Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana II (Upward Facing Intense Stretch to the West Pose II) registers as 10* on the 60* scale of difficulty.
Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana I presents less of a balancing act than Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana I. For me, I find that removing the balancing aspect of Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana helps me concentrate on the subtleties of the pose and the depth of extension in my back body.
The relationship between the pelvis and the depth of extension in the back body is what most intrigues me about Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana II. When I draw my legs over my head and straighten them, my pelvis lifts completely off the ground. When I try to keep my pelvis “as near the floor as possible,” per Iyengar’s instruction, my legs begin to bend. This effect speaks to some tightness in my back body, especially in my upper hamstrings that connects the back of my thighs to my butt.
Exploring and playing with these types of details in your practice helps you gain a better understanding of your body – its eccentricities and its strengths. Which poses in your practice have helped you better understand your body?
Related posts:
- New Balancing Acts in Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana I (Upward Facing Intense Stretch to the West Pose)
- Parivritta Paschimottanasana (Revolved Intense Stretch to the West)
- Preparing for Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana with Ubhaya Padangusthasana (Both Big Toes Pose)
- Space to Breathe in Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)
- Bowing to the Past in Paschimottanasana (Intense Stretch to the West Pose)
Tags: alignment, asana, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana I, Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana II, yoga
Hi – just found your blog and am enjoying it! A couple of poses I’ve been using lately to figure something out: Triangle – when I do it to the right hand side, I have a muscle that really pulls in my right leg – I think its gracilis. I am playing around with other poses to try to figure out the best way to loosen or free that muscle a little because it completely restricts the triangle and makes the left and right very different poses for me. Its funny because supine hand to toe pose to the side (well with a strap for me) doesn’t give me the same pull and it must have to do with the angle of the hips and pelvis. Aren’t our bodies fascinating?
Hi Jodi! Thanks for reading. Have you tried shortening your stance in Triangle and engaging the quadricep of your right leg? It’s always interesting (and refreshing!) to notice how different each side of the body is. The differences are what keep us present in our practice.