Physical & Therapeutic Benefits

Benefits and Muscles Involved:

-Builds core strength in the torso, abdomen, spine and pelvic floor
-Back muscles get work. Expands your chest, lungs, and shoulders.
-Legs and arms are toned. Stretches your hamstrings and thighs.
-Builds balance and works the brain in a new way that enhances coordination
-Quiets the mind and reduces anxiety
-Calms the nervous system
-Builds concentration and focus, one of the goals of yoga
-Feet and ankles get work
-Helps digestion
-Clears the head mentally
-Posture improves

Contraindications:
Don’t do the pose if you have high blood pressure, foot, ankle, knee, leg or hip problems.
If you are pregnant, do the pose in a supported way with the hands and lifted leg on chairs or some other support of the correct height.

Variation: Place the lifted foot on the wall behind you. Make sure your body is parallel to the floor in this pose. Try holding the pose for gradually increasing times starting with 30 seconds on your yoga timer. Work up to longer times like a couple of minutes. Alternatively, you also might want to do the pose as part of a vinyasa (yoga flow) sequence and hold it for a shorter amount of time.

Benefits, Contraindications, and Variation provided by, http://www.yoga.com/