Visvamitrasana: A Complete Guide for Advanced Yogis

Visvamitrasana at a Glance

How to Do Visvamitrasana?
Follow the Step-by-Step Procedure

This being a peak pose, warm-up and proper preparatory poses are very important to do before you step into the Visvamitrasana pose. you can also start with a side-angle pose.

1. Do the Preparatory poses like- Utthita Parsvakonasana, Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, and Parivrtta Upavistha Konasana pose, and also do some hip opening and hamstring opening poses.
2. Start with the Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog) pose. Be in this pose, stretch yourself, with your hands shoulder-width distance and legs hip-width distance.
3. Take a deep breath and bring your right foot in the front, (right leg or front leg) outside of the right palm (outer edge) and place it on the mat.
4. Now turn your left foot outward (toes pointing outside), inhale, and lift your left arm stretch and lower the left arm and place it in line with the right palm.
5. Now slowly bend your right elbow and tuck your right shoulder underneath the right knee or right calf and bring the right palm behind the right foot.
6. Now keep the left foot (back foot) firm on the mat, grounded and active, now your right hand holds the body weight.
7. Now inhale and hole your right foot with your left hand and balance on your right arm and your left foot get ready for the final posture.
8. Exhale and extend your right foot straight toward your right with the help of the left hand your body weight in this position is on the right side.
9. Your left side of the body gets a good stretch from the heel to the left fingertips and your head is also on the right side to keep your core engaged.
10. breathe deeply and hold this pose for a few breaths feel the stretch and gaze up at a comfortable space.
11. Now once you are about to release, slowly turn your head down lower your foot down, and come down to the downward pose.
12. Once you are ready do it on the other side, bringing your left foot forward and extending your right leg, following the same procedure.

What are the Benefits of Visvamitrasana?

• Practicing Visvamitrasana helps to stretch and tone the biceps and triceps, the hamstrings, and the inner thigh muscles.
• This pose helps to open your chest, your shoulders, and your hips.
• It strengthens your knees, ankles, shoulders, feet, and your back.
• It helps to increase the flexibility of your arms, legs, your hips, calf muscles, and your entire body.
• This helps to activate your Muladhara chakra (root chakra).
• This pose helps to improve blood circulation and helps remove toxins from your body.
• This helps to strengthen your core muscles, and tone and make them more flexible.
• Regular practice can help to stimulate the digestive system.
• This helps to enhance your body awareness and also your breathing capacity.
• This improves your balance, patience, focus, and concentration.

Health Conditions that Might Benefit from Visvamitrasana

• Regular practice of this pose can help enhance your bone health, by the absorption of more calcium from your blood and makes them strong.
• As this pose helps to open up your chest, it expands and helps to breathe more and improves the lung capacity.
• This pose can help to reduce the stiffness of your entire body parts and enhance flexibility.
• This helps to massage your abdominal organs which helps keep you away from bloating and constipation issues and keeps your digestive system healthy.
• By practicing this pose, you can get rid of the extra fat in your waist and hip area.
• This can also improve your body posture and keep you away from lower back pain.
• This can improve your mental and physical health by improving your focus and patience.
• This can also be helpful for mild sciatica pain.

Safety and Precautions

• If you have any issues with your hamstring muscles, should avoid them or consult your doctor.
• Individuals with any injury to their, neck, back, shoulders, wrist, or ankle should avoid it.
• People with high blood pressure should avoid it and consult their health care professional.
• Prepare your body by doing the appropriate preparatory poses.
• Keep your left leg stable and active.
• Always do this pose under the guidance if this is the initial stage.
• Make sure not to hurry into the pose, avoid forcing, and come out gradually from the pose, when you exit.

Common Mistake

• Let your breath be flowing throughout the pose.
• Avoid doing this pose after your meals, do it in the mornings.
• Please be aware of your body sensations, feel if you have any pain or discomfort, and don’t exceed your physical limits.
• Avoid letting your hips fall too much forward or backward.
• Avoid collapsing your shoulders.
• Keep your core engaged to maintain the proper balance and stability.
• If you feel any pain, consult your yoga trainer.

Tips for Visvamitrasana

• Initially, you can start by just lifting your hands or using a support as this is an advanced arm balance.
• Do the hip opening and some splits to make this pose easy.
• Initially do it under the guidance of the yoga teacher.
• Do warm-up poses like wide-legged standing forward bend. warrior pose and tikonasana pose.
• Always do this pose following the physical alignment procedure.
• Start gradually, be consistent and patient and gradually get into the final pose.
• You can use props (blocks or straps) under the guidance of your yoga trainer to make it accessible.

Physical Alignment Principles for Visvamitrasana

• The right hand should be grounded and have strong support to take up the body weight (arms differ on which side you are doing this pose).
• The thighs of your right leg should be pressing against the triceps of the right arm and if it is your left leg it should be pressing against the triceps of the left arm.
• Your left leg should be straight, hip to left heel in one line and keep the soul of your foot flat on the floor, pressing against the ground.
• Brace your arm against your inner left thigh.
• From the inner edges of your pubic bone, reach back to the inner edges of your sitting bones.
• Your left or right leg (on which side you are doing the asana) hamstrings are stretched.
• Your body should be tilted on the right side and rolled upward if your right leg is lifted, and your body should be tilted on the left side and rolled upward if your left leg is lifted.
• Your top arm elbow is bent and the elbow points upward.
• The grounded hand should be firm, fingers spread wide, pressing the floor away.
• Hips lifting and keeping the hips squared.
• Lifted leg, externally rotated, squeezing in against arm.
• Keep your core engaged, obliques lifting the side body.
• Keep your shoulder blades engaged and lengthen your spine.
• Keep your chest broad and let your chest be open.
• Your head would be turned upward facing the sky.
• Gaze at a comfortable space.

Visvamitrasana and Breath

Breathe evenly, throughout the pose to maintain the stability of the pose. Our core and shoulders are stressed, tensed, and collapse when we work for a longer period sitting on our desks. Coordinating Visvamitrasana with your breath can clear your mental and physical blocks.

Take deep breaths while you are in the Downward facing dog pose and relax your body. Inhale deeply and come to the first step up. Keep breathing elongate your spine and lengthen your arms. Inhale and lift your right leg forward to your right side and while you exhale lift and straighten your leg with the opposite arm on the right side keep your breath flowing gently and feel the stretch.

 When you release the pose, Inhale deeply bring your legs to the ground keep breathing, and bring your arms down and feel the stretch. Your breath will release the stress and tension in your body and give you a feeling of calmness with your breath.

Visvamitrasana and Variations

• Initially, to make it easy and comfortable you can use props like yoga straps and yoga blocks to do this pose.
• You can also do this pose by using the chair for support.
• Do the Ardha VisVamitrasana pose, in which one leg is placed on the floor, supporting the knee
• Utthita Parsvakonasana – The left leg is straight the right leg is 90 degrees and the right hand is placed near the inner side of the right foot.
• Side Plank pose.
• Gate pose.
• Side plank variation, right or left knee on the floor.

The Bottom Line

This is a challenging pose that gives importance to balance, focus, and stretch. This pose demands a good flexibility level and can be achieved by consistent practice to reach the final version of the pose. People with any health concerns should consult their doctor. Students doing this pose for the first time should do it under the guidance of their yoga teacher. this is a good shoulder opener and gives a good hamstring stretch.

Follow the physical alignments respect your body and progress gradually and safely Coordinate the movement with your breath and will help to let go of your stress and anxiety and give you the feeling of calm and peace in your body and mind. This will improve your patience level.

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