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| SI Joints for Female and Male (look for the red lines!) |
Q: I’d like to know more about Janu Sirsasana and Trikonasana and the sacroiliac joint. Is there a post you can point me too? thanks!
A: We did a few posts last year on the SI joint and the challenges it presents. You can take a look at a post Nina and I wrote on Friday, Dec 7th 2012, as well as two posts that Shari wrote on Dec. 19th and Dec. 20, 2012. Those will give you some good information about the sacrum and the SI joint to start with.
Regarding Janu Sirsasana and Trikonasana, I find that if you have a problematic SI joint, these two poses can both be particularly challenging. In both cases, I try to keep a sense of evenness in the movement of the entire pelvis and sacrum as I go into, maintain, and exit from these two poses. Each pose has the potential to create a torque-ing action in the pelvis, which could then destabilize a loose SI joint on one side. So, especially as you enter the poses, move slowly enough that you can feel and listen for any sudden twists of the bones, or more likely, any changes in sensation over one SI joint. Often times, this leads to a variation of the two poses that is not quite as deep as previously practiced, but one that feels really safe and pain-free in the SI area of the back pelvis. Because there is so much personal variation in our skeleton and soft tissue structures, it is challenging to be more specific than that, and it is very helpful to have a set of experienced eyes observe you in these poses if they are challenging for you now. But I have one recommendation for each pose that can be helpful in minimizing torque.
In Trikonasana, before tipping your pelvis and torso sideways over your front leg, create a sense of your entire pelvis lifting off of your leg bones. Then, as if your pelvis had a flagpole coming up through its center, rotate your pelvis toward the front leg a bit. For example, if your front leg is the right leg, you would rotate your front left hip point towards your inner right thigh. Keep the lightness of your entire pelvis and that rotation as you tip your pelvis over your front thigh. Beyond the stretch of the inner right thigh that we often feel as we enter into the pose, keep more attention on the quality of sensation at the SI joints. And don’t let your torso bow over your front leg, as this tends to overstretch the left SI and compress the right SI.
For Janu Sirsasana, I find that modifying the direction of bend of the pelvis and torso helps to relieve some of the torque on the pelvis. Instead of turning your chest to line up with your straight leg, try keeping in line with the direction of your pelvis, which is usually somewhere between your two knees. Tip forward slowly in that direction. You will still need to be very attuned to the sensations in your SI joints, as your straight leg hamstring is going to stop the forward tip of your pelvis before your bent leg side does. It is at this moment that the torque is likely to take place. So as soon as you feel a bit of stretch in your straight leg hamstrings, stop there and wait a bit to see how things feel. You may be up a lot higher than usual, but your sacrum will thank you for it later!
—Baxter
Because these are the two most risky poses for your SI joint, if you are currently suffering from an SI injury (I’ve been through this), I recommend taking a break from them entirely until the pain in your joint clears up. When your joint stops hurting in your everyday life, you can return to doing these two poses using Baxter’s instructions. If you’re in a class and don’t want to sit around doing nothing while the others practice these poses, let your teacher know you’ll be doing alternative poses or severely restricted versions. For example, you can sit in the Janu Sirsasana position without bending forward at all, making sure to keep the curve in your lower back, or maybe do Paschimottanasana instead. For Trikonasana, you could do a severely modified version of the pose, perhaps with your bottom hand on a chair seat or on two blocks stacked end on end, you could rest by standing in Mountain pose or practicing Uttananasa (Standing Forward Bend).
—Nina
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As always, I appreciate your thoughtful words about this and the many other helpful topics you select. As a woman with a history of yoga-exacerbated SI irritation, I'd like to mention practices that have completely resolved the issue for me.
The first is to maintain the sacrum's nutation (forward leaning relative to the pelvis), and to be vigilant when approaching positions that encourage either side of the top of the sacrum to release backward. Sometimes correcting this will involve support under the sitting bone on the affected side (as in Janu Sirsasana).
The second action requiring attention is maintaining adduction of the frontal hip points (ASIS). The engagement of the lower abdomen (NOT pelvic or abdominal organs) helps to create healthy space in the sacral area and, along with the nutation mentioned above, maintains the integrity of the top rim of the pelvis.
Maintaining mula bandha is also helpful.
Mr. Iyengar gave several excellent modifications for Utthita Trikonasana for those with hip/sacral pain. One is to do the pose angular. Specifically Stand in tadasana facing the long edge of your mat. Separate the feet wide, placer the back foot toward the back of the mat – so that the thigh feels as if it is behind the public plate. If you have the mobility, take your front foot foward. The shape will be that your legs are diagonal to the long edge of your mat. Go into the pose with legs straight (feet pressing down) and your hand on a high brick or char that way and you will find more pelvic freedom. ALSO some people with sacral pain find more comfort doing a regular trikonasana but with the front foot elevated – place two bricks at the wall. Place your front heel on it and toes/sole of the foot at the wall. When you bring your hand down into Utthita Trikonasana place the hand on a tall brick or chair. These two options are extremely beneficial for all, but especially older sadhakas and those with sacral issues.
Dear Dr. Bell and Nina, Your posts about keeping the SI joints safe and happy through asana modification are SO helpful. Thank you. A practitioner for 15+ years now, I developed SI joint imbalance and dysfunction about 5 years ago after mistakenly focusing my personal practice more on flexibility that mobility and stability in all joints. Your in-depth discussions, together with my personal study, practice and regular teaching, have added to my depth of understanding concerning the pelvis, sacrum (our sacred bone is what I tell my students), hips and hip joints. Through modifying my approach to asana and greater mindfulness in practice, I have healed and continue to feel more balanced in structure and stability. In gratitude, Suzanne