Physical Education · Ch 3 — Yoga as Preventive Measure for Lifestyle Disease
Ardha-Chakrasana
Ardha-Chakrasana
Ardha-Chakrasana (Half-Wheel Pose)
In Sanskrit, Ardha means half, Chakra means wheel and Asana means a pose. Therefore Ardha-Chakrasana means the half-wheel posture. It is a simpler version of the full Chakrasana and is taught in the CBSE Class 12 Physical Education course as a safe back-bend for preventing back pain and strengthening the spine.
Drawn by us to help you understand the concept clearly, and verified to make sure it's accurate. For exams, practice from your textbook's own diagram.
Ardha-Chakrasana (the Half-Wheel Pose): the figure shows a person standing upright with the hands clasped together and raised directly overhead, the upper body then bending backward from this raised-arm position while the hips and legs stay stacked and stable beneath. Note how the back-bend originates in the upper spine rather than the lower back, and …
Technique
- Stand straight and bring your hands together in a clasped position.
- Raise and rotate your hands above the shoulders.
- Slowly bend the upper part of your body along with the hands, as far as possible.
- Remain in this position for some time, according to your capacity.
- To release the pose, come back slowly to the standing position with the hands by your side.
- There is a variation of Ardha-Chakrasana in which the hands are placed behind the hips and then the back-bending is attempted.
Benefits
- Strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
- Tones the organs in the abdomen, including the digestive, excretory and reproductive organs.
- Gives relief from back problems and postural defects.
- Opens the chest and strengthens the arm and shoulder muscles.
- Prepares beginners for the more difficult full-wheel pose, Chakrasana.
Contraindications
- Ardha-Chakrasana should not be done by those suffering from any neck, hip or spinal injury.
- Those suffering from high blood pressure should avoid this pose.
- Pregnant women should avoid all poses that put any strain on the foetus.
Breathing Awareness
- Inhale while raising and rotating the arms above the shoulders, drawing the chest up and open.
- Continue inhaling, or breathe normally, as the upper body bends backward into the final position, keeping the throat soft rather than straining it.
- Exhale slowly and with control while returning to the standing position.
Why Ardha-Chakrasana helps with back pain and arthritis
As a simplified, standing version of the full wheel pose, Ardha-Chakrasana gives the spine a gentle backward extension that directly counters the forward-flexed posture, from sitting, from carrying loads, from looking down at a phone or desk, that is one of the most common contributors to chronic back pain. Strengthening the back and abdominal muscles together, as the posture does, builds the muscular support the spine needs to resist the daily postural strain that worsens back pain and spinal arthritic wear over time.
Common mistakes
- Bending only the neck backward while the rest of the spine stays straight gives the illusion of a back-bend without actually extending the spine; the bend should distribute evenly along the whole upper back. …