Titibhasana

Titibhasana

Step-by-step

Start in a squatting position in which your stance less than the distance between your shoulders. Lower your trunk onto the legs, move the pelvis to the front. Now slowly straighten your legs, raise the pelvis up to knee height.
Move the left upper arm and shoulder away from the posterior left thigh above the knee, and rest the left hand flat on the ground, on the outside of the foot. Repeat on the right side.
Now slowly raise yourself. Push your hands into the ground, move your weight backwards. The inner thighs should be placed as high as possible.
Inhale and stretch and straighten the legs on the sides so that your pelvis remains in a high position and legs aligned parallel to the ground.
Lengthen your arms and raise your torso upwards by widening your shoulder blades apart.
Look ahead, and stay in the position for about 10 seconds or as much as your body allows you to, and then come out of the asana by exhaling and returning your feet to the ground.

Benefits

Stretches the back torso and inner groins.
Provides strength to the arms and wrists.
Tones and tightens the belly.
Enhances the overall sense of balance.
Calms the mind by relieving from tension, stress and anxiety.
Strengthens the wrist

Hanumanasana

Hanumanasana
This posture is dedicated to the Monkey God Hanuman, who is an epitome of strength of surrender. Physically this posture is an intense stretch of the thigh area.

Step-by-step

Kneel on the floor. Extend your right leg forward and bend your torso with an exhale so that both your hands are on the floor.
Slowly start sliding your right foot forward. As the front leg straightens, resume pressing the left knee back, and carefully descend the front of the left thigh and the back of the right leg (and the base of the pelvis) to the floor. Make sure the center of the right knee points directly up toward the ceiling.
Please make sure that the back leg does not extend to the side back. Extend the front leg by keeping it active and engaged.
If the hip doesn’t reach the floor then hold your body weight on your hands. If it reaches the floor join the hands together in prayer position.
Hold the position for 30 seconds to one minute depending on your comfort level. To come out, press your hands to the floor, turn the front leg out slightly, and slowly return the front heel and the back knee to their starting positions. Then reverse the legs and repeat for the same length of time.

Vashishthasana

Vashishthasana (‘side plank posture’), is a powerful arm balance posture. The name is dedicated to the wisest sage of Yoga.

Step-by-step

Start in the adho mukha svanasana (‘downward dog’) and lengthen your arms and your legs.
Lower your hips and shift your weight forward to come into the start of push up posture. Keep your feet together and balance the body.Press your weight down through your right hand and forearm.
Roll your body to the right, balancing on the outer edge of your right foot.
Place your left foot on top of your right foot and keep your legs straight.
Extend your left arm towards the sky and look at your left hand by turning your head.
Do not let your hip drop, hold your body in a straight line. Beginners can take support of the left leg by placing the left knee on the floor. Hold for up to 30 seconds.
Exhale as you slowly return to Plank Pose, then into Downward-Facing Dog.
Repeat on the opposite side.
After both sides, rest in child posture.

Benefits

(Note: It is important to ensure you are performing the pose with correct alignment.)
The posture is strengthener of your wrists, forearms, shoulders, and spine.
It works on tight hip area and opens the hips and hamstrings. It helps improve balancing ability and concentration.
It also allows strengthening of abdominals for venturing into advanced arm balance postures.

Paripurna Navasana

Paripurna Navasana

Step-by-step

Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. See to it that you sit on the seat bones with an erect spine. If your spine does not get erect because of tightness in the lower or upper back, then bend your knees slightly to remove the pressure from your lower back.
Now, lean back slightly, around 30-40 degrees and as you lean back focus and engage your abdominal muscles.
Gently lift the legs up with an exhale, and lengthen your spine and tail bone. Extend your arms till they are parallel to the floor and in direction of your feet, keeping the chin parallel to the floor and breath normally.
If the above is not possible, try it by placing the hands on the floor next to your upper thighs and raising the legs by pressing the palms into the floor.
Retain the posture for 10-15 seconds and gradually increase the time to one minute.

Benefits
Strengthens the abdomen, thighs, lower back and shoulder area
Improves digestion by stimulating the digestive tract.
Corrects postural alignment.

Vrikshasana

Vrikshasana – Tree Posture

Step-by-step
Stand erect with the feet together firmly placed on the floor and the arms by your sides.
Balancing on the left foot, bend the right leg at the knee, raise the right thigh and bring the sole of the right foot as high up the inside of the left thigh as possible.
Raise both arms over the head keeping the elbows straight and joining the palms together.
Hold the posture while breathing gently through the nostrils for about 10 complete deep breaths.
Lower the arms and right leg and return to the neutral standing position with feet together and arms at the sides.
Pause for a few moments and repeat on the opposite leg.

Benefits
This is essentially a balance posture. Poor balance is often the result of a restless mind or distracted attention.
Regular practice of this posture will help focus the mind, cultivate concentration and improve balance and coordination.
It also builds strength in thighs and lower back.

Falcon

Falcon

This is also a balance posture like Natarajasana.

Step-by-step
Stand firmly on both the feet in Samasthiti.
Focus your eyes on a point for concentration.
Shift your body weight on your left foot, raise the right leg in the front and hold the right big toe with the right hand.
Keeping the balance slowly bring the right leg toward the right side of your body.
Now let go off the right big toe and hold the right knee with your right elbow from underneath.
Straighten the right leg as much as you can keeping a firm balance on the left leg.
Hold for 10 counts and switch the leg and continue.

Benefits
This asana is very beneficial to develop ability of concentration and physical balance.
It works on the abdominal area, and helps make the thigh and hip joint strong and flexible.

Vamadevasana

Vamadevasana

This posture is dedicated to the great Sage Vamadeva.

Step-by-step
(To execute this posture, one needs a lot of flexibility in the area of hip and thighs, so warming up of the hip joint area is essential before this posture is performed.)

Start with a downward dog posture.
Stretch your hamstrings deeply and bend the right knee to get in the pigeon posture.
See to it that you are sitting on the right hip with knee bent in such a way that the right heel is close to the perineum.
Extend your left leg straight behind so that your upper body is straight and perpendicular to the floor.
Hold your right foot with your right hand and lift it off the floor, bend the left knee and hold the left foot in the left hand.
Gently try to bring the feet together. Make sure you don’t feel any discomfort in your knees and your lower spine.
Hold the posture for 10 counts and switch the side.

Benefits
This is an excellent posture to make the hip joint more flexible and to work on abdominal muscles.
The thighs and the gluteus muscles are stretched to their fullest degree and helps in strengthening and keeping these muscles supple.

Natarajasana

Natarajasana

This posture is dedicated to the Lord of Yoga himself- Lord Shiva. This posture is symbolic of the grace and the pulse of the universe which is the rhythm on which Lord Shiva dances. The name of the asana literary means “The Dancer”.

Step-by-step
Stand on both feet and focus on a point for concentration.
Thrust your body weight on the left foot and bend the right knee so the right foot is at the level of your hip.
Hold the right ankle with your right hand and raise the left arm up.
Become aware of your navel and start bending forward trying to balance the body weight on the left foot.
Keep bending forward, as you bend forward lift the right knee up and simultaneously balance the lift of the right knee with the weight of the forward bend.
Hold this balance for 10 counts, let go off the right foot and stand back again on both the feet.
Collect your breath and do the same asana on the right foot.

Benefits
This asana is very beneficial to develop ability of concentration and physical balance.
It works on the abdominal area, and helps make the thigh and hip joint strong and flexible.

Video of the Month – April 2009

Prasad’s live Yoga performance at The Festival of India held in Toronto, Canada in August 2007 where Prasad was invited as a guest and speaker on the topic of Yoga and Yoga Therapy. (Part 3 of 3)

Video of the Month – March 2009

Prasad’s live Yoga performance at The Festival of India held in Toronto, Canada in August 2007 where Prasad was invited as a guest and speaker on the topic of Yoga and Yoga Therapy. (Part 2 of 3)

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