FOR ALL ASANAS, IN FINAL POSE RELAX AND BREATHE

CONTINUOUSLY

1) ArdhaChakrasana (Half Wheel Pose or Back bend)

Limitation: No for people with neck injury
No for people who have High BP or have
Vertigo or heart issues.
Benefits: Strengthens respiratory, cardiovascular systems.
Helps relieve Asthma and makes spine stronger and
Helps people with back pain.
Note: Try to relax and breathe continuously.
Steps:
1) Tadasana 2) Hands on hips, expand elbows as far as back
3) Support your back with hands and bend back 4) Keep your eyes open, breathe
and relax 5) Stay as long as you are comfortable

2) Pada Hastasana (Forward bend or Hand-to-Leg

pose)
Limitation: No for people with serious back pain or
Sciatica. No for people who have High BP
Benefits: Strengthens organs in abdominal region.
Stretches hamstring muscles. Beneficial for cases of
constipation
Note: Try to relax and breathe continuously and hold on to your toes
or ankles
Steps:
1) Tadasana 2) Both hands above head. 3) From root of your back, bend forward
as much as you can. 4) Hold on to toes/knees or calf-muscles 5) Relax/breathe
4) Stay as long as you are comfortable

3) Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose)

Limitation: No for people with hip/knee injuries
Benefits: Strengthens leg (especially thighs and
ankles). Stimulates abdominal organs. Stretches
chest, lungs and increases stamina. Beneficial for
people with sciatica, carpel-tunnel syndrome.

Steps:
1) Tadasana 2) legs away from each other 3) Hands till shoulder level 4) Relax
body 4) Turn right/left legs to right side 5) Bend right knee and don’t push your
knee beyond your ankle (adjust left leg for this) 6) Relax/breathe

4) Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Limitation: No for people with hip problems or serious heart
problems or High BP
Benefits: Strengthens leg. Helps circulation, digestion and relieves
tension. Removes flat feet
Note: Don’t rest your hand on the knees. Very gently touch the
knees. (i.e. bend without the support of the hand on the knee)
Specify which body part(s) got stretched:
1) Tadasana 2) Legs away from each other 3) Bend to your
Right and very gently place your right hand on knee.
4) Don’t rest on knee 5) Bend on same plane, relax/breathe

5) Ardha kati Chakrasana (Half-waist wheel Pose)

Limitation: No major limitations
Benefits: Helps to reduce fat in waist region (if done for a longer duration).
Helps with relieving back pain.
Note: Try to do the asana with your eyes closed and relax completely
Steps:
1) Tadasana 2) Raise Right hand above head and stretch your hand
more 3) Bend to the right 4) Relax left hand, entire body, relax and
breathe continuosly

6) Vrikshasana (Balanced Tree Pose)

Limitation: No major limitations
Benefits: Helps to improve concentration and balancing ability.

Note: Important to focus on a specific point, in the final pose

Take support of the wall, if you fall down continuosly. Focus even if you
fall down.

7) Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Limitation: Avoid if you have High BP, heart issues or migraine problems.
Benefits: Strengthens back, helps to relieve asthma

Note: Don’t bend your thighs backward

Steps:
1) From Dhandasana, go to kneel down pose 2) From here follow ardha chakrasana
3) If you intend to keep your hands on ankle, don’t bend your thighs back. Keep
thighs straight, its ok, if you cannot reach your heels/ankles 4) Breathe/Relax

8) Vakrasana (Twisted Pose)

Limitation: No major limitations.
Benefits: Good people with diabetis. Stretches the
spinal cord
Note: Try to relax entire body and look back.
Steps:
1) Dhandasana 2) Bend right leg, keep it close to
left knee on ground. 3) Use left hand to wrap the
right knee and hold it or cross the right knee and
hold right ankle 4) turn body/shoulders and look
back. 5) Relax and breathe.

9) Pavana Muktasana (Wind relieving Pose)

Limitation: No for people with diarrhea or neck problems.
Benefits: Helps to resolve abdominal issues and prevents
constipation. Helps to regularize bowel movements.
Note: Try to bring your knees closer to your chest and then
bring your chin closer to the knees. Relax in the final pose
Steps:
1) Savasana 2) Bring legs and hands closer to body. 3) raise both legs and bend
knees. 4) Join both hands/fingers 5) Wrap your knee with your hands and bring it
closer to chest 6) Raise head and bring it closer to knee 7) Relax and breathe
10) Baddha Konasana (Bound angle Pose)
Limitation: No for people with Groin/knee injuries
Benefits: Improves stamina. Stretches inner thighs, groins and knees. Stimulates
abdominal organs, strengthens legs (especially thighs and ankles). Stimulates abdominal
organs, prostate glands.
Note: Don’t press your knees with your hands
Steps:
1) Dhandasana 2) Bend both legs and touch both feet together 3) Bring both heels
closer to body 4) Bring knees closer to ground without force of your hands 5) Relax
and breathe

11) Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Limitation: No for people who had recent abdominal surgery,
heart problems or High BP
Benefits: Stretches and slims down entire body. Helps to get
relief from abdominal issues, carpel tunnel syndrome and
asthma. Strengthens back muscles.
Note: Try to relax in the final pose and stay without the
support of the hand.
Steps:
1) Lie down on stomach 2) Hands in front of your body. 3) Bring both palms, place
it closer to chest on the ground 4) Raise front portion of body, without pressing
your hands on ground and hold it as long as you are comfortable 5) Bottom portion
always on ground 6) Relax and breathe continuously

12) Shalabhasana (Locust Pose)

Limitation: No for people with chronic back pain
or ulcer or hernia. People with heart diseases
should do with one leg at a time
Benefits: To relieve stress, Stretches abdominal
organs, thigh/buttocks muscles.
Note: Try to do first with one leg at a time. Then try both the legs together.
Steps:
1) Lie down on stomach. 2) Make mushti (close thumb with other fingers) and place
your hands below/closer to your hip bone 3) Raise one leg at a time for few seconds
4) Raise both legs if possible 5) Entire front portion always on ground.

13) Sethu Bandasana (Bridge Pose)

Limitation: No major limitations.
Benefits: Beneficial for people with back pain,
abdominal/digestive issues.
Note: Use the hands to push your back away from the
ground (don’t use it to support your body)
Steps:
1) Savasana 2) Bend both legs and bring heels closer to buttocks and keep it
firmly on ground 3) Raise your hips, while head/shoulder still on ground 4) If
possible use hands to push hips away from ground 5) Don’t support your hips
with hands, but push or don’t use your hands at all, keep it on ground. 6)
Breathe and relax

14) Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Limitation: No for people who had recent abdominal
surgery, heart problems or High BP
Benefits: Stretches and slims down entire body.
Relieves abdominal issues. Strengthens back muscles.
Note: Try to relax in the final pose and breathe
normally.
Steps:
1) Lie down on stomach 2) Bend both legs and take
your hands back and catch your ankles or toes 3) Raise front portion of body like
bhujangasana and also raise thighs away from ground 4) Stretch your arms by
pulling your legs away 5) Relax (Yeah right!) and breathe (If possible :-)

15) Viparita Karani (Supported reverse posture)

Limitation: Avoid if you have neck problems
Benefits: Helps people with thyroid gland issues. Helps
women during menopausal stage from abdominal pains and
discomforts.
Note: Try to do with the support of the wall, if you have issue
staying on your own

Steps:
1) savasana 2) Press both hands on ground and bring both
legs up and take it behind your back 3) Bend your elbows
and support entire hips with hands 4) Slowly straighten
your legs (bring it up) 5) If its difficult on your hands/elbows, take the legs little
back to ease 6) Relax and Breathe

SURYANAMASKAR (Sun Salutations)

 Exhale –go down &
hold the breath(8
Inhale & Exhale Inhale (Runners pose) parts of body
Exhale & Inhale
touching the ground)
(Back, Fwd bend) (Plank pose. 30 deg.
Slanting pose)

Inhale
Inhale Exhale Exhale & Inhale (Fwd
(Upward facing (Inverted V ) (Runners pose)
and back bend & Up)
dog)

Benefits: Activates whole body. Tones up digestive system. Massages liver, kidney and stomach.
Synchronizes movements with breathing, thoroughly ventilates the lungs, oxygenates the blood, acts as a
disintoxicant, and gets rid of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases. Increases cardiac activity and blood
flow. Tones up nervous system and stretches spinal column. Promotes good sleep and memory. Prevents
flat feet and strengthens ankles. Helps get rid of fat in stomach, chin, neck and hip regions. Increases
immunity to diseases.
Limitation: Patients suffering from hypertension, hernia, spondylosis, heart disease or knee
pain should not practice suryanamaskar, or should practice it very carefully

Breathing:
Hands in and out breathing
Ankle/hands stretch breathing
Cat pose breathing (Lying down on fours and making U/Hump of your back as you
inhale and exhale)
Baby pose breathing (In Namas pose, you go up and down, as you breath in and out)

Loosening: Back and fwd bend.

Side to side bending, while legs apart.
Then Raising your knee and hands up and down.
Warming your wrist, elbows, hand-rotation, ankle stretch, throwing the knee)
Side twist.
Yogic jogging

QRT (Quick Relaxation Technique):

Step 1: Adjusting your hands/legs and body
 Step 2: Focusing on stomach movement
Step 3: Syncing your breath with stomach movement
Step 4: Add feeling to the breathing (Feel chillness while inhaling, feel warmth while
exhaling)
Step 5: Chant an "A"akara and come out of the relaxation

DRT : Online visit http://ybsandiego.blogspot.com (check December 2006)