Big Toe Hold
- At April 06, 2021
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Yoga Benefits
- 0
Big Toe Hold is a sitting balance pose that helps improve mental focus and physical balance. Maintaining your balance is important as you age. Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and death for people over 65. Other balance poses include Boat and Half Boat, Tree, Chair, Dancer, Eagle, Warrior III, and Half Moon.
English Name: Big Toe Hold
Sanskrit Name: Ubhaya Padangusthasana
Difficulty Level: 5
Start Position: Staff
Instructions:
Step 1.
Bend your knees and curl the first two fingers of each hand around your right and left big toe.
Step 2.
Straighten your leg balancing on your sits bones.
Step 3.
Gaze at your big toes.
Step 4.
Hold the pose for a few breaths or as long as it feels comfortable. Release and return to Staff pose. Repeat if desired.
Physical Benefits:
- Increase core strength
- Increases flexibility
- Opens up the chest
- Improves digestions
- Strengthens legs, arm, hips, abdomen, and arms
- Improves posture
Mental Benefits
- Increases focus
- Improves concentration
- Relieves mild anxiety & depression
Contraindications:
- Painfull coxics
- Pregnancy (3rd trimester)
- Low back pain
- Arm, leg, or shoulder injury
Bharadvaja’s Twist
- At March 02, 2021
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Yoga Benefits
- 0
Bharadvaja’s Twist begins in Hero pose and works your upper and lower body. This moderately difficult pose has a number of physical and mental health benefits. Review the contraindications before doing this pose. While it may look simple, it can be challenging it you have limited range of motion or flexibility in your neck, shoulder, elbow, hips, knees and ankles.
English Name: Bharadvaja’s Twist
Sanskrit Name: Bharadvajasana
Difficulty Level: 4
Start Position: Hero
Instructions:
Step 1.
Keep your right leg in Hero pose and extend your left leg.
Step 2.
Bend your left knee and place your left foot in your right hip.
Step 3.
Holding your left foot with your left hand wrapped behind your back, twist to the left and place your right hand on your the outside of your left thigh.
Step 4.
Gaze over your left shoulder. Hold the pose for a few breaths or as long as the pose feels comfortable. Release. Return to Hero pose and repeat on the other side.
Physical Benefits:
- Strengths back muscles
- Improves flexibility
- Opens up the chest
- Improves knee, hip, and ankle health
- Helps relieve menopausal discomfort
- Lowers blood pressure
- Improves digestions
- Opens up the chest
- Reduces low back and neck discomfort
Mental Benefits
- Increases focus
- Calms the mind
- Increased mental clarity
- Relieves mild anxiety & depression
Contraindications:
- Knee, hip, or ankle injury
- Headache
- Migraine
- Arthritis
- Heart disease
- Neck back injury
Asana Of The Month: Happy Baby
- At February 02, 2021
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Health & Wellness
- 0
If all adults were as happy as babies, we would live in an entirely different world.
This months asana is Happy Baby. An easy asana for people of all ages that opens up the hips, massages abdominal muscles and back, and can help relieve anxiety and stress of everyday life. Hold the pose as long as it feels comfortable, and repeat it as many times as you like. As a famous song said, “Don’t worry. Be happy.”
English Name: Happy Baby
Sanskrit Name: Aanda Balasana
Difficulty Level: 2
Start Position: Reclining on back or Wind Relieving Pose
Instructions:
Step 1.
Raise your legs and hold the outsides of each foot with your hands
Step 2.
Bend your knees into your armpits.
Step 3.
Drop your sacrum towards the floor. Rock from side to side to massage your back.
Physical Benefits:
- Improves digestion
- Strengthens shoulders & spine
- Improves knee flexibility
- Opens the hips
- Relieves low back pain
- Massages back and abdomen
Mental Benefits
- Relieves stress
- Relieves mild anxiety
Contraindications:
- Knee or shoulder injury
- Hip injury or pain
- Back injury
- Hernia
Asana Of The Month: Boat
- At January 05, 2021
- By Daniel
- In Asana
- 0
Boat Pose, also known as Full Boat Pose, is a continuation of Half Boat Pose. Boat Pose is a challenging balancing pose. Like other yoga balance poses, it is not uncommon to be able to do the Boat Pose one day and not the next. Like all yoga poses, being able to do a pose depends on the state of your mind and body. Fatigue and distractions can prevent you from doing a pose or poses you have done many times before. This is normal. Listen to your body.
English Name: Boat Pose
Sanskrit Name: Paripurna Navasana
Difficulty Level: 5
Start Position: Half Boat Pose
Instructions:
Step 1.
Starting in half boat pose, extend your legs while maintaining expended spine and balance.
Step 2.
Lengthen fingers beyond knees.
Step 3.
Hold for a few breaths and return to staff pose.
Physical Benefits:
- Builds core strength
- Strengthens legs, hips, groin, abdomen, and arms
- Improves balance and digestion
- Improves circulation
- Lengthens the spine
- Opens the chest and shoulders
- Improves posture
Mental Benefits
- Improves concentration
- Develops focus
Contraindications
- Neck or low back pain
- Neck or low back injury
- Low blood pressure
- Sore coccyx (tailbone)
Asana Of The Month: Half Boat
- At December 01, 2020
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Health & Wellness
- 0
Half Boat Pose is a relative simple balance pose that improves concentration and helps build core strength. For a more challenging pose try Full Boat Pose.
English Name: Half Boat Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Navasana
Difficulty Level: 4
Start Position: Staff Pose
Instructions:
Step 1.
Bend your knees, lean back, and balance on sit bones.
Step 2.
Lift your feet so your shins are parallel to the floor.
Step 3.
Extend your arms parallel to the floor with your fingers reaching beyond your knees.
Step 4.
Hold for a few breaths and return to staff pose or precede into Full Boat Pose.
Physical Benefits:
- Builds core strength
- Strengthens legs, hips, groin, abdomen, and arms
- Improves balance and digestion
- Improves circulation
- Lengthens the spine
- Opens the chest and shoulders
- Improves posture
Mental Benefits
- Improves concentration
- Develops focus
Contraindications:
- Neck or low back pain
- Neck or low back injury
- Low blood pressure
- Sore coccyx (tailbone)
Asana Of The Month: Bridge
- At October 06, 2020
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Health & Wellness
- 0
Bridge pose and its many variations are core poses in many yoga classes from gentle to strenuous. Bridge pose helps improve flexibility, lung capacity, and mental alertness.
English Name: Bridge
Sanskrit Name: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Difficulty Level: 4
Start Position: Reclining on Back or Corpse Pose
Instructions:
Step 1. Bend your knees, stepping feet on floor, with arms alongside your body.
Step 2. Press your feet into the floor, lifting hips; walk arms and shoulders towards each other.
Step 3. Place your hand on lower back or keep arms on the floor interlacing your fingers.
Step 4. Walk your feet below your knees and lift your chest towards your chin.
Physical Benefits
- Improves spine and shoulder flexibility
- Open the neck, chest and shoulders
- Stimulates your nervous system
- Aids digestion
- Increased lung capacity
- Reduces fatigue
- Reduces blood pressure
Mental Benefits
- Stimulates the mind
- Reduces stress
- Relieves mild anxiety and depression
Contraindications
- Neck injury
- Shoulder injury
- Wrist injury (omit Step 3)
Asana Of The Month: Wind Relieving Pose
- At September 01, 2020
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Health & Wellness
- 0
Wind Relieving Pose also know as Knees to Chest can help reduce bloating by helping to pass intestinal gas (flatulence). It helps stimulate digestion, relive mild low back pain, and stretches and massages the back and spine.
English Name: Wind Relieving Pose or Knees to Chest Pose
Sanskrit Name: Apanasana or Pavanamuktasana
Difficulty Level: 1
Start Position: Reclining on Back or Corpse Pose.
Instructions: Bring both knees into the chest and wrap arms around legs.
Physical Benefits
- Stretches the spine and shoulders
- Improved digestion
- Massages back and abdominal organs
- Low back pain relief
- Opens the hips
Mental Benefits
- Reduces anxiety and stress
- Calms the mind
Contraindications:
- Knee injury or pain
- Hernia
Asana Of The Month: Embryo In Womb
- At July 07, 2020
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Health & Wellness, Yoga Benefits
- 0
Embryo In Womb takes seated Lotus pose to the next level. If you have difficult sitting in Lotus pose, you should pass on Embryo In Womb. It combines the flexibility of Lotus with a Full Forward Bend. This is not a pose for a beginner or someone with limited flexibility. Embryo In Womb takes Lotus pose with a difficulty of 3 to a difficulty of 7. To obtain the full mental and physical benefits of Embryo In Womb, listen to your body, and do not exceed your physical limits.
English Name: Embryo In Womb
Sanskrit Name: Garbha Pindasana
Difficulty Level: 7
Start Position: Seated Lotus
Instructions:
Step 1.
While sitting in Lotus pose, thread your arms under your calves.
Step 2.
Lift your legs off the floor while balancing on your buttocks.
Step 3.
Lift your legs into your chest and place your hands over your ears.
Step 4.
Remain in the pose as long as it feels comfortable and then release returning to Lotus pose.
Physical Benefits:
- Opens up the hips
- Improves knee flexibility
- Lubricates knee joint
- Relieve or prevent arthritis
- Tones abdominal muscles
- Improves digestion
- Tones back and shoulder muscles
Mental Benefits
- Focuses the mind
- Reduces stress
- Reduces anxiety
- Reduces mild depression
Contraindications:
- Low back, hip, knee, or ankle injury
Asana Of The Month: Elephant’s Trunk
- At June 02, 2020
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Health & Wellness, Yoga Benefits
- 0
Elephant’s Trunk is a moderately difficult balance pose that helps improve focus, relieve anxiety, and strengthen wrist, arm, leg, and shoulder muscles.
English Name: Elephant’s Trunk
Sanskrit Name: Eka Hasta Bhujasana
Difficulty Level: 6
Pose Type: Balance
Start Position: Easy Sitting
Instructions:
Step 1.
Staring in Easy Sitting pose, hook your left shoulder under your left knee and extend your right leg straight out.
Step 2.
Place both hands on the floor near your thighs.
Step 3.
Press into your hands and lift your body off the floor as pictured. Keep your extended leg parallel to the floor and gaze forward.
Step 4.
Hold the pose for a few breaths. Then lower your body to the floor. Return to Easy Sitting and repeat on the other side.
Physical Benefits:
- Maintains spinal straightness
- Strengthens wrists, arms, and shoulders
- Increases stamina
- Strengthens legs and buttocks
- May relieve backache
Mental Benefits
- Reduces stress
- Improves thinking
- Increases focus
- Relieves mild anxiety & depression
Contraindications:
- Carpel tunnel syndrome
- Wrist injury
- Leg, arm, or shoulder injury
Eight Angle (Astavakrasana)
- At May 05, 2020
- By Daniel
- In Asana, Yoga Benefits
- 0
Frog pose takes Reclining Hero pose and turns it on its stomach rather than back. If you can do Reclining Hero you can do Frog. Frog adds extending your check like Cobra pose and grasping your feet with your hands. While Cobra and Reclining Hero have a difficulty level of 4, Frog increases the difficulty level to 6 giving your arms, back, and legs a good stretch.
Like all hatha yoga asanas, always listen to you body to prevent injuries.
English Name: Eight Angle
Sanskrit Name: Astavakrasana
Difficulty Level: 7
Start Position: Easy Sitting
Instructions:
Step 1.
Hook your right shoulder under your right knee and extend your left leg forward on the floor.
Step 2.
Place both hands on the floor on either side of your left thigh.
Step 3.
Pressing into your hands, lift your buttocks off the floor while hooking your left ankle over your right ankle.
Step 4.
Bend your elbows, move your chest forward, extend your legs to the right, and gaze forward.
Step 5.
Hold the pose as long as it feels comfortable. Release. Return to Easy Sitting, and repeat on the other side
Physical Benefits:
- Stretches leg, arm, and shoulder muscles
- Opens up the chest
- Improves lung capacity
- Improves digestions
- Increase leg and arm strength
Mental Benefits
- Reduces stress
- Improves thinking
- Increases focus
Contraindications:
- Arm, wrist, shoulder, or leg injury
- Neck injury
- Carpel tunnel syndrome