PADAHASTA ASANA

In Sanskrit 'Pada' means 'foot' and 'Hasta' connotes 'hand' hence Padahasta Asana is hands to feet pose. It is called Padahasta Asana because the practitioner has to get hold of toes with the hands.

TECHNIQUE

Stand in a upright posture. The feet must be kept close together and in a parallel level.

Padahasta Asana

The heels must remain six inches apart.

Inhale and raise your hands overhead. The palms must be kept outwards.

Exhale and bend your trunk and head forward at the hips, keeping your arms extended throughout the movement, finishing with your upper torso and arms hanging straight downward. You should bend from your waist to the farthest limit. The upper arms must be touching your ears.

Inhale slowly but deeply, draw the head and neck forward and lengthen the spine. Gradually bend forward from the waist onwards. Don't bend the knees.

Exhale again and relax the head, neck and spine downwards, fixing your fingers and palms firmly under your toes and the balls of your feet into the complete Padahasta Asana. Keep on exhaling and keep on bending the trunk and the head forward from the waist. Hold the toes with your middle and index fingers as well as the thumbs. As you complete exhalation, hold out the breath.

At this juncture, pull the toes. Simultaneously place your head at the space between the knees.

Don't bend the legs or the knees; keep them stiff and straight. Stay put in this position and inhale slowly.

Try to hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds in the beginning, increasing the duration over time.

To come out of the posture, release your hands from beneath the feet, straighten your arms, inhale and slowly come back up into upright pose with the arms again extended high overhead.

Exhale, slowly lower the hands back down and relax.

It is imperative that the legs and knees remain straight in this posture. As many suffer from a great deal of inflexibility in the legs, back and hips, this can be very difficult posture in the beginning. You may rest your hands gently upon your ankles or thighs, or as far as you are able to stretch downwards without bending your knees, and gradually with practice attain the full pose.

BENEFITS

This Asana gives augmented flow of blood to the neck, shoulders, back, waist, hips, claves, ankles and the back portions of the thighs.

With this Asana sciatic nerve gets pulled and the thigh and leg ligaments as well as the tendons get stretched. It helps those suffering from sciatica problem.

The hamstring muscles, those at the back of the thighs, also get exercised. So are the lateral muscles of the trunk.

The posterior muscles i.e. right from the neck to the legs are pulled to their optimum levels.

In Padahasta Asana there is great emphasis on the flow of blood to the head.

The abdominal organs are also toned. Conditions of bloating of the abdomen, constipation, indigestion and other gastric troubles are greatly alleviated.

The spine is made resilient, straight and flexible.

Circulation of the blood throughout the body is improved.

The muscles of the back are stretched and energized.

After the Asana one feels invigorated and energized.