Yoga Poses

[Silverm00n]

Source: http://www.yogajournal.com


Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
Vrksasana clarifies just how challenging it can be to stand on one leg.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/posesimages/28.jpg (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/496_1.cfm#)Click for larger image (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/496_1.cfm#)(vrik-SHAHS-anna)
vrksa = tree
Benefits

Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine
Stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders
Improves sense of balance
Relieves sciatica and reduces flat feetContraindications/Cautions

Headache
Insomnia
Low blood pressure
High blood pressure: Don't raise arms overheadStep by Step

Stand in Tadasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/492_1.cfm). Shift your weight slightly onto the left foot, keeping the inner foot firm to the floor, and bend your right knee. Reach down with your right hand and clasp your right ankle.
Draw your right foot up and place the sole against the inner left thigh; if possible, press the right heel into the inner left groin, toes pointing toward the floor. The center of your pelvis should be directly over the left foot.
Rest your hands on the top rim of your pelvis. Make sure the pelvis is in a neutral position, with the top rim parallel to the floor.
Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor. Firmly press the right foot sole against the inner thigh and resist with the outer left leg. Press your hands together in Anjali Mudra (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/484_1.cfm). Gaze softly at a fixed point in front of you on the floor about 4 or 5 feet away.
Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Step back to Tadasana with an exhalation and repeat for the same length of time with the legs reversed.Modifications & Props

You can stand with your back braced against a wall if you feel unsteady in this pose.
Variation

Stretch your arms straight up toward the ceiling, parallel to each other, palms facing, or touch the palms together forming an inverted V with the arms.
Preparatory Poses

Baddha Konasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm)
Utthita Trikonasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/494_1.cfm)
Virabhadrasana II (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/495_1.cfm)Subsequent Poses

Standing posesBeginners Tip

If your raised foot tends to slide down the inner standing thigh, put a folded sticky mat between the raised-foot sole and the standing inner thigh.
Deepen the Pose

As with Tadasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/492_1.cfm) , you can challenge your balance by practicing this pose with your eyes closed. Learn to balance without any reference to the outer environment.
Partnering

If you are practicing Virasana with arms raised overhead, a partner can help you lift and lengthen your arms. First raise your arms perpendicular to the floor. Have your partner stand behind you and press inward against your outer upper arms, then lift your outer arms toward the ceiling. At the same time, draw your inner arms downward, from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders.

[Silverm00n]

Source: http://www.yogajournal.com


Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
Bound Angle Pose, also called Cobbler's Pose after the typical sitting position of Indian cobblers, is an excellent groin- and hip-opener.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/posesimages/18.jpg (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm#)Click for larger image (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm#)(BAH-dah cone-AHS-anna)
baddha = bound
kona = angle
Benefits

Stimulates abdominal organs, ovaries and prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys
Stimulates the heart and improves general circulation
Stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees
Helps relieve mild depression, anxiety, and fatigue
Soothes menstrual discomfort and sciatica
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
Therapeutic for flat feet, high blood pressure, infertility, and asthma
Consistent practice of this pose until late into pregnancy is said to help ease childbirth.
Traditional texts say that Baddha Konasana destroys disease and gets rid of fatigue.Contraindications/Cautions

Groin or knee injury: Only perform this pose with blanket support under the outer thighs.Step by Step

Sit with your legs straight out in front of you, raising your pelvis on a blanket if your hips or groins are tight. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together.
Bring your heels as close to your pelvis as you comfortably can. With the first and second finger and thumb, grasp the big toe of each foot. Always keep the outer edges of the feet firmly on the floor. If it isn't possible to hold the toes, clasp each hand around the same-side ankle or shin.
Sit so that the pubis in front and the tailbone in back are equidistant from the floor. The perineum then will be approximately parallel to the floor and the pelvis in a neutral position. Firm the sacrum and shoulder blades against the back and lengthen the front torso through the top of the sternum.
Never force your knees down. Instead release the heads of the thigh bones toward the floor. When this action leads, the knees follow.
Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. Then inhale, lift your knees away from the floor, and extend the legs back to their original position.Modifications & Props

To understand the release of the heads of the thigh bones, fold two blankets and put one under each outer thigh, supporting the thighs an inch or so above their maximum stretch. Then lay a 10-pound sand bag on each inner groin, parallel to the crease between the thigh and pelvis. Release the thigh heads away from the weight, and let them sink into the blankets. Do not use the bags unless the thighs are supported.
Variation

Exhale and lean your torso forward between the knees. Remember to come forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Bend your elbows and push them against the inner thighs or calves (but never on the knees). If your head doesn't rest comfortably on the floor, support it on a block or the front edge of a chair seat.
Preparatory Poses

Supta Padangusthasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/483_1.cfm)
Virasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/490_1.cfm)
Vrksasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/496_1.cfm)Subsequent Poses

Standing poses and most seated twists and forward bends.
Beginners Tip

It can be difficult to lower the knees toward the floor. If your knees are very high and your back rounded, be sure to sit on a high support, even as high as a foot off the floor.
Deepen the Pose

Imagine you have two partners, each pressing inward (toward the pelvis) on a knee. From the middle of your sacrum, push out along the outer thighs against this imaginary resistance. Then push the heels firmly together from the knees.
Partnering

A partner can help you learn how to work the inner thighs in this pose. Perform Baddha Konasana. Loop a strap over each groin, with the free ends of the straps leading away from your back torso. Have your partner sit behind you and pull on the straps (perpendicular to the line of the thighs). Your partner can also press one foot lightly against the back of your pelvis at the same time. Lean slightly forward, releasing the heads of the thigh bones away from the straps.

[Silverm00n]

Source: http://www.yogajournal.com (http://www.yogajournal.com/)


Virasana (Hero Pose)
Virasana is a balm for tired legs at the end of the day, as well as an alternative to Lotus for seated meditation.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/posesimages/22.jpg (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/490_1.cfm#)Click for larger image (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/490_1.cfm#)(veer-AHS-anna)

vira = man, hero, chief Benefits

Stretches the thighs, knees, and ankles
Strengthens the arches
Improves digestion and relieves gas
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
Reduces swelling of the legs during pregnancy (through second trimester)
Therapeutic for high blood pressure and asthmaContraindications/Cautions

Heart problems
Headache: Practice this pose lying back on a bolster.
Knee or ankle injury: Avoid this pose unless you have the assistance of an experienced instructor.Step by Step

Kneel on the floor (on a folded blanket to pad your knees, shins, and feet if necessary), with your thighs perpendicular to the floor, and touch your inner knees together. Slide your feet apart, slightly wider than your hips, with the tops of the feet flat on the floor. Angle your big toes slightly in toward each other and press the top of each foot evenly on the floor.
Exhale and sit back halfway, with your torso leaning slightly forward. Wedge your thumbs into the backs of your knees and draw the skin and flesh of the calf muscles toward the heels. Then sit down between your feet.
If your buttocks don't comfortably rest on the floor, raise them on a block or thick book placed between the feet. Make sure both sitting bones are evenly supported. Allow a thumb's-width space between the inner heels and the outer hips. Turn your thighs inward and press the heads of the thigh bones into the floor with the bases of your palms. Then lay your hands in your lap, one on the other, palms up, or on your thighs, palms down.
Firm your shoulder blades against the back ribs and lift the top of your sternum like a proud warrior. Widen the collarbones and release the shoulder blades away from the ears. Lengthen the tailbone into the floor to anchor the back torso.
At first stay in this pose from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gradually extend your stay up to 5 minutes. To come out, press your hands against the floor and lift your buttocks up, slightly higher than the heels. Cross your ankles underneath your buttocks, sit back over the feet and onto the floor, then stretch your legs out in front of you. It may feel good to bounce your knees up and down a few times on the floor.Modifications & Props

If your ankles are painful in this pose, roll up a towel and place it underneath them before you sit back.
Variation

Clasp your hands, extend your arms forward (perpendicular to your torso and parallel to the floor), turn the palms away from your torso (so the thumbs point to the floor), then raise the arms on an inhalation perpendicular to the floor, with the palms facing the ceiling. Stretch actively through the bases of the index fingers.
Preparatory Poses

Balasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475_1.cfm)
Baddha Konasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm)Subsequent Poses

Padmasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/488_1.cfm)
Bakasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/468_1.cfm)Inversions, backbends, and standing poses
Beginners Tip

Often the inner top feet press more heavily into the floor than the outer top feet. Press the bases of your palms along the outer edges of the feet and gently push the pinky-toe sides of the feet to the floor.
Deepen the Pose

Cup your hands around the knees, straighten the arms fully, and pull on the knees. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, lift the top sternum, and release your chin down onto the chest without straining the back of your neck. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Then let go of the knees and raise your head back to neutral without losing the lift of the sternum.
Partnering

A partner can help you learn to lengthen the spine in this pose. Perform Virasana. Have your partner sit behind you and firmly grasp the base of your skull with the thumb and index finger of one hand. As you lengthen the tailbone into the floor, have your partner tug up on the skull base, lengthening the back spine between its two "poles." Release the crease of your neck into this space between the base of the skull and the back of the neck.

[Silverm00n]

Source: http://www.yogajournal.com (http://www.yogajournal.com/)

Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose)
Supta Padangusthasana provides relief from backache and stretches the hips, hamstrings, and calves.
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/posesimages/15.jpg (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/483_1.cfm#)Click for larger image (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/483_1.cfm#)(soup-TAH pod-ang-goosh-TAHS-anna)
supta = lying down, reclining
pada = foot
angusta = big toe
Benefits

Stretches hips, thighs, hamstrings, groins, and calves
Strengthens the knees
Stimulates the prostate gland
Improves digestion
Relieves backache, sciatica, and menstrual discomfort
Therapeutic for high blood pressure, flat feet, and infertilityContraindications/Cautions

Diarrhea
Headache
High blood pressure: Raise your head and neck on a folded blanket.Step by Step

Lie supine on the floor, legs strongly extended. If your head doesn't rest comfortably on the floor, support it on a folded blanket. Exhale, bend the left knee, and draw the thigh into your torso. Hug the thigh to your belly. Press the front of the right thigh heavily to the floor, and push actively through the right heel.
Loop a strap around the arch of the left foot and hold the strap in both hands. Inhale and straighten the knee, pressing the left heel up toward the ceiling. Walk your hands up the strap until the elbows are fully extended. Broaden the shoulder blades across your back. Keeping the hands as high on the strap as possible, press the shoulder blades lightly into the floor. Widen the collarbones away from the sternum.
Extend up first through the back of the left heel, and once the back of the leg between the heel and sitting bone is fully lengthened, lift through the ball of the big toe. Begin with the raised leg perpendicular to the floor. Release the head of the thigh bone more deeply into the pelvis and, as you do, draw the foot a little closer to your head, increasing the stretch on the back of the leg.
You can stay here in this stretch, or turn the leg outward from the hip joint, so the knee and toes look to the left. Pinning the top of the right thigh to the floor, exhale and swing the left leg out to the left and hold it a few inches off the floor. Continue rotating the leg. As you feel the outer thigh move away from the left side of the torso, try to bring the left foot in line with the left shoulder joint. Inhale to bring the leg back to vertical. Lighten your grip on the strap as you do, so that you challenge the muscles of the inner thigh and hip to do the work.
Hold the vertical position of the leg anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes, and the side position for an equal length of time. Once you have returned to vertical release the strap, hold the leg in place for 30 seconds or so, then slowly release as you exhale. Repeat on the right for the same length of time.Modifications & Props

You can make this pose slightly easier by raising the lower-leg heel off the floor a few inches on a block or thick book.
Variation

In addition to swinging the raised leg to the side, you can also cross it in front of your torso. If the left leg is raised, hold the strap in the right hand, and on an exhalation cross the raised leg to the right side. Inhale to bring the leg back to perpendicular and repeat on the other side.
Preparatory Poses

Adho Mukha Svanasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/491_1.cfm)
Baddha Konasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm)
Uttanasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/478_1.cfm)Subsequent Poses

Standing poses
Seated forward bendsBeginners Tip

If you are especially stiff, do this pose with the bottom-leg heel pressed against a wall. It's also useful to position a block just outside the raised-leg hip. Then when you swing the leg to the side, rest it on the block. The support under the thigh will help you soften the inner groin.
Deepen the Pose

If you have the flexibility, you can grip the big toe of the raised leg instead of using a strap. From the starting position, exhale and bend the raised leg thigh into your torso. Use the index and middle fingers and the thumb to grip the big toe. Be sure to reach the arm inside the thigh when you take the toe. Then perform the pose as described above.
Partnering

A partner can help you learn how to ground the leg that stays on the floor. Lay a folded blanket on your top thigh and have your partner sit lightly on it. As you extend the leg vertically, release the thigh away from your partner's weight. Do the same as you swing the leg to the side and then return it to vertical