Urdhva Upavistha Konasana Benefits: Boost Circulation and Relaxation

Urdhva Upavistha Konasana at a Glance

How to Do Urdhva Upavistha Konasana?
Follow the Step-by-Step Procedure

• Before starting this pose do the warm-ups and the preparatory poses to loosen your muscles and to get a safe pose.
• First, come into the Staff pose stretch your legs in front keep your hands beside you, and keep your spine lengthened.
• Take a deep breath relax and energize yourself and let out the tension with an exhale.
• Now slowly and gently bend your both knees and come into the Baddha Konasana pose (bound angle pose).
• Bring both your feet together press the soles of the feet and feel the stretch in your thighs.
• Now keep breathing, and gently hold your toes with the respective arms, with the first two fingers, and keep a firm grip.
• Holding the toes, slightly lean backward, and ensure that your back is straight.
• Now inhale deeply and lift your legs, keeping the grip over your toes and stretching it outward, rotating your hips externally.
• Keep breathing and open your legs wide, apart from each other, as far as you can and within your comfort level.
• Keep your chest engaged and open and lifted upwards.
• Get the balance over yourself and the pose, keep your awareness, and be on your sit bones, extending your spine.
• See that your legs are stretched out at the same angle and your knees are straight and your toes should be pointed up.
• Keep your neck and spine in one line, your neck relaxed, and your shoulders relaxed.
• Gaze at a particular point in front of you.
• See that you are breathing throughout the pose focus on balance and stability and engage your core.
• Stay here for 4 to 5 breaths (few breaths) or as per your limitation.
• When you are ready to release, breathe in and bend your legs gently, bring them down to the mat, keeping your balance steady and being aware of your body.
• Breathe out and sit straight on the mat, stretch your legs in front, and relax in the Shavasana pose.

What are the Benefits of Urdhva Upavistha Konasana?

• Urdhva Upavistha Konasana helps to stretch your, inner thighs, hamstrings, hip flexors, and your groin muscles and adds more flexibility.
• Due to the engagement of your abdominal muscles, this helps to strengthen your core, helps to reduce your lower back pain, and improves your physical posture.
• This pose also engages your shoulder and your chest, so opens up your chest and helps you to breathe deeper.
• Many muscles get engaged while doing this asana so it helps to improve the blood circulation throughout the body.
• It helps to massage and stimulate the abdominal organs, which helps with a better digestion process and also helps to maintain a healthy reproductive system and strengthens the pelvic floor muscles.
• This pose requires a lot of patience and self-awareness, with focus concentration, and coordination with your breath, which increases all these qualities and improves balance when practiced regularly.

Health Conditions that Might Benefit from Urdhva Upavistha Konasana

• If you have mild lower back pain, practicing pose regularly can help, to strengthen your back muscles and reduce your lower back pain.
• When you do this pose, it helps to stretch the sciatica nerves and if you practice pose, slowly and gently, this can help with your mild sciatica pain.
• If you are experiencing tight hips, practicing this pose can help to stretch the hip flexor muscles which can help reduce the stiffness and improve hip mobility.
• This pose can help to relieve mild stress and anxiety, which helps to calm your body and mind.
• If you have constipation issues, you can practice this asana to fix your issues and enhance your digestive system.

Safety and Precautions

• Proper warm-up and preparatory asanas are important before starting this pose.
• If you do have any pain or feel any discomfort while doing this asana, stop doing this yoga pose and consult your yoga trainer.
• If you feel that you need some support to do the pose, use props like yoga straps, yoga blocks, and folded blankets, under the guidance of the yoga teacher.
• Avoid this pose if you have severe sciatica pain or lower back pain.
• For any heart-related issues, consult your healthcare professional, before doing this pose.
• Avoid doing this pose if you have high Blood pressure.
• Avoid this pose if you have a hamstring injury or groin pull or tear.
• Keep your knees bent slightly to avoid the discomfort.
• Pregnant women should avoid doing this pose.

Common Mistakes

• Don’t round the back as it can put pressure on your lower back.
• Don’t try to bend your knees too much and keep your legs straight.
• Don’t hold the feet too tight, keep the grip but let it be light.
• Gaze forward and not down.
• Don’t hold the pose for too long.
• Don’t avoid the body signals, respect them and act accordingly.

Tips for Urdhva Upavistha Konasana

• Do warmup as this can prevent injury loosen your muscle stiffness and make the pose easy.
• If you feel, your hips and hamstrings are tight, use a yoga strap or yoga block to lift your legs off the floor.
• Do Regular practice and progress gradually and listen to your body.
• Your breath should be a guide for the movement of the pose.
• Be focused concentrate on the pose and maintain calmness.

Alignment Principles for Urdhva Upavistha Konasana

• Keep yourself grounded on the sitting bones and straightened legs and straight spine.
• Bend your knees and bring your both feet near each other.
• The soles of the feet should touch each other.
• Keep your spine straight (upper body) and don’t round your back.
• Tuck your belly button toward the spine and engage the core muscles.
• Hold your big toes with the first two fingers and bring your legs apart, taking the legs off the mat.
• Open your hips and hamstrings, and keep your thighs relaxed.
• Point your toes upward and keep your legs active.
• Keep your core engaged for proper alignment.
• Roll your shoulder blades, back and down, and keep them away from the ears.
• Gaze forward or slightly upward at a fixed point.
• Breathe throughout the pose.
• To release, exhale, and bring your legs down.

Urdhva Upavistha Konasana and Breath

Proper and deep breathing is important for any yoga pose and is even important for this pose as it helps to balance and stabilize the pose. Inhale and draw your navel toward the spine lift your legs off the ground, and keep your spine extended upward. When you exhale, relax your muscles and make the stretch deeper. Keep your breath flowing till you hold the pose and this will balance and bring more self-awareness. The wide-angle seated pose transforms into a dynamic and energetic pose that increases energy in the body with your breath movement.

Urdhva Upavistha Konasana and Variations

• You can vary the pose by slightly bending your knees if you have tight hips or hamstrings.
• You can use the strap or block to lift your feet off the ground.
• Sit on the folded blanket to make yourself more comfortable to lift the legs.
• You can bring both feet closer, keeping your legs lifted.
• Do the Ardha Urdhva Upavistha Konasana (half upright seated angle pose), by lifting only one leg (right or left leg) by holding the big toe.

The Bottom Line

Urdhva Upavistha Konasana (Spinal column pose) or the Upward-facing seated wide-angle pose is an intermediate-level pose, and this needs good hip, thighs, and hamstring flexibility. Have patience and do this pose with focus and concentration to get the final version. Modify or choose the variation according to your comfort level. Initially do it under the guidance of the yoga teacher.

This gives you many benefits if done with coordination with the breath and engaging your core and leg muscles. Practice regularly and by respecting your body. This helps to calm your body and mind if done properly. For any health concerns consult your healthcare professional for guidance.

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