Wheel pose – “Queen” of yoga poses

Dubbed the queen of poses, wheel pose is an extremely difficult backbend pose that requires patient practice and proper technique.

Wheel Pose (Wheel Pose) has the Sanskrit name Urdhva Dhanurasana. This is a powerful backbend that requires a lot of strength and flexibility to conquer. In particular, with an inverted shape with a normal sitting position, the wheel pose can help open the chest, shoulders and hips very effectively. Usually, the wheel pose will usually be done near the end of the training session. After the wheel pose, the teacher can instruct you to do a twist or forward bend.

Benefits of Wheel Pose in Yoga

Wheel pose is a very good move in increasing strength and improving flexibility for the spine. Not only that, this pose also helps:

• Expanding the chest, improving the ability to breathe
• Strengthens arms, shoulders and legs.
• Regenerate energy for the body, improve mood
• Expand your hips, shoulders and chest

In addition, because this position is the opposite of the usual sitting position, it has the effect of relaxing the back muscles after many hours of sitting. In addition, it also works on the abdomen, helps muscles develop, burns excess fat and increases flexibility and firmness.

Instructions on how to do the wheel movement

Wheel pose is a powerful backbend that requires a lot of strength and flexibility to conquer

• Start in a supine position, then bend your knees and place the soles of your feet on the mat close to your buttocks.
• Bring your hands toward your feet until your fingertips can barely touch your heels
• Feet parallel and hip-distance apart.
• Bend your elbows and bring your palms up, under your shoulders and fingertips toward your feet
• Inhale, pressing your palms and feet into the mat as you lift your shoulders and hips off the floor
• Place your head on the mat, taking care not to put weight on your neck. Use your hands and feet for leverage. Pause for a moment, taking care to keep your elbows parallel and not pointing out to the sides.
• Straighten your arms as you lift your head off the floor.
• Make sure to keep your feet parallel and your knees in line with your feet.
• Lean back and begin to straighten your legs.
• To fall back completely, tuck your chin into your chest and slowly lower
• Hold the pose for a few breaths and then return to the starting position.

Note when performing the action

To perform the pose effectively, you need to keep a few things in mind:

• Don’t over-activate your gluteus maximus as this can tilt your pelvis, compress your spine, and stretch your lower back.
• Do not let the legs rotate outside (the feet are wide apart) because it can compress the nerves in the hip joint, causing pain. You can sandwich a yoga block between your thighs to keep your legs parallel.
• Warm up carefully, especially the wrist part because otherwise the wrist can be damaged by too much compression of the joint.

Variations of Wheel Movement

Once you’ve mastered it, you can increase the difficulty by straightening one leg up to the ceiling

Just like yoga poses, you can do the pose in a variety of ways to make it easier or more difficult:

• If your shoulders feel too tight, place your hands a little wider than your shoulders before lifting. This space can help you straighten your arms more.
• Do the pose near the wall. Place 2 yoga blocks near the wall, then place each hand on one block and follow the steps above. If you have wrist problems, you can place the blocks against the wall at a 45-degree angle.
• Get help from your teacher or practice partner. You can lie on your back on the floor, the teacher will stand behind your head and face you. When leaning back, you can put your hands on your ankles to practice instead of resting your hands on the floor.

If you have mastered the wheel pose, you can increase the difficulty by:

• Raise one leg straight up towards the ceiling
• Move the foot towards the hand
• Stand up from wheel pose. Then from standing position, return to wheel pose. The first time you do it, you should put your hands on the wall.

You should not do the wheel pose if you have an injury or problem with your knees, wrists, shoulders, neck, or back. Do not force your body into a pose if your body is not flexible enough. In addition, do not forget to download easyhealthylive.com to your device, connect with a professional yoga teacher for instructions on how to perform the movements correctly.

Reference source

How to Do Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) in Yoga https://www.verywellfit.com/wheel-pos-urdhva-dhanurasana-3567138 Accessed: 2/21/2021