Pasasana (Noose Pose)
Santosha, which means contentment, is one of the ten Yamas and Niyamas (ethical yoga guidelines). We often think of contentment as feeling satisfied with how things are in one’s immediate experience. However, contentment doesn’t mean you’re automatically happy with the current situation, whether it be in the work or home environment, or simply a yoga pose. It means that you see things or allow things to happen without giving into the pull of your expectations. Practicing this on your yoga mat is far easier than in the daily world of work and family. So I invite you during the experience of Pasasana to practice Santosha.
“If you would call it perfection what would it look like? How would you know it, feel it, be it? Wherever you are now, call it perfection and know that in this moment it is really enough.” Yoga Poems by Leza Lowitz
This advanced pose may look impossible to some, especially if squatting alone is challenging. Not to despair, there are several variations of this pose that you can enjoy as you embark on the journey to Pasasana. It’s important to be warmed up for this pose. I recommend sun salutations to heat the body, followed by some forward bends and twists.
Start next to a wall on your yoga mat and have a blanket and strap nearby. Move into squat with the wall a few inches away on your right side. Depending on your flexibility and arm length, you may need to move closer or further away from the wall. There are a number of reasons squatting can be difficult or uncomfortable – tight achilles tendons, quadriceps, hip flexors, gluteus muscles, low back muscles – so if this is what you’re running into, either add height under the heels with a blanket or move onto your sit bones on the floor (see variations below). Before moving further, you want to get comfortable in squat, as this will be your foundation. Root the feet down into the earth and allow the sit bones, pubic bone and tailbone (the four corners of the pelvis) to drop toward the earth as well. Allow this rooting down to create a lengthening up your spine, bringing in the gentle lower belly tone. A common tendency in squat is to let the top of the sacrum tip back, so at this point make sure it’s coming forward toward your navel to keep the neutral alignment of your spine and not to let energy get stuck in your low back. Keep the top of the sacrum tipping forward throughout the entire pose. Bring your hands into Namaste and press the backs of the arms into the knees to create more length along the spine. Gently reach the crown up and soften the neck and face. Be here for a few breaths.
Now you’re ready to begin the twisting of the torso. Keeping the action of the four corners of the pelvis dropping down, begin to twist the navel and the ribs to the right toward the wall and place both hands on the wall at shoulder height. The elbows will be bent. Start off with a slight twist and then pause. Continue to inhale, rooting the feet and lengthening through the belly and up the spine. Exhale, draw the lower belly in slightly and twist toward the wall. Do this a few times, moving mindfully and gently into the twist. You can use the right hand on the wall to guide you deeper into the twist, but don’t let the hand lead you into your ego space. In other words, don’t push too hard. On an exhale, release out of the twist returning to squat and slowly lift the sit bones up to the sky in Uttanasana (standing forward bend) for a resting pose. Then repeat with the wall on your left.
This may be enough for your body today … remember you’re practicing Santosha. You can stop here and repeat each side at the wall, or proceed to attempt to deepen the pose wrapping the arms and clasping the hands. If you’re ready for the wrapping, move away from the wall and take your mat to the center of the room. Have a strap to the left side of your feet. Re-establish squat, the alignment of your pelvis and the length along your spine.
There’s a playful way I like to move into Pasasana. From squat, lean back on your right hand (if needed place the right hand on a block) and reach your left arm up to the sky. Pause here and work on lengthening from your left groin to your left hand. After a few breaths, on an exhale, begin to twist your navel and ribs to the right, still reaching your left arm up. Inhale, reach up a little more, keeping the four corners of the pelvis moving down, and on an exhale twist your torso to the right. After a few times of doing this, move your left arm so it’s reaching to the right like someone is gently pulling your arm. Your left arm now will be about parallel to the floor. At the same time move your left ribs closer to your right thigh bringing the torso and thighs closer together. Then bend your left elbow and attempt to get your left armpit to the outside of the right knee. This will get you deeper into the twist. Again pause and lengthen more up through the spine and reach the crown up. Here it’s easy to get deeper into the pose by torquing your hips. Look at your knees, they should remain in the same plane as in squat. If your left knee is moving forward of the right knee that means your left hip is twisting forward. Keep your foundation solid. Being mindful of the four corners of the pelvis dropping will help keep your pelvis and sacrum neutral.
Begin to wrap the left arm around the front of the right shin, straighten the left arm and rotate the forearm inward so the left palm is now facing behind you. Attempt here to slide the left armpit more to the outside of the right knee. Then tightly wrap the forearm around the front of the shins reaching the left palm for the outer left hip. Then for the clasp, stretch the right arm behind you and rotate the forearm and palm inward and tightly wrap it around your lower back reaching toward the left hand. If the hands aren’t meeting, grab your strap with both hands and walk them toward each other. Most important, breathe! Continue to move the left ribs toward the right thigh and the right ribs away. Lengthen through the spine and crown from the rooting of your foundation as you twist. With an exhale, release the hands and the twist and return to squat. Slowly lift the sit bones and enjoy Uttanasana for a few breaths before moving to the opposite side.
Variations of Pasasana: 1) Erich Schiffmann shares a variation he calls easy Noose in his book The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness. Instead of twisting in squat, he has you sit on the floor with the heels about a foot in front of the sit bones.
Justina Brewer