What's so super about Supta Vajrasana yoga pose?

Fixed Firm (Supta-Vajrasana) is a great name for this yoga pose; you have to be fixed in our hot yoga room and firm in your mind to do it well. Supta Vajrasana can be a most challenging yoga pose for athletes and for big men because it causes a (beneficial) compression of the knee joints. But in hot yoga, compression means massage; blood supply is cut off momentarily and then a fresh rush of oxygenated blood floods through the area - in this case, the knees. Fixed Firm Pose strengthens and improves the flexibility of the lower spine, hips, knees and ankle joints. It increases circulation to the lower limbs and is therapeutic for lower back pain, sciatica, rheumatism and varicose veins. It also strengthens the psoas muscles and helps prevent hernias.  It’s beneficial for the spleen - the filter for the lymphatic system - which helps the liver as well and strengthening the entire immune system. And take heart: your knees will thank you later for this yoga pose. This is the yoga pose that can radically improve the physiology of the knees, ankles and hips of those who practice it with dedication and determination. So - relax and follow the teacher's instructions in your next hot yoga class and learn to love your knees again with Supta Vajrasana. Kneel on your heels, knees and feet together. Keeping the knees together, move the feet hip-width apart, so that you are sitting down on the floor between your feet. Soles are facing up and sides of your feet are pointing straight back behind you, hugging the sides of the hips. Reach behind you and place the palms of your hands on your toes, thumbs inside, fingers pointing forward. Holding on to your feet, slowly bend your right elbow down to the floor behind you, then bend the left elbow and bring it to the floor, so that your torso is now leaning  backward supported by the elbows. Do this s-l-o-w-l-y. Keeping your knees touching the floor - and touching each other - let your head drop back and then your shoulders and torso, slowly lowering to the floor. After the upper back is down, slide the elbows out from under you. Now raise your arms up over your head and lay them flat on the floor, elbows bent and hands clasping the opposite elbows. Tuck your chin into your chest. Avoid pain; separate the knees into a V-shape before lowering the elbows. Use your elbows and hands to help yourself come up slowly, the same way you went in. TIPS AND TRICKS: If you can’t do this yoga pose, never say, "I can't!" Say, "I am working on it and I am getting there."  Train your mind to support your yoga body. Relax and enjoy Supta Vajrasana - if not today, someday, sooner than you may think, you will LOVE this yoga pose as much as it loves you.

Comments

[Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT]

I LOVE this pose...if you're in my music Hot yoga class Saturday and Sunday mornings t 8AM, I always offer you the option to hold this one for a double set...because that's what I love to do!