Pose of the Month – How to do yin yoga pose shoelace

Learn how to do the yin yoga shoelace pose, a great pose to relieve stress, ease tension headaches and support a great sleep.

What is yin yoga shoelace pose?

Shoelace or Gomukhasana in Sanskrit, is a deep hip stretch with a potential arm/shoulder stretch thrown in for good measure. This is a brilliant traditional yoga pose to help relieve tension in the hips and shoulders – two areas where many people hold stress/tightness. This makes shoelace an ideal pose to practice if you need to let go of some additional stress within the body.

How to do yin yoga shoelace pose?

1. Begin seated with the legs in front of you. Bend the right knee and place the foot over the extended left leg.
2. Take the left leg over towards the right a little to make some more space.
3. Lean over to the left and bend the left knee, taking the foot to outside the right hip.
4. Allow the outside edge of the right foot to rest on the floor.
5. Your knees will be pointing towards the front of the mat and feet out to either side.
6. Stay here for 2-5 minutes, then repeat on the opposite side.

Modifications

1. Be mindful of your knees here – it’s perfectly fine to stop after step 2 keeping one leg extended with the opposite leg placed over the thigh.
2. Another option to support the knees is to sit on a block before coming into the pose – the extra height may allow you to move a little easier into the pose.
3. Fold forwards if you would like to increase the sensation in the hips.
4. Knees can be stacked one on top of the other for a ‘tighter’ shoelace, but they can also be further apart, similar to a seated crossed legged position for a ‘looser’ shoelace.

Props

Use a block under the sitting bones to help lift the body creating more space.

Benefits of yin yoga shoelace pose

• May help treat sciatica
• Helpful for lowering Blood Pressure
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Decompresses the lower back (if folding forwards)
• Stimulates Gallbladder meridian

Want to try some FREE yin yoga classes? Then head over to Yoga by Gillian on YouTube where you will find a range of class from 10-minutes to 30-minutes. Don’t forget to subscribe when you get there!