What muscles does Yoga pose Gate Pose Parighasana work?
Yoga pose Gate Pose Parighasana allows you to gently balance with grounded knees and feet while the upper body and chest get more space. The goal is to stretch the muscles in the body, especially between the ribs. The muscles between the ribs are weak due to poor posture. In Yoga pose Gate Pose (Parighasana), the torso is bent sideways, over the outstretched leg, which leads to a strong stretching of one side and a contraction of the other side of the abdomen.
By regularly practicing this yoga pose, we keep the abdominal organs and muscles healthy and strong, and the skin around the stomach will not relax over time but remain tight. Lateral spine bending positions help people who suffer from back stiffness. Also, Yoga pose Gate Pose (Parighasana) got its name from the gate It used to “experience freedom”.
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Step by step instruction
- We kneel on the ground with our ankles and knees together. To reduce the pressure on the knees, place a thinly folded blanket under them.
- Extend the right leg to the right side and press the right foot onto the ground. We hold the leg in line with the torso, and the right heel in line with the left knee.
- Slowly turn the right foot to the right side so that the toes and kneecap are directed towards the ceiling. If we can, lower the entire right sole to the ground; if not, press only the heel. We hold the whole right leg firmly, “locking” the right kneecap. The left thigh is as vertical as possible in relation to the ground, the left knee above the left hip.
- With an inhale, stretch your arms to the side and turn your palms down. We breathe two breath cycles in this yoga pose.
- With exhalation, bend the torso slightly to the right, above the right leg, and place the right hand on the right shin, ankle, or on the ground, on the outside of the right leg if there is a lot of pressure on it. We contract the right side of the torso and stretch the left side. got its name from the gate I used to “experience freedom”.
- We raise our left hand vertically, palm facing us, and throw it above the back of the left ear to the right side. Let’s look up, to the left. If we have neck problems, we look straight ahead, stretching both sides of the neck equally. When we are bent intensely to the side, the torso tends to lean forward in this final position. To correct this, press the left hip forward and open the front side of the torso, turning it slightly towards the ceiling.
- We stay in this position for 30-60 seconds, breathing normally.
- With an inhale, straighten the trunk, extending strongly through the upper arm. We bend the right leg and pull the right knee next to the left in the starting position. Let’s repeat on the other side with the same time delay in the final position.
Advanced variation Yoga pose Gate Pose (Parighasana)
The complete “Gate Pose (Parighasana)” represents a very deep and advanced lateral bending of the spine. From the starting positions described in points 1-4 above, we tilt and bend the torso to the right side above the real right leg. Let’s lower the right side of the torso as low as possible and closer to the right leg. We press the upper side of the right hand on the upper side of the right foot so that the palm is facing the ceiling and the right ear rests on the right upper arm.
Then transfer the left hand above the back of the left ear to the right side and rest the left palm on the right. Join them. In this position, the left ear will touch the left upper arm. We stay in this extreme position for 30-60 seconds. We exit the position as described in point 8 above.
Notes:
Beginners may have difficulty pressing and keeping the sole of the extended leg flat on the ground. There are two modifications for this: either we raise the area under the toes, the pads, on a bag of sand or a thinly folded blanket, or we work against the wall, pressing and resting the same area of the soles on the wall.
Therapeutic application:
- sciatica
Benefits of Yoga pose Gate Pose (Parighasana)
- stretches the sides of the trunk and spine
- stretches the hamstrings
- stretches and opens the shoulders
- stimulates internal organs and lungs
Contraindications, warnings and precautions:
The kneeling position may be more difficult for people with any knee injury. In this case, we perform the position sitting on a chair. The legs can either be in front of the body so that the knees form a right angle, or we can stretch one leg to the side and bend sideways towards it.
