Dhanurasana - The Bow Pose

Dhanurasana 

Posture

When this Asana is performed, it represents the appearance of a bow (Dhanus). The stretched arms and forelegs form the string of the bow. It bends the spine backwards. It supplements Bhujangasana. We can say it is a combination of Bhujangasana and Salabhasana with the addition of catching the ankles with the hands. Bhujangasana, Salabhasana and Dhanurasana form a valuable combination. They always go together. They form one set of Asanas. This combination acts as a counter-pose to Halasana and Paschimottanasana, which bend the spine forwards.

Procedure

1. Lie on your abdomen, feet together, forehead on the floor.
2. Bend your legs toward the hips and hold the feet at the ankles with your hands.
3. Breathing in, raise the head, chest and knees up.
4. Focus on widening the shoulders, bringing the knees together and lifting them higher.
5. Straighten the elbows by pushing the hands away with the feet and lift the chin up.
6. Hold and continue breathing in and out.
7. Breathing out, gently come down and press feet down onto hips, press the thighs into the floorto stretch the quadriceps.Release and relax.

Benefits

1. This is useful in chronic constipation, dyspepsia and sluggishness of liver.
2. It removes hunchback, rheumatism of legs, knee-joints and hands.
3. It reduces the fat, energises digestion, increases peristalsis, invigorates the appetite and relieves congestion of blood in the abdominal viscera and tones them also.
4. Dhanurasana is a blessing for people who suffer from gastro-intestinal diseases.
5. It keeps the spine elastic. It prevents premature ossification of bones.
6. He who does Halasana, Mayurasana and Dhanurasana can never become lazy. He is full of energy, vigour and vitality.

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Paschimottanasana - Seated Forward Bend

Paschimottanasana

Posture

The name comes from the Sanskrit words paschima (पश्चिम, paścima) meaning "west" or "back" or "back of body", and uttana (उत्तान, uttāna) meaning "intense stretch" or "straight" or "extended", and asana (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat" .

Procedure

1. Sit on the ground and stretch the legs stiff like a stick. 
2. Catch the toes with the thumb, index and middle fingers. While catching, you will have to bend the trunk forwards. Fatty persons will find it rather difficult to bend. 
3. Exhale and slowly bend without jerks till your forehead touches your knees. You can keep the face between the knees also. 
4. When you bend down draw the belly back. This facilitates the bending forwards. Bend slowly by gradual degrees. Take your own time. There is no hurry. 
5. When you bend down, bend the head between the hands. Retain it on a level with them. 
6. Young persons with elastic spine can touch the knees with the forehead even in their very first attempt. In the case of grown-up persons with rigid spinal column, it will take a fortnight or a month for complete success in the posture. 
7. Retain the breath till you take the forehead back to its original position, till you sit straight again. Then breathe.

Duration

Retain the pose for 5 seconds. Then gradually increase the period to 10 minutes.

Benefits

1. This is an excellent Asana. It makes the breath flow through the Brahma Nadi, Sushumna, and rouses the gastric fire. 
2. It reduces fat in the abdomen. This Asana is a specific for corpulence or obesity and for the enlargement of spleen and liver .
3. It reduces fat in the abdomen. This Asana is a specific for corpulence or obesity and for the enlargement of spleen and liver .
4. It increases the peristalsis of the bowels. Peristalsis is the vermicular movement of the bowels or intestines by which food and faecal matter are pushed from one portion of the bowels to another. 
5. This Asana relieves constipation, removes sluggishness of liver, dyspepsia, belching and gastritis. Lumbago or stiff back and all sorts of myalgia and other diseases of the back muscles are cured.
6.  This Asana cures piles and diabetes also. The hip muscles of the abdomen, the solar plexus of nerves, the epigastric plexus of nerves, bladder prostrate, lumbar nerves, sympathetic cord, are all toned up and kept in a healthy, sound condition .

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Baddha Koṇāsana - Butterfly Pose

Baddha Koṇāsana

Posture

The name comes from the Sanskrit words baddha (बद्ध, baddha) meaning "bound", kona (कोण, koṇa) meaning "angle" or "split", and Asana (आसन, Āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat

Procedure

1. Sit up straight with legs straight.
2. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together.
3. Grab your feet by placing your hands underneath them.
4. Bring the heels as close as possible to the genitals.
5. Sit with the spine erect.
6. Take a deep breath in. On exhalation, press the thighs and knees downward towards the floor. Keep them pressing downward.
7. Now, relax the breath and like the wings of a butterfly, flap both knees up and down, start slow then increase the speed slightly. Keep breathing freely.
8. Slow down then stop, take a deep breath in and on exhalation, bend forward keeping the chin up and spine straight.
9. Press your elbows on the thighs or the knees to push knees and thighs closer to the floor.
10. Feel the stretch in the inner thighs and breath in and out, relaxing the muscles more.
11. Take a deep breath in and bring the torso up.
12. Exhale. Release the posture. Straighten the legs.

Benefits

1. It is a strong groin- and hip-opener and one of the few asanas that can be practiced comfortably soon after eating as long as the head is not rested on the floor .
2. The pose is specially recommended for those suffering from urinary disorders. The pelvis, the abdomen and the back are stimulated by a plentiful blood supply.
3. It relieves sciatic pain and prevents hernia. If practised regularly, it relieves pain and heaviness in the testicles. For women, coupled with Sarvangasana, it checks irregular menses and helps the ovaries to function properly .
4.  Regular practise of this posture may be beneficial for the lumbar region, flat feet, high blood pressure, infertility and asthma .

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Yoga Mudrasana - Child Pose

Yoga Mudrasana

Posture

This asana is also known as balasana The name comes from the Sanskrit words bala meaning "child" and asana (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat" .

Procedure

1. Sit in Padmasana or sit on your heels. Keeping your hips on the heels, bend forward, and lower your forehead to the floor.
2. Keep the arms alongside your body with hands on the floor, palms facing up. (If this is not comfortable, you can place one fist on top of another and rest your forehead on them.
3. Gently press your chest on the thighs.
4. Hold.
5. Slowly come up to sit on the heels, uncurling vertebra by vertebra and relax.

Benefits

1. This pose gently streches the hips thighs and ankles . 
2. This also relieves back and neck pain when done with head and torso supported  .
3. This pose calms the brain and relieves the tension and stress  to such a great extent and it is even said that if someone is going for suicide and you make him perform this pose then he will change his idea of suicide because of the stress busting quality of this pose 

Video

Janu Shirasasana

Janu Shirasasana

Posture

janu = knee
sirsa = head

Procedure

1. Sit up with the legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping the spine erect.
2. Bend the left knee and place the left foot against the right thigh, keeping the left knee on the floor.
3. Breathing in, raise both arms above your head and stretch up, and twist a little to the right from the waist.
4. Breathing out, bend forward from the hip joints keeping the spine straight, directing your chin to the toes.
5. If you can, hold on to your big toes and, pointing your elbows to the ground, move forward as you pull on your toes.
6. Hold. Keep breathing.
7. Breathing in, come up and breathing out, bring the arms down to the sides.
8. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits

1. Stretches  the spine, shoulders, hamstrings, and groins 
2. Massages the abdominal organs and tones the shoulders
3. Therapeutic for high blood pressure, insomnia, and sinusitis 
4. Calming to the brain and helps relieve mild depression. 
5. If one is not able to do paschimottan asana then he is made to practise this asana which made the muscles flexible to move into paschimottan asana after few days .

Video

Simhasana - Lion Pose

Simhasana

Posture

In Sanskrit language word “Simha” stands for Lion and also the seated pose of this asana is resembles to majestic and seated pose king of forest, “Lion” that is why it is also renowned as “Singhasana” or “Lion Pose”. This unique asana is established and practiced by the yogis since ancient times. Here we showcase steps for how to do Simhasana and straightforward techniques for gaining its encouraging benefits. According to old tradition, this asana helps to removes each & every ailments and offers three chief Bandhas known as Mula, Jalandhara & Uddiyana.

Procedure

1. First of all kneel down on the floor and place the knees apart about the width of shoulders.
2. Then sit back on the heels such that calves are placed flat on the ground.
3. Now try to spread knees little bit further as much as it feels comfort .
4. Now straighten and lengthen up the back and shoulder muscles and sit straight.
5. Place both hands loosely over the knees and avoid rounding of shoulders.
6. Now inhale and tilt the body slightly forward by keeping the spine straight and placing the hands on the ground.
7. Then stretch the mouth and try to bring tongue out as much as possible.
8. Retain this posture for one complete breathe and after relaxing for some time tilt back and allow the fingers to drop back to the knees and provide relaxation to mouth and tongue by closing them.
9. Repeat the same process for 3-4 times by dividing them in various sessions.

Duration

As there is no specific time duration for practicing Lion pose so it is suggested that one should practice asana as long as one feels it comfort and ease but don’t try to overdo it.

Benefits

1. Simhasana benefits to alleviate tension from the chest and face.
2. It assists to keep platysma firm with increase in age.
3.  It also helps to make thyroid gland active.
4. Simhasana steps helps to keep away major ailments and offers three major Bandhas known as Mula, Jalandhara and Uddiyana.
5. Simhasana benefits to exercise neck muscles and for advancing blood circulation in the body.

Video

Vajrasana

Vajrasana

Posture

Those who sit in this Asana have a steady, firm pose. They cannot be easily shaken. The knees are rendered very hard. The Meru Danda becomes firm and strong .

Procedure

1. Keep the soles of the feet on both sides of the anus i.e., place the thighs on the legs one over the other and the soles on the buttocks. The calves must touch the thighs. 
2. The part from the toe to the knee should touch the ground. The whole burden of the body is put on the knees and ankles. 
3. In the beginning of practice, you may feel a slight pain in the knee and ankle joints but it passes off very quickly. Massage the paining parts and the two joints with the hands.
4.  After the feet and the knees, put both the hands straight on the knees. Keep the knees quite close.
5.  Sit like this, keeping the trunk, neck and head in one straight line. 

Benefits

1. If you sit in this Asana for about half an hour immediately after food, the food will be digested well. Dyspeptics will derive much benefit. 
2. The nerves and muscles of the legs and thighs are strengthened. Myalgia in the knees, legs, toes and thighs disappears. 
3. Sciatica vanishes. Flatulence is removed. The stomach works vigorously.
4. The practice of Vajrasana exercises a stimulating, beneficial influence on Kanda, the most vital part, and which is situated 12 inches above the anus and from which 72,000 Nadis spring.

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