Gentle, soothing and nurturing, Apanasana.
Think about it, how often does this pose appear in our practice? For me, it’s every time, in my own practice, my group classes and for my private clients. Why? It’s a gentle and accessible pose for all. I enjoy using Apanasana as a simple warm up, easing into the right and left side first with a single leg option before bringing both knees into the chest. It gives time to check in with our hips; perhaps they are a little tight today. It softly opens the sacrum and relieves the lower back. Â Apanasana promotes a healthy digestive system, easing tension in the digestive track, a handy pose to have in your back pocket during the month of Ramadan. Match this pose up with deep belly breathing and you have yourself a very effective abdominal massage as the belly kindly rises against the pressure of the thighs.
How to find the pose:
- Lie on your back with feet at hip distance legs straight or knees bent.
- Gently draw both knees in toward the chest guiding them with your hands.
- Breathe out and draw the legs in close and hold here for a moment or two to enjoy the sensation of massage into the internal organs. Keeping the neck and shoulders soft.
- Optional posture to relieve wind is to draw the chin in towards the knees on the exhale (Pawanmuktasana)
- You can also rock a little to relieve any lower back stress.
Sarah Hackett 