The Janu Sirsasana position is one of the most basic sitting positions in yoga, and one of the first things that beginners are taught since it is so widely used for breathing exercises and advanced techniques.  Janu Sirsasana is also an excellent way to stretch out before a workout, so it is a great all-around position to get comfortable with.

When sitting in Janu Sirsasana, you start by sitting upright with both legs extended.  It is unimportant which side you start with, but most people start with moving the left foot first, so we will focus on that.  Bring the left leg in first, bending at the knee, and tuck your left foot a little underneath your right thigh.  This will help you position your foot properly, and help you maintain the proper stretch.

If you have full flexibility, you should be able to tuck your heel into your groin, with the sole of your foot touching right at the top of your thigh.  When you are doing janu sirsasana correctly, your thighs should be perpendicular (they form a right angle), or they should form an obtuse angle (meaning your bent leg is pulled just a bit beyond your body).

When performing the stretch from this posture, it is important to try to keep the toes on your outstretched foot pointing straight up towards the ceiling.  By tensing and relaxing the muscles, and really reaching with the whole leg and foot, you should be able to feel some separation forming between your ankle and your heel.  This release of pressure will often cause a pleasant ache in your muscles, and you may hear a popping sound like what you’d get when you’re cracking your knuckles.  You are not doing any damage to yourself, you’re actually undoing a lot of the damage that you’ve done to yourself by walking on those parts and pressing them together constantly!

At the same time as you are stretching your leg forward, you should also be stretching your back and spine straight up.  Maintaining proper posture is essential to the practice of yoga, and this pose is no different.

Now, while still maintaining proper posture, bend with your hips and point your body towards the ground, bending over your outstretched leg.  If possible, keep the back at it’s upright posture for as long as you can.  If this is impossible for you, then you may flatten the spine, but go no farther than this.  If you try to pull forward too far, your back will round out, and that is not good thing for this exercise since it stretches the wrong muscles!  Stretch yourself out as far as you can while still keeping your back from rounding.

Try to wrap your hands around your foot, but don’t despair if you can’t do it.  You could try using a flexer, or a yoga strap, but always remember to keep good posture going.

Once you complete this stretch with one leg, slowly come up and try to do it with the other leg.  Each time you try this, attept to stretch the body a little farther, and eventually, you will be able to go all the way down.

Many people find janu sirsasana difficult because they cannot pull their feet in far enough.  Flexibility will come with time, but make the attempt, at least, to pull the feet in all the way.  Stretching out your thighs rigorously before the class will help, and if possible, try to find a partner who can gently push your legs back and put some pressure on your body to stretch.  This can greatly increase the efficacy of the movement and help you learn this move faster.

The same goes for the flexibility when bending over the leg.  As you practice janu sirsasana and the other yoga poses more, you will become more limber, but at the beginning, you’ll have to accept that you’re not going to go very far at first.

Below, you will find a video which shows you Janu Sirsasana and the related exercise Triang Mukhaipada Paschimottanasana.

NOTE: If you thought this was a good video, wait until you see what we have in store for you in our online yoga class.