Viparita Dandasana (, ) or Inverted Staff Pose is an inverted back-bending

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

. It may be performed with both feet on the ground, or with one leg raised straight up.

Etymology and origins

The name of this asana comes from Sanskrit , "inverted", , "staff" symbolising authority and the devotee's prostration, and , "posture" or "seat". The variants are named for Sanskrit , "one" or , "two", and , "foot". The asana is not found in medieval

Hatha yoga Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...

texts. It is described in the 20th century by two of

Krishnamacharya Tirumala Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga as exercise, yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "Father of Modern ...

's pupils,

Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru who developed and popularized the vinyasa, flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yo ...

in his

Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga Ashtanga yoga (not to be confused with Patanjali's ''Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), aṣṭāṅgayoga'', the eight limbs of yoga) is a style of yoga as exercise popularised by K. Pattabhi Jois during the twentieth century, often promoted as a ...

, and

B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is the founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga ...

in his ''

Light on Yoga ''Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika'' (Sanskrit: योग दीपिका, "Yoga Dīpikā") is a 1966 book on the Iyengar Yoga style of modern yoga as exercise by B. K. S. Iyengar, first published in English. It describes more than 200 yoga postu ...

''.

Description

The asana is entered from lying on the back. The hands and feet are positioned close to the body as for upwards bow, and the body is lifted so the crown of the head can be rested on the floor. The legs are then straightened into the two-legged pose, Dvi Pada Viparita Dandasana, and the hands are arranged holding the head as for yoga headstand (Sirsasana). Alternatively, advanced students can enter the asana from Sirsasana, arching the back, lowering the legs to the floor, and then straightening the legs. The one-legged pose, Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana, can then be entered by raising one leg; the leg is held stretched straight out vertically. Advanced students can leave the asana by returning to Sirsasana. This asana is in the Advanced A Series of

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Ashtanga yoga (not to be confused with Patanjali's '' aṣṭāṅgayoga'', the eight limbs of yoga) is a style of yoga as exercise popularised by K. Pattabhi Jois during the twentieth century, often promoted as a dynamic form of medieval ha ...

Variations

The asana can be practised on an open-backed chair, its seat padded with a folded blanket. The asana is entered by sitting with the feet through the back of the chair, holding the chair's back, and leaning back into a reclining position with the back supported on the seat of the chair. A bolster or folded blankets may be used to support the head and relax the body if the neck feels compressed. A more strenuous asana for advanced students is Viparita Dandasana II, where the feet are brought towards the head until the ankles are grasped by the hands; the head is lifted. A variant of that is Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana II, with one leg lifted to point straight up. Chakra Bandhasana has the forearms on the floor and the hands grasping the heels.

References

Sources

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