE IF YOU HAVE:

  • Sciatica pain

  • Neck stiffness

  • Slipped disc issues

  • Spondylitis problems