Basic Yoga Postures and their Variations
1. THE COBRA Do this in easy stages. Lie
down, face prone, legs tightly together and stretched back, forehead on the
floor. Put your hands, palm down, just under your shoulders. Inhale and raise
your head, pressing your neck back, now use your hands to push your trunk up
until you are bending in a beautiful arc from your lower spine to the back of
your neck. You need go no further than this. However, if you are supple enough,
you can now straighten your arms completely, bend the legs at the knees and
drop your head back to touch your feet. Even if your head goes nowhere near
your feet, drop it back as far as possible and hold the posture with deep
breathing. Come out of the posture very slowly, returning to the face prone
posture. Relax with your head to one side. Repeat.
2. THE BOW This is also an extreme version
of the simple bow. It is surprising how many children can do it immediately.
Take it, once again, in easy stages. Lie face prone on your mat. If you are very
slim have a nice thick, padded mat for this one. Inhale and bend your knees up.
Stretch back with your arms and catch hold of your ankles, keeping fingers and
thumbs all together on the outside. Inhale and at the same time raise your head
and chest, pulling at your ankles and lifting knees and thighs off the floor.
Breathe normally, trying to kick up your legs higher and lifting your head up.
You are now bent like a bow, balancing the weight of your body on your abdomen.
You can stop right here but if you can still stretch further, then slide your
hands down your legs, lift them higher, keep the knees together and pull back
as much as you can. Hold for a few normal deep breaths, then relax back to the
face-prone position, head to one side.
3. THE SHOOTING BOW In Sanskrit this is
known as Akarna Dhanurasana and one leg is drawn up like a shooting bow. Sit
with both legs stretched out in front and back straight. Reach forward with
both hands and clasp your feet, catching the right foot with the left hand and
the left foot with the right hand. Inhale, bend the left knee and pull the foot
across the body, close to your chest, pointing the elbow up and twisting the
body slightly to the right. The left hand stays firm and tight, holding the
right foot. Hold posture with normal breathing, release slowly, and relax.
Repeat on other side. In the beginning it is enough to hold the bent left leg
with the right hand. When this is easy, stretch down and hold the left foot
with the right hand. Continue to pull on the left foot, lifting it higher on
each exhalation.
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