Supta Vajrasana
"Supta" means "lying down" or "reclining" in Sanskrit, and "Vajra" means "iron and steel" in Sanskrit. The word "asana" means "pose." A variation of this is "Supta Virasana," or "Reclining Hero Pose," which is known in English as "Sleeping Thunderbolt Pose."
How to do
Supta Vajrasana
Step 1:
Sit in Vajrasana with your arms behind your back. Hands on the floor fingers towards your buttock. With an exhalation, slowly bend back, leaning onto your hands, then onto your left forearm and elbow and then your right elbow and forearm.
Step 2:
Slowly bring the top of your head to the ground.
Step 3:
In the final position, place your hands on your thighs. Close your eyes and relax the body. More advanced students can take their arms over their head, arms bent, clasp the hands on alternate elbows above the head.
Step 4:
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. To come out, inhale and take support of your elbows and forarms against the floor and lift your torso up back into Vajrasana and straighten the legs.
Benefits of
Supta Vajrasana
Massages the abdominal organs.
Stretches the abdomen, thighs, deep hip flexors (psoas), knees, and ankles.
Strengthens the arches.
Tones the spinal nerves.
Cautions of
Supta Vajrasana
Back in injury
Knee injury
Constipation
Sciatica
Ankle problems
Note: All the asanas and pranayama should be performed under the guidance of your certified yoga teacher.