Trianga Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana This pose stretches the hamstring muscle and limbers the knees and ankle. It is recommended for easing sciatica. Like most forward bends, it tones the digestive organs.
1 Sit in Seated Staff Posture (page 104), pressing the backs of the knees strongly to the floor.
2 Bend the right knee and bring the right foot beside the right hip. Lean to the left and take your right thumb to the top of your calf muscles. Use the thumb to roll the calf flesh out to the right, and iron it down toward the heel. Have the toes pointing straight back or slightly inward, with the tops of both the big and little toes touching the floor. Take care here, because having the toes pointing outward puts the knee at risk. Keep the thighbones parallel so the right knee is fairly close to the left knee.
3 Press down well through the right buttock so that your weight feels equally distributed between the sitting bones. If the right ankle hurts at this stage, practice Hero Pose (page 120).
4 Inhale and lengthen the front of the body. Let the chest lift as you draw in the area of the abdomen below the navel. Exhale and fold forward, keeping this length in the front of the torso. Hold the right wrist with the left hand beyond the foot. Rest the forehead or chin on the left shin beyond the knee.
5 Unhunch and broaden the shoulders so they feel relaxed even as they are working for you. Re-anchor well through the right sitting bone. Deepen the pose by bringing your chest forward and down. Hold for ten breaths.
6 Come up on an inhalation, then exhale and straighten the right leg to come back to Seated Staff Posture. Repeat on the other side.
GAZE Big toe.
BUILD-UP POSES Hero Pose, Double Leg Forward Stretch.
COUNTER POSES Cat Pose, East Stretch Posture.
LIGHTEN a) Place a folded blanket or a block under the left buttock bone. b) Place some padding under the top of the foot of the bent leg. c) Bend the knee of the leg extended out in front. d) Use a strap around the ball of the front foot.
EFFECT Calming, grounding.