1.1a Posture Profile. Assessment front sheets for Unit 1: Applied Anatomy and Physiology and the Teaching of Asana : Name of Student Teacher:

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1 Assessment frnt sheets fr Unit 1: Applied Anatmy and Physilgy and the Teaching f Asana : Task descriptin paragraph a Psture Prfile Name f Student Teacher: Date f submissin f prfile: 24 th June 2012 Name(s) f asana in Sanskrit Uttanasana Prnunced -taahn-aah-suh-nah Literal translatin/derivatin The Intense Pse: the wrd ut means intensity and the wrd tan t lengthen r strengthen in Sanskrit Cmmn English Name(s) The Intense Pse r Standing Frward bend Asana Analysis: Key jints/articulatin/nature f mvement Mild flexin f the vertebral clumn (vertebrae articulating with ne anther), whilst als fcusing upn extensin f the vertebral clumn Flexin f the trs at the hips (the head f the femur articulating with the acetabulum f the hips) Adductin and slight internal rtatin f the legs at the hips (the head f the femur articulating with the acetabulum f the hips) Flexin f the arms at the shulders (humerus articulating with the glenid cavity f the scaplua) Extensin f the lwer legs at the knees (femur articulates with the tibia) Key factrs invlved in creating the mvement frm the starting pint (prne, supine, semisupine, sitting, kneeling, standing). Factrs include muscular cntractin, bth cncentric and eccentric as apprpriate, and gravity. T enter the pse: Gravity des mst f the wrk - the upper bdy muscles must simply relax t enter the pse, with muscles at the back f the bdy (i.e. the hamstrings, erectr spinae, gluteus muscles, external hip rtatrs and gastrcnemius) acting as brakes t slw the mvement against gravity as needed i.e. eccentric cntractin. 1

2 In particular ur chice f arm placement when entering the pse will cnsiderably change the strength required t enter the pse (and leave the pse) s that when arms are fully flexed frwards they increase the lad n the back, whilst if we draw arms ut t sides the lad is lessened, and if hands are placed upn the hips/sacrum there is less still. The same is true fr the legs where if they are fully extended (straight) the effrt is further away frm the pivtal pint f the pse, the pelvis (hips) making the psture mre challenging but if we bend knees then the effrt is brught clser t the pelvis reducing the intensity f the pse. Key muscle grups that need t be able t lengthen and relax in the psture (will be stretched?) Spinal muscles (erectr spinae) Buttck muscles (gluteus grup) External hip rtatrs Psterir & medial thigh (hamstrings, adductr magnus) Psterir lwer leg muscles (gastrcnemius & sleus) Key factrs that may cause limitatins (jint shape, bdy prprtin, tightness r weakness f key muscles e.g. tight hamstrings in uttanasana; weak quads in utkatasana) Key muscle grups that need strength either t mve int, hld, r exit the psture Limitatins can be caused by: Tight hamstrings, back muscles and hips rtatrs. Sme students may find there is a structural limitatin fr frward flexin and where this is experienced at the frnt f the bdy, e.g. at the frnt area f the hips then this will be a natural limitatin, when it is experienced at the back f the bdy then vertime students will be able t flex mre deeply as their muscles relax and lengthen. Als sme students may find their legs are prprtinately lng relative t the trs and this may mean they will nt be able t easily tuch the flr r wrk by binding hands t feet. Sme cre strength is needed frm the abdminals, pelvic flr and lwer back muscles but this shuld nt be frceful r it will cmpress the hip jints and vertebral clumn. The quadriceps, feet and ankle muscles als require sme strength t enter the pse, t stabilise staying in the pse and exiting the pse. The back muscles require strength t enable us t enter 2

3 and leave the pse safely. (When staying: the hip flexrs (the ilipsas, rectus femris, adductrs, sartrius and tensr fascia latae) will prvide stability as will the trunk flexrs (rectus abdminis and the ilipsas) but we shuld avid wrking them t strngly as this can clse the hips sckets and cmpress the spine.) Preparatin Give examples f specific preparatin. Indicate areas the preparatin is targeting frm the factrs identified abve. Ways f mbilising key jints Ways f preparing key muscle grups that will lengthen and relax Ways f preparing key muscle grups that need strength either t mve int, hld r exit the psture Mbilise hip jints: hip pening exercises such as supine hip circling, baddha knasana (cbblers pse) and chakki chalana (stirring the pt pse). Mbilise shulder jints: shulder circles & universal pse Hamstring stretches: such as supta padangusthasana (lying hand t big te pse) Adductr stretches: such as upavistha knasana (wide angle pse) and anantasana (pse f bliss) Gluteus stretches: such as gmukhasana (cw s head pse) & Jathara Parivritti (revlving stmach pse) Back stretches: such as Majrasana (cat) Cre strengtheners: such as navasana (bat) Back strengtheners: such as shalabasana (lcust) & Bhujangasana (cbra pse) Quadriceps strengtheners: such as standing balances, utkatasana (squat) Areas fr Cautin Herniated disc Lw back cnditins, Sciatica & General Discmfrt Mdificatins t cmpleted psture/aids Avid frward bends fr at least 3 t 6 mnths Bend knees r can wrk t ardha uttanasana, half frwards bend), hand t chair if needed Heart cnditins, Hypertensin & Mature diabetic. Eye and ear ailments Lw bld pressure D nt keep the head dwn belw the heart, can stay in ardha uttanasana, half frward bend. Take care mving between different heights, may need t take several breaths wrking dwnwards and upwards by staying at half frward bend Hamstring injury r stiffness Bend knees r can wrk t halfway nly 3

4 Hiatus Hernia Ttal hip replacement Hip re-surfacing Osteprsis Pregnancy Sacr-iliac strain Wrk t half way nly, can use a chair Wrk t half way nly, can use a chair Wrk with cautin Wrk cautiusly with knees bent as can ver cmpress spinal vertebrae Wrk with cautin, halfway with hands t chair can be an helpful mdificatin n prlnged stay Limit flexin, sitting n blcks, with bent knees Stages leading t the psture, if apprpriate, (using less challenging/mdified versins t prepare fr/ lead int the final psture): including teaching pints t prmte gd structural alignment and cre strength/stability as apprpriate t the psture 1. Spend a little time explring the anterir pelvic tilt, pssibly in tadasana r in cat. Majrasana. In cat if an anterir tilt is nt pssible here, where the hamstrings are relaxed, then the student will need t explre whether there is a prblem with the hip jints. 2. Spend time in tadasana, muntain pse, experiencing pada bandha, the ft lck, als lifting arms up and dwn, checking that the cre muscles are being gently emplyed and that the lwer ribs are nt flaring utwards s the spinal muscles and pelvis stay in a neutral state. 3.Start with hands t hips with knees bent and experience flexing frwards frm the hips; at first t hip height nly then t full flexin frwards if relevant. Students need t ensure they are aware f the psitining f the hips and that the flexin frwards ccurs at this pint. 4.Try wrking in the same way with blcks between thighs t encurage a slight adductin whilst relaxing external hip rtatrs and the gluteus muscles f the buttcks 5. Interweave fingers behind the back and fld frwards with bent knees bringing arms verhead, then t lift up lwer arms, lifting the trs; by using the arms as a lever the effrt is spread mre widely making the pse mre accessible fr sme students. 6. Lifting arms frwards (flexin thrugh elevatin) then flding frwards lwer arms ut t sides, smetimes knwn as the swallw dive, with bent knees r straight legs as apprpriate. 7. Lifting arms frwards (flexin thrugh elevatin) then flding frwards lwer arms frwards with arms held frwards, with bent knees r straight legs as apprpriate. Teaching pints while in the psture Centre in tadasana with feet hip width apart, feet aligned frwards. Find pada 4

5 bandha, the ft lck, by balancing the weight f the bdy equally thrugh all fur crners f the feet; press mre firmly thrugh the inner edges f the balls f the feet t lift arches and ankles; spread the tes pen withut gripping them. Let there be a gentle firming f the thigh muscles, ensuring the pelvis stays in a neutral psitin. Adpt a gentle mula bandha becming aware f rting dwnwards as yu lift upwards thrugh the crwn. Link in with yur breathing. There are several ways t enter the frward bend, here we will inhale raising arms frwards and up t the full vertical psitin (flexin thrugh elevatin), keeping shulders relaxed, the lwer ribs as if mving inwards away frm the skin s they d nt flare utwards and misalign the spine and the pelvis. Then exhaling hinge frwards frm the hips, keeping length within the whle spinal clumn as yu lwer arms dwnwards thrugh an arc i.e. swallw dive. Allw gravity t draw yu gently frwards. Remember t keep lking dwnwards t keep length in the cervical spine and draw yur tailbne and sitting bnes backwards and upwards t wrk frm the hips with an anterir tilt f the pelvis. If there is any discmfrt in the lwer back r hamstrings then bend knees as yu lwer dwn int the frward bend. Place hands t the flr besides the feet if pssible, if hands d nt reach the flr then again bend knees r place hands t blcks; d nt use the arms t draw yu deeper in the bend. Engage the thigh muscles and draw the legs as if tgether. Allw the abdmen t rest alng the thighs and imagining the chest is very heavy with every inhalatin just allw the bdy t lift a little away frm the thighs encuraging the spine t lengthen, as yu draw shulder blades backwards and with every exhalatin let the heavy chest draw yu deeper int yur frward bend. Let the head be heavy, neck lng and relaxed. Imagine yur tailbne and sitting bnes ascending as the crwn f yur head descends, aligning hips abve ankles as yu maintain the ft lck where weight is spread evenly thrughut the feet. T relax the buttck muscles gently draw yur thighs as if tgether, althugh the legs remain still. Yu culd picture the spine t be like a waterfall cascading dwnwards frm the tp f the pelvis, alternatively breathing in with yur awareness flwing up the back f the legs and exhaling dwn alng the spine r simply use the breath t subtly mve the bdy. Bringing students ut f the psture T exit: establish a strnger cnnectin with yur feet and legs, firm the muscles f the abdmen then inhaling lift arms ut t sides t shulder height, pening the chest and lifting the upper bdy t hip height then cntinuing upwards raising arms up thrugh a circle t the vertical psitin and exhaling lwer arms back dwn t sides thrugh an arc Variatins/ways f develping the psture One gd variatin is t lift and lwer nly ne arm. This hwever needs t be taught nly after students can wrk symmetrically. It can be very gd fr sclisis where students wrk twice t the weaker side. We can als alter the way f staying in the asana by placing hands in varius psitins. Fr instance we can hld ur wrist arund the utside f legs, place palms under sles, r hld big tes. 5

6 There are many way f develping the pse fr thse wh require mre intensity such as lwering dwn with hands in reverse namaste r by lifting int eka pada uttanasana (ne ft frward bend) We can als lift and lwer ut f the pse in a different way such as entering the pse frm a squat psitin. It is als pssible t wrap arms arund legs with knees bent, spine lng then keeping the cnnectin with the thighs slwly straighten legs. Wrking with a rag dll standing frwards bend can be gd, where the hands slide dwn the legs, knees bending if necessary, as the whle bdy relaxes cmpletely; this can help t surrender t the pse Cunterpses Can use: Arms t ceiling in tadasana, i.e. urdhva hastasana, raised arm pse Adpt a gentle squat, utkasana where the back remains extended Mve int malasana, the garland pse, where the knees are bent but the spine is lengthened Balasana, apanasana r supta baddha knasana Key benefits and effects: (If esteric, refer t surce ancient texts) Quiets the mind Calms the systems f the bdy, especially the cardivascular and nervus systems Flds the brain with bld prviding a sense f calm and clarity Rejuvenates the spinal nerves Tnifies internal viscera, especially the liver, spleen and kidneys Stimulates the digestive system, eliminating gas, cnstipatin & indigestin Lengthens hamstrings, tnes backs f legs Gives suppleness t the spine Alleviates menstrual pain 6

7 References in surce ancient texts (if any) Surces f infrmatin frm mdern teachers/bibligraphy Anatmy and Asana, Susi Hately Aldus, Eastland Press, 2004, p65 t 72 Anatmy f Hatha Yga, H. David Culter, Bdy & Breath Inc., 2001, p240 t 247 Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Bihar Schl, 1969, p199 t 200 Instructing Hatha Yga, Kathy Lee Kappemeir & Diane M. Ambrsini, Human Kinetics, 2006, p88 t 90 The Yga Bible, Christine Brwn, Gdsfield Press, 2003 p310 t 311 Yga: The Spirit and Practice f Mving int Stillness, Erich Schiffman, Pcket Bks, 1996, p107 t 117 Yga Anatmy, Lesley Kaminff, Human Kinetics, 2007, p42 t p43 Yga Bdy, Judith Hansn Lasater, Rdmell Press, 2009, p25, p26, p106 Student teacher s cmments n what has been learned frm this task Student teacher s signature Date Tutr s cmments: Tutr s signature Date Ntes fr guidance: This template shuld be expanded in size t include detail as required. Diagrams may be used fr explanatin. All areas f the prfile must be cvered as relevant t the specific psture. Sme aspects will be mre applicable than thers, depending n the psture. Tutrs may ask fr ther infrmatin t be included. 7