‘Merudanda’ means spine in Sanskrit and ‘asana’ means pose. It’s a balancing pose that opens up your hips and stretches the back of your legs. It helps to tone and strengthen your abdominal organs, specially the liver.
Method:
1. Sit with your legs outstretched in Dandasana.
2. Bend the knees and place your feet flat on the floor, in front of your buttocks. Hold the big toes with your two peace fingers and thumb, slowly lean backwards, engaging your core, balancing on the coccyx. Straighten the legs and arms, raising them upwards.
3. Keeping the balance try to widen the legs as much as possible.
4. Hold this final position for as long as possible, keeping the eye gaze focused on a single point.
5. Bring the legs together in the centre, bend the knees and lower the feet to the floor.
DOs:
- Keep the legs and arms stretched.
- Maintain the balance on the coccyx and keep your eye gaze fixed to a single point.
DON’Ts:
Don’t practise this pose if you have high blood pressure, heart ailments, slipped disc or sciatica., or are at a later stage of pregnancy.
BENEFITS:
- Tones the abdominal organs, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
- Helps to stimulate intestinal peristalisis, alleviating constipation.
If you are a beginner, do not force yourself to get to the final stage of the pose as it might lead to an injury. Also perform the posture with care if your spine is not flexible enough.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj– Yoga Expert