| Anantasana, Lord Vishnu's Couch Pose, has been a | | | | down to your hip and out your left leg. Keep the side |
| favorite yoga pose of mine for quite some time. In | | | | of left foot on the floor. |
| fact, it is probably the pose I have been doing for the | | | | 4. Bend your right leg and hug it into the side of your |
| longest. When I was a little girl, I would watch a good | | | | chest to begin to feel the shift in balance when you |
| deal of television with my sister up in our third floor | | | | remove your right leg from the floor. You can then |
| playroom of the house in which we grew up. And | | | | place your right sole of your foot into your left thigh |
| while watching our favorite shows, I had a habit of lying | | | | and balance there for a moment. When you are |
| on my side and stretching one leg up in the air. Imagine | | | | feeling balanced reach for your right big toe and clasp |
| my surprise when I was in yoga class one day and | | | | it with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand. |
| my teacher, Sandra Pleasants, taught us Anantasana! I | | | | 5. Keeping the extension on the left side of your body |
| still think this is a fabulous yoga pose. It is a balancing | | | | slowly extend your right foot up towards the sky, |
| pose so it requires a bit of concentration to stay | | | | extending fully through the foot. |
| balanced on your side hip bone. But if you extend | | | | 6. Take your tailbone towards your left heel and curl |
| through the bottom leg and keep your gaze, dristi, | | | | the outer right hip under. Bask in the feeling of |
| focused on a point on the floor in front of you, you can | | | | extension in this pose and after a few slow deep |
| stay balanced. | | | | easy breathes, bend your right knee and return the |
| To practice Anantasana: | | | | right foot to your thigh and then back down in line with |
| 1. Lie on your left side and extend your left arm out | | | | your left foot or release your grip from your right toe |
| onto the floor. | | | | and point your foot and extend your leg down to meet |
| 2. Place your left ear on your left upper arm and begin | | | | your left foot. |
| to find your gazing point on the floor in front of you. | | | | 7. Take a few deep breaths and then practice the |
| 3. Extend your left leg underneath you and balance | | | | pose on your other side. |
| your weight on the side of your body. See if you can | | | | Listen to the pronunciation of Anantasana on Tilak |
| press evenly into every point along your side body | | | | Pyle's Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide. |
| from your outstretched left palm, down your left arm, | | | | |