Gate Pose: Parighasana

Gate pose (Parighasana in Sanskrit):

Like a bar or beam (parigha) used to latch a gate closed, the arms lock in a deep side bend over your extended leg in Gate Pose. As the name suggests, parighasana makes you steady and strong.

Yoga, which means union (yuj), brings equilibrium. In hatha yoga we first find balance in the physical body, balance follows in the mind, emotions, and spirit. Often people focus on the front plane of the body, as we regularly and look in mirrors and face outward into the world. We can bend backwards to counter stretch this forward-focus and also develop a side-body stretching practice and awareness. Side-opening brings a sense of wholeness and adds an omni-dimensional quality to the breath.

• Opens the sides of the body and greatly helps tone the abdominals and intercostals, increasing lung capacity for full deep breath. Lengthening the intercostal muscles improves breathing; Parighasana helps improve respiratory problems.
• Improves circulation and increases spinal flexibility.
• Benefits of a gentle twist (essential to maintaining level shoulders and opening the rib cage).
• Gate pose stretches the groins, which square forward as you bend to each side.
• Gate pose is great all levels of yoga students- it can be practiced with different levels of intensity and modification.

How to do Parighasana:

• Cushion your knees and find a kneeling stand (hips directly over knees)
• Bring hands to hips- keep hips square to the front of the mat.
• Step your right leg out to the side; ground the outer edge of right foot.
• Inhale your left arm up and open as you slide your right hand down right leg
• Try 5 rounds of conscious yogic breath.
• Return hands to hips and return to a kneeling stand.
• Repeat on the 2nd side by stepping left leg out- Lift right arm up and open as you slide left hand down left leg.
• Breathe!