POSTURE REFERENCE

Pick a posture from the dropdown menu to access detailed information, videos, and tips.

Pranayama | Deep Breathing Posture Clinic Ardha Chandrasana | Half Moon Pose Pada Hastasana | Hands To Feet Utkatasana | Awkward Pose Garudasana | Eagle Pose Dandayama Janushirasana | Standing Head To Knee Dandayamana Dhanurasana | Standing Bow Pulling Pose Tuladandasana | Balancing Stick Pose Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottananasana | Separate Leg Intense Stretch Trikonasana | Triangle Pose Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana | Separate Leg Head To Knee Tadasana | Tree Pose Padangustasana | Toe Stand Pose Savasana | Dead Body Pose Pavana Muktasana | Wind Removing Pose Sit-Up Bhujangasana | Cobra Pose Salabhasana | Locust Pose Poorna Salabhasana | Full Locust Pose Dhanurasana | Bow Pose Supta Vajrasana | Fixed Firm Pose Ardha Kurmasana | Half Tortoise Pose Ustrasana | Camel Pose Sasangasana | Rabbit Pose Janushirasana | Head To Knee With Stretching Pose Paschimottanasana | Intense Stretching Pose Ardha Matsyendrasana | Spine Twisting Pose Kapalbhati In Vajrasana | Blowing In Firm Pose

Posture Overview

Foundational Insights

Sasangasana, or Rabbit Pose, is a forward bend where practitioners sit on their heels and reach back to hold their heels while tucking the chin to the chest and rounding the back. This pose aims to stretch the spine and shoulders, providing a counter-stretch to the backbends in the series.

 

Posture Breakdown

Benefits and Techniques

  • Spinal Stretch: Provides maximum stretch to the spine, revitalizing the nervous system.
  • Digestive System: Aids digestion and helps alleviate constipation.
  • Thyroid Regulation: Stimulates the thyroid gland, balancing metabolism.
  • Stress Relief: Promotes relaxation and alleviates stress.

  • Positioning: From a kneeling position, grasp the heels and bring the forehead close to the knees, lifting the hips up.
  • Engagement: Pull on the heels while lifting the hips, feeling a stretch along the spine.
  • Breath & Focus: Keep breathing deeply and focus on the stretch in the spine and neck.

Video Resources

Guided Demonstrations and Tips

Watch a Demonstration
Watch a demonstration of Sasangasana | Rabbit Pose.
Get Jonny's Tip
Listen to Jonny's tips for mastering Sasangasana | Rabbit Pose.

The Dialogue

Bikram's Precise Verbal Instructions

Sasangasana

Rabbit Pose

Next is Sasangasana, Come to the middle of the towel, sit down Japanese style, knees and feet together.

Put the towel on your feet, grab the heels over the towel, thumbs outside, fingers inside. Nice, tight grip.

PLEASE DON'T LOSE THE GRIP!!

Pull your heels as hard as possible.

Tuck your chin to your chest, look at your stomach.

Exhale breathing, slowly go down front side, touch your exactly forehead on the knees. Automatically, the top of your head touching the floor.

Exhale breathing, eyes open, and lift your hips up, all the way, as high as possible. Roll forward like a wheel until your arms / elbows are straight.

If there's a gap between your knees and forehead, walk your knees one by one, until your knees touching the forehead.

Make sure total spine is stretching top to bottom. Neck might hurt a little bit.

Throat choked, eyes open, breathing normal.

Pull harder, hips up more.

Come up, turn around, relax on your back.

[additional dialogue for 2" Set]:

Mouth closed, tongue inside.

Don't move your head, don't turn your head.

As a beginner, only you stretch your neck and upper spine. Very difficult to stretch your lower and middle spine.

By practice, you have to learn how to stretch your total spine, distributed equally, the same, the joints of each and every vertebrae and cartilage, from coccyx to the neck, opening like a Pearl necklace.

Continuously keep pulling your heels, lift your hips up more.

Lift your shoulders up towards the ceiling, very little weight on the top of the head. Exhale breathing, suck your stomach in, lower spine supposed to stretch more.

Hips up, hips up, hips up.

[additional dialogue]:

There should be no gap between the knees and the forehead.

Heels together, feet flat on the floor, no gap under the ankle.

Continuously keep pulling your heels.

Pulling is the object of stretching.

The harder you pull, you can stretch more, create opposite force, according to Newton's Third Law.

You should feel your spine stretching from coccyx to the neck.

Exhale breathing, suck your stomach in, depression of the abdominal wall.

Coccyx to the neck, joints of each and every vertebrae and cartilage of the spine should be opening, stretching, expanding, extension.

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