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Figure 9.18. The knee-to-ear posture is not limited either by the hamstrings (because the knees are flexed), or by the adductors (because the thighs are mostly adducted), and this means the pose is especially valuable for pushing the hip joints to their maximally flexed positions. You can come into this posture from the shoulderstand, from the plow, or from threading the needle.
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the fish
We discussed the fish pose with backward bending (fig. 5.28) because it is a backbending posture, and we described the superfish leglift with abdominopelvic exercises (fig. 3.19b) in relation to abdominal strength. Traditionally, however, the fish is practiced after the shoulderstand and plow because it gives the neck an effective counterstretch and because it opens and releases the chest after the stress of those two postures. Several variations are common. The lower extremities can be crossed in either the easy posture (fig. 9.19) or the lotus posture (fig. 5.28), but the fish pasture that is usually taught to beginners is sharper. It simply involves keeping the feet outstretched, with the heels and toes together, lifting up on the forearms, arching the back and neck, and placing a little of your upper body weight on the back of the head (fig. 3.19a). As soon as you are confident that the neck is strong you can reside in the posture with the hands in the prayer position. And as soon as the neck gets really strong you can do a wrestler's bridge, supporting the entire body between the feet and head, arching up as high as possible, and extending the head and neck (fig. 9.20).
The superfish leglift (fig. 3.19b) is excedent both for building strength and for complementing the shoulderstand and plow. It counters your inch-nation to flex the back in the shoulderstand and to flex both the back and the hips in the plow, and it balances the emphasis on Sacroiliac Nutation And Counternutation Hatha Yoga" href="/hatha/sacroiliac-nutation-and-counternutation.html">counternutation of the sacroiliac joints in both postures. From a supine position lift the torso
Figure 9.19. This fish pose using the easy posture is supported mostly by the forearms; little weight is borne by the head and neck (also see figs. 3.19a and 5.28).
Figure 9.20. The wrestler's bridge is excellent for improving flexibility for backbending, for strengthening the neck, and for stretching the hip flexors and quadriceps femoris muscles.
Figure 9.20. The wrestler's bridge is excellent for improving flexibility for backbending, for strengthening the neck, and for stretching the hip flexors and quadriceps femoris muscles.
partially up, supporting yourself with the forearms, and place the pal .s under the hips. Then lift the lower back and chest maximally, draw the t >s toward the head, extend the knees hilly, and raise the heels an inch or t\ j. As in the fish, your head should barely touch the floor.
Raising the thighs is accomplished by the psoas and iliacus must s, aided by the rectus femoris muscles acting as synergists, and since ie psoas lifts directly from the lumbar lordosis with little help from e abdominal muscles, the spinal origin of the psoas should be stabilized 'n the forward position before you attempt to lift the lower extremities. To -t the most benefit from this exercise, be sure to start the leglift with ie sacroiliac joint in full nutation. Keep that attitude along with the dee] it possible lumbar arch as you start to flex the thighs. You probably can'i o veiy far: unless you have excellent hip flexibility, you will not be able t< ft up more than an inch or two before you feel the back begin to flatten dr n against the floor.
the arch
The arch and the bridge postures extend the back from the chest down, d except in the neck they counter the forward bending tendencies of ie shoulderstand and plow. You will find that after doing either the bridf ir the fish for a minute or so you can come back up into the shoulderst d and use your back and gluteal muscles for that posture with renewed ene y.
Although the arch and the bridge look as if they are related, their muso >-skeletal dynamics are quite different.
The arch is the simplest of the two postures and the best one for be 1-
ners. Begin in a supine position and grasp the feet or the heels with e hands and lift the pelvis as high as possible with the deep back muscles, ie
gluteus maximus muscles, and the hamstrings (fig. 9.21). The deep I k muscles are contracting concentrically between the chest and the pc the gluteus maximus muscles act between the pelvis and the thighs, d
- Figure 9.21. The arch posture is a good preparation for the more demanding bridge pose, lift the pelvis as high as possible to stretch the hip flexors and the quadriceps femoris muscles.
the hamstrings act between the pelvis and the legs—and all are working in concert to lift the pelvis toward the ceiling. In those who are least flexible, the arch is resisted by the rectus femoris muscles, which act between the pelvis and the knees to restrict the pelvis from being lifted very far. In those who are stronger and more flexible, the arch is resisted by the hip flexors and abdominal muscles. You produce a natural ashwini mudra in this posture, pulling inward with both the gluteal muscles and the pelvic diaphragm.
We have seen that anyone who has knee problems may find that placing tension on the knees when they are flexed causes pain, so the arch posture is contraindicated in that case. Except for that, it is safe for beginners because it is supported so completely with muscular activity. To come out of it you just drop back down to the floor.
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