Chakrasana is also known as Wheel Pose. Have you heard of chakras? Chakras are the energy wheels/centers in our body. The word chakr comes from the Sanskrit and stands for Wheel.
Wheel pose counts as an advanced asana. It aims to balance the nervous system while increasing the flexibiliy of the spine. Good preparing posture are: Cat and Cow Pose, Fish Pose, Bhujangasana and Camel Pose.
Always make sure that your body is warmed-up before attempting the pose.
Steps of Chakrasana:
- Lay down on your back. Relax your legs and arms to the side of your body
- Bring your feet hip-wide apart and bend your knees.
- The heels of your feet should be close to your body.
- Bring your hands to the front of your shoulders so that your fingers point towards your shoulders
- Keep your elbos shoulder-wide apart and press your palms and fingers equally on the mat
- Take a deep breath and lift your shoulder, back and buttocks off the mat
- Your feet and hand should be pressed firmly on the mat
- Curve your spine and straighten your arms and legs
- Push your chest and hips up
- Hold the final pose for 20-30 seconds
- On your next exhalation, slowly lower your shoulders and buttocks back to the mat
- Relax your spine, hips and whole body
- To counter-pose, grab your knees and roll forth and back, massaging your spine
What to Keep in Mind
It’s important that you prepare your body for this advanced posture. Cat and Cow posture for example enables you to warm up the spine. A simple series of Pawanmuktasana warm up is also advised prior to this pose and further practice. Many practitioners suffer from serious injuries due to the lack of warm-up or jumping into too advanced postures from the beginning.
So a little tip for you: do what feels good for you and go step by step.
Another important thing to remember is that Chakrasana requires a counter-pose. In traditional hatha yoga we bend one way and counter-pose the other way to keep balance and adjust our body. It’s great to remove any tension as well. So after Wheel pose you can for example do a simple forward fold like Paschimottanasana or Cat Pose.
Benefits of Chakrasana
- Increases the flexibility of the spine
- Balances the nervous system
- Removes stress and tension
- Stretches the chest
- Expands the lungs
- Stimulates the thyroids and pituitary glands
- Strengthens the heart
- Reduces asthma
- Increases fetility
- Tones liver, pancreas and kidneys
Cautions of Chakrasana
- Avoid in case of back injury
- Avoid during pregnancy
- Avoid if you suffer from cardiac diseases or high blood pressure
Cautions of Chakrasana
Are you interested to learn more about the different asanas and other parts of yoga such as yogic philosophy and Ayurveda?
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