Anjaneyasana – Long Lunge Pose.
AHN-jah-nay-AHS-uh-nuh.
Anjana= Mother of Lord Hanuman the Monkey God.
Asana = Steady pose or posture.
There are many mythological stories associated with the naming of this posture. The two main schools of thought are that it is named after Lord Hanuman (the monkey god) or it takes its name from Lord Hanuman’s Mother. This yoga pose is also known as the long lung, low lunge or monkey lunge. Some schools of yoga refer to it as the crescent lunge.
Anjaneyasana provides a deep release for all the muscles that cross the front of the hip, including the quadricep muscles. it is also the perfect transition between standing and postures performed on all fours or kneeling poses or between kneeling and standing.
How to Perform Anjaneyasana
This posture can be performed from a standing forward bend, cat or downward facing dog.
These instructions are to be followed from from cat pose.
Begin on all fours, with your hands and knees on the ground and your weight distributed evenly. Step the right foot forward between your hands and gently slide the left knee back. Making sure that you keep the right knee over the right ankle. Curl under your toes on the left foot and lift the left knee from the ground. Whilst keeping the hands on the floor. '
This posture has lots of different variations and applications. It is a great yin posture and provides an ideal transitional pose in vinyasa style classes.
This blog article was written by Sue Fuller creator of the Yoga 2 Hear range of audio yoga classes and yoga teacher training courses.
