Side bending pose 

Sidebending Poses to Prep for Pranayama

Instructions

Side bending pose stretches and strengthen the back, flank and oblique muscles, toning the side waist and tummy. Side bends provide are a basic yoga prep pose appropriate for all levels of classes including beginner, pre/post-natal and senior yoga. Side bends prepare the spine and side waist for lateral bends and stretches required for triangle, extended side angle and half-moon poses.

To enter the pose, begin in Tadasana. Root the feet down. Inhale and raise the arms overhead. Interlock the fingers, with pointer fingers extended. Exhale and bend to the right from the side waist. Hold, then inhale and lift the torso back to the upright position. Exhale bend to the left side. Hold, then inhale and lift torso back to upright position. To exit the pose, release the arms to the sides. Repeat 5-10 times.

Benefits of Standing Side Bends?

Consider this pose a foundational stretch that strengthens your lower core muscles. Standing Side Bend Pose is excellent for your spinal health.

“Side bends are incredible for the human body because our spine can move in so many different directions,” says Jehn. “We tend to limit it to moving up and down or forward and backward, so by incorporating side bends will promote the longevity of your spinal health.”

Here is what is happening in your body during this stretch:

• Promotes better posture- opens your upper body with a hip to shoulder stretch. As you stretch from your hips to your shoulders, you are stretching your intercostal muscles (the muscles between your ribs), and toning your spinal muscles to better protect your spine. “You are training the muscles around your spine to become stronger in every sense,” say Jehn.
• Strengthens your mid and lower core- Your abdominals and spinal erector muscles engage to help you balance as you fold to the side. “The biggest portion of the body that the standing side bend should target is the [lower to mid-core],” says Jehn.

We’ve got your back (literally) when we tell you to try standing side bends today.

Contraindications

• Injuries to lumbar
• Sciatica
• Neck and shoulders problems

Bound Revolved Lunge Pose

 Bound Revolved Lunge Pose

SANSKRIT

Baddha Parivrtta Anjaneyasana

BENEFIT

• Deeply stretches the spine, chest, lungs, shoulders and groin.
• Stimulates the internal abdominal organs and kidneys.

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INSTRUCTION

Step back into low lunge and drop the back knee. Bring your hands into prayer and bring your opposite elbow onto your front knee. If your hands reach your heart centre, reach the top hand around the back with palm facing out. Wrap your bottom hand underneath the thigh. Bend the elbow and extend the hand to reach the other hand. Bind the hands together. Push up to lift the back knee for the full pose. Heart is open. The gaze is over the top shoulder.

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MODIFICATION

• If the hands cannot reach, use a strap.
• Keep your knee grounded if you feel unsteady/unbalanced

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CAUTION

If you have any neck problems, don’t turn your head to look over the soulder; instead look straight ahead or look down at the floor.

Pramid pose

Pramid  Pose

Intense Side Stretch Pose is done with the hands on the floor.

(parsh-voh-tahn-AHS-anna)

parsva = side, flank
ut = intense
tan = to stretch or extend (compare the Latin verb tendere, “to stretch or extend”)

Intense Side Stretch Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3½ to 4 feet apart. Rest your hands on your hips. Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle.

Step 2

Exhale and rotate your torso to the right, squaring the front of your pelvis as much as possible with the front edge of your mat. As the left hip point turns forward, press the head of the left femur back to ground the back heel. Press your outer thighs inward, as if squeezing a block between your thighs. Firm your scapulas against your back torso, lengthen your coccyx toward the floor, and arch your upper torso back slightly.

Step 3

With another exhalation, lean the torso forward from the groins over the right leg. Stop when the torso is parallel to the floor. Press your fingertips to the floor on either side of the right foot. If it isn’t possible for you to touch the floor, support your hands on a pair of blocks or the seat of a folding chair. Press the thighs back and lengthen the torso forward, lifting through the top of the sternum.

Step 4

In this pose the front-leg hip tends to lift up toward the shoulder and swing out to the side, which shortens the front-leg side. Be sure to soften the front-leg hip toward the earth and away from the same-side shoulder while you continue squeezing the outer thighs. Press the base of the big toe and the inner heel of the front foot firmly into the floor, then lift the inner groin of the front leg deep into the pelvis.

Step 5

Hold your torso and head parallel to the floor for a few breaths. Then, if you have the flexibility, bring the front torso closer to the top of the thigh, but don’t round forward from the waist to do this. Eventually the long front torso will rest down on the thigh. Hold your maximum position for 15 to 30 seconds, then come up with an inhalation by pressing actively through the back heel and dragging the coccyx first down and then into the pelvis. Then go to the left side.

Contraindications and Cautions

If you have a back injury or high blood pressure, avoid the full forward bend; instead do Ardha Parsvottanasana (pronounced are-dah = half). Perform steps 1 and 2 as described above, a couple of feet from and facing a wall. With an exhalation lower your torso parallel to the floor and reach your hands out to the wall. Press your palms actively into the wall (preferably with your elbows fully extended), keeping your front torso longer than your back.

Beginner's Tip

There’s a middle position for the hands and arms, between having the hands on the floor and pressing them together behind the back. Simply cross the arms behind the back, parallel to the waist. Hold each elbow with the opposite hand. When the right leg is in front, bring the right arm around behind the back first; when the left leg is in front, bring the left arm first.

Benefits

• Calms the brain
• Stretches the spine, shoulders and wrists (in the full pose), hips, and hamstrings
• Strengthens the legs
• Stimulates the abdominal organs
• Improves posture and sense of balance
• Improves digestion

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

 

Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

In Extended Hand-to-big-toe Pose, maintaining solid grounding through the standing foot helps keep you steady.

Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

From Tadasana, bring your left knee toward your belly.

Step 2

Reach your left arm inside the thigh, cross it over the front ankle, and hold the outside of your left foot. If your hamstrings are tight, hold a strap looped around the left sole.

Step 3

Firm the front thigh muscles of the standing leg, and press the outer thigh inward.

Step 4

Inhale and extend the left leg forward. Straighten the knee as much as possible. If you're steady, swing the leg out to the side. Breathe steadily; breathing takes concentration, but it helps you balance.

Step 5

Hold for 30 seconds, then swing the leg back to center with an inhale, and lower the foot to the floor with an exhale. Repeat on the other side for the same length of time.

Contraindications and Cautions

Ankle or low back injuries

Beginner's Tip

You can hold this pose longer by supporting the raised-leg foot on the top edge of a chair back (padded with a blanket). Set the chair an inch or two from a wall and press your raised heel firmly to the wall.

Benefits

• Strengthens the legs and ankles
• Stretches the backs of the legs
• Improves sense of balance

 

Plank Pose

Nurture your love-hate relationship with Plank Pose. A beginner's best friend, it's the perfect precursor to more challenging arm balances.

Plank Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana. Then inhale and draw your torso forward until the arms are perpendicular to the floor and the shoulders directly over the wrists, torso parallel to the floor.

Step 2

Press your outer arms inward and firm the bases of your index fingers into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then spread them away from the spine. Also spread your collarbones away from the sternum.

Step 3

Press your front thighs up toward the ceiling, but resist your tailbone toward the floor as you lengthen it toward the heels. Lift the base of the skull away from the back of the neck and look straight down at the floor, keeping the throat and eyes soft. 

Step 4

Plank Pose is one of the positions in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. You can also perform this pose by itself and stay anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Contraindications and Cautions

Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Beginner's Tip

To help strengthen the arms in this pose, loop and secure a strap around your upper arms, just above the elbows. Push the inner arms out against this strap. Release the outer arms from the shoulders to the floor, and lift the inner arms from the bases of the index fingers to the shoulders.

Benefits

• Strengthens the arms, wrists, and spine
• Tones the abdomen

Child's Pose

 

Child's Pose

(bah-LAHS-anna)
bala = child

Child's Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.

Step 2

Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.

Step 3

Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.

Step 4

Balasana is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Beginners can also use Balasana to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.

Contraindications and Cautions

• Diarrhea
• Pregnancy
• Knee injury: Avoid Balasana unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher.

Beginner's Tip

We usually don't breathe consciously and fully into the back of the torso. Balasana provides us with an excellent opportunity to do just that. Imagine that each inhalation is "doming" the back torso toward the ceiling, lengthening and widening the spine. Then with each exhalation release the torso a little more deeply into the fold.

Benefits

• Gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles
• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue
• Relieves back and neck pain when done with head and torso supported

Revolved Head-to-Knee

 

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose

parivrtta = revolved
janu = knee
sirsa = head

Revolved Side Angle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Sit on the floor with your torso upright and your legs wide. Bend your left knee and snug the heel into your left groin. Then slightly bend your right knee and slide the heel a few inches toward the right buttock.

Step 2

Exhale, lean to the right, and press the back of your right shoulder against the inside of your right knee. Lay your right forearm on the floor inside your right leg, palm facing up. Lengthen the right side of your torso along the inside of the right thigh. Turn your right palm toward the inside edge of the foot and take hold of it, thumb on the top of the foot, fingers on the sole.

Step 3

Remember, the pose is anchored by the femur bone of the left leg. Press the left femur firmly to the floor, as you inhale and slowly extend your right knee. Keep the back of your shoulder connected to the inner knee as you extend it; you'll find that your torso is drawn out by the straightening knee. When your knee is straight, twist your torso toward the ceiling.

Step 4

Inhale your left arm straight up toward the ceiling, lean it back slightly, and then, with another inhale, sweep it behind your left ear and take hold of the outside edge of the right foot. Press the elbows away from each other, using them like a crank to help twist the upper torso further. Turn your head to look at the ceiling.

Step 5

Hold for a minute. To come out, first untwist your torso, and without coming to upright, sweep it to the left midway between the legs. Then inhale and lift to an upright position. Remember not to come up directly from the twisted position.. Repeat these steps to the other side for the same length of time.

Contraindications and Cautions

Diarrhea

Beginner's Tip

It's better to keep the bottom shoulder in contact with the inner knee than to lose the contact in order to straighten the knee completely.

Benefits

Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hamstrings
Stimulates abdominal organs such as the liver and kidneys
Improves digestio

 

Eagle Pose

(gah-rue-DAHS-anna)
Garuda = the mythic "king of the birds," the vehicle of Vishnu. The word is usually rendered into English as "eagle," though according to one dictionary the name literally means "devourer," because Garuda was originally identified with the "all-consuming fire of the sun’s rays."

Eagle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Stand in Tadasana. Bend your knees slightly, lift your left foot up and, balancing on your right foot, cross your left thigh over the right. Point your left toes toward the floor, press the foot back, and then hook the top of the foot behind the lower right calf. Balance on the right foot.

Step 2

Stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor, and spread your scapulas wide across the back of your torso. Cross the arms in front of your torso so that the right arm is above the left, then bend your elbows. Snug the right elbow into the crook of the left, and raise the forearms perpendicular to the floor. The backs of your hands should be facing each other.

Step 3

Press the right hand to the right and the left hand to the left, so that the palms are now facing each other. The thumb of the right hand should pass in front of the little finger of the left. Now press the palms together (as much as is possible for you), lift your elbows up, and stretch the fingers toward the ceiling.

Step 4

Stay for 15 to 30 seconds, then unwind the legs and arms and stand in Tadasana again. Repeat for the same length of time with the arms and legs reversed.

Contraindications and Cautions

Students with knee injuries should avoid this pose, or perform only the leg position described in the Beginner's Tip below.

Beginner's Tip

Beginners often find it difficult to wrap the arms around until the palms touch. Stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor, while holding onto the ends of a strap. Follow the rest of the instructions stated in step 2 above and keep the strap taut between your hands.

Beginners also find it difficult to hook the raised-leg foot behind the standing-leg calf, and then balance on the standing foot. As a short-term option cross the legs but, instead of hooking the raised foot and calf, press the big toe of the raised-leg foot against the floor to help maintain your balance.

Benefits

• Strengthens and stretches the ankles and calves
• Stretches the thighs, hips, shoulders, and upper back
• Improves concentration
• Improves sense of balance

 

Bow Pose

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose): Step-by-Step Instructions

This pose is so called because it looks like an archer's bow, the torso and legs representing the body of the bow, and the arms the string.

(don-your-AHS-anna)
dhanu = bow

Step 1

Lie on your belly with your hands alongside your torso, palms up. (You can lie on a folded blanket to pad the front of your torso and legs.) Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles (but not the tops of the feet). Make sure your knees aren't wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose.

Step 2

Inhale and strongly lift your heels away from your buttocks and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor. This will have the effect of pulling your upper torso and head off the floor. Burrow the tailbone down toward the floor, and keep your back muscles soft. As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher, press your shoulder blades firmly against your back to open your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your ears. Gaze forward.

Step 3

With the belly pressed against the floor, breathing will be difficult. Breathe more into the back of your torso, and be sure not to stop breathing.

Step 4

Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more.

Contraindications and Cautions

• High or low blood pressure
• Migraine
• Insomnia
• Serious lower-back or neck injury

Theraputic Applications

• Constipation
• Respiratory ailments
• Mild backache
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Menstrual discomfort

Beginner's Tip

Sometimes beginners find it difficult to lift their thighs away from the floor. You can give your legs a little upward boost by lying with your thighs supported on a rolled-up blanket.

Benefits

• Stretches the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs and groins, abdomen and chest, and throat, and deep hip flexors (psoas)
• Strengthens the back muscles
• Improves posture
• Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck

 

Half Moon Pose

The moon has a rich symbolic significance in yoga mythology. In hatha yoga, for example, the sun and the moon represent the two polar energies of the human body. In fact, the word hatha itself is often divided into its two constituent syllables, "ha" and "tha", which are then esoterically interpreted as signifying the solar and lunar energies respectively.

(are-dah chan-DRAHS-anna)
ardha = half
candra = glittering, shining, having the brilliancy or hue of light (said of the gods); usually translated as "moon

Half Moon Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Perform Utthita Trikonasana to the right side, with your left hand resting on the left hip. Inhale, bend your right knee, and slide your left foot about 6 to 12 inches forward along the floor. At the same time, reach your right hand forward, beyond the little-toe side of the right foot, at least 12 inches.

Step 2

Exhale, press your right hand and right heel firmly into the floor, and straighten your right leg, simultaneously lifting the left leg parallel (or a little above parallel) to the floor. Extend actively through the left heel to keep the raised leg strong. Be careful not to lock (and so hyperextend) the standing knee: make sure the kneecap is aligned straight forward and isn't turned inward.

Step 3

Rotate your upper torso to the left, but keep the left hip moving slightly forward. Most beginners should keep the left hand on the left hip and the head in a neutral position, gazing forward.

Step 4

Bear the body's weight mostly on the standing leg. Press the lower hand lightly to the floor, using it to intelligently regulate your balance. Lift the inner ankle of the standing foot strongly upward, as if drawing energy from the floor into the standing groin. Press the sacrum and scapulas firmly against the back torso, and lengthen the coccyx toward the raised heel.

Step 5

Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then lower the raised leg to the floor with an exhalation, and return to Trikonasana. Then perform the pose to the left for the same length of time.

Contraindications and Cautions

If you have any neck problems, don't turn your head to look upward; continue looking straight ahead and keep both sides of the neck evenly long.

• Headache or migraine
• Low blood pressure
• Diarrhea
• Insomnia

• Beginner's Tip

• Many beginning students have difficulty touching the floor with their lower hand, even when resting it on the fingertips. These students should support their hand on a block. Start with the block at its highest height and, if your balance is steady and comfortable, lower it down first to its middle height, then finally if possible to its lowest height.

  Benefits

  • Strengthens the abdomen, ankles, thighs, buttocks, and spine
  • Stretches the groins, hamstrings and calves, shoulders, chest, and spine
  • Improves coordination and sense of balance
  • Helps relieve stress
  • Improves digestion

 

Revolved Triangle Pose

(par-ee-vrit-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna)
parivrtta = to turn around, revolve
trikona = three angle or triangle

Revolved Triangle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3½ to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down. Turn your left foot in 45 to 60 degrees to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right kneecap is in line with the center of the right ankle.

Step 2

With an exhalation, turn your torso to the right, and square your hip points as much as possible with the front edge of your sticky mat. As you bring the left hip around to the right, resist the head of the left thigh bone back and firmly ground the left heel.

Step 3

With another exhalation, turn your torso further to the right and lean forward over the front leg. Reach your left hand down, either to the floor (inside or outside the foot) or, if the floor is too far away, onto a block positioned against your inner right foot. Allow the left hip to drop slightly toward the floor. You may feel the right hip slip out to the side and lift up toward the shoulder, and the torso hunch over the front leg. To counteract this, press the outer right thigh actively to the left and release the right hip away from the right shoulder. Use your right hand, if necessary, to create these two movements, hooking the thumb into the right hip crease.

Step 4

Beginning students should keep their head in a neutral position, looking straight forward, or turn it to look at the floor. More experienced students can turn the head and gaze up at the top thumb. From the center of the back, between the shoulder blades, press the arms away from the torso. Bring most of your weight to bear on the back heel and the front hand.

Step 5

Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute. Exhale, release the twist, and bring your torso back to upright with an inhalation. Repeat for the same length of time with the legs reversed, twisting to the left.

Contraindications and Cautions

Back or spine injury. Perform this pose only with the supervision of an experienced teacher or avoid it altogether.
Also avoid this pose if you have:

• Low blood pressure
• Migraine
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Insomnia

Beginner's Tip

This pose is slightly easier with a narrower stance. Beginners should also, as suggested in the main description, bring their hand to the inner foot, whether on the floor or on a support like a block or folding chair.

Benefits

• Strengthens and stretches the legs
• Stretches the hips and spine
• Opens the chest to improve breathing
• Relieves mild back pain
• Stimulates the abdominal organs
• Improves sense of balance