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Supta Udarakarshanasana – Sleeping Abdominal Stretch Pose

Translation: Supta – Sleeping, lying down; Udar – Abdomen; Akarshan – Stretch; Asana – posture.

The Supine Abdominal stretch pose is an excellent pose to add both as a warmup pose and as a relaxation pose.

It stretches the whole torso, from the lower back to the shoulder, removing the stress and tension caused in the upper body from the day’s work.

How to use this pose for warmup?

By adjusting the distance of the feet from the hips you can work on each vertebra and the corresponding muscles. When the distance is about 60 cm, the stretch will be concentrated on the lower spine. As you decrease the distance the stretch will move up the spine (decrease each time by 3 cm and you can work on individual vertebrae). When the heel is touching the hips then the stretch will be in the area of the cardiac plexus.

Steps

We will divide/adjust the stretch for three stages, lower back, middle back, and upper back.

As mentioned above different position (distance) of the foot from the hips will work in different areas.

For lower back stretch
  • Lie down with your back on the floor.
  • Bend your knee and place your foot firmly on the floor. Make sure the foot and the spine are in a straight line.
  • Adjust your foot in such a way that the heels are about 60 cm (2 feet) away from the hips.
  • Interlock your hands and place them under your head.
  • Inhale strongly and with an exhale drop the knees on the left side and look to the right.
  • Press the knees and the elbows into the ground firmly to feel more stretch (the tendency of the opposite elbow will be to lift up because of shoulder and upper back tightness, work on pressing it on the floor).
  • Inhale and bring the knees back to the center and with an exhale drop them on the right side, and look to the left.
  • Repeat the process a total of ten times (5 on each side).
Supta-Udarakarshanasana–Sleeping-Abdominal-stretch-Pose
For middle back
  • Bring the knees back to the center and adjust the position of the foot so that the heels are about 30 cm (1 foot) away from the hips.
  • Repeat the same movement as mentioned above with inhaling and exhaling (10 rounds, five on each side).
For upper back
  • Bring the knees back to the center and adjust the position of the foot so that the heels are as near to the hips as possible.
  • Repeat the same movement as mentioned above with inhaling and exhaling (10 rounds, five on each side).
  • This variation works on the upper back, chest, and shoulder area. If the upper back is blocked then there might be a tendency for the opposite elbow to lift up, be aware of this and work on pressing the elbows to the ground.

How to use Supta udarakarshan asana for Relaxation?

You can use a variation of this pose for relaxation. This supine spinal twisting pose encourages abdominal/stomach or diaphragmatic breathing that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This nervous system is responsible to take our body into a restful state. You can place it just before Shavasana in your practice sequence.

Steps

  • Lie down on your back.
  • Spread your arms on your side with the palms facing up.
  • Bend your knees and lift them up bringing them closer to the stomach.
  • Take a deep inhale and with an exhale drop the knees on the left side, and look to the right (and close your eyes).
  • Stay in this position for 10 deep breaths focusing on the abdominal breathing (the stomach goes up with an inhale and down with an exhale). Try to keep the breaths as long as possible.
  • Repeat on the other side for the same number of breaths.

Benefits:

  • It stretches the abdominal muscle and organs, hence improving digestion and eliminating constipation.
  • The twisting of the spinal muscles relieves the strain and the stiffness caused by prolonged sitting.
  • Relaxes the body and the mind.
  • Activates the parasympathetic nervous system which takes the body into rest mode.

Contraindications:

  • Back injuries.
  • Slip disc
  • Spondylolisthesis

Similar poses:

Looking for more postures? Check our posture library.