Urdhva Vrikshasana

Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana

Woman performing Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana from the front
Etymology
English name(s) Upward Tree Position
Sanskrit ऊर्ध्व वृक्षासन / Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana
Pronunciation [uːrd̪ʱʋɐʋr̩kʂɑːsɐnɐ]
Meaning ūrdhva: "upwards"
vṛkṣa: "tree"
āsana: "posture"
Key Points
dṛṣṭi (eye focus) अङ्गूष्ठमध्ये दृष्टि / Aṅguṣṭhamadhye dṛṣṭi (to thumbs)
Asana type Standing Asanas
Iyengar difficulty[1]
Base asana Tāḍāsana/Samasthitiḥ
Effects summary Helps plantar fasciitis, stretches thoracic cavity (temporarlity increases lung capacity), increases "heat" in the body (countering excess kapha), can affect breathing mechanics to make diaphragmatic breathing come more naturally.
Usage
Styles of Yoga Yoga Krama, Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Hatha Yoga
Location in Ashtanga Vinyasa series Sūrya Namaskāra and interspersed throughout all series

Urdhva Vrikshasana (IPA: [uːrd̪ʱʋɐʋr̩kʂɑːsɐnɐ]; Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व वृक्षासन;[2] IAST: Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana) is an asana. An English translation for this asana is "Upward Tree Position".[2] In Ashtanga Yoga it is the first asana of Surya Namaskara.[3][4] In some instances this asana may also be called Tadasana, depending on the practitioner's yoga style and lineage.

This asana or its variations may also be known a Urdhva Hastasana[5] (IAST: Ūrdhva Hāstāsana; Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व हास्तासन; IPA: [uːrdʰʋɐ hɐːstɐːsɐna]), meaning "Upward Hands Pose".

Etymology

This compound noun phrase comes from Sanskrit: urdhva (Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व, Sanskrit: ūrdhva) meaning "up, upwards";[6] vriksha (Sanskrit: वृक्ष, Sanskrit: vṛkṣa) meaning "tree, especially with visible blossoms or fruits";[7] and asana (Sanskrit: आसन, Sanskrit: Āsana) meaning "pose".[8]

This asana or variations of it may also be called Ūrdhva Hāstāsana. From Sanskrit: urdhva (Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व, Sanskrit: ūrdhva) meaning "up, upwards";[6] hasta (Sanskrit: हास्त, Sanskrit: hāsta) meaning "formed with the hands";[9] asana (Sanskrit: आसन, Sanskrit: Āsana) meaning "pose".[8]

In some instances this asana may also be called Tadasana (meaning "mountain pose"), depending on the practitioner's yoga style and lineage.

Description

Samasthitiḥ serves as a base for Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana. The legs remain unchanged, however the arms and gaze are upward.

Drishti

In yoga, the dṛṣṭi the location of the gaze.

The dṛṣṭi for Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana is the Aṅguṣṭhamadhye dṛṣṭi (thumbs).[10]

Bandhas

Mūla Bandha and Uḍḍiyāna Bandha are active. As the head is raised, the Jālandhara bandha is not engaged. [11]

Variations

In some instances this asana may also be called Tadasana (meaning "mountain pose"), depending on the practitioner's yoga style and lineage.

The vanilla Vrikshasana has many similarities as well.[12]

Urdhva Hastasana

Man performing Ūrdhva Hāstāsana from the front

Ūrdhva Hāstāsana is a similar asana wherein the hands are not touching and the gaze is forward. .[5]

It can also be performed with the thumbs interlocked.[5]

Props

A belt can be used to improve the stretch. A loop is made that is around shoulder width (or slightly less) and the arms are raised to press outward on the belt. The pressure is initiated with the arms at shoulder height, then the shoulders are "softened" and brought downward, back into position, before raising the arms up above the head to the full asana. This is usually performed with the hands apart, as the pressure exerted by the arms is outward. This technique can be especially helpful for raised arm inversions.[5]

Yoga styles and context

In some styles of yoga leaning backward may be considered a variation of Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana and be substituted for it in Surya Namaskara vinyasas.[13]

Surya Namaskara

In Surya Namaskara, Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana is an important part of many styles of yoga, particularly Ashtanga Yoga, and is the first vinyasa of the series (following the starting asana, samasthitih).[14]

Ashtanga Yoga

In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana appears as part of full vinyasas throughout the practice.[15]

Vinyasa Krama Yoga

In Vinyasa Krama Yoga, Tāḍāsana is performed on the toes with the arms raised, and is similar to Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana, except that the gaze is not raised, and the hands interlock. Various standing vinyasas from Vinyasa Krama Yoga also include flat footed standing position with the arms raised and fingers interlocked (Urdhva Baddhanguliyasana[16]). [17]

Key aspects

As with most asanas, when entering into Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana, distal body parts are best arranged first, progressively adjusting in-wards and putting proximal body parts in place last.[18]

Given that Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana uses Samasthitiḥ as its base, some key aspects are similar, while others differ.

Key aspects in common with Samasthitiḥ

Key aspects for asanas with arms raised

Effects

Given that Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana uses Samasthitiḥ as its base, some effects are similar. For instance:

Given the upward position of the arms and neck, there are additional effects:

Cautions

Given that Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana uses Samasthitiḥ as its base, some cautions are similar including:

Scapulo-humeral rhythm of arm raising

Given the commonality of raising the arms, the complexity of the motion may be overlooked. In fact, the scapulo-humeral rhythm of the motion is important to avoid a repetitive motion induced shoulder injury.[30]

If the humerus is in the neutral position (unrotated) when the supraspinatus muscle contracts, the supraspinatus tendon can be sandwiched between the acromion (bone) and greater tubricle of the humerus (bone) leading to a common rotator cuff injury: an inflamed, frayed, or torn supraspinatus tendon.[30] Prevention is simply a matter of:

  1. Initiating the movement with an external rotation of the arm (thumb moving outward). This movement is performed primarily by the infraspinatus and teres minor.[30]
  2. "Cinching down" the humerus to create space between the acromion and humerus. The cinching action can be aided by the subscapularis muscle, though its relaxation is required to accomplish the arms initial outward rotation. [30]

While the critical time to initiation these forces is before the arm raise begins, both the rotation and the downward engagement are engaged for the duration of the arm raise.[30]

Spinal extension

The role of the latimus dorsi is subtle, as "tight latissimus dorsi can pull the spine into too much of a lumbar curve". Further, "if the latissimus dorsi are used to do the spinal extension [...], they will interfere with the lifting and lateral rotation of the arms".[40]

Anatomy

Thought there are differences between individuals, this is a general anatomical description of the body in Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana.

As an upright standing asana:

Given that Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana uses Samasthitiḥ as its base, some anatomy points are similar. The following apply primarily to the lower portion of the body being similar in position in Samasthitiḥ:

Anatomical states for asanas with arms raised above the head

The following anatomical description applies to asanas which have the arms raised above the head:

See also

References

Sources

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