The Sanskrit word shashank means 'moon' -
hence the name of the asana. It is also
commonly called the hare pose because in the
final position it imitates a bounding hare.
One often wonders why it is called the moon
pose for it does not appear to have any obvious
connection or resemblance to the moon.
However, the reason is simple. The word
shashank is derived from the two words shash,
which means 'hare' and ank, which means 'lap'.
Why? Because it is said that the dark patches
on a full moon resemble the shape of a hare
with the moon in its lap. We leave this to the
reader's imagination.
There is another reason for the name the
moon pose. The moon symbolizes calmness
and peace. It emits soothing vibrations, and
who among us has not felt tranquility when
gazing at the moon? Shashankasana is a
wonderful practice for dissolving even the most
overwhelming anger.
Basic technique
Place a blanket or thin rug on the floor. Sit in vajrasana. Place the hands on the knees and comfortably straighten the back. Relax the whole body. Close the eyes. Inhale and at the same time slowly raise the arms, keeping them straight. The inhalation and movement should be slow. At the end of inhalation the arms should be vertically above the head; those who wish can move their arms a little further behind the head accentuating the stretch of the chest. Slowly exhale and bend forwards. The arms, trunk and head should remain in one line. At the end of exhalation the forehead and arms should rest on the floor in front of the knees (see picture). Those who find this impossible should lean forward as far as is comfortable. Relax the whole body taking care that the arms are fully relaxed. Breathe slowly and deeply. Be aware of the breath and the rhythmical pressure of the abdomen against the thighs. Breathing in feel the abdomen rising against the thighs. Breathing out feel the abdomen moving away from the thighs. This is the final position. Stay in the final position for a comfortable length of time. Then inhale and raise the trunk and arms to the vertical position. Slowly exhale and lower the arms and return to the starting position.
Breathing, awareness and duration
Inhale while raising the arms from the starting position. Exhale while lowering the arms and trunk to the final pose. Breathing should be deep and slow in the final position. Inhale while raising the arms and trunk. Exhale while returning to the starting position. The breath should be synchronized with the physical movements. One should be aware throughout the practice. While moving from the starting position to the final pose and when returning to the starting position, be fully aware of the breath and movement. In the final position be aware of the breath. Beginners should slowly increase the duration in the final pose until they can comfortably hold it for about three minutes. Those who wish to calm their anger and frayed nerves should especially increase the time spent in the final position.
Mistakes to avoid
Many people fail to keep their head, arms and trunk in one straight line when lowering themselves to the final position. If possible the arms and forehead should touch the floor at about the same time. The head, arms and trunk should also remain in one line when raising the body from the final pose. Often the arms are kept straight in the final pose. This is incorrect for it means that the body is not fully relaxed.
Benefits
Shashankasana is a reasonably simple asana yet it gives many benefits. Most people have very stiff backs. Shashankasana stretches the back muscles and separates the individual vertebrae from each other. This releases pressure on the discs that keep the vertebrae apart. Often nerve connections emanating from the spinal cord are squeezed by these discs giving rise to various forms of backache and sciatica. The separation of the discs during shashankasana helps to relieve these pains and encourage the discs to resume their correct locations. The stretch imparted to the back muscles removes sluggish and depleted blood. On completing the asana fresh blood is soaked up into the muscles in the same way that water is absorbed by a sponge. This regenerates both the back muscles and the all important spinal nerves. The deep breathing in the final position applies a gentle yet powerful massage to the abdominal organs. As such this asana is very useful in helping to remove and prevent various abdominal disorders such as constipation and indigestion. This asana tones the pelvic organs and is found beneficial in alleviating sexual disorders. Women will find this asana advantageous. All of us become angry. It takes a mere second to feel anger but far longer to regain normality. Deep and slow breathing helps to calm anger. Shashankasana induces this and quickly brings about relaxation. Breath awareness accentuates this process by withdrawing our thoughts away from the cause of our anger. The by-product of emotional upsets such as anger is over-stimulation of the adrenal glands. These two glands inject adrenaline directly into the bloodstream causing over-activity of the bodily functions and stress. Shashankasana regulates these organs, helping to bring about a relaxed mind and body. This is a very comfortable asana. In fact it is so comfortable that we know of some people who can sleep in this pose and often do.
Basic technique
Place a blanket or thin rug on the floor. Sit in vajrasana. Place the hands on the knees and comfortably straighten the back. Relax the whole body. Close the eyes. Inhale and at the same time slowly raise the arms, keeping them straight. The inhalation and movement should be slow. At the end of inhalation the arms should be vertically above the head; those who wish can move their arms a little further behind the head accentuating the stretch of the chest. Slowly exhale and bend forwards. The arms, trunk and head should remain in one line. At the end of exhalation the forehead and arms should rest on the floor in front of the knees (see picture). Those who find this impossible should lean forward as far as is comfortable. Relax the whole body taking care that the arms are fully relaxed. Breathe slowly and deeply. Be aware of the breath and the rhythmical pressure of the abdomen against the thighs. Breathing in feel the abdomen rising against the thighs. Breathing out feel the abdomen moving away from the thighs. This is the final position. Stay in the final position for a comfortable length of time. Then inhale and raise the trunk and arms to the vertical position. Slowly exhale and lower the arms and return to the starting position.
Breathing, awareness and duration
Inhale while raising the arms from the starting position. Exhale while lowering the arms and trunk to the final pose. Breathing should be deep and slow in the final position. Inhale while raising the arms and trunk. Exhale while returning to the starting position. The breath should be synchronized with the physical movements. One should be aware throughout the practice. While moving from the starting position to the final pose and when returning to the starting position, be fully aware of the breath and movement. In the final position be aware of the breath. Beginners should slowly increase the duration in the final pose until they can comfortably hold it for about three minutes. Those who wish to calm their anger and frayed nerves should especially increase the time spent in the final position.
Mistakes to avoid
Many people fail to keep their head, arms and trunk in one straight line when lowering themselves to the final position. If possible the arms and forehead should touch the floor at about the same time. The head, arms and trunk should also remain in one line when raising the body from the final pose. Often the arms are kept straight in the final pose. This is incorrect for it means that the body is not fully relaxed.
Benefits
Shashankasana is a reasonably simple asana yet it gives many benefits. Most people have very stiff backs. Shashankasana stretches the back muscles and separates the individual vertebrae from each other. This releases pressure on the discs that keep the vertebrae apart. Often nerve connections emanating from the spinal cord are squeezed by these discs giving rise to various forms of backache and sciatica. The separation of the discs during shashankasana helps to relieve these pains and encourage the discs to resume their correct locations. The stretch imparted to the back muscles removes sluggish and depleted blood. On completing the asana fresh blood is soaked up into the muscles in the same way that water is absorbed by a sponge. This regenerates both the back muscles and the all important spinal nerves. The deep breathing in the final position applies a gentle yet powerful massage to the abdominal organs. As such this asana is very useful in helping to remove and prevent various abdominal disorders such as constipation and indigestion. This asana tones the pelvic organs and is found beneficial in alleviating sexual disorders. Women will find this asana advantageous. All of us become angry. It takes a mere second to feel anger but far longer to regain normality. Deep and slow breathing helps to calm anger. Shashankasana induces this and quickly brings about relaxation. Breath awareness accentuates this process by withdrawing our thoughts away from the cause of our anger. The by-product of emotional upsets such as anger is over-stimulation of the adrenal glands. These two glands inject adrenaline directly into the bloodstream causing over-activity of the bodily functions and stress. Shashankasana regulates these organs, helping to bring about a relaxed mind and body. This is a very comfortable asana. In fact it is so comfortable that we know of some people who can sleep in this pose and often do.
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