This pose is not one of the easy ones and needs a certain level of practice to achieve perfection. The following steps has to be followed to complete this pose -
Start this pose by lying on your back with feet apart.
Now bend both your knees and place your feet flat on the floor near your buttocks.
After this place your palms under your shoulders with the fingers pointed towards the shoulders and the elbows shoulder width apart.
Now slowly inhale and press your palms on the floor.
Now lift your shoulders and head off the floor by straightening on your arms.
After this press your feet into the floor and then inhale and lift your hips up, rolling your spine off the floor to form a semi circular arch or wheel.
Then keep your legs and arms as straight as possible to lift your hips and chest up and then look behind.
Continue breathing normally and stay in this pose for about 2 to 4 breaths.
To release the pose exhale and slowly bend your elbows to lower your head, neck and then shoulders to the floor.
Then bend your knees to slowly roll your spine and hips back to the floor.
It is very important to relax for a while after doing this pose.
The main anatomical focus of this asana includes the spinal column and the muscles attached to the vertebrae, the muscles on the upper part of the abdomen, thighs and the calves.
This asana has therapeutic applications and helps to cure problems like stress, strain and anxiety. It helps to release all the tensions and keep the body and mind cool and calm.
There are several benefits of this pose and some of them are as follows -
This yoga can be beneficial for the introverts as while dong this pose the entire front part of the body is being stretched entirely while helps to open the heart which will work on the heart chakra.
It also helps to stretch the upper part of the abdominal muscles which in turn gives some pressure to the internal organs of the abdomen, thereby making them strong, flexible and more efficient.
This pose helps to stretch the muscles on the front part of the things and the calves and strengthens them and makes them more flexible. It will also help to strengthen the leg muscles.
This pose can be very beneficial for those who sit for long hours in front of their desk or computers which in turn will lead to hunching all day long. The backward bend in this pose helps to relieve the tension or stress from the body and helps in decreasing the ailments arising out of it.
It is very beneficial in toning and strengthening the entire back muscles.
It is also beneficial for the cardiovascular, glandular and nervous system.
It is good for people who are suffering from digestive or respiratory disorders as it helps to improve the functioning of the organs related to these systems.
It is also believed to have positive effects on hormonal secretions.
If you are a beginner you can hold on to this pose for about 15 seconds and then slowly increase it upto 2 minutes.
Even though it is a beneficial pose there are certain contraindications and cautions that one needs to be careful of. It should be avoided by people who have serious spinal column ailments like cervical and lumbar spondylities as it might worsen the situation. If a person does not have a flexible spine they should not overstress themselves or push their body in doing this pose. As this pose causes a deep arch to the spine, it is best to do a counter pose such as the Matsyasana or Fish pose to relieve any strain from the spine.
As a beginner this pose can be quite challenging hence ensure that your body has enough flexibility to perform this pose. Try some simple poses to improve the flexibility of the pose and initially do not focus on arching the spine but gaining steadiness and flexibility.
If you are experiencing tension in your lower back then you can try to lift the heels of the feet off the ground and thus balancing on the toes and palms. Also instead of focusing on arching the spine focus on maintaining steadiness and comfort in the pose and let go of the perception on how the ideal pose should look like. Start with a preparatory pose like Ardha Chakrasana if you feel that the body is not ready for the pose or does not have the required flexibility.
An important preparatory pose for this asana would be Adrha Chakrasana.
To relieve the tension of this pose you can follow it up by certain other poses like Forward bending postures like paschimottanasana, Makarasana or the Crocodile Pose and Shavasaba.