Yoga Asana Lab: Hip Openers (seated archer, Seated Archer, seated spinal bound twist )

Welcome to Yogea’s Seated Hip Openers Asana Lab. This series features Seated Archer (Akarna Dhanurasana); seated ankle to knee (Vama Devasana) and seated spinal bound twist (Upavista Jatara Parivartanasana)
To start, sit up tall through staff pose (Dandasana). Root both sitting bones firmly into the floor as you lengthen through your spine and even the shoulders out. Keep your chin parallel to the floor. Extend the left leg out, flex the foot and engage the thigh muscles. Bend the right knee into the chest. Hug it tightly. Grab onto the right heel with the right hand, while pressing the left arm behind the pelvis with the elbow bent. Tip back and push the knee to the floor. Rock the hip joint to open it further and yogi toe lock the right big toe with the pointer and the middle finger. As you push the knee back, bend the elbow parallel to the floor and extend the opposite arm forward and elongate through the spine more. Keep on opening the hip, toning the thigh of the opposite leg and reaching the arm forward as if you are about to shoot an arrow. You have arrived in Seated Archer (Akarna Dhanurasana). This pose opens the hips, while lengthening the back and toning the deltoid muscles. The yogi toe-lock opens the main meridians in the body and facilitates proper flow of life force.
Next, hug the right foot into the armpit and push the knee further back to increase the hip opening action. Again, lengthen the spine as you extend the opposite arm to assume a deeper version of Seated Archer (Akarna Dhanurasana II). This brings a deeper hip stretch and prepares the body for more complex hip openers like Yoganidrasana. It helps release deeply seated emotions and facilitates karmic de-cording.
Then, drag the extended leg toward the groin and place the ankle into the knee in (Vama Devasana). Keep on opening the hip while you thread the arms around the shin and move the head toward the knee. Keep on stretching the spine, opening the hip by drawing the knee closer to the chest and heel closer to the sitting bone. Nod your head down toward the knee for a profound hip stretch. This pose is an ultimate hip opener, and disentangles emotional knots in the pelvis.
Lastly, extend the left leg out, while clasping the outer edge of the left foot with the right hand. As you lengthen the spine as much as possible, even the shoulders out and stretch the knee. Twist your gaze to the right arm and reach back through the fingertips. Widen across the collar bones. Bring you chin parallel to the floor. Keep on deepening the twist to get an even IT band and hamstring stretch. You have come into Seated Spinal Twist (Upavishta Jathara Parivartanasana). This pose flushes toxins from the gut while oxygenating the brain. It also stretches the side of the waist and the IT band effectively, while decompressing the spine and opening the hamstrings.
All seated poses facilitate grounding and anchoring into one’s divine embodiment.
Yogea Asana Lab is not a yoga routine and should be regarded solely as an educational platform to reinforce proper postural alignment and improve the quality of your practice. The approach is integrated as poses are grouped into different targeted categories. Each set of poses is demonstrated only on one side. The route of assuming poses and releasing through counter-poses is mapped clearly and slowly, allowing time for assimilation and grasping. The main objective is to guide you in and out of poses safely and smoothly, as well as to acquaint you with basic anatomical and energetic principles that weave the geometry of every asana. In turn, you will be able to perform the Yogea routines with clarity, precision and abandonment. As you follow the tips of proper alignment you will feel more stable, ready to deepen your practice and eager to transition gracefully from one stage to the next both on the mat and in life.