YOGA Postures
Yoga Pose
We use the word “workout” loosely here because, as we’ve pointed out,
yoga is less workout and more mind-body exploration. Workout implies sweating
as you push your body into exercise mode. That isn’t what yoga is about.
So, here’s a good way to start your yoga plan. Do these yoga postures exercises in the
order given for a good beginning workout.
Easy Yoga Pose
Begin with the easy yoga pose. Easy yoga pose is a comfortable seated position for
meditation. This yoga pose opens the hips, lengthens the spine and promotes
grounding and inner calm. Basically, you’re sitting cross legged like you did in
school as a young child. “Criss cross apple sauce”, as my teacher used to say!
With the buttocks on the floor, cross your legs and place your feet directly
below your knees. Rest your hands on your knees with the palms facing up.
Press your hip bones down into the floor and reach the crown of the head
up to lengthen the spine. Drop your shoulders down and back and press your
chest towards the front of the room.
Relax your face, jaw, and belly. Let your tongue rest on the roof of your
mouth just behind your front teeth. Breathe deeply through the nose down into
the belly and hold as long as is comfortable.
Downward-Facing Dog
After the easy yoga pose, move into yoga pose downward-facing dog. This is one of the
most widely recognized yoga poses. Yoga position Downward-Facing Dog is an all-over,
rejuvenating stretch.
Benefits of this yoga pose include:
• 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
Use caution doing this pose if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, are in the
late stages of pregnancy, or suffer from high blood pressure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stay in this yoga pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then bend your knees to
the floor with an exhalation and rest. |
