PASASANA BIND
Noose Pose, or the Pasasana bind, as it's known in Sanskrit, is a more subtle challenge pose than the show-y 'Bird of Paradises' of the world, but it is certainly tough in its own right! In Noose pose, the arms wrap around the crouched body, with an aim to link hands behind the back - forming a "noose". A lot harder than it looks!
Props are your best friend when working towards Noose pose - a blanket (or your mat) rolled up under the heels while squatting may help, as well as using straps to draw the hands towards one another. You can also use a wall to help.
HOW TO
- Begin standing in Tadasana, feet hip-width and parallel. Crouch into a squat, rolling up the mat or a yoga blanket if your heels don't touch the floor.
- Draw your knees slightly to the left as you twist your torso to the right on an exhale. Press your left elbow into the outside of your right knee, stretching the left arm low, and raise your right arm high, helping the torso twist further to the right.
- From here, move the left arm as far down the left leg as your body allows - aiming for left shoulder to be pressing firmly into right knee.
- Keeping the belly soft, try to elongate the left side so that it glides across the thighs. From here, you can bend the elbows and join the hands in prayer position, remaining twisted to the right. For the full pose, however, keep left armpit tucked towards right knee and twist the left arm so that it wraps around the shins.
- Lift the right arm high and wrap it around the back, until the hands can clasp. This is a challenging reach, so use a strap to draw the hands together.
Poses that help work towards the full Noose Pose:
- Malasana (squat pose)
- Half Lord of the Fishes pose
- Revolved Side Angle pose
- Revolved Chair pose
- Marichyasana I & Marichyasana III
- Bound Side Angle pose