Benefits:
- Good stretch for the upper and middle back;
- Will also open shoulders;
- Softens the heart.
Contra-indications:
- Be careful: if student has a bad neck, this could strain it.
Alternatives & Options:
- If shoulder pain prevents the arms going over head, move arms wider apart;
- Flexible students can bring chin to floor and look ahead, but this could strain the neck;
- If knees are uncomfortable here, place a blanket underneath them;
- Toes can be tucked under;
- Chest can be rested on a bolster (allowing the body to relax);
- Can do this pose with just one arm forward at a time, resting the head upon the other forearm.
Meridians & Organs Affected:
- Along the spine: Urinary Bladder lines;
- The arm meridians, especially the Heart and Lung lines.
Joints Affected:
- Upper back (which is actually the scapula, not the thoracic spine);
- Mildly stresses the lower spine;
- Shoulder/Humerus joint.
Hold for how long?
- Three to five minutes;
- If the student is resting chin on floor, the hold may need to be
shorter … the student has to carefully watch the sensations in the neck.
Counter poses?
- Lying on stomach, or go back to Child's Pose.
Similar to?
- Half Down Dog (aka Puppy Dog).
Other Notes:
- It is nice to do this pose after a series of lower back bends;
- Could be used as a gentle warm up to deeper back bends;
- If students feel pinching in the back of the shoulders, they
may be reaching a compression point … abducting the arms (moving them farther apart)
may release this. If this does happen here, it probably happens in Down Dog and
the Wheel too, so they may be well advised to have hands wider in these poses.
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