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Figure 31 - Lying Positions |
It is interesting to note that the posterior muscles which cause the bent legs, (the hamstrings in particular) will remain extremely tight for up to 5 years, even in an active child, and can even stay that way for a lifetime in a sedentary person.
These particular muscles are associated with fear and insecurity (Mooladhara) and represent the sub-human (or animal levels) of human consciousness and energy. By the time a baby gets his spine straight enough to simply lie flat on his back, that is really the first sign their body makes which shows it is truly "out of the womb".
Because babies in our culture are so fre-quently nappied, not swaddled, and left to lie in baskets and cribs rather than the traditional treatment of more frequent nakedness, swaddling their limbs straight, and sling carrying, their limbs do not tend to straighten out as quickly as nature intended. It is therefore good to assist this straightening out stage (and because they love it) by massaging and exercising their legs and arms.
The yoga series which best does this is the Pawanmuktasanas Part 1 (Anti-Arthritis Series). As shown, you can do ankle bending and ankle crank (Figure 32), knee bending (Figure 33), elbow bending (Figure 34), shoulder and hip rotations (Figure 35).
Apart from being an exchange of loving touch between mother and child, these movements help their circulation, digestion and excretion, nervous system, as well as releasing any physical or emotional tension which may be held in the joints and muscles. At first you will notice their muscles have a resistance but gradually they will relax. These movements help with circulation in whichever parts of the body you do them.
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