Asana Column: Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose)

Tap into pelvic power.

By Aadil Palkhivala

The subtler, pranic actions involved in lifting the pelvic energy are a function of your intention, the directed movement of your consciousness. On an inhalation, as you contract your perineal muscles and lift the pit of your abdomen, create the intention of moving the pelvic energy toward your heart center. You can imagine this energy as heat or light that rises upward like a flame.

On an exhalation, create the intention of releasing the energy of your thoughts down through your brain stem, through your neck, and into your heart center. I often picture my thoughts softening and flowing down through my neck to merge with my heart.

Opening the Hips and Hamstrings

Now let's apply these principles as we proceed toward Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana. Since the pose is an intense stretch for the hamstrings, you should prepare for it with hamstring openers like Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose), Upavistha Konasana, and Parsva Upavistha Konasana (Side Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend). Once you've done a few poses to begin preparing the hips and hamstrings, continue by practicing Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Pose).

To come into Janu Sirsasana, sit with your legs stretched straight out in front of you in Dandasana (Staff Pose). Exhaling, bend your right knee, placing the sole of your right foot on your inner left thigh, with your right heel at your right groin. Place your hands on either side of your buttocks, fingertips on the floor and palms cupped. Lift the sides of your waist toward the front of your armpits. Inhale deeply, then exhale and tip your pelvis forward, pressing your sitting bones into the floor. Lifting your spine, twist it to your left so that your belly button is above your left thigh. Grasp your left foot from the top with your right hand, fingers holding the mounds of the toes. Place your left hand on the floor about a foot to the left of your left knee.

Pressing the fingertips of your left hand into the floor, cup your palm and imagine that you are sucking energy up from the earth into your arm and body. Inhaling, tip your pelvis farther forward, bringing your weight onto the front of your sitting bones, and lengthen your torso by pushing down with both arms. Inhale as you lift the energy of the perineum and the inner pelvis toward your heart center.

Exhaling, move both sides of your waist toward your left foot, creating a slight backbend in your lumbar (lower) spine and drawing your belly up toward your heart. Maintain this length in the front of your body as you exhale and bend both elbows, pulling your torso down toward your left leg. Continue pushing the floor with your left hand to lift your left shoulder and make both shoulders equidistant from the floor. Then, exhaling, bring your chest to your thigh and your chin toward your left shin. (For a softer, less intense variation, rest your forehead rather than your chin on your shin.)

Once you have come down to your shin, inhale. Then exhale while reaching forward with your left hand and placing the back of your left palm against the sole of your left foot; the back of your wrist should touch the outer edge of your foot at the bottom of the arch. Next, reach forward with your right hand, palm facing away from you, and grasp your right wrist with your left hand. Then gently make a fist with your right hand. When you have created this clasp, bend your elbows. You'll find that this action moves the elbows apart and away from each other rather than down to the floor. This action also spreads the shoulder blades, and it is the correct way to extend the sides of the waist in Janu Sirsasana.

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