 In the vinyasa flow, a certain sequence of asanas are repeated cyclically as new asanas are introduced amidst the flow. These cyclical asanas in the vinyasa flow allow smooth transition, increased flexibility by warming up the muscles and permit optimal range of motion in the new asana introduced, as well as allow for resting and rejuvenation of the fatigued muscles when particular sequence asanas are held for a while. This hold period may vary and is best progressed through increase in the breath cycles it is held for.
Virbhadrasana 2 is an asana that is introduced amidst the Suryanamaskar B sequence. Initially, to learn this asana, see the steps below. Then as you become adept and the transition to this posture happens smoothly (without thinking), it may be incorporated within the sequence. Here are the details of this asana. • Begin by facing to one side on your yoga mat with a wide stride, such that both heels are in line. • Turn the left foot 90 degrees by pivoting the left foot outwards at the heel. This is done by rotating the left hip outwards. • Slightly turn the right hip inwards (TFL) and right forefoot/toes inwards, maintaining the heels in one line. • Slowly bend the left hip and knee (goal being 90 degrees) while lowering the torso toward the ground. The trunk continues facing the side. This recruits the left iliopsoas, hamstrings, and tibialis anterior as prime agonists. At the end alignment, a gentle co-contraction of the antagonists (gluteus maximus, quadriceps and gastroc-soleus) results in a stable hold of alignment. The hip abductors and adductors are in co-contraction for the knee to face forward without collapsing in either direction. • The weight is shifted on the right leg by grounding the heel, and outer edge of foot while the hip and knee are extended through gluteus maximus, quadriceps and hamstrings in co-contraction and tibialis anterior and posterior facilitating right foot inversion. • Right gluteus medius stabilizes the hip by balancing the right hip internal rotation moment of TFL and allowing effective weight transfer from trunk to lower extremity. • The arms are elevated at the shoulder with the left arm in front, above the left leg and right arm behind the torso, over the right leg. • It is important to keep the shoulder, elbow, and wrist at shoulder level with the hand and fingers extended to reach out. • The neck is rotated to the left and the gaze is fixed directly on the left thumb. Cervical rotators such as the longissimus capitus, splenius capitus and cervicus and sternocleidomastoid facilitate this movement. • Elongate the spine as the arms are elevated at shoulders with scapula stabilized by serratus anterior into the chest wall and slightly pulled down (lower trapezius). To come out of the asana, lower the arms to the sides and straighten the left knee before going into high plank pose.
Yoga is the root of physical therapy. This has been a recurring theme in my posts and it comes up naturally as I write, again and again (the post on 6th October, 2017, 15th September, 2017). I look at it from various angles and through different microscope lenses. For physical therapy to succeed and set you on a wellness path, yoga principles (character building for a still mind) are a must. The name is not important here. You may call it yoga or not, the principles are key.
Yoga is widespread in the world today, not only here in the western world, now it has caught on at a feverish pace in Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa. In fact the United Nations on 11th December, 2014 proclaimed June 21st to be “International Yoga Day.” Due to the popularization of yoga, the pure form of yoga has been sacrificed and it is being interpreted in different ways. Among the many variants of yoga popularized (may I say by name-sake only) are hatha yoga, raja or ashtanga yoga and vinyasa yoga. The most prevalent misconception being that it is a way to perfect only asanas which is at the gross level of the body. However, true yoga as M.S. Viswanath (Pattabhi Jois’ student and a yoga master himself) suggests, is only one. There may be different ways or paths to practice this. The main aim and goal of yoga he mentions is Samadhi or “evenness of mind.” When Patanjali originally composed the yoga sutras in 400 CE, he was by no means the first one to practice yoga. It was in fact visualized and practiced many generations before, and Patanjali was the observer, knower, and compiler of these sutras. We still do so in this day and age, however, we need to be mindful about it and gather our scattered efforts for an effective practice. Traditionally in India, we also are aware of Bhakti Yoga, Gnana yoga, and Karma yoga. Though the end goal of each of these paths is ultimately the same- that is stillness of mind (or equal-mindedness) in the divine play of life, which is the realization of our true nature. The most important challenge in the kind of lifestyle we live today is the ability to be in charge of the mind-body so that we may dwell in spirit. Hence the popularity of yoga involving the bodily asanas. With all the amenities and comforts of modern world, the connection with our divine aspect is hanging on loose threads. It is up to each one of us to establish this connection and strengthen it into a firm and strong thread/string. And if your chosen path is through contemporary yogasana, welcome to StableMovement Physical Therapy. Often one goes to a physical therapist when in pain or injured. In this case, the first step would be rehabilitation of the acutely involved structures (inflamed soft tissue, through manual techniques). Once that is healed, or an individual comes in for health and wellness without an existing injury, a functional movement assessment would reveal the root of problem. This may vary from one of the following- joint stiffness, ligament tautness or instability, muscle weakness, faulty biomechanical alignment, a combination of multiple factors, or all of the above. A skilled PT is able to distinguish and address this accordingly. How does the yoga tie in with physical therapy you wonder? Well physical therapy is nothing but yoga modified and “broken down” so to say to bring the focus on a particular part. A good analogy would be the use of a microscope to reveal finer and subtler tissues, cells, and sub-cellular structures which are not visible to the naked eye. The important thing here is to look at the finer aspects yet at the same time keeping the whole picture in mind. That is precisely where yoga comes in. Not only in the sense of a particular yogasana, though that is definitely a tool to recovery, albeit the process undertaken through the rehab and wellness journey. See the similarity between the modern PT stretches and yogasanas in the pictures? How do we go about establishing our connection? Though yoga is distinguished into various types, it is in the intermingling and practicing of all of these with perhaps predominance of one which would make one a follower of that particular path. When I say ‘predominance of one,’ I mean it is the one you have faith in and fall back on when all else fails (for in yoga, you never, never give up). Once the goal is achieved though, the demarcation boundaries of the various paths merge or vanish altogether. Hatha means nothing but a strong will or firm determination. That is when one chooses to practice any form of yoga (or physical therapy for that matter) taught by a qualified master (skilled PT), and stay on this journey through sheer will and determination to see the end. Ashtanga yoga also means the eight-limb yoga. These are
Pursue anything or any action with these golden principles for with this attitude, you will not fail.  AdiYogi was the first yoga practitioner and transmitter, Patanjali practiced and presented it in the form of yoga sutras, and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya revived hatha yoga and developed and mastered it in the form of yogasanas we practice today.
However when we say yoga, what do we mean? Based on where we wish to reside (our goals in other words) there are different levels or depths so to speak. One may only point to what yoga is, ultimately it is up to the individual person (metaphorical bubble or pot) to undertake and master the journey. One of the way to be in yog or union with the Self is through a three step process. *Step one is to be in yog at the gross level or level of matter- this is done through ideal alignment **Step two is to be in yog at the subtle level or through prana that is movement of energy(that is kinetic energy -motion, heat, light, and sound) ***Step three is to concentrate on the Self (source of the universe), within this body temple (metaphorical bubble or pot) and to dissolve or melt into it, which leads to yoga and oneness of anything we come in presence of (Savikalpa Samadhi). Sri Ramakrishna said “when a salt doll enters into the ocean, what remains?” So what does all this mean? Simply, it is what each one of us wants, the ultimate goal of life, and that is the ability to act and perform the divine dance in the world- mind, body, and spirit in synchrony. Assuming when all conditions are favorable and we achieve success in an undertaken task….aah! When a task is done without the desire for reward, that is sattvik work. Though not an easy feat to make sattvik work second nature (or on auto-mode), this is not by the least yoga, in fact far from it and only the stepping stone. So practice of yogasanas is one way to work towards this goal and beyond so that one is aware, alert, and awake the entire time. That is it is a science, the steps of which must be repeated diligently, until one day it transforms into an art which flows naturally. When it is said yoga is for anyone, one must be sincere and dedicated to the practice. Not only is it about repetition in one yoga session, class, or years, albeit a practice to be mastered over many births. In this way, the practice may be extrapolated to anything one choses to do, like mastering music, dance, drawing, sculpting, or even mastering life itself. Easier said than done, isn’t it? We have all experienced how hard this is at some point in our lives. It is hard. Since to determine what is at the root of discord in the movement, is hard to identify. It may be purely one factor or a combination of these. Since our focus here is on modern yoga, let’s consider one asana (Virbhadrasana 1) in detail, keeping in mind the above. For example: i. One may want to get into Virbhadrasana 1 and is unable to get it because the body is not co-operating. This may manifest as tightness in muscles or lack of stabilizing ability or even an ankle injury which prevents weight bearing on the leg. ii. When doing Virbhadrasana 1, there may be many distractions in the mind (that is lack of presence) and one may be unable to get it. You are practicing balancing on the feet with a wide stride with one foot pointing straight and the other turned in with front hip and knee flexed and the back leg extended and at the same time rotating the trunk to align the navel with the foot in front, when you suddenly remember and worry about the things in your “to do list” and are unaware of losing your body alignment. This may be gross or very subtle and hence practice of yoga demands your full attention. iii. Or simply the desire may be lacking. One may set an alarm, the alarm rings and you hit the snooze button and were unable to practice Virbhadrasana 1 that day, simply because you lacked the urge to do it. In addition may be that the mind says I already have lots to do today, perhaps tomorrow, and/or the body may feel tired and want to lie in bed. Once we have conquered the initial hurdle and are engaged in consistent sattvik work, we get down to the science and mastering it till we develop grace and fluidity in performance of Virbhadrasana 1. • Begin by facing to one side on your yoga mat with a wide stride, such that both heels are in line. • Turn the right foot 90 degrees by pivoting the right foot outwards at the heel. • Slightly turn the left hip inwards (TFL) and left forefoot/toes inwards, maintaining the heels in one line. • Slowly bend the right hip and knee (goal being 90 degrees) while lowering the torso toward the ground. This recruits the right iliopsoas, hamstrings, and tibialis anterior as prime agonists. At the end alignment, a gentle co-contraction of the antagonists (gluteus maximus, quadriceps and gastroc-soleus) results in a stable hold of alignment. • The weight is shifted on the posterior left leg by grounding the heel, with the hip and knee extended through gluteus maximus, quadriceps and hamstrings in co-contraction and tibialis anterior and posterior facilitating left foot inversion. • Left gluteus medius provides stability at the hip and effective weight transfer from trunk to lower extremity. • The trunk is rotated right to face forward with navel pointing straight forward through the right internal obliques and left external obliques working in synchrony to achieve this. • To maintain right hip rotation (neutral to slight internal rotation) and preventing the right knee from collapsing in, the right gluteus medius must counter the internal rotation moment of TFL contraction. • Elongate the spine as the arms are elevated at shoulders with scapula stabilized by serratus anterior into the chest wall and slightly pulled down (lower trapezius). • Hands are joined overhead with upper arms behind the ears and elbows extended. To come out of the pose, lower the arms, and straighten the right knee, then proceed to the next asana.  A detailed view of back bend or hasta uttanasana
Modern day yogasana (karma) can be approached through “feel” (bhava) of movement or “technique” (Shastra -gnana) that is based on anatomy and biomechanical principles. No method is right or wrong and one may lie anywhere along the spectrum from totally feel based to totally technical and the myriad of ways in between. It is important to find your own niche for the best learning to happen. Go slow and figure out your own way…. and master it. This is no easy task, though it may sound like it….and when you are willing to “climb the ladder”, StableMovement PT is at hand. Yogasanas involve large movements to the end of range of motion and skillful movement beyond, promoting flexibility. Yet at the same time, for a safe and effective execution of the movement, necessitate biomechanical and muscular stability. These two acts are not mutually exclusive and actually happen synchronously for stable, smooth, and graceful execution. Back bend is one such posture that requires spinal, hip, and shoulder extension to end range, yet gently balancing the posterior weight shift (COG) on stable feet with effective dorsiflexor contraction throughout. Moving upwards from the ground (feet), the quadriceps need to be engaged distally by upward pull on the knee cap or patella. In order to deepen the pose, it is essential to relax the anterior chain of muscles including the hip flexors, abdominals, and pectorals. This relaxation is intermingled with synergistic lengthening (eccentric elongation) which must be slow and gradual to gain optimal extension. Breathing, slow and deep (diaphragmatic), is very effective during deliberate relaxation and eccentric elongation phases. The rectus femoris (two-joint quadriceps muscle) which is also a hip flexor must relax and lengthen proximally at the hip joint along with the iliopsoas and pectineus. The TFL and gluteus medius are engaged in mild contraction to maintain the in hip neutral (rotation) position. This allows the pelvis to rotate back on the femur and the extension of lumbar spine. The thoracic spine extension and rib cage lifting and opening is facilitated by relaxation and elongation of the obliques and rectus abdominus. The emphasis is on slow movement, thereby moving one vertebrae at a time during lumbar and thoracic extension, ensuring a uniform spinal curve instead of a hyper-mobile and hypo-mobile segment with a rib-thrust. The agonist muscles in a backbend are the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, spinal extensors, and the intercostals. Multiple muscles co-contract for scapular stability and to allow smooth glenohumeral (shoulder joint) mobility. Namely the serratus anterior, the trapezii, rhomboids, levator scapulae, and the rotator cuff muscles. The body is stable both dynamically, while moving for optimal range or flexibility, and at the end of movement, when static stability is imperative to maintain acquired position. This end range hold calls for gentle muscle contraction of the anterior chain muscles so that they co-contract with the agonist extensors for joint stability at the given alignment. This co-contraction and static stability produces a blissful experience of the end range (it is natural when observant) and thereby prevents stress on the joint surfaces and unnecessary strain of the ligaments. |
