Janusirsasana: Asymmetrical Opening from the Hips and Pelvic Structure into the Spine Reducing Tension and Improving Health of Lower Back

Here are two different arm positions for Janusirsasana. Applied appropriately this pose can really be great for your lower back. One of the reasons is that you are stretching the muscles of your lower back asymmetrically. On the side of the body with the knee bent you are opening from the outer hip and inner thigh into the lower back in a way that helps you open the muscles that encase the kidney region on the outside of the lower back. One of those muscles is the Quadratus Lumborum. On the side where the leg is straight you are opening from the back of the leg, the hamstring muscles, into the lower back. If you do both sides evenly this angle on the lower back can be very beneficial to the health of your spine because you get a more complete opening by adding muscles farther away from the spine that attach to the Illium (major hip bone) of the pelvic structure. You are also lengthening one side of the spine a little more than the other so there is a little bit of lateral extension in the posture and then you are rotating a little towards the straightened leg so there is an slight amount of rotation in the spine. This adds to the asymmetrical quality of the pose and is also part of what makes the pose so good for the health of your lower back as long as you do not push beyond your capabilities while going into the posture. When you feel the opening in the pose you are far enough and you want to be able to relax while working in the pose so that you can enjoy the benefits you are getting while you are in the posture.



This second arm variation helps emphasize the asymmetrical nature of the pose by making bent knee side lengthen more than it would with the first arm variation.