By Soraya (Sudevi) Pereira, Yogaratna

One of my all-time favorite poses is Prasarita Padottanasana (SloMo in the chair) with the variation: Push-Pull. I practice it after doing Ujjayi Pranayama in Shavasana with Legs on Chair. 

Sitting on the chair, I move into Prasarita Padottanasana to prepare for the variation’s specialized angles.  I feel the heads of both my thigh bones settle deeper inside my hip sockets.  

This starts a lovely chain of events, with my sitbones poking back more.  My tailbone releases and lengthens.  I always get these delicious changes. 

I also feel a wonderful release in the front of my sacrum.  This area of my low back sometimes gets achy.  All this lower spinal release makes me bend forward more deeply.  I feel more grounded on the chair.  I settle more deeply into all of those pose benefits.

With the help of my teacher Swami Shrutananda, I have learned to finesse the leg actions.  This allows my lower back to completely relax.  The pose then blossoms fully, reaching into my whole spine.  My body releases tension and my mind becomes fully present.  I love how powerful and reliable this pose is!