Gate
PARIGHĀSANA (परिघासन)
(par-eegh-AHH-sah-nah)
1. Start in Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana), kneeling with your feet tucked under and your thighs over your calf muscles.
2. Engage your quadriceps and rise to your knees away from your heels. Make sure your hips, thighs, and knees are stacked over each other, that your knees are relatively hip distance apart, and that your back is straight. Your shins should be parallel to each other with the tops of your feet on the mat.
3. Continue to keep your back straight and make sure your shoulders are down and back. Extend your left leg out to the side and in line with your right knee. Your foot should be flat to the mat with your toes pointing to the side wall. Keep your right hip and knee stacked over each other and your foot straight back and flat to the mat.
4. Take a deep breath and press down through your right leg and knee. Exhale and start to bend to the left with your torso facing forward. As you do this, slide your left hand down your left leg to your shin, ankle, or foot (being sure not to rest your hand on your knee) and extend your right arm over your head with your fingers in Guyan Mudra or palms down.
5. Keep your shoulders down and your shoulder blades flat across the back.
6. Gaze up (or forward), keeping your chin off your chest, and your chest open. Feel the stretch through your right hip, up through your side, and through to the crown of your head.
7. Stretch through your legs and arms.
8. Hold the pose for several breaths and then slowly release and repeat on the other side.