Yoga Practice

Pose Information

Sanskrit Name:

Hanumanasana

Common name:

Monkey Pose

Pose Level:

Level 2

Therapeutic Applications:

●Relieves pain cause by sciatica

●Tones all the leg muscles

●Eases the strain from running or working on your feet for long periods of time

Benefits:

●Prepares your legs and lower back for advanced backbends

●Rejuvenates the abdominal organs

Contraindications and Cautions:

●Injuries less than three months old in your knees, groin or hamstrings





Happy International Yoga Day

Cow Face Pose
(Gomukhasana)

Pose Level-1

Benefits

Stretches the ankles, hips and thighs, shoulders, armpits and triceps, and chest.

How to do :

1.To practice Gomukhasana, sit in Dhyan Veerasana so that the right knee comes directly over your left knee.

2.Place the left arm behind the back in such a way that the back of hand rests on the spine.

3.Bring your right arm above the right shoulder.

4.Clasp the fingers of both hands with each other.

5.Bring the folded hands together behind the head in such a way that the back of the head presses against the inside of right arm.

6.Close your eyes and breathe deeply.

7.Keep the head and spine straight.

8.Stay in this position for 2-3 minutes.

9.Unclasp the hands.

10.Practice the same asana with the left leg over the right leg and left arm over left shoulder.

Contraindications and Cautions

Serious neck or shoulder problems.

Seated Wide Legged Straddle - Upavistha Konasana

When setting up for upavistha konasana, you don't have to go for a super wide angle with the legs. Feeling some stretch in the inner thigh is common, but you don't need to go for a full split.
Benefits:

Stretches the hamstrings and calves, elongates the spine.

Contraindications:

Hamstring or groin pull or tear

Lower-back injury

Herniated disk

How to do?

1.To begin this asana, sit erect, and open up your legs such that they are at a 90-degree angle with your pelvis.

2.Let your toes point up as your flex your feet and align your knees. You must feel a curve in your lower back. If you don’t, use a prop. Sit on a firm cushion. This will give your pelvis stability and allow it to tilt forward, apart from retaining that lower back curve.

3.Place your palms on the floor, such that they are front of you.

4.Inhale, long and deep, such that the sides of the body lift, thereby creating a space or hollow in the spine. Hold for a few seconds if you feel a good stretch in your legs at this point.

5.Now supporting your lower back, and sucking your stomach in, exhale and fold. Gently move your hands in behind your hips.
6.Use your breath as a guide to how much you can stretch, and stretch your spine as much as you can. Stop when you begin to feel uncomfortable. Breathe long and deep as you hold the pose for about a minute.

7.Exhale and gently come back up. Bend your knees and pull your legs back together.

Low lunge -Anjaneyasana

Crescent Moon Poseor Ashwa Sanchalanasana, Equestrian Pose is a standing back bending asana in modern yoga. It is sometimes included as one of the asanas in the Surya Namaskar sequence.

HOW TO DO

1. Begin in Downward Dog.
2. Step your left foot forward between your hands and ensure your knee is directly above the ankle.
3. Lower your right knee to the mat.
4. Inhale, raise your torso upright and reach both arms overhead with palms facing each other.
5. Slowly of your chest and begin to reach
For the wall behind you as you come into a backbend.
6. Continue tucking your tailbone under to protect your lower back from compression .
7. Hold for several breaths.
8. To come out, inhale to rise up, exhale and lower your hands to either side of foot and step back to return to Downward Dog.

Benefits

1. Strengthens the back, legs and shoulders.

2. Stretches the hips, thighs and feet.

3. Improves balance and focus.

Bhujapidasana or Shoulder pressing pose is a hand-balancing or arm balancing pose.

How To Do The Bhujapidasana

1. Begin this asana by squatting. Place your feet at a distance that is slightly lesser than the distance between your shoulders. Keep your knees wide.

2. Angle your torso such that it faces forward, and place it between the inner thighs. As you lower your torso, your hips must be raised, such that they come in line with the floor.

3. Place the upper left shoulder as close to the back area of the left thigh, a little above your knees. Once you have done this, place the left hand on the ground next to the outer part of your left foot. Do the same on your right side as well.

4. This will make your upper back round up.

5. Now that both your palms firmly press the ground, lift your body, placing its weight on your hands. The lifting happens because of a shift in the center of gravity.

6. Press the outer part of your arms along with the inner thighs as you place the right ankle over your left ankle. Gaze forward. Hold the pose. Then, bend your elbows and release the pose as you exhale.

These are some amazing benefits of Bhujapidasana.

1. This asana helps improve a sense of balance and concentration.

2. It makes the wrists, shoulders, arms, and upper body strong.

3. The abdomen gets a good stretch, and therefore, digestion is improved.

4. This asana nourishes the thyroid gland. Therefore, the heart rate is controlled, the nervous system is balanced, and metabolism is regulated.

5. The blood circulation is improved.

6.This asana helps relieve stressand headache.

Dandasana (Staff Pose)
Dandasana is the foundation for all the seated yoga postures. A perfectly challenging yoga asana for beginners to start with. Staff pose warms up the body and prepares you mentally and physically to start your yoga practice. Dandasana tests the strength of your spine. Practicing it for the first time will let you know how good are you at your base.

How To Do Dandasana

1. Sit erect on the ground, with your back straightened and your legs stretched out in front of you. Your legs must be parallel to each other, and feet should be pointed upwards.

2. Press your buttocks on the floor, and align your head in such a way that the crown faces the ceiling. This will automatically straighten and lengthen your spine.

3. Flex your feet and press your heels.

4. Place your palms next to your hips on the floor. This will support your spine and also relax your shoulders. Your torso must be straight, but relaxed.

5. Relax your legs, and ground the lower half of your body firmly to the floor.

6. Breathe normally, and hold the pose for about 20 to 30 seconds.

Dandasana(Staff Pose)Benefits

1. Strengthens the muscles of the spine and improves body posture.

2. Stretches chest, shoulders, upper back and abdomen.

3. Prevents any kind of back condition or disease.

4. Develops a strong core and calms the mind.

5. Beneficial for those suffering from sciatica and asthma.

Urdhva Padmasana – Lotus Pose in Headstand

Starting Position:
Vajrasana
Concentration:
on the whole body and Sahasrara Chakra
Breath:
normal breathing
Repetitions:
once

Practice:
Sit in Vajrasana and then come into Shirshasana. >Concentrate on balance. Slowly bring the legs into lotus. >Remain in this position breathing normally. Slowly release Padmasana and return to the starting position.
Variation:
When able to maintain balance effortlessly, turn the pelvis and legs slowly to the right and left.
Benefits:
Strengthens the arm, shoulder, neck and trunk muscles. Improves body awareness, balance and the ability to concentrate. Improves blood supply to the brain. Beneficial for all abdominal organs.
Caution:
Avoid this Asana with problems of the cervical spine or high blood pressure. .

Baby Crow, or Baby Bakasana, is a cross between Crow Pose (Bakasana) and Duck Pose (Karandavasana). ● Benefits of Baby Crow Pose

Baby Crow strengthens the shoulders and arms, creates a stretch through the upper back, and helps to tone the core. The pose can also help to improve balance and concentration, and serves as a great reminder to be playful with your practice and experiment with new variations of old classics. ● Step-By-Step

1.Set up as you would for Crow Pose, coming into a low squat (Malasana), with your knees bent. Come up onto the balls of your feet, bring your big toes together and separate your knees wide apart.
2. Plant your hands on the mat in front of you, just wider than shoulder distance apart, then bend your elbows and place your forearms down on the mat. Ensure your forearms are parallel to one another and that your elbows aren’t splaying out to the sides.

3. Lift your hips up slightly and begin to hug your knees around your upper outer arms. Find the action of squeezing your legs in toward the midline of your body.

4. Shift your weight forward and keep your gaze just ahead of your fingertips. Leading with the heart, begin to round through your upper back and come up onto the tips of your toes.

5. Experiment with your balance here, picking up one foot and then the other. If it feels appropriate for you, keep squeezing your knees into your upper arms, reach your chest forward, and lift both feet off the ground, drawing your heels toward your buttocks.

6.Remain in your expression of the pose for up to five full breaths, then gently lower your feet to the ground on an exhale.

Back bend pose .


backbend is a wonderful heart-opening pose. It helps to release tension, especially in the neck and shoulders. This pose helps to open up the respiratory system for deeper, fuller breath. Backbend is also a fantastic preparatory pose for any deep backbend like Wheel.

Everything can be more easier when I use the iron pillar to help me to practice Deep backbend pose .
Follow me .abhishek

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Astavakrasana (Eight angle pose)

How to do :
1. Begin in a comfortable seated position.

2. Bend your right knee and bring the sole of your right foot to the floor close to your right buttock.

3. Lift the your right foot off the floor, bringing your shin roughly parallel to the floor.

4. Thread your right arm under your right knee.

5. Try to get your right knee as high as possible on the right arm, maybe even bringing the knee over the right shoulder. It may take several adjustments to get the knee to its highest position.

6. Plant both palms on the floor on higher side of your hips and straighten your left leg.

7. Press into your palms to lift your body, including your left leg and foot, off the floor. This is eka hasta bhujasana. Your left leg needs to be engaged with the foot flexed for this to be possible. You right leg needs to be actively hugging your right arm.

8. Once you have the left leg lifted, bend that leg and bring the foot toward your body to hook your left ankle around your right ankle.

9. Bend your arms to 90 degrees to shift the weight of your torso forward, towards parallel to the floor. At the same time, move both legs over to the right, parallel to the front of your mat.. 10. Straighten both legs as much as possible, squeezing your right arm. Lift your head but don't crank your neck.

11. Straighten your arms and shift your weight back to lower to your butt with control. Repeat the pose on the other side.

Type of Pose: Arm Balance

Benefits: Strengthens the arms and abdominal muscles, improves core strength and balance, stretches the legs.

Trikona - Triangle; Asana - Pose

Unlike most yoga postures, the Triangle Pose requires keeping the eyes open in order to maintain body balance.

How to do the Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

1. Stand straight. Separate your feet comfortably wide apart (about 31/2 to 4 feet). Turn your right foot out 90 degrees and left foot in by 15 degrees.

2. Now align the center of your right heel with the center of your arch of left foot.

3. Ensure that your feet are pressing the ground and the weight of your body is equally balanced on both the feet.

4. Inhale deeply and as you exhale, bend your body to the right, downward from the hips, keeping the waist straight, allowing your left hand to come up in the air while your right hand comes down towards floor. Keep both arms in straight line.

5. Rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or the floor outside your right foot, whatever is possible without distorting the sides of the waist. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with the tops of your shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position or turn it to the left, eyes gazing softly at the left palm.

6. Ascertain that your body is bent sideways and not backward or forward. Pelvis and chest are wide open.

7. Stretch maximum and be steady. Keep taking in long deep breaths. With each exhalation, relax the body more and more. Just be with the body and the breath.

9. As you inhale, come up, bring your arms down to your sides, and straighten your feet.

10. Repeat the same on the other side

5 benefits of the Trikonasana

1. Strengthens the legs, knees, ankles, arms and chest.
2. Stretches and opens the hips, groins, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest and spine.
3. Increases mental and physical equilibrium.
4. Helps improve digestion.
5. Reduces anxiety, stress, back pain and sciatica.