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Prasarita Padottanasana C: Open The Heart & Shoulders

How to Do Prasarita Padotonasa C in Ashtanga Yoga

November 10, 2015 By Monica Stone Leave a Comment

Prasarita Padottanasana C is the perfect balance of strength and softness. The stronger and more control you can contain in your legs and lower body, the more you can release and let go in the upper body. 

It’s also one of the hardest postures to learn to let go because the release is at the shoulders and behind the heart. This is where we tend to hold a lot of stress, hurt, resistance, and perhaps a little bit of anger.

The normal tendency in this posture is to stretch and pull the hands towards the ground, but try to release, loosen, soften, and let gravity do the work. 

prasarita D

How To Do It:

Bring your feet double shoulder width apart. Take a second and really ground the feet. 

Make the legs strong. Engage the quadricepts and pull up the knee caps. 

Inhale as you clasp your hands behind your back, lift the heart. Try not to squeeze your shoulders too tight. Some teachers say to squeeze the palms together, but I teach to let them open and just clasp the fingers. Keeping the palms open helps to let go and soften.

Exhale as you fold forward leading with the heart, and keeping a straight spine the whole time. 

Bring your head towards the ground. 

Take a second here and ground the feet again. Pull up the kneecaps, and bring the hips forward. Press the mat apart with your feet. 

Notice how the stronger your lower body becomes, the more you can release your torso, and bring your head towards the ground. Try to bring your torso between your thighs. 

Now, focus on the shoulders and soften. 

With every exhale release your hands away from your back towards the ground. 

Take five breaths here. 

If you were able to release your hands to the ground, the next step is to bend at the shoulders and turn the hands the opposite way. Then, try to release the hands to the ground again. Hold for another five breaths. 

You can see both variations in the image above. I’m still working on part 2!

Inhale come all the up. 

Exhale hands to the hips. 

Proceed to Part D if you know it, or come to Samastitihi (Mountain Posture). 

Prasarita Padottasana C is a balance of strength and softness. Getting your hands to the ground isn't easy because you have to let go of all of the stress and anger behind your heart. If you just take deep breaths, and lower with each exhale - one day you'll get there!

What to do while you’re holding the posture:

Just focus on the shoulders and softening. Notice if you’re stretching and pulling, and then try to let go even more. 

Bring your hips forward as your release your hands to the ground as well. Besides the balance of strength and softness, another big part of this posture is trust. Can you stay strong enough to keep yourself from falling over? 

Try to bring your hips forward and balance as you lower your hands down. 

Don’t get discouraged if this takes you awhile. I wasn’t able to do this posture for four years.

I actually remember the day I was able to do it. I had to take two weeks off of practice because I had stitches. I tried to practice, but the postures were stretching my stitches.

It was so tough to let go because I’m so dedicated to the tradition.

During that time, I focused on sitting meditation and pranayama.

My first day back to practice, this posture came out of nowhere. To me, that’s proof that yoga is not about just becoming more advanced in postures, but a consistent practice is finding a way to create peace in your mind even if it’s not your normal practice.

I was forced to find a new way to practice for those two weeks, and it was sitting meditation that helped me to let go and deepen my practice. 

These are the moments that teach us about non attachment, and cause a ripple effect in every part of life. It’s kind of awesome how we can see the reflection in asana practice.

Just keep letting go, surrender, open your heart, and breathe deep. 

That is practice.

Love to you always,

Monica

Filed Under: Instruction Tagged With: Yoga Postures

Monica Stone

About Monica Stone

Monica is a lover of all things yoga, a vegetarian, an avid tea drinker, and never gets sick of soup and noodle dishes. She teaches yoga, practices daily, and runs a Spiritual Book Club in Orlando, FL. She likes to challenge the strict rules of yoga, and makes it accessible for everyone - especially people who suffer from daily life and work stress.

« Padangusthasana: Touch Your Toes!
Padmasana: Opening The Hips & Heart With Meditation »

Hi! I’m Monica

Monica StoneWell hello there! I'm Monica. I'm a yoga & meditation teacher (and junkie). I teach yoga practices that are quick and effective for the busy person who just needs a few minutes of quiet time in their day. Click around and you'll find quick meditation tips for calming the mind to simple stretches to relieve stress and tension. If you are sick of being intimidated by yoga or just confused by all of the different styles out there - then this page is for you. Yoga helps me daily & I know it will help you too! I'll show you how! Welcome to The Yogi Movement :)

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  • Jaime ShearerJaime ShearerYoga Student Since 2012

    Monica is dedicated to her own practice and the true path of yoga - the one of personal experience - which makes her an outstanding teacher. She is warm and easy to talk with, and she allows the student to have their own experience on the mat. She explains postures and breath in ways that are understandable so that the student "gets it." She makes yoga real and tangible in ways that truly serve the student. Work with Monica. You'll be glad you did.

  • Jacob AbercrombieJacob AbercrombieYoga Student Since 2011

    have always wanted to try yoga, but was always nervous. Monica took that fear away and made me feel like i was the only one in class with a room full of strangers. She is able to work with multiple students during the same move and still make it a personalized class for one.

  • Serena JonesSerena JonesYoga Student Since 2010

    Monica has been a highly influential teacher to me. She creates a safe environment for learning and practice. I have always felt grounded in her classes, and she pushes me beyond my own expectations. She inspires and motivates! I can't imagine my life without sharing a path with her!

  • Angela OrofinoAngela OrofinoYoga Student Since 2011

    Monica is a caring, wise, thoughtful, and talented yoga instructor. She has an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and spirituality of Ashtanga yoga. My previous yoga experience had mostly just been at my local gym. Luckily, last year I found Monica. She has been guiding my practice at least once a week since then. As a newcomer to Ashtanga yoga, Monica made me feel comfortable and had the patience to teach me the basics. She also encouraged me to start an at home practice so that I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of Ashtanga. Monica is always encouraging and lets me know in subtle ways when she feels that I am ready to move deeper into my practice. I feel that the growth in my practice over the last year has been tremendous. Not only do I notice the change in me but others around me do as well. I am so grateful to have found Monica!

  • Sasha TamarSasha TamarYoga Student Since 2012

    I’ve come across many a yoga instructor over the years, but Monica stands out as genuinely amiable, as she glows with an infectious inner light, and highly devoted to and passionate about her practice. Her dedication to Ashtanga as a lifestyle is very clear, and creates for a contagious motivating force. Every time I’ve practiced with her, she eagerly transmits her devotion and passion of Ashtanga and meditation to everyone in class; she makes the most fledgling beginner feel at home, and simultaneously challenges the more advanced students. While I only practice Ashtanga with her, I know she provides therapeutic yoga sessions as well as meditation. And, if her methods of guiding students out of the Ashtanga vigor into the more meditative savasana are indicative of her meditational techniques, I’d recommend her to anyone

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