Asana name: Swan Pose
Sanskrit name: Hansasan
Meaning: Swan Pose
General Benefits:
Massages and stimulates the abdominal organs and muscles, stimulates the appetite and helps to expel stomach and intestinal worms.
Benefits for Women:
Therapeutic Applications:
Constipation, Flatulence, Sluggishness of the liver and kidneys.
Taking the Position:
In sitting position, bend your left leg and bring the foot to the left buttock. Bend your right leg and place the right foot next to the left foot. Shift the weight forward onto the toes. Bring your knees to the ground. Spread the knees apart and place the hands on the ground, together or with one to two hands' distance between them. The fingers should be pointing towards the feet. Bend and touch the elbows together then lean the upper body forwards so that the abdomen is resting on the elbows and the chest is resting on the upper arms. Stretch the legs backward until they are straight. The feet should be together, with only the tips of the toes touching the ground. Roll the shoulders back and raise the head slightly so that the head, neck, shoulders, back and legs form a straight line. Breathe normally.
Releasing the Positions:
To release the asana, hunch the upper body slightly by bending the neck and the shoulders forward. Slowly step the feet one after the other forward. Straighten the arms and come to a squat. Place the arms by your sides, straighten out the legs and return to sitting position.
Anatomical Focus:
The compression on the abdominal organs and glands.
Anatomical Awareness:
On the abdominal area, wrists.
Do's:
Keep the body in a straight line. Roll the shoulders back. Gaze forward at a fixed point. Lean forward sufficiently so that most of the body weight is on the elbows and wrists.
Don'ts:
Overstrain the elbows or wrists. If the weight is too much to bear, release the posture slowly.
Precautions & Contraindications:
Peptic or duodenal ulcers, Colitis, Hyperacidity, Hernia, High blood pressure, Pregnancy & menstruation.
Variations & Tips:
A cushion or pillow may be placed under the face to prevent injury in case you lose balance. Beginners may also place the head on the ground for support while moving into or out of the asana. Advanced practitioners should focus on increasingly shifting more weight onto the elbows and wrists by leaning the body forward while still keeping the body straight, in order to prepare for the more advanced asana of Mayurasana.
Preparatory Poses:
Merudandasana
Follow-up Poses:
Mayurasana
Position:
Sitting.
Sanskrit name: Hansasan
Meaning: Swan Pose
General Benefits:
Massages and stimulates the abdominal organs and muscles, stimulates the appetite and helps to expel stomach and intestinal worms.
Benefits for Women:
Therapeutic Applications:
Constipation, Flatulence, Sluggishness of the liver and kidneys.
Taking the Position:
In sitting position, bend your left leg and bring the foot to the left buttock. Bend your right leg and place the right foot next to the left foot. Shift the weight forward onto the toes. Bring your knees to the ground. Spread the knees apart and place the hands on the ground, together or with one to two hands' distance between them. The fingers should be pointing towards the feet. Bend and touch the elbows together then lean the upper body forwards so that the abdomen is resting on the elbows and the chest is resting on the upper arms. Stretch the legs backward until they are straight. The feet should be together, with only the tips of the toes touching the ground. Roll the shoulders back and raise the head slightly so that the head, neck, shoulders, back and legs form a straight line. Breathe normally.
Releasing the Positions:
To release the asana, hunch the upper body slightly by bending the neck and the shoulders forward. Slowly step the feet one after the other forward. Straighten the arms and come to a squat. Place the arms by your sides, straighten out the legs and return to sitting position.
Anatomical Focus:
The compression on the abdominal organs and glands.
Anatomical Awareness:
On the abdominal area, wrists.
Do's:
Keep the body in a straight line. Roll the shoulders back. Gaze forward at a fixed point. Lean forward sufficiently so that most of the body weight is on the elbows and wrists.
Don'ts:
Overstrain the elbows or wrists. If the weight is too much to bear, release the posture slowly.
Precautions & Contraindications:
Peptic or duodenal ulcers, Colitis, Hyperacidity, Hernia, High blood pressure, Pregnancy & menstruation.
Variations & Tips:
A cushion or pillow may be placed under the face to prevent injury in case you lose balance. Beginners may also place the head on the ground for support while moving into or out of the asana. Advanced practitioners should focus on increasingly shifting more weight onto the elbows and wrists by leaning the body forward while still keeping the body straight, in order to prepare for the more advanced asana of Mayurasana.
Preparatory Poses:
Merudandasana
Follow-up Poses:
Mayurasana
Position:
Sitting.
