Utthita Parshvakonasana

Utthita~ Extended

Parshva~ Side

Kona~ Angle

English Name

Extended Angle Pose

Critical Elements

How to get in and out of asana

-Part 1

1. Start in Tadasana

2. Lightly jump into a stance 3.5 – 4 feet apart on an exhalation

3. Reach your arms out to your sides so that they are parallel to the floor, palms down, shoulder blades wide

4. Turn your left foot 45 degrees and your right foot out 90 degrees, align your heel

5. Contract your thighs and turn your right thigh outwards and make your right kneecap in line with your right ankle

6. Rotate your left hip slightly to your right, but keep rotating your torso back to your left

-Part 2

1. Press your left foot firmly into the ground by contracting your Mula Bandhas into your pelvis

2. As you exhale, bend your right knee so that your shin is directly above your toes and is perpendicular to the floor

3. Try to make the right thigh parallel to the ground

-Part 3

1. Open up and firm your shoulder blades against the back of your ribs

2. As you do this extend your left arm straight up to the ceiling

3. Then turn your left palm to face your head and as you inhale reach your arm over the back of your left ear with your palm facing the floor

4. Lengthen the left side of your body by stretching from your left heel through your left fingertips

5. Turn your head to look at your left arm and release your right shoulder away from your right ear.

6. Try to elongate the right side of torso as you do your left

- Part 4

1. Continue to press left heel into floor.

2. On a exhalation lay the right side of your torso down onto the top of the right thigh a. If you can't lie completely on the top of your right thigh just bring it as close as you can

3. Press your right fingertips or if you can palm into the floor right in front of your right foot

4. With your inner arm, actively push your right knee back while countering this movement by pushing your tail bone into the back of your pelvis

- Part 5

1. Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue to deepen your stretch and actively contract your muscles.

2. Inhale to come up. Press both heels into ground.

3. Reach left arm forcefully toward the ceiling to ease your upward movement

4. Reverse your feet and repeat the above actions for the same length of time on your left side. Finally, come up and return to Tadasana

Actions and muscles involved in asana

-Muscles involved

1. Quadriceps

2. Hamstrings

3. Gluteus Maximus

4. Core muscles, bandhas

5. Groin

6. Shoulders (eg. Deltoid)

7. Back (eg. Latissimus dorsi)

- Actions involved

1. Bending knees

2. Extending legs

3. Bending torso sideways

4. Extending arms

5. Contract back muscles and bandhas

Benefits

-Helps prevent constipation, infertility, low backache, osteoporosis, menstrual discomfort
-Strengthens and stretches the legs, knees, ankles, groin, spine, waist, chest, lungs, shoulders, bandhas
-Increases stamina

Awareness

In this pose, I feel calm and relaxed. I can feel energy pulsing through my fingertips and the strength of my contracting muscles radiate throughout my body.