How to throw your leg over your head while standing. Halasana - plow pose in yoga

The results were a little different from what I expected - it turned out that the largest number of people were injured in halasana, the plow pose. That’s why we’re talking about her today. About the plow pose.

This is one of the basic asanas, which seems to have migrated from our Soviet school gymnastics childhood into fitness yoga practice and is widely used in classes even among “beginner” groups. It would seem like throwing your legs behind your head. We know everything about this exercise :) And, of course, it’s not true.

What you need to know:

This is enough good exercise for the back, with incorrect execution which can easily and permanently injure the neck.

In this asana, thanks to the rounded back and intense stretching, the activity of the endocrine glands is activated - which is why the pose is not recommended for children under 12 years of age.

Among the contraindications for independent practice:
- any damage or injury to the cervical spine;
- bronchial asthma (breathing in a plow can be difficult);
- pregnancy;

Beginners and elderly people should practice Halasana with great caution.

It is worth noting that in sources close to esotericism one can find a wide range of “healing” properties for any asana, including the plow pose, the degree of practical effect of which can be quite difficult to track in practice within the walls of scientific institutions.

However, the study on the effect of halasana on the liver, conducted by a practicing physician, R.S., remains worthy of respect. Minvaleev:

“We studied the effect of halasana on a healthy liver. 33 healthy people (24 of them women) aged from 18 to 55 years were examined. The blood was “measured” using pulsed wave Doppler echography. The echo chambers HITACHI EUB-525 (Japan) and KONTRON "Sigma-44" (France) were used. For each subject we recorded blood flow three times: before the asana in horizontal position on the back, then during the execution of the plow pose and, finally, immediately after exiting it. (For each of these three fixations, we maintained the same depth of placement of the controlled volume of the probing beam.)..."
http://www.sunhome.ru/journal/57174

But, in any case, it is important to remember that your best consultant is yourself, so if you feel that halasana gives you nothing but pain in the neck, do it longer than a couple of breaths and exhales and more often than in your routine training - not worth it.

Subtleties of execution

Various yoga schools offer their own versions of halasana. We'll stick to the safest one.

Starting position - lying on your back, while inhaling, straighten your arms behind your head. The legs are raised approximately 30* above the floor.

Then slowly, without jerking, very carefully, under no circumstances helping yourself with your hands , roll your legs back and stop with your legs parallel to the floor, this is quite enough for the initial stage. It is important to listen carefully to the sensations, to control the load, which should fall on the shoulder blades and shoulders, but not on the neck. You can place your feet on a small elevation like an ottoman or stool behind your head.

If everything is fine with you, there are no unpleasant sensations in your neck - slowly lower your feet onto your hands. The knees are bent, a strong stretch is felt in the back.

And, the final stage - the knee bends are pushed upward, the heels are pushed away from themselves, the back is strongly rounded and stretched. The entire back surface of the body is stretched.

We can stop here.

But, there is also an “advanced” version, considered “canonical” - when the hands are moved behind the back and closed into a lock. In terms of injury risk, it is more dangerous; it must be performed extremely accurately, under the supervision of an experienced instructor.

For correct execution This option requires moving your shoulders away from your ears, freeing your neck, and trying to bring your shoulder blades as close to each other as possible. With this option, there is a danger that your body weight will put pressure on the cervical vertebrae and this may cause injury, especially if your neck is not strong. In the previous versions, the body weight is distributed on the shoulders and arms, but in this version, although ideally the load also falls on the shoulders, it often happens that the practitioners lean on the neck and injure it.

Photos taken in the studio

Working muscles

Main working muscles:

1. Spinal flexor muscles: rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique.
2. Muscles that flex the leg at the hip joint: iliopsoas, rectus femoris, sartorius, tensor fascia lata, pectineus muscle.

Accessory muscles:

1. Abdominal muscles that stabilize the spine: transverse muscle belly.
2. Muscles that extend the leg at the hip joint: large gluteal muscle, posterior thigh muscle group.
3. Hip abductors: gluteus medius, gluteus minimus.
4. Adductor muscles of the thigh: adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, gracilis.
5. Muscles that extend the leg knee joint: quadriceps hips.
6. Muscles that perform plantar flexion of the foot in ankle joint: calf muscle, soleus muscle.
7. Muscles that extend the arm shoulder joint: latissimus muscle back, large teres muscle, posterior bundle of the deltoid muscle.

Starting position when rolling with straight legs. Lie on your back, stretch your arms along your torso, palms down. Raise your straightened legs at an angle of about 60 degrees to the floor, or even higher if this helps you better maintain a stable pelvic position.

Inhale. Raise your legs vertically (flexion at the hip joint at an angle of 90 degrees).

Exhalation. Arch your spine, lift your pelvis off the mat, and drive it toward your shoulders as your legs pass overhead.

Inhale. Lower your legs to the floor as shown in the figure, if you have flexibility, and then spread them shoulder-width apart.

Exhalation. Slowly roll on your back and lower your pelvis onto the mat. After this, continue lowering your legs to the starting position.

Repeat the rolls with straight legs again, but start with your legs apart, and in the 4th phase, when your legs are behind your head, bring them together.

Repeat the exercise 6 times, of which the legs in the 1st phase are brought together 3 times and spread 3 times.

Draw in your stomach as you roll with straight legs to stabilize your pelvis and prevent excessive arching in your lower back as the hip flexors support your legs and lift them upright in phases 1 and 2.

Use your abdominal muscles to posteriorly tilt your pelvis and flex your spine as you begin Phase 3. Start from the lower sections and create a maximum bend in the lower back during the backward roll phase. People with flexible spines may need to simultaneously contract the spinal erector muscles slightly to achieve an even curve and prevent excessive flexion in the middle and lower spine.

Use your hip flexors to lift your legs off the mat in Phase 3 and control their lowering in Phase 4 of the straight leg rolls. At the same time, the abductor muscles of the thigh slightly spread the legs.

Pull your legs closer to your body and make sure that you bend lumbar region the spine was maintained as long as possible in the 5th phase, when the abdominal muscles control the gradual lowering of the torso onto the mat. Once it's down, switch your abdominal muscles to keep your pelvis and lower back stable, while your hip flexors control the lowering of your legs and your hip adductors bring them together.

During the entire rolling exercise, the legs should be straightened and the toes should be pulled back due to the action of the muscles that extend the leg at the knee joint and perform plantar flexion of the foot. You should aim to reach as far as possible with your legs, no matter which direction they point.

Lifting your pelvis off the floor in phase 3, press your hands firmly onto the mat so that the shoulder extensor muscles also help lift your torso. In the 5th phase, the arms, which are in the same position, also play an important role, but the muscles in this case work eccentrically.

Mental image. In the ascending phase of the movement, imagine that you are grasping a large gymnastic ball with your torso, and when your pelvis begins to descend, mentally move it towards your legs.

Notes

Rolls with straight legs can be thought of as the mirror opposite of a twist with a forward bend. The only difference is that in this case you pull the pelvis towards the chest, and not vice versa. It is important to start the movement from the pelvis in order to consistently, vertebra by vertebra, bend the spine in the lumbar region. The abdominal muscles tilt the pelvis backward. This skill will come in handy later to help you overcome the tendency to tilt your pelvis forward when extended legs create a large moment of force, such as in exercises like The 100 and Die Hard. Posterior pelvic tilt activates more muscle fibers in the lower part of the abdominal muscles and thereby contributes to the stability of the power center. In addition, rolling with straight legs provides good dynamic stretching. posterior group thigh muscles and spinal erector muscles.

Despite the fact that the benefits of this exercise, rolling with straight legs, are undeniable, it involves forced flexion of the spine in the thoracic and cervical regions under the influence of body gravity, which is not always acceptable and permissible for individuals. Perform this exercise only if you do not feel discomfort in your back and neck. Consult your doctor and, if necessary, abandon the exercise or make adjustments to it.

Modifications

In the 3rd and 4th phases, place your legs behind your head only until the body weight rests on your shoulders and top part back, not on the neck. This will reduce the load on the cervical vertebrae. If your muscles are not flexible enough back surface hips, at first limit yourself to the fact that your legs in the upper phase will be parallel to the floor. They don't have to touch the mat. If the muscles in this area are very tight, you can slightly bend your knees when they are above your head. If muscle tightness in the lower back or shoulders does not allow you to raise your pelvis to shoulder level, bend your elbows and place your palms on your lower back to create support for your torso.

Options

With your feet above your head, dorsiflex your foot at the ankle to deepen the stretch in your hamstrings. When returning to initial position pull your socks back.

Beneficial for the health of the back and legs. Plow pose reduces back pain and can help you sleep.

As part of the first sequence of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, Halasana is entered from Salamba Sarvangasana. In this article we will look at entering from a prone position.

Execution technique

Step 1:

Lie on the floor with your back down. Straighten your back, pull your shoulder blades together and down. Remove the lumbar arch.

Step 2:

As you inhale, lift both legs above your body at a 90-degree angle. Keep your legs straight, with your heels actively reaching towards the ceiling. Make sure your shoulders are pulled away from your neck and continue to pull your shoulder blades together.

Step 3:

With your next inhalation, lift your pelvis and place your legs behind your head. If necessary, support your pelvis/lower back with your hands for balance. Exhale and bring your legs further behind your head, creating a fold at the hip joints.

Slowly lower your toes to the floor behind your head. If possible, keep your torso perpendicular to the floor with your legs fully extended.

Step 4:

Keeping your toes flat on the floor, lift your hips and tailbone toward the ceiling. Imagine that the body is suspended from hip joints.

The throat should be soft, the gaze should be directed to the navel.

Step 5:

You can continue to press your hands into your lower back, pushing your back toward the ceiling. Or remove your hands from your back and stretch them out behind you on the floor, palms down, opposite your feet. Take a couple of breathing cycles.

Clasp your palms together and press firmly across the entire surface of your arms, acting like a lever as you lift your hips toward the ceiling.

Step 6:

Stay in the pose for 1 to 3 minutes. Halasana is usually practiced after Salamba Sarvangasana for 1 to 5 minutes.

Exit from the pose

As you inhale, return your hands to your lower back. As you exhale, begin to lower your legs, keeping them close to your body; unfold your spine along the mat, lowering your legs to their original position.

Adjustment of asanas / control points

actively pull your shoulder blades together and pull them toward your lower back, moving your shoulders away from your ears to release the lower cervical vertebrae and upper vertebrae chest;

the task is to keep the entire body weight on the shoulders, and not on the neck;

the chin is slightly tucked towards the neck, the head is relaxed;

To stretch your spine further, move your legs away from your head and do not bend your knees.

Benefit

calms the mind;

reduces stress and fatigue;

stimulates organs abdominal cavity and thyroid gland;

stretches the shoulders and spine;

has a beneficial effect on infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis;

cures osteochondrosis;

Helps eliminate fat deposits in the thighs and abdomen.

Contraindications

• menstruation;

  neck and back injuries;

  asthma and high blood pressure;

  pregnancy, starting from the 2nd trimester.

Yoga preparatory exercises

Advanced Practice

As you enter the asana, firmly pull your shoulder blades together and rise to the tops of your shoulders. Push firmly onto your shoulders, while lifting your pelvis and body and further moving your legs behind your head and your arms in the opposite direction.

An exercise that requires the performer to have the proper level of flexibility. In addition to strengthening your abdominal muscles, it helps correct your posture and make your back more mobile. It is recommended to perform only on a gymnastic mat (blanket, bedspread).

Position 1

Lie on your back with your legs straight. Hands should lie along the body, palms down.

Position 2

With a sharp movement, lift your pelvis off the floor, lift your straight legs and lower them behind your head, trying to touch the floor with your toes. At the moment of execution, the abs should be as tense as possible, and the main force should fall on it, so if possible, do not lean on your hands.

Position 3

After holding for a second in the previous position, return to the starting position. This must be done in one sharp movement, but so that the legs do not touch the floor and are always suspended.

Don’t be afraid to take a high tempo, just don’t lower your feet to the floor at the end point and try to throw them as far behind your head as possible.

1. Plow Pose: Lie on your back. Raise your legs up and throw them behind your head. Keep your legs straight, heels together, and point your toes toward the floor. Extend both arms towards your toes. Hold this pose for 5 minutes. Then slowly lower your spine back to the floor, vertebra by vertebra. Slowly place your feet on the floor and your arms along your torso.


2. Camel Pose: Sit on your heels. Grab your heels with your hands and lift your pelvis up and forward, throw back your head, pull your pelvis forward. Stay in this position for 3 minutes with deep, slow breathing. Then gently lower your pelvis back onto your heels. This exercise well regulates the activity of the reproductive organs.


3. Bow Pose: Lie on your stomach. Grab your ankles with your hands. Arch up until your spine becomes like a bow. Raise your hips and head as high as possible. Hold the pose with deep, slow breathing.

4. Shoulderstand: From a supine position, lift your legs 90°, then lift your torso and grab bottom part back with your hands, resting on your elbows. Keep your torso perpendicular to the floor and distribute your body weight over your neck and shoulders. The chin rests on the chest. Deep slow breathing. This exercise creates pressure on all organs and stimulates the thyroid gland.