Active Sitting
Yoga: Plow
Yoga
Exercise Description:
Yoga: Plow
Classification:
Yoga
Instruction:
For beginners in this posture you will need a chair. Place the chair at the end of your yoga mat. Lie down on the floor with the chair about 2 feet or 60 centimeters away from the head. Begin by bending the knees and slowly rolling the spine into a ball supporting the lower back with the hands. Keep the knees bend. Lock the elbows towards each other supporting the weight on the shoulders, not on the neck. If there is stress on the neck in this position, come out of the posture. Now slowly extend the legs placing the toes on top of the chair. Tuck the toes under, straighten the legs and extend the arms palms flat behind the body. There should be no tension on the neck in this position. The weight is across the shoulders. If this feels okay and you feel you can go deeper in the pose, rest the tops of the feet onto the chair. If you are a beginner, hold this pose for 5 to 10 deep breaths. If you are an intermediate or an advanced student and you are more flexible, remove the chair and place the toes on the floor. Once again, the weight is across the shoulders and not in the neck. Begin by grabbing onto the big toes with the first two fingers. Keep the chin tucked in and the face relaxed. Work the backs of the knees up towards the sky to straighten the legs. Keep tucking the toes in towards the head and lift the heels away. Slowly, once the posture has been established, remove the hands from the big toes and place the arms behind the body, palms flat onto the floor. To go deeper in this pose, lock the shoulders towards one and other interlock the fingers and place the hands in yoga mutra. Press both hands and arms into the floor. The weight should still rest on the shoulders and not on the neck. If there is any strain on the neck, bend the knees or come out of the position. Work the arms down into the floor, the hips up towards the sky, the toes tucked under and the heels pressing away. Stay here for 5 to 10 deep breaths.
Side Note:
Reduces fatigue, anxiety and insomnia. Massages the internal organs. Improves the functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Alleviates congestion, colds, asthma and bronchitis. Relieves backache and stiffness in the spine. Stretches the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Relieves stress, related headaches, migraines and hypertension. Calms essential nervous system and quiets the mind. Deeply stretches the shoulders, lower back and hamstrings.
