Hanumanasana

Pronunciation: hah-nah-mahn-AWS-ahna

Translation: In Sanskrit, Hanumanasana means monkey pose. It is a posture in honor of the Monkey God Hanuman who is the hero in the Indian tale Ramayana. Hanuman, out of devotion and love, saved his beloved Rama's wife Sita from a demon by effort beyond human possibility. Hanumanasana is a most intense stretch, and when you learn to do it, you will feel your super powers. The shape of the pose imitates the great leap in the air taken by Hanuman, the Monkey King or Monkey God.

Feel the pose intensely in the hamstrings. Hanumanasana is a forward splits as the back leg extends behind you while the front leg flexes. There is a balancing action there, in between the pulling of the hips in which you find alignment of the sacrum and spine in the center. Feel  opposite pulling from two directions while reaching to the fullest, while in balance, is a metaphor for living. We can bring this quality along with love and devotion of the self to our practice. Remember and know the self as not separate from the oneness of all. As we bow down to ourselves, we bow down to everything in existence.

Technique: Start kneeling on a bare floor. This pose opens and develops your hip flexors and groin muscles.  It requires extending one leg forward and the other backward.   The leg you extend forward is called the front leg, and either leg will do to start.

Align your pelvis so that it is perpendicularly facing your front leg. For most people the full pose where the sit bones descend to the floor requires more hamstring stretch than they yet have.   If this is true for you, we suggest that you position a prop such as one or two foam yoga blocks under your sit bones to provide support and elevate your pelvis to a height that allows you to work on the pose.

Start with both legs bent.   Slowly extend the front leg forward. Extend the leg so that the outer side of the leg and foot touch the floor.  Rotate the leg so it is facing up and you are on the heel of your front leg.   Using your quadriceps muscle, pull up the kneecap of the front leg.   This will help protect the knee from possible injury.

Lean forward with your upper body. Press your hands to the floor on either side of your front leg.

Pause at this point. You are in a lunge variation of Hanumanasana. You can have extended arms over your front leg, your front leg is extended, your back leg kneeling. Bring that front heel forward and away from you. Your spine is long and lifted in a straight line off the floor and over the front leg. Beginners may want to go only this far.

Next swing your other leg back behind you, extending it while keeping the pelvis squarely facing the forward leg.  Bring the back knee away from your body. The back knee should face the floor as your front knee faces the ceiling. After the back leg is fully extended use its quadriceps to pull its kneecap up as well.

If the pose is too difficult, try putting one or two blocks under your sit bones, sitting on them. Use the wider face of the block on the floor and then stack a second block onto that face, if you need the height. Let the blocks support your torso by holding your pelvis off the floor. You can use a bolster or a firmly rolled blanket under your pelvis if you prefer. Which prop to choose depends on how open your hamstrings are in the moment, and how high off the floor you need to be to feel the stretch yet feel comfortable enough to stay in the pose and work it.

Repeat on the other side after you complete the posture.

Fine Tuning

Continually adjust the hips so they as even as possible, meaning side by side. Your back hip will want to lag backwards as your front hip will naturally go forward.   Try to counteract this. Meanwhile, extend both legs away from your body. The feet are aligned so they don't lean to either side.

Bring up your sternum and chest, proudly, like a warrior. A friend can pull your arms up or you can
lift them up with straight elbows, palms extended and facing in. Alternatively, place the hands in
the “Namaste” prayer position at the chest. Hold the pose for at least six to eight breaths. To come out of the posture, place your hands on the floor in front of your pelvis and rotate the front leg to the outside. Bring the front leg and then the back leg out of the posture.

Benefits

Hanamanasana stretches much of the body including hamstrings, thighs, the belly, opening groins. It also effects the upper torso too, and even brings fresh blood to the internal organs. You get deep hip opening, and it can be overly challenging if your hips are tight, so go to your edge but not beyond it. Use props; like blocks, blankets or bolsters, to support you so your hips are not all the way on the floor.

 
Contraindications and Cautions

•    Do not do this pose if you have any groin, hip or hamstring injuries

•    Do not do the pose if you have sciatica.

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