Chicken Canine Movement: Core, Stability and Extra

Chicken Canine Pose (Parsva Balasana) might not be considered one of yoga’s hottest poses, however this humble asana confers a stunning variety of advantages. Simply guessing, however its English identify means that it was added to the asana canon someday throughout Britain’s occupation of India. It’s been a worthy addition. A number of years in the past, throughout my asana follow, I developed a vinyasa-type movement that begins with Chicken Canine Pose. As the muse of a Chicken Canine Movement, Parsva Balasana’s prospects are nearly limitless.

On this put up, I’ll embody photographs and transient descriptions of every pose. There are already posts describing the primary two poses within the Hugger Mugger weblog. I’ll add hyperlinks to present you extra element. There are basic directions for the final three poses. However first, a reminder of the advantages of Chicken Canine Pose.

Chicken Canine Advantages

Right here’s why Chicken Canine Pose needs to be part of your common asana routine:

• strengthens and stabilizes the core.
• stabilizes the low again.
• challenges, and due to this fact will increase, your capacity to steadiness.
• could promote steadiness between the precise and left lobes of your mind by way of the contralateral relationships between the legs and arms.
• a core strengthener that’s simpler in your again than crunches or sit-ups.

Methods to Follow Chicken Canine Movement

• Start on palms and knees in Tabletop Pose (Bharmanasana) on a Yoga Mat. You would possibly wish to place a folded Yoga Blanket below your knees. In Chicken Canine Movement, you’ll be spending quite a lot of time on one knee!
• Take a number of breaths to settle into the pose.

Chicken Canine Pose (Photograph at Prime)

• Stretch your left leg again behind you.
• In case your steadiness feels secure, stretch your proper arm ahead.
• Take 3 to five breaths right here.

Chicken Canine Variation

• Bend your left knee and attain your proper hand again towards your left foot.
• Both seize your left foot, or in case your hand doesn’t attain, merely lengthen your proper hand and left foot towards each other.
• Take 3 to five breaths.

Aspect Plank Variation (Parsva Phalakasana)

• Launch the maintain of your left foot and return to Chicken Canine Pose.
• Supported by your proper knee on the ground, rotate your physique to the precise so that you just’re dealing with straight forward, putting your proper hand on the ground. Now you’re supported by your proper hand and proper knee.
• Lengthen your left arm out along with your higher arm near your ear.
• Attain your left foot down into the ground to stretch your whole left facet.
• Take 3 to five breaths right here.

Aspect Plank with Leg Raise

• Now raise your left leg up in order that it’s roughly parallel to the ground.
• Proceed to stretch your left arm out as you stretch your leg in the wrong way.
• In case your steadiness feels shaky, flip your proper toes below. That may create a bit extra stability.
• Take 3 to five breaths right here.

Add a Backbend to Aspect Plank Pose

• Bend your left knee.
• Attain your left hand again and seize the left foot.
• Press your left foot into your hand to stretch the entrance of the shoulder and chest.
• Take 3 to five breaths right here.
• Return to Tabletop Pose.
• Loosen up for a number of breaths in Baby’s Pose (Balasana) earlier than training Chicken Canine Movement on the opposite facet.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Follow and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third ebook is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.