Janu Sirsasana (one legged seated forward fold pose)
Janu Sirsasana (one legged seated forward fold pose)
To do this pose:
Come to a seated position on your mat. Extend one leg out and bring the opposite foot to the inside of the extended leg’s thigh. There are multiple options with the pose. For the first, keep your shoulders and hips pointed toward the front, extend your opposite arm up and side bend over the extended leg, reaching for your foot. This gives you a hamstring and a side stretch. You can keep a small bend in your knee if you need to but don’t worry about bending over far or touching your toes, just breath. The other option for this pose is to square your hips and shoulders over your extended leg and drape your body over that leg. Again, don’t worry about touching your toes or keeping your leg straight, just breath. Repeat the same process on the other leg.
How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses:
- It’s calming. This pose has been shown to reduce anxiety and slow the thoughts. It is similar to some of the restorative poses we’ve talked about, so hold this pose for as long as you need to and notice your thoughts slow down.
- It stretches the spine. This pose stretches the muscles of the spine as well as provides decompression or traction between each vertebrae. This helps especially if you have any nerve disc issues after a long shift pushing them down.
- It stimulates your kidneys! Most nurses do not take enough breaks to go to the bathroom during the shifts, sometimes the whole 12 hours without going! This can put you at a much higher risk for a UTI. This pose stretches the back muscles which stimulates the kidneys. This stimulation promotes blood flow and healing to those kidneys and helps them filter any toxins left!
