Growing up, I did a lot of janu sirsasan as it was one of the stretching exercise that I had to complete during the warm ups for my training. It is my favourite pose because I could move into it quite comfortably even without prior stretching. Sometimes I even daydreamed while staying in the pose.
As with all other forward bends, the first thing to do before going into this pose is to create an anterior tilt in the pelvis or “stick out the buttocks ” as how I would advise my friends. Then breathe in while keeping the spine long or keep the back straight, and breathe out while lowering the stomach to the thigh and chest to the knee. Finally, look at the toes in front or bring the forehead to the shinbone.
If you are unable to sit tall before moving into the pose, then sit on a folded blanket. In order not to injure the outstretched knee, keep it softly bend or micro bend it. In addition, there should not be any pain in the flexed knee. If you have any knee injuries, place a pillow or block under it. On the other hand, if you are able to go into this pose without much problems, then dosi flexed the outstretched leg while stretching the palms further away from the body.
This is a great pose to help you stretch your hamstring, back muscles and shoulders. From the information that I read online this pose is also good for calming the mind and body (yogapedia.com; ekhartyoga.com; yogajournal.com) Enjoy 🙂
Kai Yueh
