BEND, SO AS NOT TO BREAK WITH PARIPURNA NAVASANA

BEND, SO AS NOT TO BREAK:

UNLOADING THE BACK LINE WITH PARIPURNA NAVASANA

An often overlooked aspect of anatomy that can significantly improve the fluidity

and comprehensiveness of spinal flexion, as well as flexion in general, is the act

of bending our knees. At the knee joint, the musculature of the calf and ham-

strings intersect, yet they don’t directly intertwine. The Gastrocs originate above

the knee joint on the femur bone, and insert through the achilles tendon on the

calcaneus, the heel bone. Whereas the Hamstrings originate on the sit bones, the

ischial tuberosities, while inserting down below the knee join on the Tibia and

Fibula. You can imitate the relationship of the calf and hamstrings around the

knee joint by grabbing your forearms with either hand, like a biker hand shake.

As your maintain your grip but pull your arms apart, you can feel how the ten-

sion is strong in the arms as a whole. Now bend the wrists, which imitates bend-

ing the knees, and feel the tension dissipate.

This knee bending action effectively relieves tension from the back line by cre-

ating separation between the tautness of the plantar fascia and calf muscles on

the bottom third of our back line, and the hamstrings and erector muscles in the

top 2/3. Simply put, when we bend our knees before and during forward folding,

we alleviate pressure on the back line, allowing for smoother and more holistic

movement into folds. Interestingly, even a slight knee bend while standing, akin

to a super shallow chair pose, can sufficiently unload the posterior chain as well,

helping us establish a neutral pelvis.

This principle is supremely important in our work with forward folds as it allows

us to find a neutral starting position, and to move into our stretch with maximum

sensation throughout our entire back line. It empowers the practitioner with the

ability to negotiate the stretch from a place of stability. As we will see in Pari-

purna Navasana, the bending of the knees is crucial for allowing us to even begin

our posture with integrity, a theme that will quite literally define our experience

of seated forward folds as well.

SUMMARY & REFLECTION

Bending the knees before and during forward folds relieves tension in the back

line by creating separation between the plantar fascia and calf muscles, and the

hamstrings and erector muscles, facilitating smoother and more holistic move-

ment while enhancing stability and sensation throughout the stretch.

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What is your experience of Paripurna navasana with and without

bending the knee? How would you describe the importance of off

loading the posterior chain?