Apply Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

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At first look, Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose) can look like a fairly passive pose. Nonetheless this seated fold with a side bend and twist is likely to be surprisingly energetic. The refined actions of inhaling as you elevate tall, exhaling as you bend to the side, inhaling as you elevate via your spine, and exhaling as soon as extra to fold a bit deeper ends in a sometimes-intense stretch all by means of your hamstrings, hips, once more, side physique, and shoulders.

The pose loosens up the muscle tissue in your once more and spherical your ribs, supplying you with additional flexibility in your spine (that’s a wonderful issue!) and allowing you to breathe additional deeply. You’ll uncover that this pose is every calming and energizing. It may relieve issues, ease neck ache, and the side bend stimulates your organs in a strategy that improves digestion.

Revolved Head-to-Knee fundamentals

Sanskrit: Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (puh-ree-VREET-tuh JAH-nu SHAS-ah-nah)

Pose variety: Seated; twist

Targets: Full physique

Why we like it: “This pose has always been easy and comfortable for me. The reality is, in some unspecified time in the future after I used to be bodily exhausted, I actually fell asleep folded over my leg,” says Yoga Journal contributor Cyndi Lee. “Then three years up to now I had every of my hips modified and sitting on the bottom was not accessible. I missed that grounded feeling of extending my legs alongside the bottom and folding over with out a hitch. I decided to attempt sitting up on a bolster in a extremely slender place that will solely be generally known as a baby straddle. I stacked a block on each side of 1 thigh and positioned my bottom forearm there, lifted the alternative arm up and bent sideways. And I stayed there, utterly fascinated by the sensation of restricted fluctuate of motion in my thighs. I thought of all the people in my programs over time who’ve felt this sense. I’ve alway tried to softly assist them with blocks, blankets, and straps as they found a method to switch into this place with out aggression or frustration. Nonetheless I in no way knew how they actually felt. Now these faculty college students grew to change into my inspiration as I used these self identical helps in my very personal apply. It’s three years later and now I can try this pose with out props. Nonetheless I don’t assume I will fall asleep there.”

Become a member within the current day to entry Yoga Journal’s full Pose Library, which blends educated insights from excessive lecturers with video instruction, anatomy know-how, variations, and additional for 50+ poses, along with Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose. It’s a helpful useful resource you’ll return to many occasions.

Pose benefits

Revolved Head-to-Knee stretches the spine, shoulders, and hamstrings, stimulates your abdomen organs, such as a result of the liver and kidneys, and improves basic digestion.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose: Step-by-step instructions

1. Begin in Upavistha Konasana (Huge-Angle Seated Forward Bend). Ground via your sitting bones and open your legs to about 120-degrees.  Your quadriceps must face the ceiling.
2. Bend your correct knee, and convey the heel to your groin.
3. As you inhale, lengthen your spine.
4. As you exhale, twist your torso to the becoming.
5. Sustaining the rotation of your spine, tilt your torso laterally to the left.
6. Switch your left shoulder in direction of the inside of your left knee whereas revolving your torso in direction of the ceiling.
7. Lengthen your left hand, palm up, in direction of your left foot, and clasp your inside foot or attain your hand in direction of your foot.
8. Enhance your correct arm and convey it over your head. In case you may attain it comfortably, seize the your left foot.
9. Press your left thigh into the bottom.
10. Press your correct knee in direction of the bottom to stability the load of your torso.
11. As you inhale, lengthen your spine.
12. As you exhale, twist your torso extra to the becoming and revolve your chest to the ceiling.
13. Keep for 10 breaths to 1 minute. Reverse the steps to return out of the pose.
14. Repeat on the alternative side.

Beginner’s tip

It’s greater to take care of the underside shoulder in contact with the inner knee, fairly than shedding the contact with the intention to straighten the knee totally.

Instructing Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana

The next ideas will help defend your faculty college students from injury and help them have the proper experience of the pose:

1. This pose makes the hamstrings weak, notably near the sitting bones the place the muscle tissue join. To be safe, remind your faculty college students to contract their quadriceps, which sends a message to the hamstrings to stop contracting. In case you pull the physique down and the hamstrings have not launched ample to free the spine, if can damage the lower vertebrae.
2. This side bend is likely to be an extreme quantity of of a stretch for some faculty college students. If a pupil’s physique isn’t in a position to go over that far, advocate that they wrestle the beneath variation.

Variations

Mild Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose

Solely lean into your side as far as you’ll go together with out rounding your spine and slouching forward. This may occasionally sometimes suggest holding your lower hand to your shin.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose in a chair

You’ll apply the pose in a chair. Sit wide-legged so that your left leg is over the side of the chair. Convey your correct leg in in direction of your pelvis. Attain up alongside together with your correct arm and bend your torso to the left. Help your self by propping your left arm in your left thigh.

Preparatory poses

Upavistha Konasana (Huge Angle Seated Forward Bend)

Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Aspect Angle Pose)

Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Giant Toe Pose)

Counter poses

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Balasana (Teen’s Pose)

Be taught additional from our full Pose Library—which choices additional cues, step-by-step video instruction, educated insights, pose variations, anatomy know-how, and additional for 50+ poses, along with Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose—by turning right into a member. You’ll moreover receive distinctive content material materials along with sequences, video programs, a subscription to Yoga Journal journal, and additional.