Basic Yoga Postures and their Variations

1. THE COBRA

  Do this in easy stages. Lie down, face prone, legs tightly together and stretched back, forehead on the floor. Put your hands, palm down, just under your shoulders. Inhale and raise your head, pressing your neck back, now use your hands to push your trunk up until you are bending in a beautiful arc from your lower spine to the back of your neck. You need go no further than this. However, if you are supple enough, you can now straighten your arms completely, bend the legs at the knees and drop your head back to touch your feet. Even if your head goes nowhere near your feet, drop it back as far as possible and hold the posture with deep breathing. Come out of the posture very slowly, returning to the face prone posture. Relax with your head to one side. Repeat.

2. THE BOW

This is also an extreme version of the simple bow. It is surprising how many children can do it immediately. Take it, once again, in easy stages. Lie face prone on your mat. If you are very slim have a nice thick, padded mat for this one. Inhale and bend your knees up. Stretch back with your arms and catch hold of your ankles, keeping fingers and thumbs all together on the outside. Inhale and at the same time raise your head and chest, pulling at your ankles and lifting knees and thighs off the floor. Breathe normally, trying to kick up your legs higher and lifting your head up. You are now bent like a bow, balancing the weight of your body on your abdomen. You can stop right here but if you can still stretch further, then slide your hands down your legs, lift them higher, keep the knees together and pull back as much as you can. Hold for a few normal deep breaths, then relax back to the face-prone position, head to one side.

3. THE SHOOTING BOW

  In Sanskrit this is known as Akarna Dhanurasana and one leg is drawn up like a shooting bow. Sit with both legs stretched out in front and back straight. Reach forward with both hands and clasp your feet, catching the right foot with the left hand and the left foot with the right hand. Inhale, bend the left knee and pull the foot across the body, close to your chest, pointing the elbow up and twisting the body slightly to the right. The left hand stays firm and tight, holding the right foot. Hold posture with normal breathing, release slowly, and relax. Repeat on other side. In the beginning it is enough to hold the bent left leg with the right hand. When this is easy, stretch down and hold the left foot with the right hand. Continue to pull on the left foot, lifting it higher on each exhalation.

 

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Basic Sitting Postures with Benefits

JANU SIRSASANA: Correct foot placement

Sit up straight with legs evenly extended in front. Bend the right leg at the knee and place the foot so that the heel is in the right groin and the front of the foot touches the left thigh. Turn the foot so that the bottom of the foot is facing upward and press the knee back to form an obtuse angle with the body. This position will be difficult at first; don’t force it. Put a folded blanket under the knee and also under the hips. Gradually the knee will move farther back. Just keep the foot correctly positioned.

JANU SIRSASANA: Correct, perfect posture

Having positioned the foot and knee correctly, stretch the left leg out, keeping the leg firmly on the mat. Settle the heel firmly and stretch the toes up. (The heel should pull gently away from the ankle.) Now inhale and bend forward over the straight leg, catching the foot with both hands if possible. Beginners should bend only as far as they can without rounding the back. When this posture is done correctly and completely, the body will roll forward over the extended leg, absolutely flat from the tail bone to the head. Stay there breathing normally for as long as you can. Inhale, release the handhold, come up smoothly, straighten the bent leg and relax. Repeat on other side.

JANU SIRSASANA: Wrong posture

The heel is not positioned against its own thigh. The knee has not been pushed back as far as possible to form an obtuse angle. The back is humped and curved because the pelvis is jammed and unable to lift properly. Instead of a smooth, complete stretching of the spine, the lumbar is over-stretched and the rest of the spine constricted. The left leg is not flat on the floor.

TRIANG MUKHAIKAPADA PASCHIMOTTANASANA: Sitting, forward-bending pose over one leg

This posture generally follows the previous one. Sit with your legs stretched in front. Bend the right leg so that the right foot is near the right hip. The toes should point back. The right calf presses against the right thigh. The body will tilt in this position so put a small folded towel under the left buttock to keep the hips level and the forward stretch even and extended. Hold the left foot with both hands, inhale and bend forward, keeping both knees together as you stretch forward over the straight leg. Many students will find it difficult in this position to even take hold of the foot of the outstretched leg. Do not despair. Just hold the knee, shin or ankle, and sit, breathing deeply, in whichever position represents your best extension. If the back is tight and the spine inflexible, this will take time. Release the hold and straighten the bent leg. Repeat on the other side.
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Astanga Vinyasa Yoga

Astanga, or sometimes spelled ashtanga Yoga is actually taught today by a man named Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in Mysore, India. He has brought astanga yoga to the west about 25 years ago and  teached until May 18, 2009 when he died aged 93. Astanga yoga began with the rediscovery of the ancient manuscript Yoga Korunta. It describes a unique system of Hatha yoga as practiced and created by the ancient sage Vamana Rishi. It is believed to be the original asana practiced intended by Patanjali.

The Yoga Korunta emphasizes vinyasa, or breath-synchronized movement, where one practices a posture with specific breathing patterns associated with it. This breathing technique is called ujayyi pranayama, or the victorious breath, and it is a process that produces intense internal heat and a profuse sweat that purifies and detoxifies the muscles and organs. This also releases beneficial hormones and nutrients, and is usually massaged back into the body. The breath ensures efficient circulation of blood. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body and a calm mind.

There is a proper sequence to follow when practicing Astanga yoga. One must graduate from one sequence of postures to move onto the next. The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body, purifying it so that toxins do not block. The Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels, allowing energy to pass through easily. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D (Sthira Bhaga) integrate the grace and stamina of the practice, which calls for intense flexibility.

It is best to find a trained and knowledgeable teacher to assist you through this discipline. It is an intense practice that is rigorous, six days a week. You are guaranteed to find inner peace and fulfillment with each breath you take.

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The Roots of Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is the yoga that most people know as simply, “yoga.” Practiced for emotional and physical health and wellness, Hatha Yoga focuses on both the purification of the mind and the body, aiming to pave a path to vitality and wholeness.

Hatha Yoga was introduced by a man named Yogi Swatmarama, a yoga sage in 15th and 16th century India. Known for calmness and peacefulness, Yogi Swatmarama is a name that has now become synonymous with delight, one who paved the way for an exercise that enhances the mind, body and spirit. He began with Hatha Yoga by writing the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a Sanskrit that was based on Swatmarama’s own experiences as well as the words of older Sanskrit texts. It details information about asanas, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, pranayama, and several other areas.

Health Benefits of Yoga for Women

There are a number of healthy benefits a women can receive from practicing yoga. Through this form of exercise women are able to build on their strengths and focus on bettering themselves through a calming method of breathing, meditation, and gentle poses.

Here are just some of the healthy benefits that women can get from yoga:

The Heart of a Yoga Practice: Dedicating your Efforts

There are a variety of reasons people begin practicing yoga. Many wonder what all the fuss is about, some have heard that it can help with flexibility and strength, and others wonder about the stress relief benefits. More than fifteen million Americans have stepped on the mat and have explored how yoga can enrich their lives, but many only see the physical benefits. Despite the growing popularity of yoga, many instructors are left wondering if many people are really missing the true purpose of the practice.

What are yoga students missing when they are only taking class to lose weight, become fit, or relieve stress? They are missing the heart of the practice and the chance to make significant positive changes in their lives. When going to a yoga class becomes something greater than just something you do for yourself every now and again, you begin to realize that it is not just about you anymore. Dedicating the practice to something greater than yourself is what draws the distinction between just doing exercise and practicing yoga.

Paramahansa Yogananda: Kriya Yoga and Yogoda Satsanga Society

It is heartening to see that the Kriya Yoga teachings of the great master Paramahansa Yogananda are being spread, steadily and surely, in most cities and towns throughout India by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Well known as YSS, this was the institution founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1917 to propagate his teachings on Kriya Yoga. Many devotes who have been attracted to this unique spiritual dispensation have joined YSS as YS Lessons’ holders after reading the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, authored by Paramahansa Yogananda.

The 8 Physical and Mental Types of Yoga

There are a lot of different types of yoga today, so if you are starting out and feeling confused, you are normal.

It is best to start with a type of yoga that is appropriate for your own level of fitness, physical and spiritual goals and health condition.

The 8 most common types of yoga are described in this article and briefly explained to help guide you in choosing the best type of yoga that you can start with.

Nine Things You Should Know About Yoga for Children

Here are some guidelines and realistic expectations for parents, who are considering Yoga for their children. For your child, Yoga is much more than a kid’s fitness class. Just like adults — kids need time to learn to deal with life’s daily pressures, too.

Make sure your child starts with easy postures, and be patient with your child’s progress. Some beginner children can often be more flexible than advanced adult Yoga practitioners, but they don’t know their own limitations.

Yoga For Beginners – Are You Taking The Wrong Approach?

With so many images everywhere of extraordinarily pliable people in striking impossible yoga poses, advertising “yoga for beginners” does help to take the fear down a notch or two for the newcomer. Unfortunately, that hurts the image of yoga more than it helps it.

Carving up yoga into levels of physical difficulty, does not give the right impression of it. It sends the message that yoga is about how well conditioned and flexible your body is. In case you didn’t know … that has little to do with yoga.