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A Complete Guide to Anjaneyasana. Intro, Benefits & How To Perform

Anjaneyasana

Yoga can be a great addition to your exercise routine for many good reasons. According to research, yoga improves your sleep, quality of life, and overall well-being. Yoga helps you relax and reduce stress while enhancing muscle tone, flexibility, and balance. Yoga practices have also been shown to lessen stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. In today’s article, let’s talk about Anjaneyasana Yoga- the benefits, variations, and how to perform.

Anjaneyasana, also known as Monkey poses or low lunge pose, helps stretch the gluteus muscle, hips, and quadriceps while enhancing concentration and improving balance and core awareness.

The word Anjaneyasana consists of two words “Anjaneya” +” Asana”. Anjaneya means the son of devi Anjana. Lord Hanuman is the son of Devi Anjana; that’s why this pose refers to the Monkey God Hanuman. The pose looks like that of a young divine child (Anjaneya) who is captivated by a glowing fruit in the sky and is reaching toward the sky and the sun’s warmth.

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How to do Anjaneyasana yoga?

The lunge pose is high-level yoga, and to perform correctly, it requires techniques and practice. Before trying this pose, it is advisable to start with a preparatory pose that helps your body to stretch. You can start with the following pose-

  • Adhomukha Svanasana- Downward Facing dog
  • Utkatasana- Chair Pose
  • Prasarita padottanasana- Wide-legged forward fold
  • Supta virasana-Reclining Hero Pose
  • Virabhadrasana
  • Ardha Chandrasana

Once you start practising these poses, you can start performing Anjaneyasana yoga.

Worried about how to do Anjaneyasana? Here are some steps to follow

  1. Begin with a downward-facing dog, starts exhaling, and step your right foot to the inside of your right hand. Use your right hand to assist your foot if it fails to reach the front of your mat.
  2. Bring your left knee closer to the mat. Take some additional padding under your left knee if you find kneeling poses uncomfortable due to knee pressure. For this, a yoga mat is ideal!
  3. Your left foot’s top should be released toward your mat.
  4. Place your hands on your hips or on top of your right thigh by lifting them off the ground.
  5. To intensify the stretch along the front of your left hip and thigh, move your hips as far toward the front of your mat as you can. To tone the muscles, you are stretching; simultaneously press hard through the top of your left foot and the sole of your right foot. Engage your quads and glutes lightly.
  6. Draw the left and right feet in an isometric direction toward one another.
  7. Lift your arms to the sides and up toward the ceiling on an inhalation, focusing on your thumbs. You can keep your palms at shoulder distance or bring them up to touch the ceiling.
  8. Lift your sternum and extend your spine to enter a backbend on an exhalation.
  9. Before releasing and passing over, take a few deep breaths.

These are simple steps that you can follow to perform Anjaneyasana yoga. Once you get the confidence to do the Lunge pose correctly, you can try different variations. Here are a few variations you can try.

Anjaneyasana yoga with Quad Stretch:

  • Lift your left back foot off the ground.
  • For a quadriceps stretch, grab your foot with your left hand and draw your heel toward your left buttock.
  • Try engaging the quads more for a little resistance to your hand’s pressure.
  • Due to the substantially downward force exerted on your back knee, this is an excellent time to utilize a Yoga Pad.

Anjaneyasana yoga with a Deep Backbend

  • To help the entire spine extend from the quad stretch above, allow your hips to come as far forward as possible.
  • Keeping hold of the left foot with your left hand, reach up and overhead with your right hand while spreading the spine and the top of your head toward the back of the mat.
  • If possible, use your right hand to grab hold of your left foot while pointing your right elbow straight up to the ceiling. To flip your grip and hold the left foot with both hands, release the foot with your left hand and raise that arm overhead.
  • Move your left foot’s sole toward the crown of your head.

Benefits of Anjaneyasana Yoga

The lunge pose can offer you plentiful benefits. Once you start practising it, you will start noticing the difference in your body. It helps in improving the core strength of your body. Anjaneyasana yoga allows you to stretch and strengthen your hip flexors and groins. It braces the joints of the hip and the lower spine, which averts back pain. Doing the lunge pose consistently improves the flexibility of the spine. In contrast, doing this yoga regularly tones up the internal organ of the stomach, which helps improve digestion.

Performing Anjaneyasana yoga unfailingly develops stamina and resilience in your thighs. Performing any kind of mudras and yoga helps to calm your body, mind, and soul. Anjaneyasana yoga helps in improving your focus and concentration. It also helps in eliminating stress levels in your body. Regular practice of Anjaneyasana yoga can also help improve physical balance and coordination.

Precautions

There are numerous benefits of Anjaneyasana yoga which you will start feeling in your body once you start practising it. Lunge pose is a gentle and relaxing exercise, but still, you should avoid or consult a doctor before starting it in the following cases-

Take your doctor’s advice if you have high blood pressure or knee injuries. Anyone suffering from any kind of shoulder injury should not lift their arms above their head. People having spinal or neck injuries should not perform the backbend variation.

It is said that from 24 hours a day, take 1 hour for yourself. Give time to your body and mind. You can meditate, perform yoga, or sit and relax, but that 1 hour should be yours. Yoga provides numerous benefits to your inner and outer body; with consistency, yoga brings peace and a hassle-free and happy life.

Conclusion

Anjaneyasana Yoga is a great way to stretch and strengthen your hip flexors, groins, and lower spine. It can help improve the core strength and flexibility of the spine and reduce back pain. It also helps build stamina, improve concentration, and reduce stress levels. However, it is important to be aware of any preexisting conditions and to consult a doctor before practising this yoga.

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