Why Head-to-Knee pose is great for yoga mamas
“Asana — or yoga pose — many People think it means touching the toes;
But asana is more about touching the soul…”
—M.C. Yogi
It can be satisfying to touch your toes in a yoga posture, but in my opinion, it should never be the end goal. And even if you could, who cares? Your higher power truly lies in your mothering abilities, which I believe, is much harder than touching your toes.
So why forward bends? And why Janu Sirsasana, a.k.a. Head-to-Knee Pose? Back in November I wrote a post focused on Uttanasana, which offers some of the same benefits as Janu Sirsasana, but you might notice that seated forward bends feel different in the body than standing forward bends.
I love Janu Sirsasana because with the right alignments and support or props, it can be so relaxing. Folding forward also offers us the opportunity to look inward, both physically and mentally, which is so important in our busy modern lives, and it’s the seasonal theme I wrote about last week:)
Beyond that, though, Head-to-Knee Pose is such a lovely, adaptable seated forward bend that can be satisfying to both beginners and more experienced yogis. Here’s a little description of how to get yourself there and modify it to your unique body.
How to do it
Usually the best way to start is in Dandasana (Staff Pose). If you struggle to sit upright in this pose, place a firm, folded blanket or small cushion under the hips to boost you up and take some pressure off the low back. With that support, make sure you can bring your hips into neutral so they are tilting neither backward or forward. See if you can extend up through the top of your head and lengthen your entire spine from the base to the crown.
Next, bend your right leg and place the sole of your right foot against the inner left thigh. If there is any strain in the back of the left leg or in your back, you can place a little cushion or yoga block under the left knee.
Inhale and sit tall through the spine, then exhale and hinge forward at the hips, keeping the spine lengthened and the heart open. Imagine that your torso is a door and your hips are the hinge, so that as you extend forward and down, you move at the hips without rounding forward through the spine.
As you stay and breathe, reinforce that feeling of lengthening up through the top of your head while inhaling. With each exhale, bring your focus back to hinging forward from the hip more actively (sometimes engaging the muscles of the left thigh can help you do this).
Stay 3-5 breaths or longer, depending on your comfort level. Of course, if your brand new to yoga or if you have any injuries, please consult your health care provider to make sure this and other yoga poses are suitable for you.
Connecting to this month’s theme of curling inward
—Junot Diaz
Yoga and meditation have become mainstream enough that we might say it’s become cliche to say, “You have to turn inward,” or, “Look within for the answer.”
As mamas, though, we often have to keep some amount of our attention outward since we’re responsible for the safety and well-being of our little ones (and even if your kids are older or grown up, I bet you still retain some of that vigilance). This is especially why we could use more brief moments of looking inward, to bring some balance to the scattered quality of momlife.
Of course, there are some people who find introspection difficult or even emotionally painful. Yoga offers the chance to practice both interoception and introspection, but I’d say that it might be easier to start with interoception. What is it?
Introspection generally translates into a story about a situation, a personal narrative; interoception is more about observing the moment and how it affects you physically. You can take note of your physical state with interoception by observing bodily sensations and emotions. This is how we stay embodied in our yoga practice when our mind just wants to pull us away with distraction after distraction. Introspection can bring insight but it can also pull us out of the moment. Interoception brings us into our bodies, which grounds us into the present.
There may even be times when our thoughts and emotions are too much. In that case, it might be best to, as we curl inward physically, to just be here on the surface, where we can feel our sitz bones and legs where they rest on the ground or yoga props. I’m not saying we should ignore difficult thoughts and emotions, though, but we should moderate how much we dwell on them. Notice a challenging thought or emotion, then also bring your attention to sensations in your body and your breath. Even a moment of embodied presence is worth so much; no need for a deep dive into our inner terrain every time we practice. I’m a fan of frequency of practice over depth, especially considering we must also be present to our families and might not have time to go very deep into a meditative state.
The pose on all levels
You’ve probably heard me say, over and over again, that yoga is more than just poses. This is true, AND one of the gifts of yoga is the poses and how we can make them more than just a physical practice.
Whenever I write a post focusing on one yoga pose, I like to bring in some examples of how we can touch the other aspects of asana practice. Here are the last couple of yoga pose focus posts I’ve shared here and here so you can get a sense of how we integrate these various levels of ourselves as we practice asana.
Physically: grounding into the earth through the hips and sitz bones, folding forward with an open heart, stretching the back body (legs and torso).
Energetically: forward folds help facilitate a deeper exhalation, bring the attention inward, activate the parasympathetic nervous system and through that activation, they help us relax. Seated forward bends invite us to stay more grounded.
Mentally/emotionally: invitation to introspect, release anxiety (sometimes…some people might do better burning off anxiety with a more vigorous asana practice. Notice how your unique body and mind respond!).
What’s next
In keeping with my posting pattern the past few months, next week I’ll share a post on a breathing practice. Putting our loving attention on our breath is a great way to stay present, moderate our energy levels, and release stress.
By the way, happy new moon! If you’ve been with me a while on Urban Yoga Mama, you know that I not only love to follow the changes in the seasons and how they affect us and our yoga practices, but I also think it’s so profound to observe the phases of the moon. During the new moon, it’s a great time to turn inward (what a coincidence! Our current seasonal theme:), reflect on our progress or current state, and set intentions. It has had me wondering…should I continue Urban Yoga Mama in this format I’ve been following since Fall Equinox 2023? I would love your feedback.
To be honest, my internal struggle has been over whether or not I’m serving my audience well. Urban Yoga Mama is meant as a source of inspiration and information on ‘real yoga for real busy moms.’ Lately, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the word ‘busy.’ Moms are so busy, so overwhelmed, often scattered, exhausted, and overscheduled. How could they possibly have time to read a post like this, let alone comment on it, or watch and practice with a yoga video, even if it’s only ten minutes? I’m a writer and yet, if I’d like to inspire moms to practice, must I resign myself to Instagram reels and TikTok, where I’m sure there are many moms just doom scrolling and vegging out? Perhaps the written word is not quite the right medium for the masses of moms dragged down by mommy brain and sleep deprivation. I don’t know — you tell me. I began my career as a yoga teacher in the 90’s, way before the internet made it possible to share yoga to a wider audience. But the question remains, are we all so overwhelmed by the amount of offerings that only the flashiest or mind-numbing things call the names of mamas that just need a moment to catch their breath?
Well, in the spirit of the new moon, I had to be transparent. I’m honestly not so sure that mamas really need to read a newsletter about yoga. Probably what most of them need is someone to take the kids for a moment so they can practice yoga, but I can’t do that online! I’m going back to the drawing table. I’m going to sleep on this one, but if you’re a mama and you really, truly want inspiration and tips on incorporating yoga into your busy life, please drop a comment here. We all need each other in order to stay on the path. Jai Ma!
Keep writing and posting, Jacquie.
I'm not a new mom, but an old mom and grandmother now, but
I appreciate your perspective on the practice of yoga.
Quiet those voices of self-doubt. Just send them to another room or out on an errand or two. Alternatively, you could invite them to sit beside you while you continue doing your work.
Sometimes they line the route to your best self and truest purpose.
Write on!
Linda