The Monkey Pose gets its name from the Hindu
Monkey God Hanuman.
Procedure
for Hanumanasana (Monkey King Pose):
- Start by kneeling upright; place your knees a bit apart. Place your right foot forward, around a foot or so in front of your left knee and turn your right thigh outward. To do this, you will need to lift your inner sole away from the floor, so that your foot rests on your outer heel.
- Breathe out and bending your torso forward, press your fingertips to the floor.
- Gradually, move your left knee backwards. Straighten the knee and simultaneously, lower your right thigh, towards the floor. Just before you feel you have reached the limit of your stretch, stop straightening your left knee.
- Next, start pushing your right heel away from your torso. Gradually, start turning the leg inward while you straighten it and bring your kneecap towards the ceiling. As your front leg becomes straight, start pressing the left knee backwards once again. Carefully, drop the front of the left thigh, along with the back of the right thigh towards the ground. The center of your right knee should point directly towards the ceiling.
- Ensure that your back leg is extended straight out behind, from the hip, without being angled out to the side. The center of that kneecap should press on to the floor.
- Extend the heel of the front leg and lift the ball of the foot towards the ceiling. You could either stretch your hands straight up (towards the ceiling) or bring them together in the Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal)
- Hold this pose for around a minute before releasing it. To do so, press your hands on to the floor and turn the front leg out slightly. Slowly, return your front heel as well as the back knee to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise, using the other leg.
Advantages
of Hanumanasana (Monkey King Pose):
- Stimulates inner organs.
- It opening the hamstrings as well as the hip flexors.
- Increases flexibility in the hips and legs.
- Helps prevent running related injuries.
- Tones abdominal muscles.
- May relieve symptoms of insomnia, sciatica and stress.
- The abdominal muscles and pelvic floor are strengthened and our flexibility, alignment, and range of movement is increased.
- Improves blood circulation, particularly in the abdomen.
Therapeutics:
- Sciatica
- Insomnia
- Stress
- Digestive Disorders
- Backache
- Hip Problems
- Spinal Disorders
