Yoga pose | Musasana | Studying one Yoga Pose Month

Chi Flow Through Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose)

Enjoy this addition to Musasana! My husband, Ron Erdman-Luntz, is a Tai Chi Master, specializing in helping people feel the flow of their chi.  He has been guiding me in my yoga practice for years and now he is sharing it with others!  He is now teaching Chi Kung for Yoga workshops and will soon be releasing a Yoga DVD.

 

Deepening Your Yoga Pose: Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose) II

Here is a simple way to deepen Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose) once you are in it:

 

Deepening Your Yoga Pose: Janu Sirsasana (Head to the Knee Pose)

Here is a super simple way to ensure a stronger foundation and base to your Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose):  

 

Study Points for the Yoga Pose of the Month: Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose)

    

Yoga pose of the month:  Let's study Janu Sirsasana (Head of the Knee Pose) this month.  Take this month to spend time in this pose, teach it to your students, bring it into your practice, and bring on a deeper sense of reflection on it.  Here are some ideas for you to consider:

1. How far out do you take the knee?  If the bent leg foot is flat against the inner thigh, the pelvis is more square and less of the twist.  You can also open the knee so that only the toes are on the inner thigh and the heal rests against the inner thigh of the bent leg.  Then the fold becomes more of a twist.  Which one feels better for you?  Why?
2. How square can you make your shoulders?
3. Can you feel the fold from both hips?  When in the pose, one leg (the straight one)  has a straight, forward fold.  The other (the bent one) is an external rotation forward fold.  Which one restricts you?
4. How rounded is your back?  Mine is a bit too rounded in the photo (confessions of a yogini! :-) ) BUT I will say you can see that my pelvis is defintely folding forward.  We want to move the fold from the pelvis, not the spine, until the very end when you can no longer fold from the pelvis and the belly is on the thigh (which mine isn't! :-) )

If you are a teacher, challenge yourself to teach this pose in each class this month.  Add this component:  Can you find something new to teach (and learn)?