Purvottanasana - The Pose that Shiva Rea Hates | iHanuman

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Purvottanasana - The Pose that Shiva Rea Hates

Purvottanasana

 

Is it not interesting to think that a pose you love is hated by one of the top yoga teachers in the world? But it reminds us that every individual's yoga practice is unique. And that is one of the many reasons we love Yoga, right? Yoga challenges us and each day we step onto our mat we can learn something new if we are simply open to the process. Purvottasana is literally translated as "Intense Stretch to the East". This is in contrast to Paschimottanasana, or "Intense Stretch to the West".  Purva is translated as East and refers to the East side of the body or the front of the body, whereas Paschima is translated as West and refers to the back of the body. In Chinese Philosophy, the front of the body is the yin side of the body, whereas the back of the body is the Yang side of the body. Does anyone know why in Indian Philosophy the front of the body is the East and the back of the body is the West?

Esteemed Yoga Teacher, Roger Cole, recommends Purvottanasana as a hamstring strengthening pose which can help prevent over-stretching in the upper hamstring insertions, for those of us who are especially bendy. Other poses which can strengthen the hamstrings are, you guessed it, Backbends, like Setu Bandha Sarvangasana and Salabhasana, as well as standing poses such as, Virabhadrasana III
Sara Ivanhoe has a step-by-step description of how to practice Purvottanasana from the preparatory tabletop position into the full pose. She indicates that you can "eliminate pesky back fat" with this pose. Now who can argue with that?

Purvottanasana

Purvottanasana

 Purvottanasana

Lalo en purvottanasana

 Listen to the Pronunciation of Purvottanasana. Courtesy of the Online Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide [audio:http://www.ihanuman.com/media/audio/Sanskrit/Asanas/Purvottanasana.mp3]

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