Wheel
Pose (Chakrasana) is
characterized as a backbend. It requires building up extremely high strength
and flexibility to achieve it.
Method:
Learn
the steps to perform Wheel Pose:
Step
1: Lie on your back. Bend your knees,
bringing the soles of your feet close to the waist. Keep your feet widely apart
with only toes touching the ground while heals up from the ground.
Step
2: Bend your elbows and bring the palms
of your hands overhead, placing them underneath your shoulders with the
fingertips pointing towards your shoulders.
Step
3: Exhale and press down into your palms
and your feet as you lift your shoulders and hips up off the floor. Balance
over hands and toes. Don’t let heels touch the ground.
Step
4: Let the head hang and look down at
the floor. Hold this pose for a few seconds. Use your hands and feet for
control. Pause here for a moment breathing easily as you make sure that your
elbows are staying parallel.
Step 5:
To release, slowly bring your back down. Let your shoulders touch the ground
gently. Take your hands to your sides and relax.
Special
Tips: Emphasize the perfection of technique. Let it be performed just after
Jumping Squat to Back Bent Stand exercise to acquire more flexibility and
stamina.
You should not do Wheel Pose if you
have had an injury or chronic problem with your knees, wrists, shoulders, neck,
or back. Don't force your body into the pose before it is flexible enough to do
so without straining. Bend your back only as far as you can naturally. With
continued practice, you will gradually build your flexibility to achieve the
pose.
Benefits: Wheel pose is a great
inversion. Inversions are said to benefit the cardiovascular, lymphatic,
nervous, and endocrine systems. In Wheel pose and in many other inversions, the
heart is above the head.
It
strengthens your arms, wrists, abdomen, legs, shoulders and chest, so expect
smooth, toned muscles. It strengthens the muscles of the shoulder girdle. It is
amazing for strengthening these muscles, which is also going to help your
posture on a day-to-day basis.
It
enhances the nervous system and improves hormone secretions that keep your body
in optimal health. The hormonal balance that is attributed to it is said to aid
in fertility. It stimulates the thyroid glands. The performance of it highly benefits the pituitary and
thyroid glands. It
helps produce the TSH releasing hormone
which signals the pituitary gland to stimulate the thyroid gland and assist in
keeping these glands in the best level of the health.
It
strengthens and lengthens the vertebrae which increase elasticity and
flexibility of the spine. It creates the necessary space in the spine to keep
you young and healthy, and standing tall. It loosens tight hips, hence, increases
hip flexibility.
Athletes acknowledge the importance of having flexible hips. It potently opens up the hips and
increases mobility in the posterior that enables them to perform their
movements efficiently. The pose also helps in keeping the hips and lower back
strong thus benefiting the overall wellness.
As you
stretch in it, you remove fat buildup from your oblique area. When practiced
regularly, you may notice a slimming effect. You will notice a toned and slim
body. It also strengthens the abdominal muscles granting you a robust physique.
This pose opens up the chest and strengthens
the lungs. It is also instrumental in allowing increased amounts of oxygen into
the rib cage. Respiration will undoubtedly improve. Remember
to breathe deeply while holding the pose. The prolonged holding of
this pose with deep inhalations and exhalations therapeutically affects the
asthmatic patients.
It
energizes
the body. It is a great and natural body-mind
energizer. Whenever you feel low on energy levels, perform a wheel pose and
vitalize all your stamina, energy, and strength. The pose also unlocks the
various energy centres and channels within the body. It helps energy travel
through the entire body revitalizing the spirit of the practitioner.
It
energizes you physically and mentally. It is believed to work against stress,
tension, depression and anxiety. This is due to stimulation of the thyroid and
pituitary glands when engaged in the pose. Consistently
perform it
and trigger your parasympathetic
nervous system. It cools down the mind, balances the nervous system, and helps
you rest in a peaceful state. You can definitely feel good about
practicing it!
Results of this pose and the preceding
exercise may vary from person to person depending upon many factors such as
technique used, availability of time, age, health condition, regularity,
discipline, mood and interest etc.
Final Position:
Now enter into Natural Standing Posture and relax your body.
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