Yoga is good for your body in so many ways. Let’s look at 8 common yoga poses to understand their benefits to the different parts of your body.
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Tadasana (also called Samasthiti) or mountain pose:
This is the basic standing pose. It teaches you the art of standing correctly and increases your awareness of your body.
Stand with your feet together. Tighten the knees, keep the navel drawn into the spine with a neutral pelvis, and chest lifted but with shoulders relaxed and pressed down away from the ears.
Benefits: It corrects bad posture and improves the alignment of your body
Uttanasana or intense forward stretch
Start from Tadasana and inhale while stretching the hands up and exhale reaching down with your hands. Try to press down with your palms.
Benefits: Tones the liver, spleen, kidneys and the abdominal region. Stretches the hamstrings and the spine.
Adhomukha Svanasana or downward-facing dog stretch
Lie down on the floor on your stomach and face downward. Place the palms next to the chest. Exhaling, raise your trunk from the floor. Straighten the arms, move the head inward towards the feet and extend the back, trying to press the heels firmly into the ground keeping the knees straight making an inverted ‘V’ with the body.
Benefits: Calms the brain, reduces stiffness in the shoulder region and tones the legs.
Urdhvamukha svanasana or upward-facing dog stretch
Lie on the floor with face downward and toes pointed. Inhale raising the head and trunk and stretch the arms completely. Push the head and trunk as far back as possible, without resting the knees on the floor.
Benefits: Rejuvenates the spine, relieves stiffness of the back and significantly
increases your stamina.
Utthita Trikonasana or extended triangle pose
Stand in Tadasana pose. Keep your feet around three feet apart and turning the right foot to 90 degrees, turn the left foot slightly to the right, raising the arms sideways. Bend to your right, bringing the right palm towards the right ankle keeping both legs absolutely straight. Repeat on the other side.
Benefits: Improves flexibility of the spine and relieves backache. Massages and tones the pelvic region, relieves gastritis, indigestion and acidity.
Utthita parsvakonasana or extended side stretch
Stand in Tadasana pose. Keep your feet around four feet apart. Stretch the hands sideways, bend the right knee at a 90-degree angle, not pushing the knee beyond the ankle. And while exhaling, place the right palm on the ground outside the right foot and stretch the left arm in a diagonal line over the left ear. Repeat on the other side.
Benefits: Tones and strengthens the legs, improves lung capacity and relieves arthritic pain.
Virabhadrasana 1 or the first warrior pose
Stand in Tadasana pose. Keep your feet around four feet apart. Bend the right knee above the right ankle and not beyond it. Keep the left leg stretched. Extend your hands up in a namaskar, stretching the spine up. The face, chest and right knee should face the same way as the right foot. Repeat on the other side.
Benefits: Tones abdominal muscles, legs and hips, strengthens back muscles and relieves backache.
Virabhadrasana 2 or the second warrior pose
From Tadasana pose, keep the feet around 4 to 4 1/2 feet wide. Bend the right knee above the right ankle, keep the left leg straight. Stretch the hands straight in two opposite directions. Turn your face to the right and gaze at the right palm. Repeat on the other side.
Benefits: Tones the muscles of the legs. Stretches the shoulders and shoulder blades and significantly tones the abdominal organs.
Utkatasana or the fierce pose
Stand in Tadasana pose, stretch your palms straight over your head. Join the palms, exhaling bend your knees and lower your trunk till your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
Benefits: Tones the legs, abdominal organs as well as the back.
