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Restorative yoga poses and hatha yoga stretches

English name: Head to Knee Pose
Sanskrit name: Janu Sirshasana

Difficulty level: Basic

Technique

1. Sit with both legs in front of you.
2. Bend the left leg under the right so the left heel touches the groin and the sole of the foot touches the inside of the right leg with the left knee touching the floor.
3. Place the hands on the floor next to the hips, straighten the back, using the arms to extend the back.
4. Without twisting, bend forward keeping the back straight and long. Hold the right foot with both hands.
5. Keep the right leg straight, extending the leg through the heel, pulling the toes back.
6. Continue to bend forward into the stretch in the right calf and hamstring until the forhead or shin touches and the knee and the abdomen and chest touch the thigh.
7. Hold the pose for 10 -20 seconds or for as long as possible.
8. Repeat the pose with the leg position reversed.

Breathing

• Exhale while bending forward.
• Breathe normally in the final position.

Benefits

• Anatomical - Stretches the calves, hamstrings and back muscles and opens the hip joints. Increased blood flow to the back muscles, nerves and soft tissue speeding damage repair and relieving back pain.
• Digestion system - Massages the abdominal organs to improve digestion.

Counter Pose

• Any back bend or back twisting asana.

Notes

• Janu Sirshasana should not be attempted by those with a slipped disk.
• Use your arm strength to pull deeper into the pose to open the lower back.
• Use each exhalation to hollow the stomach and deepen the forward bend.