The Asana Clinic Week One

How to Practice this Asana

• Begin in Table Top position (on your hands and knees, ensuring that the hips are above the knees, forming a straight line from knee up to hip).
• Have your hands shoulder width apart and slowly begin to move the hands forwards, lowering the chest and heart toward the ground. Place the forehead down on your mat if you can go down this far.
• Keep the arms raised up off the floor for the time-being. As you become more flexible, you will be able to completely lower the chest to the floor and have your arms flat on the floor in front of you. If you can lower the forearms, do so, but keep the upper arms raised until you can comfortably lower the whole arm to the floor (don’t force the process- this is actually quite an intense stretch for the upper body).

Asana Know-how

• Keep the hips completely static, don’t move them if you can help it – the upright position is providing stability in this position – as half of your body is being suspended, in order to then move down to the ground, we need support to come from somewhere. Try to spread the weight evenly through the tops of your feet and knees as they make contact with the Earth and bear the weight as you move the torso down toward the Earth.
• When the forehead touches the Earth, we will naturally try to distribute some of our weight to that new contact point – we’re human, it’s just what we do! To absorb some of that pressure, draw the navel in toward the spine and engage the core muscles. This will provide a natural lift to the body and will provide another source of support (along with those legs and hips) whilst protecting the spine a little bit at the same time. Multi-tasking like a pro.