Engaging the "Tail" to improve your forward bends!

One of the most important aspects of the asana practice is the forward bend. This is done in many asanas such as Upavishtha Konasana, Paschimottanasana, Janu Shirshasana, Hastha Padasana, etc

Most experienced Yoga instructors would tell you not to bend your back when doing the forward bend, but keep your back straight and move down by engaging the back. One of the best ways of doing this is by engaging the tail bone (mooladhara) and moving forward from the tail, feeling the glutes (buttock muscles) stretch deeply.

The cat pose helps us in understanding the concept of engaging ones' tail very well. Specially when you are looking up, pushing your navel down and contracting your lower back. At this point, the tail is engaged. Remembering how things feel is very important in Yoga as it helps you align accurately without the aid of a mirror or a friend who can guide you and correct you. So bring to memory the 'feeling' of the tail being engaged in the cat pose!

Work on engaging the tail as this helps deeply in deepening the forward bending asanas both when getting into the asana as well as coming out of it. Bringing the awareness to the tail bone and engaging the glutes helps in going much deeper in the forward bend than most other techniques and tricks.

Other tricks to get deeper into the forward bends is stretching from the armpits as well. Remember to breath and breath comfortably in all forward bends. Yes, you do breath out when going forward, but once in the position, do breath comfortable, and then breathe deeply right down to the mooladhara (as explained in my previous post) to maximise the benefit of the asana!

Breathing deep and with awareness of the Pranic flow!

Awareness is the hallmark of Yoga. Any asana done without the awareness of how we are getting into the posture, staying in the posture and coming out of it, ALONG WITH how we are breathing in each of these stages, takes away the spirit of Yoga in the practice.

In one of the beautiful books on Yoga by Osho, the great master speaks of how the normal breath can be felt till a point that is just below the navel, the Manipuraka chakra. He goes on to explain that in Japan this point is called HARA and the warriors who were cornered or humiliated, would pierce this point with a short, thin and extremely sharp knife, doing which life would end almost immediately. It is said to be the most painless way to end ones' life. Hence the word HARA-KIRI came to being!

When we breathe the lungs expand and the diaphragm gets pushed down  and in the process pushes the entire set of organs and intestines below. This is the reason why the stomach region expands and comes out when we breath in and contracts when we breath out.
The video below visually explains this very well
https://www.facebook.com/Surgery.AhmedJalil/videos/1273015322736628/

When we breath in normally, the Prana is felt right down to the Manipuraka Chakra (an inch or two below the navel). However this is just half the picture. When we breath out, if we notice carefully, the Prana bounces back to the Vishuddhi Chakra or the throat. If we breath a little deeper the breath is felt till the Swadhisthana (genital area) and when the breath goes out, the Prana is felt till the Ajna Chakra (Between the eyes). When we breath the deepest, the Prana goes right down to the Mooladhara and on breathing out, bounces back to the Sahasrara Chakra (Top of the head). When we work to breath as deep as this in our asana practice, the effects are deeply meditative. Most asanas can be benefited maximum when we breath right down to the Mooladhara and observe how the Prana bounces back to the Sahasrara,

The deep breaths and the diaphragmatic movements corresponding, give an outstanding massage to the entire digestive, endocrine, urinary, lymphatic and nervous systems. Doctor Yogis can add to this list if required!

Happy Yoga!