Side Plank Pose

A powerful arm and wrist strengthener, Side Plank takes its two-armed sibling to the next level, as an arm balance.

The full version of Vasisthasana, as taught by BKS Iyengar, with the top leg raised perpendicular to the floor, is beyond the capacity of most beginners. The pose described here is a modified version suitable for all levels of students.

(vah-sish-TAHS-anna

Vasistha = literally means "most excellent, best, richest." Vasistha is the name of several well-known sages in the yoga tradition. There's a Vasistha numbered among the seven (sometimes 10 or 12) seers (rishis) or lords of creation (prajapatis), and a Vasistha who's author of a number of Vedic hymns. He's also said to be the owner of the fabulous "cow of plenty," Nandini ("delight"), which grants his every wish and accounts for his infinite wealth.

Side Plank Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana. Shift onto the outside edge of your left foot, and stack your right foot on top of the left. Now swing your right hand onto your right hip, turn your torso to the right as you do, and support the weight of your body on the outer left foot and left hand.

Step 2

Make sure that the supporting hand isn't directly below its shoulder; position the hand slightly in front of its shoulder, so the supporting arm is angled a bit relative to the floor. Straighten the arm by firming the triceps muscle, and press the base of the index finger firmly against the floor.

Step 3

Firm the scapulas and sacrum against the back torso. Strengthen the thighs, and press through the heels toward the floor. Align your entire body into one long diagonal line from the heels to the crown.

Step 4

If you'd like you can stretch the top arm toward the ceiling, parallel to the line of the shoulders. Keep the head in a neutral position, or turn it to gaze up at the top hand.

Step 5

Stay in this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Come back to Adho Mukha Svanasana, take a few breaths, and repeat to the right side for the same length of time. Then return to Adho Mukha Svanasana for a few more breaths, and finally release into Balasana.

Contraindications and Cautions

Students with serious wrist, elbow, or shoulder injuries should avoid this pose.

Beginner's Tip

Beginners often have a difficult time sustaining this pose, even with the soles pressed to a wall. Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana with your heels up on a wall. Measure the distance between your right foot and right hand, then step the foot halfway to the hand. Keep the right foot on the floor for support and turn the toes out to the right. Then shift onto the outside of the left foot, press the sole against the wall, and turn onto the left hand as described above. In this position the bent leg will provide some extra support. Step back to Adho Mukha Svanasana at the end of your stay, then repeat to the other side.

Benefits

• Strengthens the arms, belly, and legs
• Stretches and strengthens the wrists
• Stretches the backs of the legs (in the full version described below)
• Improves sense of balance

 

Camel Pose

Bump up your energy by bending back into Camel Pose.

How to Say Ustrasana Sanskrit

(oosh-TRAHS-anna)
ustra = camel

Camel Pose Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Begin kneeling with the thighs perpendicular to the floor, and the knees and feet hips distance apart
2. Extend the big toes straight back, pressing down with all 10 toenails and firming the outer ankles into the midline
3. Spin the inner thighs back and gently release the flesh of the buttocks towards the backs of the knees
4. The pelvis is neutral, neither spilling forward nor spilling back, and stacks directly over the knees
5. Root down from the tops of the feet to the knees; rebound up with the chest
6. Bring the palms together in front of the sternum and drop the chin towards the sternum
7. Take an inhale to emphasize the lift of the chest, then create Savasana arms (palms facing forward) and with the next exhale
8. Keeping the chin dropping and the pelvis over the knees, take the hands to the heels 
9. Immediately press the shoulder blades forward and up and coil the thoracic spine to lift the chest any amount more
10. Having created more space/extension in the upper back, head can now drop back and hang free
11. Continue pressing down with the feet and lower legs in order to lift up with the thoracic spine and chest
12. Hold for 5-10 breaths, then, leading with the sternum, use an inhale to come up (head is the last part of the body to exit

Contraindications and Cautions of Camel Pose

• Avoid or modify if you feel any pinching or pain in your low back
• Avoid or modify if you have any shoulder pain, shoulder arthritis, or shoulder injuries
• Avoid or modify if you have any back pain or injuries, including surgeries.
• For most, it is best not to drop your head back in this pose, particularly if you have a neck injury or are at risk for stroke. Instead, lift your chin slightly and use your neck muscles to stabilize your head in place.
• Avoid or modify if you have shoulder injuries or pain in the pose

Benefits of Camel Pose

• Can boost energy and fight fatigue
• Can help build confidence and empowerment
• Improves posture and counteracts the effects of sitting and computer work
• May help relieve back pain
• Can counteract slouching and kyphosis of the spine
• Stretches your abdomen, chest, shoulders, front of your hips (hip flexors), and front of your thighs (quadriceps)
• Strengthens your back muscles, back of your thighs, and buttocks (gluteals)

 

Crane (Crow) Pose

A compact arm balance, Bakasana tones and strengthens the abs and arms.

(bahk-AHS-anna)
baka = crane

Crane (Crow Pose) Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Begin in a squat with the feet together and the knees wide apart
2. Tilt the torso forward so that the shoulders fit between the knees
3. Grip the outer shoulders with the knees and place the palms together in front of the sternum
4. Extend the sternum away from the navel while descending the tailbone towards the floor
5. Place the hands on the floor shoulder distance apart and 6-8 inches ahead of the feet
6. Come high on the toes and shift forward until the elbows stack over the wrists
7. Continuing to reach the chest forward, lift the heels towards the buttocks
8. Roll the heads of the upper arms back and up away from the floor
9. Knees can either grip the outer shoulders or balance on the triceps
10. Press the arms as straight as possible while bringing the feet and buttocks towards each other
11. Hold for 5-10 breaths and then either release the feet to the floor or exit into Chaturanga

Cautions and Contraindications of crow pose

• Avoid or modify if you have wrist arthritis, wrist pain, or carpal tunnel
• Avoid or modify if you have any back pain or injuries, including surgeries, osteoporosis, disc bulging or herniation, arthritis
• Avoid if you have a hip replacement or hip pain in the pose
• Caution for shoulder pain or injury
• Caution or avoid if you are pregnant, particularly in the 2nd and 3rd trimester
• Modifications and Props

Benefits of crow pose

• Improves focus
• Stretches your buttocks (gluteals), front of thighs (quadriceps), and the palm side of your wrist (wrist flexors), which counteracts the effects of typing
• Strengthens your core, upper back, chest, front of your hips (hip flexors), back of thighs (hamstrings), arms, shoulders, forearms, and back of wrists (wrist extensors)

 

Standing Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana Janushirasana Step by Step

Step 1: start from a standing position with your feet close to each other. Interlock all your fingers to create a platform where you will place your foot.

Step 2: Shift the weight of your body to the left leg and raise your right leg up by bending the knees. Lift up the leg to your highest level and lower your body so that it is easy to set the foot on the interlocked fingers.

Step 3: With your fingers below your foot and your torso bent forward, albeit slightly straighten the leg out so that it is parallel to the floor. If you do not get your leg to the parallel position do not force yourself to avoid injuries. Just go up to the level where you feel comfortable. Hold your foot at that position for a few breaths.

Step 4: Bend your arms and lower your elbows towards your calf, lower your entire upper body. Tuck your chin to your chest and round down so that your head is coming to your knee. The ideal position is where your head touches your knee but again this might be hard for many to achieve. Just lower your body to the level where you are comfortable.

Step 5: Hold the position for a few breaths and then alternate the legs. Ensure that you can feel a stretch on your lower back.

Benefits

• Stretches the entire back

• Strengthens the lower back

• Stretches the hamstrings

• Stretches the thighs

• Stretches the arms

• Strengthens the arms

• Stretches and strengthens the shoulders
• Strengthens entire leg, hip, and knee
  

• Building determination 

Beginner Tips

• Keep your abdominal muscles engaged during the pose by tucking them inside.

• Avoid jerking your leg when doing the pose. The movements should be slow and controlled to avoid injuries.

• Your body weight should be evenly distributed on the foot you are standing on.

 

Seated Forward Bend

Fold into Paschimottanasana to help a distracted mind—and your hamstrings—unwind.

(POSH-ee-moh-tan-AHS-anna)
paschimottana = intense stretch of the west (pashima = west
uttana = intense stretch)

Seated Forward Bend: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Sit on the floor with your buttocks supported on a folded blanket and your legs straight in front of you. Press actively through your heels. Rock slightly onto your left buttock, and pull your right sitting bone away from the heel with your right hand. Repeat on the other side. Turn the top thighs in slightly and press them down into the floor. Press through your palms or finger tips on the floor beside your hips and lift the top of the sternum toward the ceiling as the top thighs descend.

Step 2

Draw the inner groins deep into the pelvis. Inhale, and keeping the front torso long, lean forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Lengthen the tailbone away from the back of your pelvis. If possible take the sides of the feet with your hands, thumbs on the soles, elbows fully extended; if this isn't possible, loop a strap around the foot soles, and hold the strap firmly. Be sure your elbows are straight, not bent.

Step 3

When you are ready to go further, don't forcefully pull yourself into the forward bend, whether your hands are on the feet or holding the strap. Always lengthen the front torso into the pose, keeping your head raised. If you are holding the feet, bend the elbows out to the sides and lift them away from the floor; if holding the strap, lighten your grip and walk the hands forward, keeping the arms long. The lower belly should touch the thighs first, then the upper belly, then the ribs, and the head last.

Step 4

With each inhalation, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates and lengthens almost imperceptibly with the breath. Eventually you may be able to stretch the arms out beyond the feet on the floor.

Step 5

Stay in the pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lift the torso away from the thighs and straighten the elbows again if they are bent. Then inhale and lift the torso up by pulling the tailbone down and into the pelvis.

Contraindications and Cautions

• Asthma
• Diarrhea
• Back injury: Only perform this pose under the supervision of an experienced teacher.

Beginner's Tip

Never force yourself into a forward bend, especially when sitting on the floor. Coming forward, as soon as you feel the space between your pubis and navel shortening, stop, lift up slightly, and lengthen again. Often, because of tightness in the backs of the legs, a beginner's forward bend doesn't go very far forward and might look more like sitting up straight.

Benefits

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• Stretches the spine, shoulders, hamstrings
• Stimulates the liver, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort
• Soothes headache and anxiety and reduces fatigue
• Therapeutic for high blood pressure, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis
• Traditional texts say that Paschimottanasana increases appetite, reduces obesity, and cures diseases.

 

One-Legged Down Dog

How To Do Eka pada pranam asana(One Legged Prayer Pose)

1. Stand on the floor or yoga mat with hands on the side in Tadasana .
2. Focus the gaze on one point at eye level and breath normally.
3. Now slowly bend your right knee and place the sole of the foot to the root of the left thigh .
4. Now place your hands in front of the chest in pranam asana.
5. Hold the asana for a short duration maintaining balance.
6. Now release the right leg and lower it on the floor .
7. The practice can be repeated with the other leg also.

Breathing : — Inhale while standing on one foot in the starting position keeping your head high gazing at a point . Breathe normally in the final
Position and exhale while coming back to the starting position .

Precautions — Eka Pada Pranamasana

• Yoga Asana should be practiced either early in the morning or at least after 3–4 hours of the meal .
• Please do not practice one legged prayer pose if you have injury in your ankle, leg or foot.
• During the pregnancy this asana is not recommended.
• People suffering high blood pressure, hernia ,vertigo, slipped disc should not attempt this practice.

Benefits:

• Quiets the mind
• Strengthens the arms
• Stretches the hamstrings and hip flexors
• Develops confidence in balance

Contraindications:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• High blood pressure

 

Staff Pose

It might look straightforward, but there's more to Staff Pose than meets the eye.

Staff Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Sit on the floor with your legs together and extended in front of your torso. If your torso is leaning back, it may be because tight hamstrings are dragging the sitting bones toward the knees and the back of the pelvis toward the floor. It may be helpful to sit on a blanket or a bolster to lift the pelvis.

Step 2

A simple way to check alignment is to sit with your back against a wall. The sacrum and the shoulder blades should touch the wall, but not lower back or the back of the head. Put a small rolled-up towel between the wall and the lower back

Step 3

Sit towards the front of the sitting bones, and adjust the pubis and tail bone equidistant from the floor. Without hardening the belly, firm the thighs, press them down against the floor (or your support), rotate them slightly toward each other, and draw the inner groins toward the sacrum. Flex your ankles, pressing out through your heels.

Step 4

To lengthen your front torso perpendicular to the floor, think of energy streaming upward from the pubis to the sternum, then down the back from the shoulders to the tail bone. Then imagine the tail lengthening into the floor.

Step 5

Imagine your spine as the "staff" at the vertical core of your torso, rooted firmly in the Earth, the support and pivot of all you do. Hold the pose for one minute or longer.

Contraindications and Cautions

• Any wrist or lower back injury

• Beginner's Tip

• Lay one to three 10-pound sandbags across the tops of your thighs at the hip crease to help ground your thighs.

  Benefits

  • Strengthens the back muscles
  • Stretches the shoulders and chest
  • Improves posture

 

Downward-Facing Dog

Deservedly one of yoga's most widely recognized yoga poses, Adho Mukha Svanasana, offer the ultimate all-over, rejuvenating stretch.

(AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna)
adho = downward
mukha = face
svana = dog

Downward-Facing Dog: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under.

Step 2

Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.

Step 3

Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis.

Step 4

Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang.

Step 5

Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the poses in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. It's also an excellent yoga asana all on its own. Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then bend your knees to the floor with an exhalation and rest in Child's Pose.

Contraindications and Cautions

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Diarrhea
• Pregnancy: Do not do this pose late-term.
• High blood pressure or headache: Support your head on a bolster or block, ears level between the arms.

Beginner's Tip

If you have difficulty releasing and opening your shoulders in this pose, raise your hands off the floor on a pair of blocks or the seat of a metal folding chair.

Benefits

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• Energizes the body
• Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
• Strengthens the arms and legs
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
• Relieves menstrual discomfort when done with head supported
• Helps prevent osteoporosis
• Improves digestion
• Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue
• Therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, sinusitis

Cat Hold

 

How to do cat pose with your child

1. Come onto your fours. Form a table such that your back forms the table top and your hands and feet form the legs of the table.
2. Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor, with the hands directly under the shoulders and flat on the ground; your knees are hip-width apart.
3. Look straight ahead.
4. As you inhale, raise your chin and tilt your head back, push your navel downwards and raise your tailbone. Compress your buttocks. Do you feel a slight tingle here?
5. Hold the Cat pose and take long, deep breaths.
6. Follow this by a countermovement: As you exhale, drop your chin to your chest and arch your back up as much as you can; relax the buttocks.
7. Hold this pose for a few seconds before you return to the initial table-like stage.
8. Continue five or six rounds before you come out of this yoga posture.
9. Tip from the Sri Sri Yoga expert: When you do the movement slowly and gracefully, its effect is more powerful and meditative.

Benefits

• Brings flexibility to the spine
• Strengthens wrists and shoulders
• Massages the digestive organs and improves digestion
• Tones the abdomen
• Improves digestion
• Relaxes the mind
• Improves blood circulation

Contraindication 

Consult your doctor if you have back or neck-related problems and practice Cat Stretch (Marjariasana) under the guidance of an Sri Sri Yoga teacher

 

WIND RELIEVING POSE

Instructions

1. Lying on your back, inhale both knees into your chest. Wrap the arms around the knees, holding on to opposite elbows, forearms, wrists or fingers.

2. Tuck the chin into the chest with the head on the floor. Press the sacrum and tailbone down into the floor as you pull the knees into the chest using the arms.

3. Press the shoulders and the back of the neck down into the floor, trying to get the back and whole spine flat to the floor. Relax the legs, feet and hips.

4. Breathe and hold for 4-8 breaths, breathing deeply into the belly, actively pressing it against the thighs on the inhalation.

5. To release: exhale and release the arms and legs to the floor.

Beginner’s Tips

Although you must keep your buttocks lifted off the floor, try to keep your lower back grounded on the floor as you practice this asana.

Physical Benefits

Pawanmuktasana (pah-van-ah-mook-TAHS-uh-nuh) massages the intestines and abdominal organs and, as the name implies, helps to remove excess air from the digestive system, which improves digestion efficiency and relieves bloating, gas, and constipation. This pose increases circulation to the hips, helping to remove tension in the hips and lower back. It also strengthens the back and abdominal muscles and tones the legs and arms.

Energetic Benefits

Built-up pressure in the body can produce tension in the body. Pawanmuktasana is helpful for relieving the pressure that builds up in your digestive system and spine; this helps relax the body, mind and spirit. It is a good pose to do first thing in the morning to increase movement and ease throughout the day.

Contraindications

Those with high blood pressure, slip disc, hernia, or spinal injury should refrain from this pose. Also, men with testicle disorder or women who are pregnant or menstruating should also avoid this pose.

T Pose

 

Warrior III (T)Pose

Step-by-step instructions on moving from High Lunge to Warrior III.

(veer-ah-bah-DRAHS-anna)

Virabhadra = the name of a fierce warrior, an incarnation of Shiva, described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet; wielding a thousand clubs; and wearing a tiger's skin.

Warrior III Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions (T pose)

Step 1

Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), exhale and fold foward to Uttanasana. From Uttanasana, exhale and step your left foot back into a high lunge position. Your right knee should be more or less at a right angle. Lay the midline of your torso (from the pubis to the sternum) down on the midline of the right thigh (from the knee to the hip crease) and bring your hands to your right knee, right hand to the outer knee, left hand to the inner. Squeeze the knee with your hands, lift your torso slightly, and with an exhalation, turn it slightly to the right.

Step 2

Now from the lunge position, stretch your arms forward, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other, palms facing each other. Exhale and press the head of the right thighbone back and press the heel actively into the floor. Synchronize the straightening of the front leg and the lifting of the back leg. As you lift the back leg, resist by pressing the tailbone into the pelvis.

Step 3

Normally students come up into Virabhadrasana III by lunging the torso forward. This tends to shift the body weight onto the ball of the front foot and unbalance the position. Don't allow the torso to swing forward as you move into position; instead, as you straighten the front knee, think of pressing the head of the thighbone back. This centers the femur in the hip joint, grounds the heel into the floor, and stabilizes the position.

Step 4

The arms, torso, and raised leg should be positioned relatively parallel to the floor. For many students the pelvis tends to tilt. Release the hip [of the raised leg] toward the floor until the two hip points are even and parallel to the floor. Energize the back leg and extend it strongly toward the wall behind you; reach just as actively in the opposite direction with the arms. Bring the head up slightly and look forward, but be sure not to compress the back of your neck.

Step 5

Stay in this position for 30 seconds to a minute. Release back to the lunge on an exhalation. Bring your hands to the floor on either side of the right foot, and on an exhalation, step your left foot forward to meet your right. Stay in this forward bend for a few breaths, then repeat for the same length of time on the other side.

Contraindications and Cautions

• High blood pressure

Beginner's Tip

When you straighten the front knee by pushing the head of the thighbone back, imagine that the same-leg calf is resisting forward against the shin. These two opposing movements prevent the knee from locking or hyperextending and further stabilize the position.

Benefits

• Strengthens the ankles and legs
• Strengthens the shoulders and muscles of the back
• Tones the abdomen
• Improves balance and posture