Spine Stretching

[AYPadmin]

Rod
France
6 Posts

Posted - Oct 13 2015 :  1:27:48 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Topic  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Message  Delete Topic
Hi all,

I have just started to sit in siddasana within the last couple of months though I have been practicing dm in a chair for a couple of years. I tried it a few times when I first started but was way to stiff to get anywhere near. I felt an urge to try again recently and strangely enough, without any kind of conditioning exercises or stretching I found it very easy! Just thought I'd share that because sometimes it can seem like you are getting nowhere with DM when actually, subtle positive change is slowly taking place.

Anyway... To the point. Since practicing DM(and SBP) in siddasana I notice that my spine feels the need to stretch out during practice. I normally give in to the urge and twist the spine in order to crack my back. This is a bit distracting and I was considering adding some asanas before DM to see if that helps. I am finding that my routine is getting quite long already so don't want to add too much more time with asanas especially since I have only just started SBP again. I Would be grateful if anyone has any experience of what has been the most effective thing to do when first beginning asanas and any direct benefits that have been noticed.

Cheers!
BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1490 Posts

 Posted - Oct 13 2015 :  2:41:27 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
Hi Rod

I find that forwards bends do a good job of stretching the spine before sitting practices. I like Janushirshasana which seems to be especially good at improving energy flow along the spine. If I have very little time for asanas, I do Janushirshasana and one other pose that bends the spine the other way (for the sake of balancing things out) - I choose between Bhujangasana and Dhanurasana.

Enjoy your practice
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Rod
France
6 Posts

 Posted - Oct 13 2015 :  4:32:07 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
Hi BRC, good to hear from you again. Hopefully those are easier performed than pronounced. Will give it a go!
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1490 Posts

 Posted - Oct 14 2015 :  05:09:03 AM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
quote:
Originally posted by Rod
Hopefully those are easier performed than pronounced.
You make them easy - you only bend/stretch within the limits of your comfort. Stay at that edge and you will find that, in time, your range of movement expands.

Practice wisely and enjoy!
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts

 Posted - Oct 14 2015 :  07:32:11 AM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
Hi, if you are looking for a very short yet effective asana routine for a "spine setup" before sitting practices, the short routine described in tge asana lesson is very good - a twist, uddiyana bandha, a backbend and a forward bend, it just takes a couple of minutes. I use it when I don't have time or don' feel like doing a regular asana routine.

The benefits of adding even a short asana routine are too many to mention. On the gross/physical level, your sitting posture will feel much better, especially the spine, and even more if - like me - you sit without back support. On a subtler level, with some experience you clearly feel that even a simple and short asana routine can unlock some energy knots, allowing you to go faster and deeper during sitting practices. Also, you can use different asana routine for a smooth transition from daily activity to sitting practices (if I am tired I use a restorative asana routine, if my mood is low I do a routine that gives me more stamina, when I feel stiff I love doing tha AYP asana routine, and so on).
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Rod
France
6 Posts

 Posted - Oct 19 2015 :  2:43:05 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
Cheers for the feedback ecdyonurus! I also sit in siddasana without back support. I'm going to start doing a short routine over the next couple of weeks and see how I go.
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts

 Posted - Oct 19 2015 :  3:56:26 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
 
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Prem
Canada
90 Posts

 Posted - Oct 30 2015 :  06:51:05 AM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Visit Prem's Homepage  Edit Reply  Reply with Quote  View user's IP address  Get a Link to this Reply  Delete Reply
Ecdyonurus- you hit the nail on the head! Those four poses - the abbreviated asana sequence - are amazing and that's what I recommend to my students who want to sit but don't have time to go through an entire asana routine prior to.