How To Do Side Lunge (Skandasana) in Yoga: Tips, Technique, Correct Form, Benefits and Common Mistakes

Side Lunge or Skandasana is a beginner-level hip-opening asana that’s meant to stretch your hips and hamstrings. It is a comparatively easy train, making it good for newcomers. The finest time to carry out it’s earlier than a exercise.

Skandasana is often practiced as one pose in a sequence of flowing yoga poses. It can, nonetheless, even be carried out as a stand-alone stretching train.

Skandasana is made up of two phrases, ‘Skanda’ which means warrior’s place whereas getting ready for an assault, and “Asana” which means pose. Some beliefs counsel that Skanda can also be the title of Lord Shiva’s son Kartikeya, who is called the God of War.

Side Lunge or Skandasana: Technique and Correct Form

Follow these steps to carry out Skandasana within the right method:

• Start the Skandasana by stepping into the Prasarita Padottanasana (also referred to as the Wide-Legged Forward Bend).
• Assume the half-squat place by bending your proper knee.
• Your proper leg ought to be straight and your foot bent in a method that your toes get lifted off the bottom as you root into the left heel.
• Maintaining a straight backbone, pull your hips again and root into the left heel.
• If you might be unable to stability your physique, use your arms to take action by retaining them on the ground.
• You can even bend your elbows to get into the Anjali mudra pose.
• Hold the pose for a number of seconds after which progressively return to the central place the place you began the asana.
• Repeat the asana together with your left leg.

Tips for Beginners

It is advisable to go sluggish in case you are a newbie; attempting to perform this pose in a single go might lead to damage. The knees take loads of strain whereas shifting weight from one leg to a different; favor to go sluggish right here.

Preparatory Poses

Perform the next preparatory poses earlier than Skandasana to acquire the utmost profit from the facet lunge pose:

• Virabhadarasana I (Warrior Pose I): It will assist hone your stability and leg power.
• Prasarita Balasana (Wide Child Pose): This will stretch your hips and hip flexors. The opening of the hips will assist the hip flexors achieve higher mobility and power.
• Standing Side Lunge Pose with Hands on Hips: This pose will assist strengthen your hip flexors and knees.
• Utkatasana (Chair Pose): This pose strengthens your gluteus maximus and knees.
• Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose): This will assist open your hips with the exterior rotation.
• Malasana On Tiptoes (Garland Pose On Tiptoes): This pose will enhance your calves and hamstring power.

Benefits of Side Lunge or Skandasana

Practicing Skandasana often will give you the next advantages:

1) Improves The Flexibility of Your Lower Body

The Skandasana loosens up the muscle tissue of your decrease physique. The muscle tissue which are focused embody hip muscle tissue, pelvic muscle tissue, hamstrings, and calves.

2) Strengthens Your Muscles

Your abdominis and obliques are focused by the fitting and left actions of your physique. This will assist strengthen your core.

3) Strengthens Ankle and Knee Joints

The Skandasana pose will can help you strengthen your ankle and knee joints because it places strain on them. This additionally helps enhance blood circulation to those joints.

4) Helps Fight Stress and Anxiety

The Skandasana pose helps enhance blood circulation to all main physique components like your neck, head, shoulders, and so forth. Good circulation throughout all physique components induces a relaxing impact and helps battle stress and anxiousness.

5) Improves Respiration

Skandasana and its variations assist enhance your respiration as they require you to bend your torso and stretch the muscle tissue current between the ribs (also referred to as intercostal muscle tissue). Thus, your lungs get extra room to increase and you’ll breathe higher.

6) Helps Open Up the Hip Joint

If carried out often, the pose will make it easier to open up the hip joint. This is very useful for these with tight hips resulting from lengthy hours of sitting. A robust hip joint is required in 180-degree stretch poses, just like the monkey pose (also referred to as Hanumanasana).

Common Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

• Hinge ahead on the hip joints whereas retaining them sq. and aligned together with your ankles fairly than twisting.
• Your abs should be engaged and your backbone straight.
• It is widespread to twist your knees in Skandasana, so make sure that to keep away from it.

Safety and Precautions

Like most different yoga poses for newcomers, Skandasana is protected to apply. Keep in thoughts the next factors to make sure that you don’t put stress on main muscle teams:

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• Avoid Skandasana when you’ve got any unhealed accidents to your ankle joints, knee joints, or hip joints.
• Discuss the asana together with your physiotherapist earlier than including it to your exercise routine in case you are doing bodily remedy for any well being situation.
• If you’re feeling sharp ache in any a part of the physique whereas practising the asana, gently come out of the pose and seek the advice of a physiotherapist earlier than resuming it.