adho mukha Vrksasana Down Facing Tree Pose ffull Arm Balance translates literally from Sanskrit as Down Facing Tree Pose, (Adho means down, Mukha face and Vrksa tree). The tangible benefits are the energy and strength that it builds. Adho Mukha Vrksasana enlivens and lifts our spirits, and is especially helpful to do early in an evening class or a practice to recharge us after a long day s work. As with all inverted asanas, fresh blood is circulated to the head, brain, heart, and upper trunk. BKS Iyengar has stated, These asanas access different centres in the brain and body helping the immune system. Peter Scott holds a Senior Iyengar Yoga certificate and teaches with his wife Sue Scott at their centre, Yoga Jivana in Melbourne. Peter sincerely acknowledges BKS Iyengar as the source of all Iyengar Yoga teachings and as his daily inspiration in yoga practice and teaching. 60 australian yoga life september-november 2010
Preparatory asanas Prior to learning Full Arm Balance, ensure that you are practising Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down facing dog pose) every day (photo A). Two further poses, Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (One leg dog pose) (photo B) and Vasisthasana 1 (Side plank pose) (photo C) help build confidence and understanding. Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana for both these poses. A. For Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana, place the feet slightly narrower than hip width, then raise each leg individually. Keep the tops of the right and left legs and back of the hips aligned from right to left. To get into Vasisthasana1 from Adho Mukha Svanasana, raise the right foot, walk it in slightly towards and in line with the right hand, then turn the foot in and place it on its outside edge. Hold the stretch of the outside foot firmly and sharply on the ground, lower the trunk to make a single diagonal line from the inner edges of the feet through the trunk to the crown of the head. Hold the inner thighs lifted upwards along the thighbones, so the inner body stays aligned to the outer body. Adho Mukha Vrksasana is best learned in phases. Initially, practise Adho Mukha Vrksasana with the use of the wall (photo D). B. D. C. australian yoga life september-november 2010 61
1. Place the palms on the mat, shoulder width apart, fingers 2-4cm from the wall (photo E has a anterior view of the pose to show the hand width). 2. Walk the legs in until the shoulders are directly above the hands and the hips lifted as high as possible. 3. Hold the forearms vertical, the upper arms lifted, the elbows straight, and the shoulders steady. 4. To swing the legs up to the wall one at a time, begin by raising one leg as high as possible like the eka pada in Downward Facing Dog Pose. For the kicking action, bend the knee and come up onto the ball of the foot, then keeping the knee gripped, kick the raised leg up to the wall, following swiftly with the bouncing leg, which needs to straighten as you lift it up and over to the wall. 5. Let the head be down so the back and front of the body learn to lift evenly. Upakrama [going into the asana] E. Sthiti [being in the asana] The hand is the base of the pose, which in comparison to the body s mass and length, is quite small. Open the palm to the ground and spread the knuckles, stretching from the index finger knuckle out through each to the little finger knuckle. Do not over stretch the thumb knuckle, which commonly occurs, as this drops the weight of the pose to the outer edge of the palm (the mount of the moon) and wrist, and makes it very difficult to lift the inner edge of the arms, which in turn causes the spine to dip down. Remember the thumb is an opposable digit; it does not face the ceiling in these types of poses. Rather, roll the nail side of the thumb knuckle to the mat, then extend from there to the tip of the thumb. In fact, extend all the fingers from the knuckles to the tips on the lower floor (palmar) side of the hand and upper or ceiling (dorsal) side of the hand. Synchronously, stretch from the knuckles back to the heel of the hand as this will assist the lift of the wrist out of the hand and initiate the lift of the forearms up away from the mat. Hold the elbows straight with the inner creases of the elbows facing each other. Grip the outer upper arms (triceps) so they hold the bones firmly. Then, engage the inner upper arms (biceps) so they lift from their insertion points on the forearms all the way up to the shoulders. At this point, make sure you don t do what I call pushing the ground away, as the result of this action is the creation of a concertina of the chest and spine, leading to the lower back arching back and buttocks dropping towards the wall. On the contrary, grip the shoulder muscles (deltoids) onto the joint, hold the collarbones open from the inner edges and grip the outer edges of the shoulder blades - so they don t splay out like a tacking sail. Press the shoulder blades forward onto the back ribs and lift the sides of the trunk and spine evenly, while coordinating the lift of the lower back away from the head. Hold the buttocks forward so the pelvis stays aligned to the trunk and extend the legs upwards and away from the ground. Ensure that the back does not sag back towards the wall. Hold the pose steadily with even breathing. Upasamvhara [coming out of the pose] When coming out of the pose, don t just slump down. Hold the elbows straight with arms lifted, then extend and lower one leg at a time until both feet are on the floor. Hold yourself in Uttanasana (Standing forward bend) or Ardha Uttanasana with the hands on the wall. Don t lower down to rest in Adho Mukha Virasana (Down facing hero s pose), as this creates a heaviness that makes it harder to repeat the pose. Mastery of the pose involves holding the asana unsupported in the centre of the room 62 australian yoga life september-november 2010
When you have managed this variation for upwards of a minute, then you may wish to attempt the free-standing variation of Adho Mukha Vrksasana. The art of free standing is best learned at the wall (photo F). Similar to the description above, use the wall to kick up to, and support, the heels. Although now the placement for the hands is further from the wall, 6-8cm, so that the arms remain vertical and the top of the head lightly touches the wall. Follow the upakrama methods as stated, though ensure you don t bang the top of the head on the wall! The work in the posture is almost identical. However, there is a slight arch in the body because the weight-bearing changes when you look at the ground to fix a point of balance. Maintain the extensions in the arms, trunk, spine, and legs. Hold the touch of the head on the wall as lightly as possible, while lifting the top of the head up the wall Learning to do the pose free standing towards the legs. As the head slides up the wall a centimetre or so, activate through your spine and lower back, pressing the buttocks forward from the skin to the bone sections of the pelvis and stretch the back of the legs upwards. These actions lift the legs from the wall. Don t take one leg off the wall at a time, as this will not teach the correct actions through the lower back and pelvis. Observe that the lower back is neither bunched back nor dropping forward. In the article on Pincha Mayurasana (Peacock tail pose, AYL Issue 27), I wrote that BKS Iyengar teaches that matching extension of the body with expansion brings space and freedom. In Adho Mukha Vrksasana, stretch the floating ribs out from the spine and open and broaden across the back of the hip bones away from the sacrum. Keep holding the buttock muscles firmly forward to the pelvis as you extend the legs evenly along the front, back, inside and outside, and up and away from the spine. F. Correcting common problems The most common problem encountered is difficulty in kicking up, whether through fear of falling or generalised stiffness in the body and mind; for this a bolster is most beneficial. Stand it up against the wall, place the hands in close to the edges of the bolster, hold the elbows straight, and walk in until the shoulders touch the bolster (photo G). Pivoting the shoulders on the bolster, kick the legs up as described earlier (photo H). G. H. Calms the brain and brings extra blood flow. Improves circulation. Contributes to increased immunity. Strengthens arm and shoulder muscles. Opens the shoulders. Encourages skill in balancing. Cautions and contraindications Avoid this pose completely with high blood pressure, and/or heart conditions and during menstruation. Exacerbates most headaches. May aggravate injuries to wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, and lower backs Benefits+Cautions australian yoga life september-november 2010 63
Correcting common problems continued I. J. K. L. If the elbows bend when kicking up to the wall, place a belt on the elbows to support the joint then follow the instructions above (photo I). Furthermore, tight or stiff shoulders can affect the wrists and the lift of the trunk, which becomes heavier in the pose. Placing the hands on blocks allows a greater leverage of the arms to and through the shoulders, thus decreasing wrist pain and helping to create a lightness and lift (photo J). Keep in mind that, when the hands are raised on blocks, it is more difficult to get up into the pose. Turning the hands out away from each other also assists the wrists, decreasing any adverse pressure or weight bearing (photo K); while turning the hands in towards each other decreases the bend in the elbows that occurs with an increased carrying angle (valgus) (photo L). wide doorways are quite helpful. Use the column as a support for the spine and place the feet on something solid that will not slip (photo N). Place the fingers beside the column with the thumbs lightly pressing into it, and set the shoulders directly above the wrists. The column prevents any dropping or back sliding of the shoulders, spine, and back ribs. Guide the spine, ribs, lower back, and sacrum upwards along the column. Then raise each leg individually, again using the column as a guide for lift, as well as direction to take the groin and inner thigh backwards (photo O). N. O. M. Localised wrist pain or inflexibility, unrelated to the shoulders, is greatly assisted with a slanting plank. Place the plank approximately 20 cm from the wall to support the heel of the hand. Press the knuckles onto the mat and stretch the heels of the hands back up onto the plank. In this manner, the wrist, in less of an acute flexion, gains a supportive lift up through the forearms (photo M). Falling back towards the wall occurs due to a lack of shoulder opening and/or spinal lift. The best remedy for this is to use a column, although some References Iyengar, BKS. Astadala Yoga Mala Vol. 8, Allied Publishers, 2008. 64 australian yoga life september-november 2010