Shishosana: As discussed, stress manifests in various ways in our physical body. In today’s times when we are engaged in innumerable activities from work to leisure with increasing added pressures of daily living, stress creeps up silently without us even realizing.
Stiff joints, tight muscles, a weakened immune system are all side effects of accumulated stress in our body.
Yoga is a science designed to take care of us from within. The physical yogic postures with the right breathing and meditation practices go a long way in relieving stress and anxiety.
While no posture is an instant miracle worker but when done regularly, over time, certain poses are extremely beneficial in more ways than one.
The Puppy pose or ‘Shishosana’ is one such pose which relieves tension in the body as it stretches the spine and shoulders deeply.
To come into ‘Shishosana’, start in a table top position with the shoulders over wrists, hips over knees, toes flattened out. Slowly walk the hands forward, lowering the chest and chin or forehead to the floor. Keep the arms actively stretching forward enabling a long spine. You can release more tension around the neck and shoulders by pressing the palms together and bending the arms at the elbows, drawing the thumbs towards the neck and shoulder blades towards each other.
Stay in this pose for 45-60 seconds with steady breathing.
‘Shishosana’ has a heart opening effect and helps to counter slouching shoulders when stressed. It also has a deeply grounding effect thus releasing tension and stress from the body.
Practice this pose anytime you feel stress creeping up and are looking for an instant relief.
Namaste!
Neelanjana Bharadwaj
Yoga Expert
neel_bharadwaj@yahoo.com
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