140
THE ASANAS
Inversions
Wheel is a full backbend and inversion, bringing your
head below the level of your heart. This pose is often
done toward the end of a class as it requires warming
up to be safe for most people. With practice, Wheel can
improve the strength and exibility of your back.
THE BIG PICTURE
This pose strongly stretches the muscles at the
front of your body—including your thighs,
hips, abdomen, and chest. It strengthens
your shoulders and the back of your body—
particularly your back muscles, buttocks,
and thighs—as they support you in this
deep backbend and elevation.
WHEEL
Urdhva Dhanurasana
Thighs
Your hip extensors engage,
while your hip exors mostly
stretch. Your hip adductors
engage to maintain your thighs
in parallel. Your quadriceps
engage while lengthening,
working with your hamstrings
to stabilize your hips and knees.
Lower legs
Your calf muscles stabilize
while in a neutral or lengthening
position. Your tibialis anterior
muscles dorsiex your ankles,
aligning your shins and knees
directly over them.
Soleus
Tibialis anterior
Gastrocnemius
Ankle
Knee
Hip
Rectus femoris
Tensor fasciae latae
Gluteus maximus
Biceps femoris (long head)
Semitendinosus
Biceps femoris (short head)
Vastus lateralis
Psoas major
KEY
Joints
Muscles
Engaging
Engaging while
stretching
Stretching
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141
ALIGNMENT
Your hands are slightly wider
than shoulder-distance apart.
Relax your head and neck.
Keep your feet approximately
hip-distance apart, while
squeezing your thighs
in toward parallel.
Hands slightly
wider than shoulder-
distance apart
Thighs
parallel
Press down
into big
toes
Hips are
extended
Breastbone
pushes out
and up
Hip points
lift up
Torso
Your spinal extensors engage
to extend your spine while your
abdominals stretch strongly.
Your pectoralis major muscles
stretch as you broaden your
chest, while stabilizing you in
position. Your middle and lower
trapezius retract and stabilize
your scapulae.
Neck and arms
Your cervical exors passively
stretch, allowing a gentle
extension of your neck. Your
shoulder exors engage. Your
deltoids dynamically stretch
and engage. Your triceps
extend your elbows. Your wrist
exors are stretching intensely,
while your extensors engage.
Trapezius
Spinal extensors
Serratus anterior
Pectoralis major
Rhomboids
Spine
Psoas major
Quadratus lumborum
Rectus abdominis
Latissimus dorsi
Biceps brachii
Deltoids
Brachialis
Extensor carpi radialis longus
Elbow
Extensor carpi ulnaris
Extensor carpi radialis brevis
Wrist
Palmaris longus
Flexor carpi ulnaris
Coracobrachialis
Shoulder
Triceps brachii
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142
WHEEL
Urdhva Dhanurasana
CLOSER LOOK
Wheel puts your shoulder joints and spine in a unique
position that can be challenging both for people who
are tight and those who are very flexible. It can be
quite demanding, yet energizing and uplifting.
Rectus abdominis
stretches
Pectoralis major
mainly stretches
ANTERIOR VIEW
Sternum lifts
upward
Tight shoulders
Tight shoulders are a common limiting factor
for this pose. Many people lack the range of
motion to go into full shoulder exion, bringing
the arms directly overhead. Make sure you
thoroughly warm up your shoulders before
doing Wheel. Stretch your shoulders over time
with poses like Cow Face (see pp.60–63).
Shoulder exion
In shoulder exion there is little stability,
particularly when weight bearing as in Wheel.
If you are very exible, especially with a tendency
toward dislocation, be mindful when doing this
pose, or try Bridge pose for a more stable
shoulder position in extension instead
(see pp.136–39).
Cervical flexors
stretch
Pectoralis
major
Triceps
Posterior deltoid
Triceps engage to
extend elbows, but
may stretch too if tight
Rhomboids hug
scapulae together
Flexion
≤ 130
degrees
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143
Lumbar spine
Thoracic spine
Spinal exibility
Many yogis allow too much
bending or hyperextension in
the lower back, like this. If this is
you, focus on lengthening your
lower back instead of crunching
and sinking into it. Although your
lumbar spine has a greater capacity
for extension than your thoracic, try
to make the extension more even.
Heart pounding
In this intense backbend, large muscles are
active, your heart is pounding, and breaths are
full. Wheel often leaves people feeling energized
and condent. You may feel empowered to know
that you can consciously choose certain yoga
practices to lift your energy when feeling
sluggish (or calm yourself when agitated).
Wrists are
extended
Knees stacked
approximately
over your
ankles
Gluteus maximus
engages to extend
your hips
Hyperextension
in lumbar
region
Send knees
away to create
length
ANTERIOR–LATERAL
VIEW
Even curve in
lumbar spine
Feet are fixed
Sternum lifts
upward
Heart pumps
to deliver
blood
Engaging
muscles need
more blood
THE ASANAS Inversions
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