asana: vasisthasana

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vasisthasana
„Lateral supported stretch“

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last update: 12/30/2018
Name: vasisthasana
Trivial name: side stretch support
Level: A

Classification

classic: exercise

Contraindication

Effects

Preparation

To avoid hypertonus of the palmar flexors and cramps of the dorsal flexors, the forearm muscles can be prepared with:

  1. Dorsal forearm stretch
  2. Plantar forearm stretch
  3. Palmar forearm stretch in upavista konasana

The lateral stretching of the arms requires a good lateralization of the shoulder blade, prepare with postures that lateralisize or protracted:

  1. elbow stand
  2. right-angled elbow pose
  3. dog elbow pose
  4. gomukhasana
  5. garudasana

One element of the pose is stretching the back sideways (not bending sideways). Preparatory are:

  1. ardha vasisthasana
  2. trikonasana
  3. ardha chandrasana

The glutes and other abductor and hip extensors are used to work against the flexionin the hip joints from flexibility restrictions in the hip flexors, in terms of preactivation prepare with:

  1. caturkonasana
  2. parsvakonasana
  3. counter
  4. utkatasana
  5. warrior 2 pose
  6. purvottanasana
  7. urdhva dhanurasana
  8. eka pada variation of urdhva dhanurasana
  9. setu bandha sarvangasana
  10. eka pada variation of setu bandha sarvangasana
  11. warrior 3 pose
  12. parivrtta ardha chandrasana
  13. backwards against the wall“ variation of warrior 3 pose

and various other backbends

The hip flexors, especially the iliopsoas, tend to keep the pelvis in flexion and thus prevent the hip joints from extending. Stretch them in advance:

  1. hip opener 1
  2. hip opener 2
  3. Quadriceps stretch 2
  4. warrior 1 pose
  5. upface dog
  6. urdhva dhanurasana (back arch)
  7. ustrasana (camel)
  8. setu bandha sarvangasana

and other backbends with extension in the hip joint.

Follow-up

derived asanas:

ardha vasisthasana

similar asanas:

Diagnostics (No.)

(302) Triceps

The triceps are needed to hold the supporting arm extended with steady strength. Significant trembling may indicate a lack of strength. A tendency to cramp and cramps can indicate increased tone and also a lack of strength.

(410)(411)(412) Wrist

Wrist weaknesses are most likely to occur in extensive dorsiflexion and under heavy load:

  1. Ganglion, usually in the dorsal area between the hand and forearm, produces a sensation of pressure when the wrist is dorsiflexed
  2. Tendinitis of the tendons of the palmar flexors or finger flexors
  3. Carpal tunnel syndrome: worsening of symptoms in this position
  4. Fractures and fractures of carpal bones, especially the scaphoid bone
  5. Arthritic changes (degenerative with cartilage atrophy) of the joint
  6. Arthritis (joint inflammation) of various kinds
  7. Dislocation / subluxation, which would cause a significantly increased sensation of tension in various muscles covering the wrist joint
  8. joint trauma, which may cause pain in the joint even after many weeks or months

but also purely muscular symptoms such as

  1. Shortening/hypertonus of the dorsal flexors of the wrist, which then become noticeable in the dorsal side of the elbow joint like cramps
  2. Shortening/hypertonus of the palmar flexors of the wrist, which makes the dorsiflexion of the wrist in the stretched muscles on the palmar side of the forearm painful due to stretching
  3. Golfer’s elbow: Strain pain at the point of origin of muscles of the inner ulnar side of the forearm in the transition to the upper arm

(197) Neck:

Holding the head means work for the cervical spine muscles, strength endurance deficiencies and hypertonus can be detected in this posture.

(231)(234) Shoulder joint

Lateral support can reveal weaknesses or diseases of the shoulder joint:

  1. Various pathological changes of the shoulder joint such as impingement syndrome, frozen shoulder, calcifications of the biceps tendon, which cannot all be discussed here and require clarification.
  2. side discrepancies in flexibility

(742) Weakness of the abductors

An unsuppressible sinking of the pelvis when lifting one leg indicates weakness of the abductors on the side of the standing leg. It should also be tested for Trendelenburg’s sign and Duchenne’s sign. If the weakness is only observed on one side, it may be the cause of pelvic obliquity and consecutive scoliosis, see the FAQ.

Variants:

on fingertips

Feet slightly offset

Feet one behind the other

Instructions

  1. The simplified version without rotation of the head is described here, in which the inner edges of the feet do not lie exactly on top of each other but the big toe of the upper foot provides additional support. For the classic version, place both inner feet exactly on top of each other instead.
  2. Stand head down in the dog position.
  3. Shift your body weight to the right hand and apply pressure to all parts of the right hand and its fingers.
  4. Turn the upper body away from the right hand to the left and slowly stretch the hip joints through 180°. Turn the right foot with the outer edge and heel towards the floor.
  5. Stretch your left arm towards the ceiling.
  6. Place the left foot on top of the right foot so that the big toe of the left foot also rests on the floor. The left ankle lies in the hollow of the right inner foot.
  7. Bring the pelvis exactly between the feet and the sternum, neither higher nor lower. Keep the head exactly in line with the thoracic spine.
  8. Engage the gluteal muscles and push the pelvis forward so that the buttocks do not protrude backwards but the hip joints are extended.
  9. Together with the tendency of the pelvis to move backwards, you can recognize the tendency of the upper body not to stretch through but to assume a rounded back. Therefore, stretch the sternum away from the pubic bone to straighten the torso.
  10. As in similar poses, turn both arms out (inner elbow and biceps towards the head) and stretch the upper arm as far as possible towards the ceiling.
  11. Lift the upper leg away from the lower leg, turn it out, bend the knee joint wide, turn the leg out and grasp the big toe with your index and middle fingers.
  12. While continuing to rotate the lifted leg, slowly straighten the leg towards the ceiling, still keeping the pelvis between the sternum and the foot remaining on the floor, i.e. the knee joint and the hip joint of the lower leg exactly extended.
  13. The lifted leg makes the body’s center of gravity and leverageeven less favorable compared to ardha vasisthasana, which requires more strength and attention when balancing.

Details

  1. This pose relies on strong use of the forearm muscles, which make a constant effort to stabilize the posture in terms of palmar flexion and pronation. The success of this effort can be seen on the one hand in a calm, stable posture and on the other hand in areas of the base of the fingers that do not become lighter or lift.
    Since the turned out arm means that the forearm is close to the limit of its pronation ability, balancing essentially consists of more or less vigorous pronation. The antagonistic supinators should not play a significant role in this.
  2. The supporting hand can be a hand’s breadth further away from the feet than the shoulders, but not significantly further. If the hand is placed closer to the feet, more work of the shoulder muscles (deltoid) is possible and necessary and the angle of dorsal flexion in the wrist increases and would become painful if the distance falls below a certain individual distance. If the hand is closer than recommended, the supporting arm can be abducted more forcefully. Rotate the corresponding arm so that the biceps and inner elbow point towards the head. In der Standardausführung drücke die stützende Hand zum Fuß hin, was hilft den Oberkörper zu strecken..If the extension of the upper body and the position of the pelvis are out of the question, the hand can also be pushed away from the foot on the floor, which enables the deltoid muscle to be strengthened.
  3. Stretch both arms away from the body as far as possible. Especially in the upper arm, this serves – in combination with the rotation of the arm – to avoid unpleasant tension in the trapezius.
  4. To strengthen the sides of the torso, keep the pelvis exactly between the feet and the sternum. Both too high and too low a position of the pelvis is an unacceptable evasive movement. Compared to ardha vasisthasana, it is much more difficult to keep the pelvis in the correct position here, as not only is the raised leg no longer available to hold the pelvis up, but it also has to be lifted as well.
  5. Pay close attention to the best possible use of the gluteal muscles in order to eliminate the flexion that is likely to occur in the hip joints as much as possible. Depending on the flexibility of the hip flexor muscles, there may be some residual flexion. Extension in the hip joints is also not desirable.
  6. Spread your fingers as wide as possible to create the best possible conditions for working with your hand. After all, a large part of the body weight rests on this hand.
  7. If you have good flexibility, you can also grip the outer edge of the foot or the heel instead of the big toe.
  8. Sometimes there is a pronounced pressure sensitivity of the hamulus, which makes it necessary not to press it onto the floor. This is most easily achieved by placing a few patches around it on the floor.
  9. Information on dealing with cubitus valgus can be found in movement physiology under axial misalignment.

Variants

on fingertips

Instructions

  1. Take the pose as described above, but do not rest on the palm of the hand, but on the fingertips with the hand slightly turned out by approx. 15°-20°. Push the fingertips forcefully towards the thumb against the resistance of the floor.

Details

  1. This variation requires a lot of strength in the finger flexors. The fingers are stretched out and are pushed into hyperextension by the force of gravity. The finger flexors in all finger joints must be used to counteract these overstretching forces so that the finger joints are not damaged by intensive passive overstretching. Geometrically speaking, the finger joints may still be slightly overstretched, but the destructive forces are neutralized by using the finger flex ors, which are intensively strengthened in the process.
  2. Performing this variation is reserved for more advanced performers. Postures such as dog pose head down and upface dog as well as the pole pose and the ectangular handstand and ardha vasisthasana must first be mastered on fingertips before this variation can be performed with a reasonable degree of confidence, as more than half the body weight is in the fingers of one hand due to the center of gravity.
  3. The supporting hand should be closer to the plumb line of the lower shoulder than in the normal version of just below. In contrast to the normal version, the hand should not be pushed in any direction! With this recommended position of the hand and fingers, there is hardly any valgus stress or varus stress on the finger joints.

Known problems that can occur even when performed correctly

Intense sensation in the fingers
Depending on your constitution and level of training, the pull of the tendons in the fingers can be perceived as very intense to excessive and can also persist for a while after the posture.

Feet slightly offset

Instructions

  1. Take the pose as described above, but place the upper foot slightly offset on the lower foot so that the thick toe of the upper foot can also rest on the floor. The tarsal bones of the upper foot lie approximately in the hollow of the lower inner foot.

Details

  1. This variation is usually more stable than the standard variation with the feet resting on top of each other, as the physical support base is slightly wider and therefore requires slightly less strength and control from the shoulder muscles.

Feet one behind the other

Further simplification

Instructions

  1. Take the pose as described above, but place your feet directly behind each other.

Details

  1. The physical base of support is significantly wider here, which makes balancing much easier.