THE GATE

Parighasana is definitely a good pose for opening the ribs up. This woman is doing the seated variation but for the past few days I have taught and practiced it in an upright position. Instead of having the straight leg on the floor the hips are upright and the bent knee is at ninety degrees with the hips level. The straight let is perpendicular out of the hip with the bottom of the foot planted as firmly as possible. A block can be placed behind the shin of the straight leg with the hand placed on it and the other arm overhead. In parighasana, eventually both hands grab the foot. Then it is just rotate, rotate, rotate. I am working today on variations on this and it is backbend day for me with a lot of wheels. Yippee! Wheeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parigha translates into the word gate. Whatever version you are doing to this pose, it is a 'gate' or opening to deeper poses and is still a deep pose in itself. It opens the spine, shoulders, hamstrings, and low back. A pose is always a good deal for you if it goes in all these directions and hits all these places simultaneously. That is why the complex poses are so interesting. They feel very good too. So they hold a lot of potential for joy and emotional release. For this particular pose I don't think it looks that hard, but once I am in it I see and feel the complexity.

So, in yoga, remember, when one gate opens, there is usually another one behind it.