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Wrist Watch in Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana (Side Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand)

Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana (Side Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand) registers as 7* on Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty.

Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana increases the stretch felt in Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana. Iyengar’s version of this pose appears far more dramatic than mine since he is able to draw his hips parallel to the floor and off to the side. When I attempt to draw my legs closer to the floor on my left side, extreme tension develops in my left wrist and I back off. This asana puts a great deal of pressure and weight in the wrist joint.

Many of the asanas – Chaturanga Dandasana, Bakasana (Crow), and Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) to name a few – tend to put weight and pressure into the wrists. In these poses, you can reduce pressure on your wrists by making your fingers more active, pressing each fingertip into the earth as if it were pressing on a tiny button with all its might. But, in Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana, your fingers are pressing into your lower back and therefore feel less grounded. Nevertheless, continue to press your fingertips into your lower back as much as you press your wrists into your back. This slight adjustment may relieve a bit of wrist pressure in the pose. And, of course, if it doesn’t, it’s time to back off from the asana. No matter how graceful someone else’s pose looks, listening to and honoring the cues of your body is the most powerful expression of grace on your mat.

Related posts:

  1. Points on Puzzlement in Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sirsasana (Side Upward Lotus in Headstand)
  2. Halfway There: Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana (Upward Lotus in Shoulderstand)
  3. Always Enough in Parsva Sarvangasana (Side Shoulderstand)
  4. No Mud, No Lotus: Urdhva Padmasana in Sirsasana (Upward Lotus in Headstand)
  5. Paying Attention in Parsvaika Pada Sarvangasana (Side One-Legged Shoulderstand)

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 4th, 2010 at 3:51 pm and is filed under Parsva Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.