Parighasana or Gate Pose is a kneeling

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

Etymology and origins

The name of the pose is from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

परिघासन Parighāsana, in turn from परिघ parigha, meaning "gate" or "crossbar", and आस āsana, meaning "seat" or "pose". The asana is not known before the 20th century. Since, as yoga scholar Mark Singleton writes, it closely resembles a pose used in modern gymnastics, such as Niels Bukh's 1924 ''Primary Gymnastics'', it is likely that

Krishnamacharya Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "the father of modern yoga" for h ...

derived the asana from the general gymnastics culture of his time; there is no suggestion that he copied it directly from Bukh.

Description

The pose is entered from an upright kneeling position. One leg is stretched straight out to the side, the arms are stretched out sideways, and the body is extended to the side of the outstretched leg until the arm lies along the leg. The other arm may be stretched up alongside the head, and the hand may eventually lie on top of the other hand and foot.

Variations

Beginners may work in the pose with the ball of the foot of the straight leg supported on a folded blanket or sandbag, or by pressing the foot against a wall. Practitioners with a knee injury may work in the pose sitting on a chair, with one leg stretched out to the side.

References

Sources

* * * * * * # {{Yoga as exercise Standing asanas Kneeling asanas Asymmetric asanas