Postures & Benefits
Tadasana
Tadasana improves posture, balance, self-awareness, can help relieve back pain a great way to start your practise.
Don’t do inverted postures during menstruation
Sirsasana
King of all Poses
An inversion reverses the effects of gravity and brings oxygen-rich blood to the vital organs including the brain. The brain controls the nervous system, the organs and the senses. Brain is the seat of intelligence, knowledge and the seat of the soul. Regular practice enables pure, healthy blood to flow through the brains cells, which rejuvenates them, enabling thoughts be become clearer.
Good for insomnia, memory and vitality, you also gain strength in lungs giving resistance to coughs, colds and halitosis (bad breath). WARNING: NOT GOOD FOR PEOPLE WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, GLUCOMA (If not sure, check with your Doctor first).
Salamba Sarvangasana
Queen of all Poses
Should be done after the headstand, so you don't feel agitated.
"Inversions cultivate the yogic mind."
B.K.S. Iyengar
To protect the body from possible injury in Sarvangasana the body’s weight should be primarily borne by the skeletal system rather than muscles and the neck should have its normal curve. Although it is possible to do Sarvangasana with no props we recommend their use to minimise risk of physical injury.
Benefits: The thyroid gland works better with an effect on metabolism and weight. Energy balance improves as the thyroid and parathyroid glands are "wrung out." The posture revitalises nerves, purifies blood, and increases circulation. The neck muscles get stretched.
Tones the legs and buttock muscles. Can help relieve constipation, indigestion and possibly asthma. Additionally, the posture is helpful for excessive anger or hate, migraine headaches, hemorrhoids, anemia, and hypertension. It also may help relieve the symptoms of menopause.
Shoulder stand calms the brain and may help alleviate mild depression.
The spine decompresses and realigns. Invigoration and rejuvenation of your whole body occurs.
Uttita Trikonasana
Stand in Mountain Pose (tadasana) with legs together and arms at sides. Stretch out your arms horizonatally and step or lightly jump your feet apart to the distance of your leg length, usually between 3-4 feet apart. Turn your right foot 90 degrees and back foot 15 degrees. Keep your back straight and your spine extending as you exhale go down to the right. Stay down for a confortable length of time noticing your even breathing. Come and do the opposite side.
Benefits: Good for balance and aligning the body is important. This pose is invigorating, and stretches and tones the legs, knees, hips, buttocks, pelvic muscles, and thighs. Stretches and opens the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves. The triangle pose removes stiffness, corrects minor deformities and encourages an even development in legs; strengthens ankles, neck, back, develops chest, rib cage, relieves neck sprains and backache. Symptoms of menopause may be relieved and pregnant women may enjoy doing the supported version against the wall for relief of backache. Trikonasana is considered therapeutic for anxiety, flat feet, infertility, neck pain, osteoporosis, and sciatica.
Virabhadrasana II: Warrior Pose
Virabhadrasana II is a dynamic standing posture like Trikonasana. It requires stamina, demands a lot of effort, and is a powerful pose with many benefits. Alignment is called for in Virabhadrasana II. Strong legs provide grounding of the pose, with lifting from the hips upwards.
Benefits: Grounding, coordination, balance strength, stamina.
Stretching and strengthening of legs, ankles, arms, knees joints, and spine.
Enjoy a natural traction of the spine which makes space between vertebrae.
This pose may help osteoporosis and relieve sciatic pain.
Your groins, chest, lungs, hip joint, arch of the foot and shoulders are opened and strengthened. Arthritis of the spine may be helped.
Circulation in the lower limbs is helped by the pose.
The longer you hold the pose, the more circulation and respiration are assisted in the body. Tone up the nerves and nervous system.
Helps digestion and may help relieve constipation. Helps muscles relating to the lungs and thus helps respiration. Opens the heart with chest opening and can affect mood positively. Improves concentration.
Vrkasana: Tree Pose
Here are a young couple trying their first ever Tree pose, it's fun but can be challenging to stand on one leg giving us a better sense of balance. Focus and concentration are required. Imagining tree roots going down from your foot can ground you and provide stability. As you do the pose, look at a real tree standing in nature. In this pose, you are rooted as trees are, yet you are reaching up with your torso toward the sun. You can imagine sustenance from the earth coming upwards and at the same time bring in the energy of the sun from above into your body.
Benefits: Vrksasana is a basic yoga pose and looks deceptively simple and yet provides a challenge, mostly in trying to not fall over. When a person feels shaky, doing the tree pose can make them feel more steady and grounded. As you root down to the ground in this balancing pose, you stand tall and confident. Strengthens the quadriceps muscles, thighs, calves, ankles and spine. Creates flexibility in the hips. The spine elongates. Stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders. Alleviates sciatica. Reduces flat feet. Cultivates balance.
Adho Mukha Svanasana: Downward Facing Dog
Dog pose is a very holistic posture and can be done in all different places as you can see. Stretch the arms away from the body keeping them aligned with the spine. You can push through the first finger and second finger. Have the heels hip width apart and the legs straight. Push through the heels and up through the legs. The head can be pointing down towards the mat or in line with the direction of force through the arms.
Raise the navel towards the chest. This will straighten the lower back. Steady inhales and exhales create a flow of energy through the body.
Benefits: Dog Pose increases the strength and flexibility of the shoulders and spine. The hamstrings, calf muscles (gastrocnemius and the soleus), and Achilles tendons are all stretched. Builds strength throughout the body, removes fatigue and rejuvenates the body. Increases blood flow to the sinuses, strengthens the immune system and improves digestion.
