‘Parsava ’ means sideways, ‘Hala’ means plough ‘asana’ means pose. In Halasana both the legs rest behind the head. In this pose they rest sideways on one side of and in line with the head. It is the lateral plough pose.
Organising the Pose:-
- Lie down on your back in supine position. Lift both the legs up, support your lower back with both your hands, lifting the hips off the floor. Then place both the legs behind your head. This is ‘Halasana’.
2. Keep supporting your back and move both the legs as far as you can to the left
3. Tighten both the knees, raising the trunk up with the help of the palms and stretch the legs. This is ‘Parsava Halasana’.
4. Stay in this pose for as long as you can with normal breathing.
5. Exhaling, moving both the legs to your right till they are right behind your head in Halasana and hold this pose for 30 seconds. Take care not to disturb the position of the chest and trunk when the legs are moved. Then repeat the pose onto your right side by moving both the legs towards the right and hold the pose.
DO:
- Keep both the legs straight and extended to the side in the final pose.
DON’T:
- Don’t lift your forearms off the mat while in the pose.
- Remain tall in the pose by keeping the hips lifted.
BENEFITS: :
- Improves elasticity of the spine.
- The colon which is inverted in the movement is exercised properly and elimination happens completely.
- This asana helps to keep the bowels free thus wins the prize of health.
Try to keep both your sitting bones at the same height by equalizing the weight on your left and right feet and keeping the distance from your lower ribs to your pelvic rim the same on both sides.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj- Yoga Expert