Tips for Working on Kapotasana
Kapotasana is another one of those very difficult postures in the Second Series of the Ashtanga yoga sequence laid out by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
So often I have been asked, “how can I work on Kapotasana without the help of a teacher?”
I too mostly have practiced on my own for the past 20 years. I learned to use the wall to help deepen many postures and it works wonderfully for Kapotasana.
Some important things to remember:
Keep your legs strong and as straight as possible while on your knees.
Keep the tops of your feet rooted to the floor, do your best to connect the tops of all five toes and anchor your feet firmly down.
Avoid allowing your knees to move out or your feet to move closer together. Keep your legs super steady and firm.
Be sure to keep lifting out of your lower back by working the chest upwards while you are taking the hands back to the wall. At no point should you feel a pinching or collapse in the lower lumbar area or in the low back muscles.
Only walk the hands down as far as you can keep breathing and lifting out of your lower back.
Keep pushing the wall away and straightening the arms to open the upper back and feel the sensation behind or in the sternum and upper back / chest area.
Most importantly, remember this takes time. Be patient. Work slowly and diligently and over months and years it will gradually open up without causing pain to your lower back.
Most of all, enjoy the journey with this posture! It shouldn’t be something that wakes you up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat! If you approach it gradually and slowly without forcing or rushing, you will find a joy and ease in the new openings you discover.
Now it’s your turn….
Ask a question or post a comment below. Let me know if you tried this method, any problems that may have come up or what you discovered.
