Halasana (Sanskrit: हलासन;IAST:halāsana) orPlough pose[1] is an invertedasana inhatha yoga and modernyoga as exercise. Its variations includeKarnapidasana with the knees by the ears, andSupta Konasana with the feet wide apart.
Etymology and origins
editThe name Halasana comes from Sanskrit हलाhala, "plough" and आसनāsana, "posture" or "seat".[2] The pose is described and illustrated in the 19th centurySritattvanidhi asLāṇgalāsana, which also means plough pose in Sanskrit.[3]
Karnapidasana is not found in the medievalhatha yoga texts. It is described independently inSwami Vishnudevananda's 1960Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga in theSivananda Yoga tradition, and byB. K. S. Iyengar in his 1966Light on Yoga, implying that it may have older origins.[4][5] The name comes from the Sanskrit wordskarṇa (कर्ण) meaning "ears",pīḍ (पीड्) meaning "to squeeze", andāsana (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat".[6]
The completed pose resembles a traditionalplough.
Lāṇgalāsana in theSritattvanidhi from theMysore Palace, before 1868
The health and beauty guruMarguerite Agniel in plough pose, c. 1928. Photograph byJohn de Mirjian
Description
editThe pose is entered fromSarvangasana (shoulderstand), lowering the back slightly for balance, and moving the arms and legs over the head until the outstretched toes touch the ground and the fingertips, in a preparatory variant of the pose. The arms may then be moved to support the back into a more vertical position, giving a second variant pose. Finally, the arms may be stretched out on the ground away from the feet, giving the final pose in the shape of a traditional plough.[4][7][8][9]
Variations
edit
Karnapidasana (ear-pressing pose) or Raja Halasana (royal plough pose) has the knees bent close to the head and grasped by the arms.[10]
Parsva Halasana (sideways plough) has the body vertical, the trunk twisted to one side, and legs out straight with the feet touching the ground (to that side).[10]
Supta Konasana (supine angle pose) has the legs as wide apart as possible, the toes on the ground, like an invertedUpavistha Konasana;[11] the fingertips may grasp the big toes.[10]
All these variations may be performed as part of a cycle starting fromSarvangasana (Shoulderstand).[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Anon (28 August 2007)."Plough Pose".Yoga Journal.
- ^Sivananda Saraswati (June 1985).Health and hatha yoga. Divine Life Society. p. 128.ISBN 978-0-949027-03-0.
- ^Sjoman 1999, p. 72.
- ^abIyengar 1979, pp. 216–219.
- ^Sjoman 1999, pp. 88, 92.
- ^Sinha, S. C. (1996).Dictionary of Philosophy. Anmol Publications. p. 18.ISBN 978-81-7041-293-9.
- ^"Halasana".Yoga Journal: 7. February 1983.ISSN 0191-0965.
- ^Robin, Mel (May 2002).A Physiological Handbook for Teachers of Yogasana. Wheatmark. p. 516.ISBN 978-1-58736-033-6.
- ^Robin, Mel (2009).A Handbook for Yogasana Teachers: The Incorporation of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Anatomy Into the Practice. Wheatmark. p. 835.ISBN 978-1-58736-708-3.
- ^abcdMehta, Mehta & Mehta 1990, pp. 111–115.
- ^"Supta Konasana". Yogapedia. Retrieved8 February 2019.
Sources
edit- Iyengar, B. K. S. (1979) [1966].Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika. Unwin Paperbacks.ISBN 978-1855381667.
- Mehta, Silva;Mehta, Mira; Mehta, Shyam (1990).Yoga: The Iyengar Way. Dorling Kindersley.
- Sjoman, Norman E. (1999) [1996].The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace. Abhinav Publications.ISBN 81-7017-389-2.