CROSS BAR OF THE GATE POSE
Look closely and you can see that there are several overlapping stories in Parighasana. First, it is a side bend that flexes the trunk over the leg. Second, it is a hip opener that stretches the muscles at the front of the bent-leg pelvis. Balancing along a line between the straight and bent legs also teaches poise. Refine equilibrium by pressing the top of the bent-leg foot and the sole of the straight-leg foot into the mat.
Remember that stability originates from the pelvic core, with the gluteals engaging on one side and the psoas contracting on the other. This produces a bandha across the pelvis, tightening the sacroiliac ligaments to create a “wringing” effect (known as ligamentotaxis) that grounds the pose.
Engage the straight-leg quadriceps to extend the knee and the calf muscles to press the sole of the foot into the mat. Similarly, activate the bent-leg side quadriceps and tibialis anterior to press the top of the foot into the floor. Actively pressing the feet into the floor creates a strong foundation, which connects the bones of the legs to the pelvis, stabilizing it.
BASIC JOINT POSITIONS
Use a side bend to stretch the spinal rotators and oblique abdominals; this helps to prepare the muscles of the torso. Another pose that can be used for this is Parighasana I with a belt, which also stretches the side body.
Place the feet as shown, and raise the arms to open the chest; this aids with balance. Then activate the hip flexors to draw the torso over the straight leg, leaning into the pose. Remember to breathe. Brace the body to prepare to come up by firming the upper-side abdominals and bent-leg side gluteals. Carefully come out of the pose.
STEP 1 Engage the quadriceps to straighten the knee. A cue for emphasizing this action is to lift the kneecap toward the pelvis. The tensor fascia lata aids to extend the knee and stabilizes it. Press the sole of the foot into the mat by contracting the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. If the sole won’t go flat on the floor, slightly bend the knee, place the foot on the mat, and hold it there by pressing the ball of the foot down. This engages the calf muscles. Then contract the quadriceps to straighten the leg.
Activating the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles plantar flexes the foot and produces reciprocal inhibition of the tibialis anterior at the front of the lower leg, allowing it to lengthen into the stretch. Press the ball of the foot into the mat and spread the weight evenly across the sole by engaging the peroneus longus and brevis muscles. Balance this action with a gentle inversion force at the ankle by contracting the tibialis posterior. These actions combine to lift the arch of the foot.
STEP 2 Gently engage the bent-leg quadriceps to press the top of the shin into the mat. Because the rectus femoris portion of the quadriceps crosses the hip, contracting it connects the front of the lower leg to the pelvis, stabilizing it. Next, squeeze the buttocks to activate the gluteus maximus, extending the hip and lengthening the structures at the front of the pelvis. Plantar flex the ankle by contracting the gastrocnemius and soleus to point the toes and stretch the muscles at the front of the lower leg, including the tibialis anterior and toe extensors. Balance this with eccentric contraction of the tibialis anterior by pressing the top of the foot into the mat.
STEP 3 Flex the hip by contracting the psoas and its synergists, the pectineus and sartorius. The tensor fascia lata along with the rectus femoris synergizes this action. The psoas not only flexes the hip, but also tilts the pelvis slightly forward, drawing the lumbar spine towards the leg.
STEP 4 Slightly arch the lower back to engage the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum; use these same back muscles on the lower side to laterally flex the trunk. The psoas major synergizes the action of the quadratus lumborum on the lumbar spine. Engage the lower-side oblique abdominals to draw the trunk further over the straight leg.
STEP 5 Straighten the arms by activating the triceps. Engage the anterior and lateral portions of the deltoids to lift the upper arm bones (the humeri) over the head. This is forward flexion of the shoulders. Externally rotate the shoulders with the posterior deltoids and the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles. Then draw the scapulae away from the neck by activating the lower third of the trapezius. Finally, add the pronators teres and quadratus to create a “coiling” effect up and down the arms. The cue for this action is to press the mounds at the base of the index fingers together. Note how this rotates the forearms in the opposite direction of the shoulders (which externally rotate), producing ligamentotaxis through the elbows.
STEP 6 Attempt to drag the bent-leg knee toward the foot of the extended leg on the mat. The knee will not actually move because it is constrained on the mat; however, this cue activates the adductors on the bent-leg side and the hamstrings on the straight-leg side. Balance these forces to draw the energy up into the pelvis.
SUMMARY All these actions combine to stretch the straight-leg gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and tibialis anterior. The erector spinae on the upper side of the trunk, as well as the oblique abdominals, lengthen from lateral flexion of the trunk. The tensor fascia lata and gluteus medius on the bent-leg side also stretch. Remember that these muscles are abductors of the hips. The form of Parighasana creates a net adduction (or drawing toward the midline) of the bent leg. This stretches the abductors, as shown. Contracting the adductors in Step 6 produces reciprocal inhibition of the tensor fascia lata and gluteus medius, allowing them to lengthen into the stretch.