In yoga hanging baskets can injure your back
Bob winced when he saw it. Bob was at the garden store and he was looking at hanging baskets of flowers for sale. The hanging baskets reminded him of the yoga pose Uttanasana.
Whenever Bob attempted Uttanasana he looked like a hanging basket of flowers. He would fold forward and his arms would hang straight down towards the floor but they would not touch the floor.
Bob’s back would hurt every time he did this poses. The hanging basket version of Uttanasana can result in injury to your lower back muscles.
There are some things that Bob can do to protect himself in this pose.
What is Uttanasana
Uttanasana is a standing posture that is part of the Sun Salute A & B sequence. It is also a posture that you can do all by itself.
How do you do Uttanasana
— Start in Tadasana which is the beginning position for most standing posture. Stand tall, with your toes touching and a slight gap at your heels.
— Exhale, tip the top of your hips forward and down towards the floor.
— Lower your hands towards the floor
— Place your palms flat to the floor with the finger tips lining up with your toes.
— Lower your head and look through your legs towards the horizon.
— Hold here for several breaths.
— Inhale lift your head and chest, straighten your arms but leave your palms on the floor.
— Exhale, bring your hands to your hips and lift your torso to vertical.
— Release your hips and let your arms rest by your sides.
How does the hanging basket version happen
When you fold forward and your torso stops and your hands can not reach the floor, this is the hanging basket version.
Tight hamstrings and hip flexor muscles prevent the hips from tipping forward and down towards the ground.
Hanging there with your arms off of the the floor can result in a lot of stress to the muscles of your lower back.
How to avoid injuring your back in Uttanasana
When you fold forward and your hands do not come to the floor there are two options that you can use to protect your lower back from injury.
Option #1 – Bring your hands to your legs
As you tip your hips forward and lower your torso towards your thighs, bring your hands towards your thighs. Hold on to your thighs either just above or below the knees. Support your forward fold with your arms on your thighs. This will remove almost all of the stress from your lower back.
Do not place your hands directly on your knees. If you place your hands on your knees you could end up injuring them. Place your hands either just above or just below your knees.
Option #2 – Bend your knees
If when you do option #1 you find that your hands are coming closer to your ankles than your knees when you hold on to your legs then you should consider this option.
Bend your knees and place your hands on the floor beside your feet with your finger tips lining up with your toes.
Once your hands on the floor lift the hips slightly to get a comfortable stretch in the hamstring and hip flexor muscles.
Once again with this option you are supporting the torso with your hands on the floor this time and the pressure on the lower back muscles is removed.
Eventually as you continue to practice this posture you will move from option #1 to option #2 and then on to the full pose where you have your hands on the floor and your legs are straight.
Summary
Bob will stop wincing when he sees a hanging basket of flowers once he starts practicing Uttanasana using one of these two options:
— 1 – Rest your hands on your legs above or below your knees to support your torso and take pressure off of the lower back muscles.
— 2 – Bend your knees and bring your hands to the floor. Again you are supporting your torso and reliving the pressure on your lower back muscles.
Hanging baskets belong on your patio and not in a yoga pose.
Next Steps
Talk to your yoga teacher about which modification of Uttanasana that you should be doing.
I wondered if a third option to avoid stress would be to place the hands or fingertips on one or more blocks or pads in front of you on the floor, partially supporting your weight.