Janu Shirshasana is a great pose to increase flexibility in your hamstrings. It aims to massage the left and right inner organs and balances the endocrine system.
In the final pose, as the name suggests, your head should be touching onto your knee while bending forward. Did you know that you can enhance the posture’s benefit by using props? Keep a block and a strap at your side and we will explain to you how to use them correctly in this posture!
Here are the step-by-step instructions:
- Sit in Dandhasana
- Bend your right leg and place the right sole onto your inner left thigh
- Keep the left leg straight and active
- Adjust and lengthen your spine
- Both hips should face forward
- Inhale and raise your arms up above your head
- Exhale and bend forward
- Grab your left toes with your hands and interlock your fingers
- Look forward
- With your next exhalation lower your upper body closer to your left leg
- Rest the left half of your abdomen on your thigh
- Relax your head onto your lower left leg and knee
- Hold the position as long as you can
- Change the side
Remember to counter-pose with Setu Bandhasana after completing the posture.
Benefits of Janu Shirshasana:
- Tones the inner organs
- Balances the digestive and endocrine system
- Increases flexibility in the hamstrings
- Improves blood circulation in the legs, groin, and arms
- Strengthens the spine
- Reduces anxiety
Contra-indications:
Avoid this posture if you suffer from severe back pain and do not overstrain. If you cannot reach your head onto your knee, use a belt and slowly increase your flexibility.
Use of Props:
If you are less flexible and can’t reach your ankles or interlock your hands around your foot, you can simply place a strap around your foot which is reaching towards the front of the mat. Place it around your foot and then grab both ends of the strap to pull your upper body down. In case you are very flexible already, place a block behind your foot and try to interlock your fingers behind the block or simply hold onto the block while bending forward.
Yoga Asana Practise at Gyan Yog Breath
Our Gyan Yog Breath Team publishes weekly asana tutorials for you to help you get into the right practice and understand about various benefits and contra-indications of postures.
Sometimes, reading about practice can awaken questions and the desire to learn yoga on a much deeper level.
Therefore, we have established three Yoga Alliance registered Yoga Teacher Training in India Programs that aim to guide you into advanced and higher levels of yoga.
Learning yoga from experienced teachers can be very helpful so that you can really get the most benefits. If you recently discovered yoga or wish to advance your practice, you should consider taking a Yoga Training intensive! It can be the first step towards a more confident practice, increased health & flexibility.
10 Responses
Janu shirshasana is my favorite pose along with Paschimottanasana. I really enjoy the stretches of my hamstrings and feel very relaxed after holding the pose for a few minutes on each side. Thanks for sharing this post, i didnt know much about the benefits before!:)
Also i wanted to inquire about your 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training India in April. If there are any spots left i would love to join! Learning yoga in India has always been my dream! Lydia who joined your 300 hour Yoga TTC last summer sent me the link of your website:) she loved the course with you… so thats why i hope that I can participate in your 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training India 🙂
Greetings
Josephine
Namaste Josephine
thank you for commenting on our blog and sharing your thought 🙂 Yes, Lydia joined our 300 hour TTC in Rishikesh last summer, thats nice of her!
Our next available 200 hour yoga teacher Training india will start on the first of March 2018 at 11am. You can confirm your spot under the Registration part of the Website. Please let us know if you have any further questions, we are happy to email you! Hopefully, we will see you at our Yoga Teacher Training India in March,
Warm regards
your Gyan Yog Breath Team
Yeeees i loved my 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training India with you guys:D go for it Josephine, you wont regret it!!
🙂 Thank you!
Do you have any open spots for the March 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training India ?
It would be so nice to join your school and expand my knowledge about yoga! I heard so much positive feedback about Gyan Yog Breath already! This will be my first Yoga Teacher Training India so I hope, it will be an opportunity to grow myself!
love
Jenny
Namaste Jenny, thanks for your comment! Yes, we do have a few spots left for our March 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training India! That’s lovely to hear! You can sign up for the Course here:
https://gyanyogbreath.com/200-hours-yoga-teacher-training/
We are sure that participating in our 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training India will have a growthful effect on you 🙂
Love and Light
Your Gyan Yog Breath Team
Hello Yogis
I love your website and cannot wait to join your Yoga Teacher Training india in May:))) it will my first ever yoga teacher Training in india and im sooo excited!!!
Hello Lisa, Only some more month until we meet you at our ashram for your Yoga Teacher Training India. We are glad you chose our yoga ashram and Yoga TTC Program. Take care until then and see you soon 🙂
Your Gyan Yog Breath Team
I wanted to share with you that my 200 Hour Yoga teacher Training with you has been a real life shift for me. I really learnt a lot about myself and feel more connected to myself than ever. I am happy to say that this Yoga teacher Training in india lay a beautiful and strong foundation of my career as a Yoga teacher. Dear gyan yog breath Team, you are amazing!
Ole
Dear Ole, thank you for sharing this lovely comment! We hope you are having an amazing time back home and share the light with your new yoga students and friends. It was very nice to have you stay with us. Thanks for joining our 200 hour yoga teacher Training in Rishikesh!
Love and Light
Your Gyan Yog Breath Team