Vasisthasana - Side Plank

‘MOST EXCELLENT’ POSE
Named after the sage Vasitha Vasisthasana/Side Plank is a simple but challenging pose that works the whole body as it works out how to balance on one hand and the outer edge of one foot. It is considered one of the best poses for strengthening the full 360 core, improving posture and building strength in all the muscles that support the spine. The challenge of the pose is in balancing and maintaining a neutral spine against the forces of gravity. When we balance on one hand with the body at a slant it takes great effort and strength to keep the hips perfectly in line with the spine – not lifted too high or low and not tipping the top hip forward or back. It is the perfect pose to understand the principles of proprioception and our awareness of the space we inhabit.

THE BENEFITS OF VASISTHASANA/SIDE PLANK
Vasisthasana/Side Plank strengthens the arms, shoulders, core, spine, legs and glutes. It also gives a lovely opening to the chest. Similar to our last peak pose Parsvakonasana/Side Angle this pose builds awareness of the core being a 360 degree wrapping muscle. The full wrap of the 360 core is working to protect the spine and keep it in a neutral position. The lower obliques are helping to keep the hips lifted against the forces of gravity. The front of the core is helping you from tipping forward and the back of the core is helping from tipping backwards. When they are all working in partnership in the centre of this pose they will help to stabilise the spine and along with the strong legs will take some of the effort out of the bottom arm and shoulder.

EXPLORING VASISTHASANA/SIDE PLANK IN YOUR PRACTICE
Think of Vasisthasana/Side Plank through the lens of Tadasana/Mountain with the arms in a ‘T’ shape. In Tadasana/Mountain we are pressing through the feet, hugging the hips to the midline, lengthening through all sides of the body and broadening through the collarbones. In Vasisthasana/Side Plank we are following these exact blueprints and adding an extra level of lifting the hips against gravity with the strength of the core.

The sequence builds to full Vasisthasana/Side Plank from the ground up to allow your wrist and arm to warm up before the peak pose. The warm up flow starts to build heat and strength in the arms, core and legs. Use the breath guide to help you link breath with movement as you flow.

In Vasisthasana/Side Plank press strongly through the soles of your feet and extend through the tip of your crown. Glance down to check your hips are stacked and haven’t tipped forward or back. Press into your supporting hand, grip your mat and lengthen the space between your shoulder joint and your neck. See can you find lightness and space in the shoulder joint and a sense of the shoulder blade containing the effort of the pose within the joint.

If Vasisthasana/Side Plank is not part of your practice, take a modified version of the pose with the bottom knee on the ground as illustrated in the first line of the sequence after the cat/cow flow.

ALIGNMENT CUES
In this sequence there are three main standing flows starting with the peak pose of Vasisthasana/Side Plank. Flow through the poses within the married lines on the right side first and then the full mini flow on the left side. You can extend your practice by running through these two standing flows for two full rounds of each side. If you want to try a few different versions of Vasisthasana/Side Plank have a look at my Instagram post.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• From Phalakasana with feet together, roll onto the little toe side of your right foot, stack your feet together, legs straight.

• Place your right hand slightly forward of your right shoulder, shoulders stacked, place your left hand on your hip, hips stacked, draw your navel towards your spine.

• Lift your hips up, press out through your heels, lengthen from your heels through your spine to the tip of the crown in a diagonal line.

• Reach your left arm up high, palm facing left, gaze forward or to your extended hand.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Move & restore

This sequence is also available on YouTube.

DOING & NON-DOING
When I completed my recent studies on the nervous system and restorative yoga with Yoga Medicine I was curious to experiment more with the benefits of restorative yoga to the nervous system. I started including restorative poses at the end of my practice as a way to add more of this deeply heeling therapeutic practice into my day and continue to relearn how to relax. I started to notice that by adding some restorative at the end of my practice I was teaching my nervous system to be more malleable, swapping more smoothly from activity to relaxation, and appreciating the value of both. I noticed a few incidents where I was able to pause before I reacted to situations with the kids, and deal with it in a logical way rather than a knee jerk reaction. I felt less depleted at the end of a day when I felt I had given something back to my energy stores at the end of my yoga practice. On the days where I practiced a purely restorative session in the evening I noticed I would settle to sleep the minute my head hit the pillow, and better still, not experience the 4am disturbances to my nights sleep that I had slipped into.

I am currently teaching this style of class online on a Friday morning. You can practice live with me or practice in your own time with the class recording. Experience the benefits for yourself!

Here are some of the many benefits of restorative yoga: regulates the nervous system, balances emotions, balances hormones, eases stress & anxiety, boosts immune function, improves healing capacity, eases muscle tension, eases back and neck pain, reduces chronic pain, eases fatigue, improves sleep, improves overall wellbeing.

BUILDING A RESILIANT NERVOUS SYSTEM
While we can’t consciously control the nervous system we can create favourable conditions to influence our bodies response to external and internal sensory stimulus. Stress, or the sympathetic nervous response, is where we create, get our day's activities done and exercise. Resting or the parasympathetic nervous system is where the body clears out the ‘doing’ hormones, restores homeostasis balance to the body and creates an optimum environment for all the functions of the body. Both work in tandem and are a natural part of being human. This blended method of moving and restoring honours both the yin and yang within our day and helps build a resilient nervous system. To lean more about how the nervous system works and what happens when it tips into too much ‘doing’ have a read of my Finding calm article.

EXPLORING MOVE & RESTORE IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence starts with a movement practice with simple purposeful flows to build mobility and strength. There are three mini flows in the movement practice. Move slowly through the poses within each flow and then repeat each one with the breath guides above the poses. The sequence then transitions from doing to non-doing with a restorative practice to target the nervous system. In restorative yoga we consciously relax the body to bring it into a deep state of rest and create a healing environment. The goal of the restorative stage of this sequence is to replenish, absorb the benefits of moving and give back to your body's energy stores. The poses are held for longer periods (you will see the suggested hold times in the sequence) with the support of your blankets to help you to feel effortless comfort. Although props are king in restorative yoga there is plenty you can achieve with just a few blankets to support you and keep you warm. You will need three blankets for this practice. See below for alignment cues on your main restorative pose.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device.

The peak pose of the movement sequence is Salabhasana/Locust, a fantastic full back body strengthener:

• Lie on your front, arms by your sides, palms facing your body, forehead resting on the ground.

• Inhale, press into your pubic bone, lift your head, upper torso, arms and legs, lift with the whole back. Reach your chest forward and up

• Extend your arms towards your feet, lift your legs up and press through the balls of your feet, roll your inner thighs up.

• Broaden through the collarbones, firm your shoulder blades onto your back, back of the neck long, gaze slightly forward.

RESTORATIVE POSE ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the restorative techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
1 x bolster - or 2 towels, wrapped around a horizontally rolled pillow and tied to secure.
2 x yoga blankets - or any wool, thick cotton or fleece blanket with density.

No.1 - Constructive rest
Start lying on your back, your knees bent, feet mat distant apart and knees knocked in together. Place your hands on your belly and feel the breath move through you. Take four rounds of 4/6 breath, inhaling for the count of 4 and exhaling for the count of 6. Keep the breath as gentle as possible, notice if you are holding any tension in your shoulders and upper chest. Pause after and notice any change this simple breath observation has made to your body and mind.

No.2 - Supine twist with raised hips
Fold a blanket in four, smooth it out and accordion fold it in three along the short side and place it in the centre of your mat. Place your second blanket folded at the top of your mat and a third blanket folded beside your mat. Sit your left hip and left thigh along your accordion fold blanket, place a the third folded blanket between your thighs, lie on your side. With arms in cactus position, open your right arm to your right and come into the twist. Place the second blanket under your right shoulder to ensure it is supported.

No.3 - Savasana
End your practice with at least 10 minutes of Savasana or Resting Pose. Lie supine on your back, legs stretched out, arms slightly away from your body, palms facing up. Legs slightly apart, feet fall out to the sides, soften your shoulder, back of the neck long. You can add an optional bolster under the knees or a blanket roll under the neck. Gently close your eyes, let the body become heavy and melt into the support of the ground. Soften the muscles across your forehead, releasing all tension, gaze inwards. Let all the muscles and bones of your body release.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Parsvakonasana - Side Angle

SPINAL HEALTH
Parsvakonasana/Side Angle is one of the foundational poses of yoga that you will find in many yoga classes and sequences. It partners up well with Virabhadrasana II in a standing flow and is very invigorating for the spinal connective tissue. It creates space for the abdominal organs and work to reverse the effect of gravity on our spine. You might also notice after practising this sequence that you are able to breathe more freely through your day. It stretches the intercostal muscles between the ribs and helps deepen the breath and increases intervertebral space. The more lengthened our spine feels the better we are able to take a deep breath and more more fluidly.

The spinal cord runs down the centre of the spine. The nerves branch out between each vertebra and travel around the whole peripheral body to gather sensory information for the brain to process and send back motor information to cause voluntary and involuntary actions. For this signaling system to work well there needs to be healthy lubrication and space for the nerves to travel. Adding Parsvakonasana/Side Angle to your practice will help to maintain this information highway.

THE BENEFITS OF PARSVAKONASANA/SIDE ANGLE
Parsvakonasana/Side Angle stretches the shoulders, spine, inner groins, and glutes; and strengthens the glutes, quads, core hamstrings and shoulders. It has many benefits including aiding digestion, reducing menstrual cramps, stimulates abdominal organs, strengthens lungs and boosts circulation.

This pose is a very good pose to build awareness of the core being a 360 degree wrapping muscle rather than just the front of the body. The upper body is surprisingly heavy to hold at an angle. The full 360 core is working hard in this pose to carry the weight of the upper body. When you are in the pose sinch in at the full 360 waist like a strong corset. This is the transverse abdominis muscle whose main job is to contain the organs of the abdominal region and protect the spine against gravity. You will also feel the internal and external obliques working hard on the upper side of the body to stop your spine from collapsing sideways.

EXPLORING PARSVAKONASANA/SIDE ANGLE IN YOUR PRACTICE
The mini flow in the first row of the sequence targets all the areas you will need for Parsvakonasana/Side Angle – strengthening the glutes, core and shoulders; and stretching the shoulders, spine, groin and side body. On your first round take your time, scan down through your body and check your alignment in each pose. Then run through the flow two or three times with the breath.

Although strictly speaking Parsvakonasana/Side Angle is not a side bend there is certainly plenty of stretch in the upper side body and a lovely opening in the chest. This sequence has lots of side bends built into it to make sure your side body is ready to stretch open in the peak pose. Extension through the spine and lifting up out of the pelvic bowl will help you find space to hinge over the front leg.

For your first Parsvakonasana/Side Angle you will take your elbow to your knee. Press gently into the knee to help you open the chest and spin the bottom waist forward and the top waist back. To make sure your spine and core are working to hold the weight of your upper body try reaching the arm on the knee forward for a breath. For your second Parsvakonasana/Side Angle place your upper hand on the back of your head, press gently into your supporting elbow and circle your elbow and chest open.

ALIGNMENT CUES
This sequence prepares you for Parsvakonasana/Side Angle. There are two standing flows with your peak pose. If you want to extend your practice run through these two main flows twice. If you want to try a few different versions of Parsvakonasana/Side Angle have a look at my Instagram post.

Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• From Adho Mukha Svanasana, ground your left foot at a 45 degree angle. Inhale, step your right foot between your hands, check for front heel to back arch alignment, exhale here.

• Inhale, press into your feet to come up, open your hips to the side of the mat, front knee bent. Exhale hinge to your right from your hip joint. Place your right elbow on your right thigh, or place your right hand on a brick, or to the ground inside/outside your right foot.

• Extend your left arm up palm facing the front of your mat, reach your arm over your ear. Press into your nig toe and squeeze into the back of the hips. Lift the arches of your back food and lift the inner seams of your thighs.

• Draw your navel towards your spine. Bottom waist rolls forward, top waist rolls back, gaze under your upper arm.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru