SUPTA VAJRA ASASNA

It is a variation of Vajra Asana. Vajra means asleep and Supta Vajra Asasna means the reclining Vajra Asana or the posture where the practitioner will be lying down in a supine position of Vajara asana.

TECHNIQUE

Start with Vajra Asana and then slowly bend back, vertebrae by vertebrae and place your elbows next to you for support, one elbow after the other.

Supta Vajra Asana

Continue bending back and place the top of your head on the ground, arching your back.

Now move your hands to your thighs and breathe in deeply and slowly. Thus you flow into Supta Vajra Asana from the Vajra Asana position.

Close your eyes and relax your body. Aim to stay in this position for at least one minute, if you can. Beginners should start with a few seconds only.

When you are ready to return to Vajra Asana, start by bringing your upper body back up to the starting position, slowly and use your elbows to help you up.

Once you are back in Vajra Asana, straighten your legs. Gradually lean back from the waist onwards.

Support the elbows until the back, shoulders, and head touch the floor.

Neither raise the knees from the ground nor change the legs position.

Bring your back closer to the ground and lie down in the supine position. Cross the arms and place the palms beneath the opposite shoulders. The crossed wrists must serve as a cushion for head.

Your knees must be kept together and touching the ground.

Close the eyes and relax.

There should never be more than normal pressure on the back, arms, and the ankle joints while doing this Asana.

BENEFITS

This Asana gives all benefits of Vajra Asana benefits besides many more advantages.

It expands chest and ribcage.

This Asana also increases thorax mobility.

Besides benefits of Vajra Asana, it also affect beneficially the gonads as well as the pelvic organs.

It boosts blood circulation to the neck, knees, the backside and the thighs.

The muscles of the legs, thighs, pelvis, abdomen and the thighs get stretched and toned up in the final stage of this Asana.

This Asana puts pressure on the small back stimulating the adrenal glands.

During this Asana the utero-abdominal and genitor-urinary organs get extra pressure, and as a result there is a fresh supply of oxygenated blood to the abdominal viscera.

The stomach is stimulated and digestion improves with this Asana. It also helps those suffering from constipation.

This also provides augmented tone to the muscles of the bowels, pancreas, liver and kidneys.