The mermaid pose is one variation of the Pigeon pose that exudes grace, stability, strength, and open-heartedness. It can be used as a preparatory posture for King Pigeon, and on its cha, it helps the practitioner stabilize the pelvis and core in order to extend the spine.
It is not uncommon for the body to misalign when holding or entering the Mermaid Pose. This is because the pose relies on flexibility to achieve maximum stability. Here are some common Mermaid misalignments and how to fix them. This will keep your body open and stable.
The hips should be squared or rotated forward to face the front.
It can be not easy to bend the back leg to grab the toe when the quadriceps or hip flexors tighten. The rear hip will roll out, which can cause compression of the lower back while creating a spinal extension.
Avoid this by rotating your back thigh and grabbing the inner leg together.
Sinking your pelvis towards the floor.
The pelvis can sink/collapse into the ground when there is no or little engagement from the legs. This can cause compression of the lower back. The strength of your legs is essential to lift and lengthen the spine upwards.
You can now extend your spine with ease.
The lumbar spine collapses.
In most backbends, it is normal to “dump into” the lower back. To avoid this, pull in through the navel while lengthening the tailbone toward the ground to create space in your lower back. The backbend will be supported by core stability without stressing the lower spine.
Rotate the chest towards the rear leg.
It is usually due to tightness of the chest and shoulders. Mermaid is a very backbend pose, so it’s important to have flexibility in your upper body. This will help you with the rotation of the chest and extension of the spine.
It’s not true that if you have tight shoulders, you cannot do the pose. Focus on lifting the chest and drawing the shoulder tips forward and into the heart as the hands (or fingers) clasp together behind the back.
Misalignments in the Mermaid pose are often caused by tightness or lack of flexibility. This pose demonstrates incredible freedom of the hips and shoulders, as well as the psoas. Mermaid Pose is not impossible if you are “tighter” than usual in these areas. However, being aware of potential misalignments and how to correct them will make your journey more rewarding.
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