Cakravakasana
is a movement we use a lot in Viniyoga to alternately stretch your
back and the front of your torso.
Because it's done on your knees,
it's often used to transition between laying on the floor and
standing postures.
Since it does put a strain on your
knees, people with some knee conditions
may want to avoid it.
The pose
Cakravakasana is usually done as movement coordinated with inhale and
exhale.
There are ways to adjust the
posture to get various
effects...What follows is a common approach to this pose.
Cakravakasana (pronounced:
Cha-kra-va-ka-sa-na)...
While
Cakravakasana
is primarily a forward bend, it combines elements of both forward
bending and backward bending in the same
posture.
Start by coming onto your hands and
knees with you knees
about as wide as your hips and your hands beneath your
shoulders.
If
needed, you can widen the distance between your knees or bring your
hands further forward for comfort.
If you're practicing on a hard
floor, using extra cushioning under your knees (such as a folded towel,
blanket or extra mat) is highly recommended.
Throughout
Cakravakasana your neck should move gradually along with the rest of
your spine.
On
exhale, bring your chest toward your knees stretching the muscles of
your low back.
Keep you shoulders relaxed and
avoid rounding your
upper back.
Allow your forearms to rest on the
floor and release any
tension in your neck and jaw.
On
inhale, lengthen your back as you stretch your chest forward and
return to you hands and knees.
Gently stretch the front of your
body
without compressing your low back.
Again,
coordinate the movement of your neck and back and avoid
“leading
with your head.”
When and How to Use the Yoga Pose
Cakravakasana...
Cakravakasana
is a pose you can do almost any time of day, although people with
conditions like low back pain may find it too strong to perform first
thing in the morning.
Cakravakasana
is one of the special poses that can be done as a
“stand-alone”
practice...
That
means it (usually) doesn't need any warm-up prior to doing it or
compensation after you've done it (although I do recommend a minute
or more of rest afterward).
In fact,
I've had a number of clients use this pose alone to relieve back
pain.
One
grateful client freed himself of pain using Cakravakasana. Normally
he would have gone to the chiropractor, but that not an option over
Thanksgiving weekend.
Cakravakasana
also works well within a longer yoga sequence.
It is
great from transitioning to the floor from standing or vice-versa.
Sequence to Move in Yoga from laying on the Floor to Standing
In
Viniyoga we typically use a forward bend between other types of
movements. So since Cakravakasana is primarily a forward bend it is
useful for transitioning from one direction of movement (back bend,
lateral bend or twist) to another.
Now you
can discover how to use Cakravakasana within 2 Viniyoga sequences in
your copy of “Viniyoga Basics”
