A Banana(asana) a day…
How often in a day do you bend forward to pick something up? How often to you puff out your chest, and roll your shoulders back to counteract the rounding of your spine? When you wake up, or get off of the couch, do you ever have a little cat-stretch for yourself? If your daily routine is anything like mine, then you would be answering, “a lot,” to all three of those questions.
I remember my dearest yoga teacher, Sundeep Tyagi, was the first person to point out to me how infrequently North Americans stretch their side bodies. Even in the gym, during strength training, it’s often bypassed in favour of abdominal or back routines.
We focus so much on flexion and extension of the spine, in sun salutations, and possibly because our activities of daily living demand that we do.
Is it possible that in the process, we’ve been taking our side bodies for granted this whole time? When do we stretch the side of the body? What muscles and fascia groups are there? And what role do they play in our daily life?
Starting from the top down, lateral (or side) flexion in Bananasana stretches the muscles at the side of the neck. There’s one sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle on each side of the neck, and these start behind the ear, go down the centre of the chest, ending at the sternum. SCM run relatively deep in the body, underneath another muscle called the platysma. The SCM allows us to rotate our head from side to side, and flex it up and down. The SCM is commonly the injured muscle in ‘whiplash’ injuries from car accidents. Bananasana also stretches the levator scapula. Responsible for moving the scapula (shoulder blade) up and rotating it downward, these movements are part of the actions we take to lift our arms above our heads, or bring our arms out to our sides. If you try moving your shoulder blades now, I venture you will feel that movement effect your neck. The levator scapula maintains stability in your head and neck in relation to how you move your shoulder blades. Chronic flexion of the spine, hyperkyphosis, much of the positions held by office workers or drivers can cause neck and shoulder pain. Flexibility of the levator scapula is so beneficial for posture and prevention of neck and shoulder pain. The intercostal muscles run between the ribs, and are highly important for breathing because they help us expand and contract the size of our chest. If you try to breathe without moving your rib cage, you’ll find your breaths are very small. The quadratus lumborum (QL) runs parallel to your spine on both sides. These rectangular muscles provide stability for the lower back, especially when we sit. The QL also aid in breathing by stabilizing the 12th rib, and allowing the diaphragm to contract. I hope this muscle jargon isn’t too lumBORum, but I promise it’s nearly passed! As for the legs, Bananasana is going to target the tensor fascia latae (TFL), the muscles at the side of the hip. The TFL works in conjunction with the IT band, so it helps provide hip movement, and ideally prevents strain coming onto the knee. Bananasa can be taught at the wall, or on the floor, making it relatively adaptable to many students. Is it for everyone? Is it for you? Well, if you’re practicing with your arms above your head and feel tingling in your fingers, bring the hands to the side of the body. If your lower back is causing you pain, I recommend taking it easy in this pose and not bringing the feet too far to the side.
Thank you to the sources that provided information for this blog:Namastream, Soghrati Yoga, https://app.namastream.com/#/soghratiyoga/product/3367/lesson/5545/play/9555.“Quadratus Lumborum, the Bigger Picture: Ekhart Yoga.” Ekhart Yoga Online, https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/anatomy/quadratus-lumborum-the-bigger-picture. “Tensor Fascia Latae: Unraveling the Mysteries.” Sports Injury Bulletin, 21 Dec. 2018, https://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/tensor-fascia-latae-unraveling-the-mysteries/.