Purvottan asana. why point the fingers towards the feet?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

purvottan asana. why point the fingers towards the feet?

i haven’t been able to find a good answer for this. my students prefer to point there fingers the other way because it’s easier. i tell them it’s for the benefit of their shoulders and wrists that they should point them toward their feet. am i right?

thanks,
wim

#2

I know when i started yoga pointing them towards feet made the inside of my wrist have lots of pressure which at that point didnt feel good. Also then I searched in books and all books i came across had them backwards and not forward.

However i just tried it and now there is not that same tension on my wrists now when doing it possible because im more flexible now. I guess whatever feels good is ok but i prefer holding them backwards because im used to it. I think however if a stiff person gets tension in the inside of the wrists by doing it, it should be avoided to avoid possible injury further on. And i guess some of your students are stiffer than normal.

In the end i think whatever feels good for the practitioner is up to the practitioner to judge. but holding them backwards is definitely not wrong. Let them do backwards if that feels better for them.

#3

its useful for spinal muscles and its helpful to shape up ur belly.

#4

[QUOTE=wim;80821]my students prefer to point there fingers the other way because it’s easier. [/QUOTE]

huh. I can [I]only[/I] point my fingers towards the feet in this pose. I find pointing backwards very difficult.

#5

Missi then do what feels best as that is best for you. We all have different stiffness.

#6

thanks to all that posted a reply.

another example of this is prasarita padonttan asana A. kukkut asana, dand asana etc.

is it right to change a posture because it ‘feels better’? or should we follow the instruction in every detail trusting that ultimately we are doing the right thing for our bodies?

to fakeyogis;
what do you mean with ’ missi ’ ?

thanks,
wim

#7

wim,

These are both good positions and you need not choose one over the other, although they do cause a different type of engagement. Fingers back engages more deeply muscles in the back and buttocks, fingers pointed forward, more the abdomenals and chest. I do fingers pointing back after pashimothanasan, and like to do fingers pointing forward at other times: after sitting in padmasana for extended periods for example.

hope that helps,

siva

#8

I meant to missi but forgot the , or the @.

#9

many thanks siva. your answer helps a lot, as usual.

:slight_smile:

wim

#10

[QUOTE=siva;80925]wim,

These are both good positions and you need not choose one over the other, although they do cause a different type of engagement. Fingers back engages more deeply muscles in the back and buttocks, fingers pointed forward, more the abdomenals and chest. I do fingers pointing back after pashimothanasan, and like to do fingers pointing forward at other times: after sitting in padmasana for extended periods for example.

hope that helps,

siva[/QUOTE]

  • 1

Cheers ,peace