Friday, August 7, 2009

Yoga Postures- Revitalize Your Body with Few Easy Yoga Asanas!!!

The practice of Yoga Exercises means practicing both your body and your mind. It takes willpower and perseverance to accomplish each Yoga Pose and to practice it daily. But the prize for your perseverance is really worth all the hard work. The practice of Yoga Exercises or Asanas can improve your health, increase your resistance, and develop your mental awareness. Doing the Yoga Postures requires you to study each pose and execute it slowly as you control your body and your mind.

Few Easy Yoga Postures that anyone can do:

Here’re brief descriptions on some of the most important, popular and easier Yoga postures:

1. Sukhasana ~ the easy pose

Sit on a mat with legs spread out in front. Bend one leg and place the heel under the opposite thigh. Bend the other leg and place under opposite thigh and sit cross-legged with erect spine. Place hands on respective knees, palms downward, eyes closed, head poised and relax. Time: 5 - 30 minutes
Value: Composure of body and mind leading to inner harmony and the favourable position to follow the other exercises.

2. Talasana ~ the palm pose

Stand erect with feet together or apart. Keep hands parallel to the sides, chest forward, neck straight, abdomen and chin in. Slowly raise one arm to vertical position and simultaneously rise on the toes and inhale. Breathe in deep and stretch to the maximum. Gradually return to normal. Repeat with the other hand. Time: 10 secs for each round
Value: It aims at increasing a person's height as it aims at stretching the thorax and the lower abdomen by a combination of anterior, posterior, and lateral skeleton movements when one is growing up and even upto some years after one has reached maturity.

3. Konasana ~ the angle-pose

Stand with the feet fixed at 20-24 inches apart, hands at the side. While breathing in bend the upper part of the body sidewise above waist with the arm sliding below the knee while the other arm slides up to the armpit. The thorax, neck and head should be right angle with the base. Retain the breath and maintain the position for 4 seconds. Reverse to normal while exhaling. Repeat with the other arm. Time: 15 secs for each round
Value: It contributes to flexibility of the body and makes muscles pliable.

4. Utkatasana ~ semi-standing pose on tiptoe

Stand; keep the hands stretched parallel in front or at the sides with palms down, then squat. While squatting, slowly rise on tiptoe as you inhale. When breathe intake is complete squat again exhaling with thighs pressing against the respective calves. Taking in breath rise up on toes to standing position. Then slowly lower the heels to the floor. Rest for 4 secs, and then repeat. Time: 2 minutes for 10 rounds
Value: Flexes the muscles of the legs and the pelvis.

5. Chakrasana ~ the wheel pose

Stand with feet 20 inches apart. Raise the arms upwards keeping it close to the ears, fists tight, inhale and bend backwards with abdomen forward. Then interlace the fingers of the up-stretched arms above head forming an anterior arc. Pause for 6 seconds. With arms up-stretched and exhaling, bend forward to touch the ground. With the head almost touching the knees freely swing the arms straight upwards till they are vertical and parallel to the legs. Maintain position for 3 secs. Then reverse while taking in the breath. Time: 18-20 secs for each round
Value: Exercise of the spine and the mid-trunk.

6. Bhadrasana ~ the throne pose

Sit on the floor with legs stretched out in front. While maintaining the contact with the floor, draw both the legs nearer the body with the knees bent outward and the soles of the feet together. Inhale and bring the feet close to the genitals - touching the perineum, with the toes pointing outward. Palms outward, place the hand on respective knees placing them down. Hold the pose and then slowly return to normal while exhaling. Time: 15 secs for each round
Value: Exercises the pelvic organs, the groin, the unused thigh muscles and the sex organs.

Summary:

Everybody is encouraged to try and practice the Yoga Postures by you at home or in the office. However, if you are feeling uncomfortable or are not able to complete a posture, do not push yourself. Yoga Exercise is not a competition, so just relax and try again. Moreover, do not try Yoga Postures which are beyond your capabilities. It will be helpful to actually sign up for some Yoga Classes where a professional teacher will guide you through each Yoga Pose and make sure you are doing the exercise correctly.