Posture of the Month ~ August!

Standing Head to Knee Pose
Dandayamana Janushirasana

Concrete. One piece. Like a lampost. Un-broken.

​Standing Head to Knee Pose, aka. Dandayamana Janushirasana, is the first posture after our Warm-Up Series and is also the first of three postures that comprise the Standing (One-Legged) Concentration Series... - yeah those tricky ones early in the series!
There is no question.... SHTK is difficult AND still attainable!
We really start to ramp our heart rates up with this one and dial-in our mental game - it takes a lot of concentration, self-discipline, and balance!

Lock the Knee! Lock the Knee! Lock the Knee!

One of the very foundations of this posture is maintaining a locked knee of your standing leg throughout the posture. So, what exactly does it mean to lock your knee in the Bikram Method Hot Yoga series?

"Locking the knee" is an commonly misunderstood direction in the Bikram Hot Yoga classes, and it's crucial for proper form in many of our standing postures. It's important to note that "locking the knee" does not mean jamming your knee all the way back into hyper-extension! In the Bikram Method Series, the purpose of locking the knee is to create stability in your knee joint, stacking the joints to allow for strengthening of the hips, knees, ankles, and quadriceps. This action also releases the hamstring for deeper, safe stretching.

Okay... How?

To properly lock the knee, first contract the thigh muscle of your standing leg - you'll see your kneecap lift up in the mirror! Evenly distribute your weight throughout the standing leg foot to keep your ankle, knee, and hip in one line perpendicular to the floor. Stacking of the hip, knee and ankle joints with the kneecap pulled up and the quadriceps muscles contracted creates the strong, stable foundation we are looking for AND reduces the pressure in our joints! All leg muscles will engage, thigh muscle tight in contraction. When done correctly, locking the knee protects the knee joint and helps to strengthen all the muscles of our legs! 

You can tell {your knee} is locked, when you look in
the mirror at your knee and you see 
AN upside down smile in the skin over the knee.
- Bikram Choudhury

IMPORTANT:
Maintaining a locked knee is not required for the initial bend forward to pick up your foot in front of you. After you grab your foot, check-in with the standing leg knee - now, is it locked?! Keep it locked throughout the rest of the posture - keeping checking-in! Don't let this common misinterpretation hold you back from giving this posture your 100% effort from the very beginning!
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Okay, let's get started... 

If the standing knee is bending, the posture has not started yet.

Always feet together nicely to start. Now, bend your right knee up high, bend forward, reach out with both hands and interlock your fingers beneath the ball of the right foot. Hold it, nice and tight grip - don't lose the grip! Before you go any further, check in with your standing leg... is your knee locked? If not, lock it! Thigh muscles in contraction, see your kneecap lift up in the front mirror!

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​Unless contraindicated by injury, you should be bending forward to, at least, attempt to pick up your foot in this posture. Even if you lose your balance and fall out, even if you need to momentarily bend your standing leg knee to pick it up. This is where you start to gain the strength and balance you need to move forward. Don't get comfortable standing straight up with just your knee bent at thigh level.
​Make the first move, reach for that foot!

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Concentrate one point on your standing leg knee in the mirror throughout the posture. Stay here if your standing leg is bending. Only once your standing leg is solid, knee locked, raise the extended leg so that it’s exactly parallel to the floor - no higher, no lower. Your heel should be right in line with your hip - you're looking to create a 90-degree angle between both legs. Lock the knee of the extended leg.
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Flex your foot so your toes are facing you - learn to stretch your achilles tendon just above your heel. As you do this, you are also pushing your heel forward towards the mirror from the hip, as if you're trying to kick the mirror with your heel! Both legs are firm, both legs' quadriceps muscles tight and in contraction. If you fall out of the posture, just start again. It's expected! Take a breath, recenter yourself and get right back into it!

Your legs look like an upside-down capital letter "L" with a 90-degree angle between them. If, and only if, both legs are firm and both knees are locked do you move onto the next phase of the posture.
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Pull your belly in nice and tight to support your spine. Bend your elbows down towards the floor (not out like chicken wings!) and pull the ball of your foot towards you flexing your foot back towards your face. Keep kicking your heel forward! Thighs tight, both knees LOCKED! Be careful here - don't let your extended leg hip push back out of alignment - kick forward with all your might while maintaining your balance.

Do you see the upside down smiley face above the knee? Thigh muscle is in contraction!

​​If both legs are completely straight, both knees locked (and your elbows are below your calf muscle) then slowly bring your body down, tuck your chin to your chest and try to touch your forehead to your knee. Keep your stomach pulled in creating maximum compression on the abdominal wall! Hold it, eyes to your belly-button, and breathe. Straighten your arms slowly, bend your extended leg knee and bring it down. Feet together and arms to your side. Breathe, then repeat the posture on the other side!

Instructor Tip: keep your core engaged throughout
the posture to help with balance!
don't think you need to conserve your energy here.
the more work you put in the posture,
the easier the next postures will be.
​this is true throughout the series!
- Rachel

Standing Head to Knee Pose Benefits:

• develops patience, concentration, and self-discipline
• strengthens and firms legs, hips, back, arms, hand, and abdominal muscles
• stimulates abdominal organs promoting healthy digestion
• promotes healthy pancreatic function through deep compression of the pancreas
• challenges cardiovascular system, improving venous return and systemic circulation
• improves flexibility of sciatic nerve

That's a wrap for August's POTM - Standing Head to Knee Pose, Dandayamana Janushirasana. And whoa, this posture is definitely a challenge! We definitely begin to build a strong mind with this posture through the amount of concentration required. Remember, as long as you're trying the right way, you'll get the 100% benefit - always form over depth.

Is SHTK your favorite posture or your nemesis posture?! We'd love to know!