Ardha Chakrasana or ‘Half Wheel Pose’ is also known as ‘Anuvittasana’ or ‘Standing Backbend Pose‘. It’s an intermediate asana that helps to prepare your body for deeper back bending and other heart-opening postures. Here, we’ll talk about various such benefits, steps and precautions for performing Ardha -Chakrasana.
The Sanskrit name ‘Ardha Chakrasana’ ( अर्ध चक्रासन ) is the combination of three words – Ardha ( अर्ध ) means ‘half’, ‘Chakra’ ( चक्र ) means ‘wheel’ and Asana ( आसन ) meaning ‘seat‘ or ‘pose’. In this asana, a yogi need to stand straight extending your arms overhead. This is followed by leaning backward at lumbar region.
When you practice this pose, your body is bent halfway resembling shape of a half wheel. Thus, this standing backbend pose is called ‘Ardha Chakrasana’ or ‘Half Wheel Pose’. This beginner level pose has a positive impact on your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Ardha Chakrasana is extremely beneficial in curing respiratory disorders, menstrual pains, back pain, shoulder and neck jerks. Moreover, this pose also helps to improve the flexibility of your muscles, control blood sugar level, burn belly fat and develop mind- body coordination.
How to practice Ardha Chakrasana ( Anuvittasana )
Following are the Step – by – Step instructions that would assist you in your practice of Ardha Chakrasana ( The Half Wheel Pose )
Step 1 :
- Stand straight in Tadasana ( Mountain Pose ) with feet together and keep your palms on the lower back by bending the elbows.
Step 2 :
- You may also clasp your hands together as you start bending backward by raising and rotating your hands above the shoulders.
Step 3 :
- Balance your weight equally on both feet, then inhale and slowly bend your head & your upper torso in the backward direction.
Step 4 :
- Don’t bend your knees as you bend backwards. Maintain the pose with slow & deep breathing as long as you feel comfortable.
Step 5 :
- Exhale, come to the starting position by bringing your hands on your sides. Relax & repeat all the process for about 4 – 5 times.
Top 5 Benefits of Ardha Chakrasana or Anuvittasana
Following are the health benefits of Ardha Chakrasana ( Half Wheel pose ) that you would attain gradually with regular practice :
This yogic exercise helps to improve your digestion, blood flow, flexibility, relieves menstrual pain, disorders other related issues.
1. Ardha Chakrasana helps to reduce Body Weight
- Standing Backbend pose enhances your overall efficiency by regulating your metabolism and controlling body weight.
- This pose assists you to get rid of unwanted extra fats from your body especially from the thighs and stomach regions.
2. Ardha Chakrasana treats Respiratory Disorders
- Half Wheel Pose helps to open your chest region, thereby improve your lungs capacity and relaxes respiratory muscles.
- Plus, it also cures respiratory congestion and other lungs problems like asthma, bronchitis, nasal passage blockage etc.
3. Ardha Chakrasana helps to improve your Mental Health
- This pose improves sense of your inner balance, focus, concentration, body awareness, confidence & calmness of mind.
- Besides this, it also remove tension, stress and anxiety by restoring the state of mental equilibrium and nervous system.
4. Ardha Chakrasana helps to relieves Muscles Pain
- It’s one of the best exercises that help you to get rid of back pain, neck pain, shoulders pain or lower back pain problem.
- Moreover, it also focuses on stretching & strengthening the muscles of the neck, back, knees, hips, arms and shoulders.
5. Ardha Chakrasana helps to improves your Digestion
- Regular practice of the Standing Backbend Pose enhances the efficiency of digestive organs like stomach and intestine.
- Furthermore, this backbend pose also very helpful to stimulate the pancreas and controlling the high blood sugar level.
Contraindications
- Avoid the practice of this pose, if you’re suffering from neck, hip, back, spinal or abdominal injury.
- People who are suffering from high or low blood pressure should avoid the practice of this pose.
- Avoid this pose if you’re suffering from any brain ailments, acute back pain or cardiac health issue.
- Woman are advised to avoid the asana, during their pregnancy or if they have heavy menstruation.
- Avoid this pose, if you’ve headache, migraine, diarrhea, dizziness, vertigo, insomnia, ulcers or hernia.
Preparatory Poses
- Tadasana
- Uttanasana
- Ardha Uttanasana
- Dandayamana Mudrasana
Follow-up Poses
- Padahastasana
- Paschimottanasana
Tips for Beginners
- Increase the duration of your practice with time and always do warm-up exercise before practicing this pose.
- You may use any yoga props – blocks, belts or bolsters for support or holding the Standing Backbend Pose.
- You may do this pose both in morning & evening with a gap of 1-2 hours between your practice & the meal.
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Conclusion
Ardha-Chakrasana offers a great frontal stretch that provides numerous benefits – allow more oxygen to lungs, improves flexibility of your spine, upper torso muscles, energizes your body, secrete optimum level of insulin in blood etc.
We really hope that this article would be useful guide for your practice of Ardha Chakrasana. Thus, at the end, we would like to invite you to please share your thoughts and suggestions on this post in the comment section down below.
FAQs related to Ardha Chakrasana or Anuvittasana
Do the practice of Ardha – Chakrasana really help to overcome postural defects ?
The practice of Ardha – Chakrasana is extremely effective in reducing excessive fats from the abdominal sides, tones your arms waists and shoulders. This pose helps to relieve stiffness, offers soothing massage to upper torso, adds suppleness to nerves. Thereby, this pose helps to overcome many other postural defects.
How do the practice of Ardha – Chakrasana really improves your Digestion ?
Ardha – Chakrasana offers great stretch to your stomach, intestine and other abdomninal organs. It not only tone up organs but also stimulates your digestive glands, all these factors make this backbend pose, a best workout to improve digestion.
How can the practice of Half Backbend pose benefit & make a person healthier ?
Yes, Standing Half backbend Pose is an easier variant, that prepares beginners for the more difficult and advance version of backbends like Chakrasana. Plus it also provides soothing massaging effect to thyroid gland, regulates blood pressure, improves stamina, supports functioning of your excretory & reproductive organs.
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