2. movement standing sitting lying
forward HASTA
PADASANA
PASCHIMOTTAN
ASAN
halasana
back ANUVITTASANA Cakrāsana ARDHA BHEKA
ASANA
side CHANDRASANA
balance CHANDRASANA Pawanmuktas
ana
3. HASTA PADASANA
This pose gently lengthens and strengthens even stubbornly tight hamstrings
DESCRIPTION
1.Stand upright with your inner feet parallel and about six inches apart. Contract your
front thigh muscles to lift your kneecaps. Keeping your legs completely straight, exhale
and bend forward from your hip joints, moving your torso and head as one unit.
2.Slide the index and middle fingers of each hand between the big toes and the second
toes. Then curl those fingers under and grip the big toes firmly, wrapping the thumbs
around the other two fingers to secure the wrap. Press your toes down against your
fingers. (If you can’t reach your toes without overly rounding your back, pass a strap
under the ball of each foot and hold the straps.)
3. With an inhalation, lift your torso as if you were going to stand up again, straightening
your elbows. Lengthen your front torso, and on the next exhale, lift your sitting bones.
Depending on your flexibility, your lower back will hollow to a greater or lesser degree.
As you do this, release your hamstrings and hollow your lower belly (below your navel)
as well, lightly lifting it toward the back of your pelvis.
4. Lift the top of your sternum as high as you can, but take care not to lift your head so
far that you compress the back of your neck. Keep your forehead relaxed.
5. For the next few inhalations, lift your torso strongly as you continue to actively contract
your front thighs; on each successive exhalation, strongly lift your sitting bones as you
consciously relax your hamstrings. As you do this, deepen the hollow in your lower back.
4. .
6.Finally exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides, pull up on your toes, lengthen the
front and sides of your torso, and gently lower into the forward bend.
7. If you have very long hamstrings, you can draw your forehead toward your shins. But
if your hamstrings are short, it’s better to focus on keeping the front torso long. Hunching
into a forward bend isn’t safe for your lower back and does nothing to lengthen your
hamstrings.
8. Hold the final position for one minute. Then release your toes, bring your hands to
your hips, and re-lengthen your front torso. With an inhale, swing your torso and head as
a single unit back to upright.
BENEFITS
These are some amazing benefits of practicing this asana.
1.It calms the brain and relieves anxiety, stress, and mild depression.
2.The liver and kidneys are activated.
3.The calves and hamstrings get a good stretch.
4.The thighs become strong.
5.The digestive system and the reproductive system are stimulated.
6.Digestion is improved.
7.Menopause and menstrual disorders are reduced.
8.Headaches and insomnia are relieved.
5. CONTRA- INDICATION
•If you suffer from any type of back injury, try this pose with your knees bent
•You can also try the Ardha Uttanasana instead of the Uttanasana if you suffer from
chronic back pain
•Avoid this pose completely if you have recently had back surgery, knee surgery or
surgery to your hamstrings
•Do not do this pose if there has been recent injury to your legs, hips, and shoulders
6. PASCHIMOTTANASAN
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From Staff pose, inhale the arms up over the head and lift and lengthen up through
the fingers and crown of the head.
2. Exhale and hinging at the hips, slowly lower the torso towards the legs. Reach the
hands to the toes, feet or ankles.
3. To deepen the stretch: A) Use the arms to gently pull the head and torso closer to the
legs. B) Press out through the heels and gently draw the toes towards you.
4. Breathe and hold for 3-8 breaths.
5. To release: A) Slowly roll up the spine back into Staff pose. B) Inhale the arms back
over your head as you lift the torso back into Staff pose.
BENEFITS + CONTRAINDICATIONS
Benefits: Seated forward fold provides a deep stretch for entire back side of body from
the heels to the neck. Forward fold calms the nervous system and emotions and
stimulates the reproductive and urinary systems.
Contraindications: Recent or chronic injury to the arms, hips, ankles or shoulders.
7.
8. Halasana
The name comes from the Sanskrit words hala meaning “plow” and asana meaning
“posture” or “seat”.So it is also named as plow pose. Halasana is one of the advanced
yoga pose simple to practice and contains lots of benefit. Halasana rejuvenate the inner
parts of one’s body and make it healthy again.It is also helpful for men to correct the
sexual and semen related problems like premature ejaculation,spermatorrhoea, and
night emission effectively.
How to do
•Lie on the yoga mat or carpet and join the legs together
•Raise your legs to make an angle of 90 degree.
•Thrust the palms, raise the waist and legs, bending forwards curving the back and
resting the legs on the floor above head.
•Try to place the big toe on the floor and keep the legs straight.
•Balance the whole weight on the shoulder blade, shift both the hands over the head,
join the fingers and hold the head with it and relax the elbows on the floor.
•Try to remain in the position till the the count of 100.
•Then release the fingers above the head, pressing the pals on the floor taking back
thumb toe gently bring the body and legs to the floor
•Relax and practice for 2 round more.
9. Benefits of halasana:-
Practicing this asana regularly can avoid disease like diabetes, obesity, constipation,
stomach disorder, Blood pressure and menstrual disorders
It makes your back bone elastic and flexible.
Halasana helps to reduce both belly and body fat.
It improves memory power.
Contraindications
•Those having neck pain, spondylosis and high blood pressure should not practice this
yoga pose.
•Pregnant ladies should not try this .
10. ANUVITTASANA
INSTRUCTIONS
1. From Mountain pose, place the palms on the low back/sacrum with the fingers pointed
down. Press into the feet, pull up the knee caps, and squeeze the thighs and buttocks.
2. Press the hips forward and begin to arch the torso backwards. Keep the head looking
forward, or if it feels safe let it drop all the way back. Use the arms to support your weight
and keep the legs and buttocks engaged and strong.
3. Breathe and hold 3-7 breaths.
4. To release: keep the legs, buttocks and arms strong as you slowly inhale back up,
letting the head and neck be the last to come vertical.
BENEFITS + CONTRAINDICATIONS
Benefits: Standing Backbend opens the front of the body, and strengthens the
respiratory, cardiovascular and endocrine systems.
Contraindications: Recent or chronic injury to the hips, back or neck.
11.
12. Cakrāsana
DESCRIPTION
•Lie on the back on the mat, with your knees bent and drawn, with your heels close to
the buttocks.
•The legs should apart; roughly the width of the shoulders.
•Bend your arms so that the right palm is under the right shoulder, the left palm under
the left shoulder and the elbows pointing up; the fingers should point towards your legs –
this is the starting position.
•Take a deep breath and arch your back, with the crown of the head supporting the
weight of the upper body.
•Then straighten your arms as well as your knees – this will lift the torso up in the air.
The bulk of the weight will be on the thighs and on your triceps, the back muscles of your
upper arms. You may adjust your hand position to ensure a steady position.
•Try to enhance the arch of the spine by gently pushing your abdomen up in the air. The
head should be between your arms, looking backward as far as possible.
Precautions – This is a fairly strenuous asana. Do not practice this asana during illness,
pregnancy or if you are suffering from cardiac disease, detached retina, hernia or weak
wrists.
Benefits:
•It is also an inverted asana and thus the final pose flushes the brain with a fresh supply
of oxygenated blood. This asana is very useful in realigning any spinal discs and
vertebrae that may be slightly display.
13. Chakrasana energizes the body and stimulates the nervous, endocrine, respiratory and
circulatory systems. It stretches the lungs and chest, while strengthening the muscles of
the buttocks, legs, calves, wrists, arms, and spine. It impacts the digestive system
strongly and deeply massages the internal organs.
14. CHANDRASANA
Steps :
•To begin this pose, you should first assume Vajrasana (Diamond Pose). Both your
palms should be placed on your knees.
•Keep your neck and spinal cord straight.
Shut your eyes and begin focusing on your breathing and your body. During the initial
stages, you can practice it with your eyes open, but eventually you should be able do it
with your eyes closed.
•Take a deep breath and without allowing the elbow to bend, bring your hands above
your shoulders. Equal distance should be maintained between your arms with your
fingers raised.
•Slowly exhale and reach down to touch the ground with your head and both your hands.
Relax when the forehead and palms touch the ground. Some areas of the chest and
abdomen will rest on the thighs.
•Let your upper torso relax and remain in this position for a while. Make sure that your
arms remain straight. The neck should also be kept straight between the arms.
•To finish, you should exhale and place your palms on your knees. One cycle will be
completed with this step. During the initial stages of your practice you could do 5 to 7
cycles.
CONTRA INDICATIONS
•Avoid practice of this pose if you suffer from vertigo, slipped disc, high blood pressure,
and heart-related problems.
15. Benefits
•Muscles: It strengthens the pelvis, rib cage, back, and arms. It provides an intense
stretch to the back part of the body in the gluteals, arms, back, neck, and shoulders.
•Joints: It helps in the extension of the neck, arms, and spine, and also flexes the knees
and hips.
•Heart: Practicing this pose helps improve the circulation of blood to the scalp, face, and
brain. It gives a nice glow to the face.
•This pose helps in regulating the adrenal glands.
16. CHANDRASANA
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.
Half Moon Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions
•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.
•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.
•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.
•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.
17. 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
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
18. ARDHA BHEKA ASANA
DISCRIPTION
•Lie on your belly. Press your forearms against the floor and lift your head and upper
torso.
•Bend your right knee and bring the heel toward the same-side buttock. Then, supporting
yourself on the left forearm, reach back with your right hand and clasp the inside of your
foot. As you slowly rotate your elbow toward the ceiling, slide your fingers over the top of
the foot and curl them over the toe tips. The base of your palm should be pressing the
top of the foot.
•To start press your foot toward the buttock; after a while, if you have the flexibility, take
the foot slightly off to the side and press it toward the floor. Be sure to keep your knee in
line with your hip. Don’t push your foot too hard if it hurts your knee.
•Square your shoulders with the front of the mat and don’t collapse into your left
shoulder. Instead, press down with your elbow to lift your chest.
•Do Half Bhekasana on each side for the same length of time, 30 seconds to two
minutes. Once your thighs and groins open enough, you can try the full pose-both legs
at the same time.
Contraindications and Cautions
•High or low blood pressure
•Migraine
•Insomnia
•Low back, neck or shoulder injuries
19. 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
20. Pawanmuktasana
DESCRIPTION
From one leg alternatively
•Lie down on your back with your feet together and hands by the side of your thighs.
•Do not tighten your body just feel relaxed in this position.
•Inhale and raise your left leg, exhale and bring your left knee towards your chest and
press the thigh on your abdomen with clasped hands.
•Breathe in again and as you exhale, lift your head and chest off the floor and touch your
chin to your left knee.
•Hold in there, as you take deep, long breaths in and out.
•Try to be in this posture as long as possible.
•Inhale and bring back your chest and head on the floor then exhale.
•Inhale and lift your leg up straight along the knee then exhale and bring the leg back on
the floor and rest in the supine position.
•Repeat the same procedure with the other right leg also.
From both legs together:
•Lie down on you back with your feet together and hand by the side of your thighs.
•Just feel relaxed in this supine position.
•Inhale and raie your both legs, exhale and bring your both legs towards your chest and
press the thighs on your abdomen with clasped hands.
•Breathe in again and as your exhale, lift your head and chest off the floor and touch
your chin to your left knee.
•Hold in there, as your take deep, long breaths in and out.
21. • Try to be in this posture as long as possible
• Inhale and lift your leg up straight along the kne than exhale and bring the leg back on
the floor and rest in the supine position
• Preat the same procedure with the other right leg also.
Benefits of Pawanmuktasana:
• Strengthens the back
• Massages the abdominal muscles.
• Helps in digestion
• Reduces belly fat.
Contraindications:
One should avoid practicing this posture if following health issues are there: high blood
pressure, heart problem, hyperacidity, hemia, slip disc, testicle disorder,
menstruation, neck and back pain problem.
