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The Plough
Posture (Halasana)
This is one of the basic yoga postures.
Technique
- While in the reverse posture, bring both legs over your head until the toes touch the
floor behind your head. Try to keep your knees straight. Stretch the hands out towards
your feet.
- Breathe slowly and deeply from the abdomen and concentrate on the spine, especially
where you feet the stretch taking place. Stay in this posture for about one minute.
- To come out of the posture, just slowly uncurl the spine. Don't worry if you can't
straighten your knees. In fact if you're a beginner, it will be virtually impossible for
you to do this unless you do it later in the day. As the weeks go by, your spine will
become more flexible and you will eventually be able to straighten your knees.
Benefits
- This is the best posture for making the spine flexible. It stretches the spine as no
other exercise can, opening up the spinal discs and stretching most of the spinal muscles
and ligaments. This makes this posture very beneficial if you suffer from back or neck
stiffness or arthritis in these areas. It also prevents these conditions. Since this
posture rejuvenates the spine, and because the spinal nerves go to all parts of the body,
it helps to rejuvenate the whole body.
- It benefits the thyroid gland, liver and spleen, stretches and pulls the vertebrae.
- Good for people suffering from stiffness, obesity, muscular rheumatism, enlarged liver
and spleen, constipation, indigestion, and arthritis.
Time:
Retain the posture for five seconds at first. Gradually increase to four minutes by
adding five seconds per week. Repeat from two to four times, adding one time every
fourteen days.
Caution:
If you have not flexed up with other exercises before, do not attempt right away the
final stages of this posture unless you have a naturally very flexible spine. Otherwise,
do not try to touch the floor with the toes for a few days. Do not force the toes any
lower than the spine will allow comfortably. Otherwise, you will injure the right muscle
and the pain may last a few weeks! Please be very careful.
[Go To:Forward Bend
Posture (Padahastasana)]
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