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Standing Head To Knee Pose Step By Step Tutorial, Benefits , Precautions, and Tips For Beginners.

Standing Head To Knee Pose (Dandayamana janushirasana) is a hard forward bend balancing pose.

Standing Head To Knee Pose is believed can activate the muladhara (root) chakra, which is linked to anchoring and stabilizing energy, as well as the manipura (navel) chakra, which is linked to self-esteem, transformational power, digestion, and metabolism.

The Sanskrit terms for this pose are danda, which means “stick” or “staff,” yamana, which means “balancing” or “maintaining,” janu, which means “knee,” shirsa, which means “head,” and asana, which means “posture” or “pose.” Standing head-to-knee posture is how it’s called in English.

How To Do Standing Head To Knee Pose

Preparatory Poses

• Janusirsasana
• Padangusthasana
• Parsvottanasana
• Garudanasana

Instructions

1. Begin with Tadasana by standing tall and taking a few deep breaths to connect with your complete body.
2. To begin with the left, inhale and slowly shift your weight to your right foot. Lift your left leg up, bending at the knee, and gently bend forwards to interlock your fingers to grab your left foot.
3. Keep your weight equally distributed on all fours of your standing foot (right) and your knee locked and pulled up for a few breaths. As a result, pupils should be asked to activate their quadriceps to guarantee that their planted foot’s hip, knee, and ankle are all in one line. At the same time, the bent leg is forming a 90-degree angle.
4. Take a deep breath in and gently straighten the bent leg (left) in front, bringing it parallel to the floor, while keeping the right leg straight and powerful.
5. Take a deep breath in and lean forwards as you exhale, keeping your core engaged. Flex your foot in (push the heels forward and pull the toes back), making sure to grasp tight with all your fingers. To lay your forehead on the knee, bend your elbows, tuck your chin in, and curve your spine.
6. At all times, keep your elbows tight to your body and your knees locked.
7. For around 4-6 easy breaths, stay in the Standing Head To Knee Pose.
8. Inhale, gaze up, straighten your arms, let go of the grasp on your hand, and slowly lower your knee to the ground. Standing back in Tadasana, be stable for a few breaths.
9. Prepare to continue with the drill while standing strong and balanced on the left leg. Release and repeat the exercise a second time, this time increasing the duration of the posture.
10. Students who are having trouble balancing in the pose can use a chair or a strap to help them gain confidence and stability.

Step by step video tutorial: Dandayamana Janushirasana

Follow Up Poses

• Dandayamana dhanurasana
• Tulanadasana 

Tips For Beginners

• Distribute your weight evenly over your four toes.
• The standing leg’s knee must be locked!
• Maintain a firm hold with all 10 fingers.
• Parallel to the ground with one leg
• Inhale deeply and contract your abdominal muscles.
• Beyond perpendicular, flex your entire foot back toward your face.
• Elbows Go below the knee and touch the calf muscle.
• Tuck your chin into your chest, round your spine, and put your forehead to your knee.

Modifications

Many beginners would struggle to keep their leg parallel to the ground while holding it in their hands. As a result, you can use a strap to keep your feet parallel while focusing on lowering your upper torso or simply straighten your leg as far as feasible.

Precautions

In addition to being a balancing position, Standing Head To Knee Pose is a bit of a challenge for the joints and muscles involved. As a result, when teaching yoga to their pupils, yoga teachers should keep the following precautions in mind.

Weak Physical Strength Body: Because of the nature of the pose, students with any kind of weakness or stain to any part of the body, such as an old injury that still causes weakness, or any kind of physical illness, such as brittle bones, high blood pressure, dizziness, vertigo, heart-related ailments, or severe sciatica, should avoid it.

Please Stay Away From This Pose If You Have Injury or Recent Surgery: Standing Head To Knee Pose puts strain on the grounded foot’s knees, ankles, and toes, so it’s best avoided by students who have had or are recuperating from joint injuries. Students with hip, shoulder, rib cage, hamstrings, lower back, or visceral organ problems (damage to internal organs and tissues) should avoid this difficult balancing pose.

Weak Body-Breath Connection: Standing Head to Knee Pose necessitates awareness and effort in order to maintain balance. Without a thorough understanding of the body-breath link, the practice may cause discomfort and energy imbalances. As a result, unless the pupils are fully prepared, they should not be exposed to this technique. The assistance of a strap or chair, on the other hand, should always be appreciated.

Note For Women: Pregnant women and women who are menstruating should avoid standing head to knee pose because it puts strain on the abdomen and back.

Benefits Of Standing Head To Knee Pose:

Standing Head To Knee Pose is a practice that combines balance, stability, strength, stretch, and total focus. When done correctly, this approach offers numerous advantages, which are detailed below:

1. Stretches, Strengthens, Lengthens Most Of The Muscles: Excess pressure is felt in the quadriceps, gluteus, hamstrings, calves, and hips, knees, and ankle joints in Standing Head To Knee Pose since it is a balancing pose. These muscles, as well as those in the back, core, arms, and shoulders, are strengthened.
2. Flexibility Improve: While activating the pelvic and psoas muscles, lifting one leg in front and balancing the entire body weight on the other helps strengthen the leg and increase the flexibility of the associated muscles and range of motion of the concerned joints. The forward bend at the hip opens the lower back, lengthening the muscles that surround it and enhancing the overall flexibility of the spine.
3. Chest, Diaphragm, and Breath: When the core and abdominal muscles are engaged in Dandayamana Janu Sirsasana, the breath is impacted, which can make deep breathing difficult. Students might be directed towards their breath if they are encouraged to broaden their chest and rib cage. This awareness of one’s breath will eventually aid in maintaining balance in the pose. In addition, in other demanding forward bend positions like Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (Standing Split Pose Variation Nose to Ankle), Bowing Bird Of Paradise Pose (Namitum Svarga Dvijasana), or comparable poses, the element of extending the chest and rib cage is important.
4. Awareness and Concentration: Standing Head To Knee Pose is a standing balancing yoga pose by nature, and the integration of all body parts in this pose will leave you feeling powerful as well as psychologically and emotionally stable. Furthermore, the equilibrium is lost if the mind wanders and travels away from the breath, alignment, and body. As a result, maintaining balance by putting all of one’s weight on all fours of the grounded foot and actively keeping the body light and loose improves breathing and concentration.
5. Stress Relief, Energizing, and Relaxing: Standing Head To Knee Pose is a difficult pose to maintain, thus practice and patience are required. However, with practice, coordinating the body-breath-mind will become easier, and the flow of prana (energy) throughout the body will become more stable. Deep breathing in a forward bend helps to calm and relax the mind and body as a result.

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