Featured Pose Reclined Cobblers Pose Restorative Version

by Baxter and Nina

One of our favorite restorative poses, the supported version of Reclined Cobbler’s pose is a deeply relaxing pose for both body and mind. Because your head is higher than your heart in this pose, for most of you, the pose allows you to relax without falling asleep, thereby reaping the benefits of conscious relaxation (see Conscious Relaxation vs. Sleep for information about the benefits). The rest and relaxation the pose provides restores your energy as it rejuvenates your mind.

Reclined Cobbler's pose an excellent alternative to seated meditation, as you can do pranayama or any mediation practice while reclining. Because the pose is so comfortable, your mind is free to concentrate on a particular mental focus, such as your breath or any object of meditation. As your body relaxes, your mind quiets.

Reclined Cobbler’s pose is a gentle, supported backbend, which doesn’t require muscular effort. So it’s a perfect antidote for people who spend hours in forward bending positions, including cyclists as well as desk-bound people. Because backbends are typically uplifting, the supported backbend can even promote positive mood states.

Having your arms are out to the sides broadens your chest, bringing openness to your pectoral muscles. The leg position stretches and lengthens your hip and leg muscles, especially the inner surfaces of your thighs, so the pose is beneficial for people who have tight hips or inner thighs, and helps prepare you for seated postures.

With correct propping Reclined Cobbler’s pose is accessible to most people, so almost everyone can do it. And it is so gentle that it makes a great transition into regular practice from illness or injury

Baxter prescribes this pose for:

• digestive problems
• tight hips
• tight spine
• stress in general
• fatigue
• convalescence from illness
• insomnia
• cooling after overheating
• menstrual and PMS practices

Instructions: Start by assembling your props. You will need two blankets, a bolster, and a block, as shown below. Roll one of the blankets into a long, thin roll. Fold the second blanket into a square and set it aside. And place the block under the bolster so the bolster is at an angle. If you don’t have a block to put under the bolster, you can use a thick book, a piece of wood, or whatever. If you don’t have a bolster, you can make a thick roll of two blankets or perhaps use a couch cushion. Be creative!

After you have set up your props as shown above, sit down in front of your bolster (but not on it!). Now bring the bottoms of your feet together into Cobbler’s pose, with your knees dropping out to the side.

Next, take the rolled blanket and place it on top of your feet and then pull the ends around and underneath your ankles. Check to make sure your legs can rest comfortably on the blankets. If your hips are very tight, you may need additional support, such as blocks or a thicker blanket roll.

To come into the pose, place your hands on the floor by your hips and slowly lower yourself so your back is resting on the bolster. Now take your folded blanket and slip it underneath your head and neck (but not under your shoulders), making sure your head is tipped so your chin is pointing toward your chest. Rest your forearms and the backs of your hands rest on the floor out to your sides. If your elbows don’t make it down to the floor or if you arms are strained, try uses extra blankets or towels to support your arms.

While you are in the pose, to help you quiet your mind (and trigger the Relaxation Reponse), choose a focus for your mind. You can practice breath awareness or focus on the gradual relaxation of your body, or you can practice pranayama or any form of mediation that you prefer. Stay in the pose 10 to 20 minutes, setting a timer to make sure you don’t fall asleep.

To come out of the pose, bring your hands to your outer legs to use your hands to bring your knees back together. When your feet are flat on the floor, roll slowly onto your side, rest there for a couple of breaths, and slowly come up to sitting.

Cautions: If you have active low back pain, try reducing the arch in your back in this pose by putting a folded blanket under your hips or by moving your hips forward an inch. If you have shoulder injuries, having your arms out to the side could cause pain, so add support, such as folded blankets or towels, under your arms. If you have neck stiffness or arthritis of the neck, you may need an additional blanket under your head.

If you have arthritis of the hip or a hip replacement, make sure that dropping your knees out to the sides is not painful. Try adding more support under your legs (blocks or a thicker blanket roll), but if you can’t get comfortable, come out of the pose. The combination of a backbend with your legs out the side in this pose can compress your sacroiliac joints. Adding more support under your legs might help, but you may want to avoid this pose if you are currently having SI problems.

Keep in mind that this pose is not for everyone. So if it doesn’t work for you, try some other restorative poses instead, either those that we’ll be presenting in the coming weeks or ones your teacher recommends.

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Featured Pose Reclined Twist

by Baxter

I am excited to be sharing Reclined Twist Pose (Jathara Parivartanasana) with you today! There are many different variations of this pose taught these days, and I will describe several of them. I appreciate this pose for a number of reasons. First, because this is a supine pose (done lying on the back), you can use it either as a warm-up pose at the start of a practice or a cool-down pose at the end. The supported version can be a good counter-pose for backbends or seated forward bends.

Second, because twists activate and stretch the various layers of rotating muscles that help to spin your spine around its vertical axis, this pose both strengthens these muscles if they are weak and helps to release excessive tension that can build up those muscles. So you can use this pose to release held stress in your body when you are preparing for more relaxing poses, where you will be lying still for a while, as well as to relieve mild back pain.

And finally, three of the abdominal muscle layers are activated in this twist: the two layers of obliques and the deep transverse abdominis muscles. So this pose is good for building core strength.

I prescribe this pose for:

• Improving rotating range of motion of the spine, which useful for everyday actions, for example, grabbing something out the backseat of your car.
• Building strength in the rotating muscles for those who been inactive or are recovering from longer illnesses or injury.
• Improving core strength
• Because twists can be stimulating to your nervous system, you can use this pose to jump-start yourself when you are feeling fatigue, sluggishness, or depression in a practice.

Cautions: Any practitioners who has been warned by their doctor or physical therapist to avoid deep twists to do only the more restorative version of this pose or skip this pose entirely. This can include people with acute or chronic low back pain, sacroiliac dysfunction or arthritis in the lumbar spine. If you are uncertain if the pose if right for you, ask an experienced yoga instructor for individual guidance.

Note: I know that there is a modern tradition of telling practitioners always to twist to the right first and the left second, but there is no good evidence that this makes any difference on bodily functions, such as bowel elimination. So, I tend to mix things up in my own practice and encourage you to do so in yours as well!

Classic Version

1. Lie on your back in Constructive Rest pose, with your knees bent and soles of the feet on the floor.

2. Tip your knees in towards your chest until your thighs are vertical and your shins are parallel with the floor, and stretch your arms out to your sides with the palms of your hands facing up.

3. On an inhalation, drop your hips and legs to the right, one-half to three-quarters of the way to the floor and hold there for a moment. 

4. On your exhalation, swing your legs back up to center. Repeat on your left side, following the rhythm of your breath.

5. After several warm up rounds, drop back to the right side and keep your legs at the one-half to three-quarters mark for several rounds of breath, keeping your upper back and shoulder blades as even on the floor as possible. Then, on an exhalation, swing your legs back up to center and repeat on the left side.

6. Finally, drop your legs and hips gently to the floor to your right so your outer right hip and outer right leg are resting fully on the floor. Attempt to keep the ends of your knees even with one another. To avoid pinching the back of your left shoulder area, feel free to lift your left shoulder blade and arm a few inches off the floor and reach your left arm actively to the left side of the mat. Stay for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. 

7. Then on an exhalation, swing your legs back up to center and repeat on the left side.

8. When you've finished, return to Constructive Rest position. Then stretch your legs out and relax your front thigh muscles before moving on.

Although I’ve presented a sequence of three different versions here, you can, of course, choose to do any of these versions—dynamic version, the suspended version, or the floor version—individually if you prefer. The step-wise sequence, however, here will take you deeper into the pose.

First Variation: Gentle Twist

This gentle version is just much less demanding than the classic version and is more of a mild stretch on the rotating muscle of the spine than version 1, so this can be a good warm up for more challenging twists.

1. Start in Constructive Rest position.

2. Step your feet toward each other, so they are just a few inches apart, and bring your arms out to the side with your palms facing up.

3. On your inhalation, gently drop both knees to your right as far as they can go towards the floor, pivoting momentarily onto the edges of your feet. On your exhalation, swing both knees back up to center. Repeat on the second side, moving with your breath. Do about six warm-up rounds.

4. Drop your legs to your right side with the outer right leg resting on the floor or as close to it as possible. Allow your feet to stay slightly apart, with the edges of the feet are resting on the floor, so your knees do not stack up. Keep your shoulder blades evenly on the floor.

5. Now simply release all effort. If it’s comfortable for you, you can gently turn your head in the opposite direction of your legs. Stay for 1-2 minutes.

6. To come out of the pose, swing your legs back to Constructive Rest position. Then repeat on the second side.

Second Variation: Crossed Knees

This variation is a bit more challenging than the classic version, but it tends to stretch your outer hips more and also can build more core strength as well. The only difference is in the set-up:

1. In Constructive Rest pose, cross your left thigh tightly over the right.

2. Keeping your right foot on the floor, shift your hips an inch or two to the right.

3. Then, tip both knees up and in towards your chest and take your arms out to your sides, with palms facing up.

4. Follow steps 3-6 for the classic version.

5. To come out of the pose, swing your legs back toward center and bring your right foot back to the floor. Then uncross your legs and move your hips back to the center before doing the other side. (When you do the other side, cross your right thigh over your left.)

Third Variation: Restorative 

This restorative version of the full twist is appropriate for those who are in need of rest or who want to gently explore the twisting movements of the spine.

1. Start in Constructive Rest pose, with a bolster on the left side of your mat, parallel with the long edge of the mat.

3. Set up as for the classic version, with your arms out to the sides and legs tipped up, ready to drop to your left.

4. Release your left outer, lower leg and knee onto the bolster and relax into the support. Keep your chest broad and your shoulder blades relaxing onto the floor.

5. Consider closing the eyes, and rest in this position for 1-2 minutes.

6. To come out, gently swing your legs back to center and return your feet to the floor. Then carefully shift the bolster to the right side, and repeat the pose on your second side.

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