Dragon Pose

BENEFITS

Mechanics: The Dragon pose compresses the lumbar segment of the spine and targets the hamstrings of the bent leg as well as the hip flexors of the back leg. If you bend the knee of the back leg, you can engage the quadriceps muscle group. Compression can also be demanding on the hip joint.

Energetic: Targets the kidney and bladder meridians linked to the water element for the front leg and the spleen/stomach linked to the earth element for the back leg and torso.

Mental / Emotional: Stimulating and energising.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Be mindful if you have an injured ankle as the pose can bring a lot of compression on the front ankle.

HELP & PROPS

This pose is quite demanding due to the weight of the body going directly on the hip joints, to alleviate the stimulation, simply support your weight either directly under the hips (Dragon with support) or with the hands.

TIMING

Three to five minutes or more.

RELEASING THE POSE

Bend to the opposite side of your back leg and gently slide it forward to lie backwards in Shavasana.

TIPS

Playing with the position of your front foot will change your experience; it's not necessary to keep the front leg at a 90-degree angle. Feel free to move your head slightly to increase neck flexion or extension.

Variations of the Dragon

Dragon with Support

Place a block under the buttocks to soften the impact and provide more stability, reducing compression on the hip joint and providing greater stability. The support will give a feeling of ease, and the exerciser can begin to relax in order to work the connective tissues.

Twisted Dragon

This variation is a bit more challenging as more muscle groups are involved. The spinal rotation involves the obliques, you can push your front knee into abduction with your hand to target the adductors group.

The Gecko

A position that allows a deeper exploration of the hip joint. Relax the whole body on the forearms and the back leg if you can, place the head on the floor or on a support. A rotation is also possible in this variation.

Other poses