Category: Yoga

Anantasana is known as side-reclining leg lift posture, since this asana is performed by reclining on one side of the body and lifting one leg upwards.

Procedure for Anantasana

1. You should lie down on the ground on your right side. You should actively press through the right heel, flexing the ankle and using the outside of your foot to stabilize yourself in that position. If you still feel that your position is not stable, you can brace the soles against a wall.
2. You should stretch the right arm straight outwards along the ground and parallel to the chest, so that there is a long straight line from the heels to the fingertips of your hands. You should now bend the right elbow, lift your head slightly and support the head with your left palm. After that, you should slide your elbow away from the chest for stretching the armpit, still holding the head.
3. You should rotate the left leg externally, so that your toes are pointing towards the ceiling. You should bend and draw your knee towards your chest. You should reach across towards the inside of your left leg to take hold of your left big toe with the index and middle fingers. You can secure this grip by wrapping your thumb around the other two fingers. If you are not able to reach up and grip your toe, you can use a yoga strap, loop it around the ankle and hold on to the strap. You should extend the left leg upwards in the direction of the ceiling.
4. The left leg raised is likely to angle slightly forward and the top portion of the buttocks will drop back. You should firm up the sacrum against your pelvis, creating a type of the fulcrum that will be helpful in moving the left leg slightly backwards to maintain the perfect perpendicular position.
5. You should press through both your heels actively. You can stay in this position for 30 seconds and extend it to one minute or more later on with practice. After holding the posture, you can slowly release the left leg, exhaling and take a few slow breaths.
6. You should now turn on to your left side and repeat the same process with the right leg.

Benefits of Anantasana

Anantasana stretches the backs of the legs and the sides of the chest, while toning up your belly.

Preparatory and Follow-Up Asanas

The preparatory asanas for Anantasana are Parighasana, Supta Padangustasana and Utthita Trikonasana. The follow-up asana is Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Ananda Balasana is termed as happy baby posture and it is quite a simple asana. In fact, this asana has got its name, since most babies take up this posture involuntarily, when they are lying on their backs. Masters of yoga go to the extent of saying that we do lots of asanas when we are young babies, even without any awareness that they are very good asana poses that increase the flexibility of the body and keep the body in healthy condition. However, we usually forget all those asanas or postures one by one as we grow and are forced to learn them afresh at a later stage from a yoga master. Ananda Balasana is one such asana.

Procedure of Ananda Balasana

1. You should lie on your back, preferably on a folded blanket. You should exhale and bend the knees towards and into our abdomen.
2. You should inhale and hold the outsides of both feet with both hands. Your knees should remain open slightly wider than your chest. You should now push your knees slowly upwards until they reach your armpits.
3. You should now position each one of your ankles directly over the knees, with your shins remaining perpendicular to the ground. You should flex the legs through your heels. You should push your feet gently up into your hands, even while pulling the hands down for creating more resistance.
4. You should coax and move your thighs inwards towards your chest and press them down towards the ground through the chest, while lengthening your spine. You can release the tail bone also towards the ground. The base of your skull should be lengthened away from the back of the neck for maximum stretching in this position.
5. You can hold this pose easily for 30 seconds and extend it upto one minute later. After completing the asana, you can slowly release your feet back to the ground while exhaling. You should rest in this lying position, taking a few breaths slowly before getting up.

Benefits of Ananda Balasana

The anatomical focus of this asana is on the hips. Ananda Balasana stretches the inner groins as well as the back spine gently. It calms the brain and is quite helpful in relieving fatigue and stress.

Precautions and Contraindications for Ananda Balasana

Persons suffering from knee injuries and pregnant women are not advised to perform this asana. People with neck injuries can do this with a thick folded blanket as the support for the head. Beginners can use yoga straps to hold their feet, if they are unable to reach them with their hands.

Preparatory and Follow-Up Asanas

You can perform Balasana and Virasana before Ananda Balasana and follow it up with Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Salabhasana is known as locust or grasshopper posture, since Salabha means locust or grasshopper in Sanskrit. It is grouped with Dhanurasana and they are described as baby backbends. Even though it appears simple and unassuming, it is actually quite challenging and interesting than what it looks like. Usually, Salabhasana is considered as a good counter-stretching asana for Paschimottanasana, Sarvangasana and Halasana.

Procedure for Salabhasana

1. Place a folded blanket to pad your pelvis and ribs from the ground. You should lie down on the blanket with your belly on the blanket. The arm should be kept to the sides of your body, with the palms up and forehead resting on the ground. You should turn your big toes inwards so that your thighs get rotated. The buttocks should be kept firm to enable your coccyx to be pressed to your pubis.
2. You should raise your head, arms, upper chest and legs away from the floor or the blanket. Your body will be resting on your belly, front pelvis and lower ribs. You should ensure that you keep your buttocks firm and the legs are fully stretched. The big toes should remain turned to face each other.
3. You should raise your hands until they are parallel to the floor and stretch them actively backwards. You can imagine that some weight is pushing down on the upper arms and you are pushing up against this particular resistance. The scapulas or shoulder blades should be firmly pressed into your back.
4. You can look either directly forward or tilt your head a little upward, but you should ensure that the chin does not get pushed forward, putting pressure on the nape of the neck. You should keep the back of the neck long and only lift the base of your skull.
5. You can remain in this posture between 30 seconds to one minute. You should exhale and return back to your lying position. You can perform this asana a few times again, with a gap of one or two minutes. The focus of Salabhasana is not on how high you are able to lift up, but on how much you are lengthening your spine.

Benefits of Salabhasana

Salabhasana improves the flexibility in your back and strengthens the muscles in your lower back, spine, backs of your arms and legs and your buttocks. It stretches the thigh, belly, chest and shoulders. It improves digestion and massages the internal organs. It is particularly useful for persons suffering from sciatica and lower back pain, since it provides great relief for both conditions, if practiced slowly and properly. It strengthens the arm and shoulders. It reduces fatigue. Therapeutically, Salabhasana enhances concentration, stimulates the Swadhisthana Chakra. The anatomical focus of this asana is on the neck, upper arms, upper back, lungs, lower back, hamstrings and calves and buttocks. Salabhasana relieves flatulence, indigestion and constipation. It relieves stress.

Precautions and Contraindications for Salabhasana

Persons suffering from headaches, serious back injury and neck injury should not practice Salabhasana.

Preparatory and Follow-Up Asanas

The preparatory asanas for Salabhasana are Bhujangasana, Gomukhasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Supta Virasana, Virabhadrasana I, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana and Virasana. The follow-up asanas are Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Salamba Sarvangasana and Bharadvajasana. It is always advisable to do Salabhasana and other asanas under the monitoring and guidance of an expert yoga master. You can avoid injuries when a master is supervising you. You should also do this asana only on a folded blanket and never on the ordinary floor.

Sirasasana is standing on the head posture. Since you use your hands as support, this asana is also termed as Salamba Sirasasana or supported headstand posture.

Procedure for Sirasasana

1. You should use a folded blanket to provide padding or cushion to your forearms and head. First, you should kneel on the floor. You should clasp the fingers of both hands together and place your forearms on the ground, with the elbows remaining at shoulder width. You should roll your upper arms forward slightly and press your inner wrists into the ground firmly. You should place the crown of your head on the ground. Beginners should press the bases of their palms together, while snuggling the back of their head against clasped hands. After gaining experience, you can open your hands and place the back of your head into your open palms.
2. You should inhale and slowly lift your knees from the ground. Your feet should be close to your elbows with elevated heels. You should now lift actively through the top of your thighs in an inverted ‘V’ form. The shoulder blades should be firm against the back and you should lift the shoulder blades towards the tail bone to keep the chest front. This will prevent the weight of your shoulders from collapsing on your head and neck.
3. You should exhale and lift your feet more away from the ground, with both feet together. If necessary, you can bend your knees during this time. You should lift the legs (or the thighs if you have bent your knees) in a perpendicular position to the ground, keeping the tail bone firm against the back of your pelvis. You should turn your upper thighs slightly inward and press the heels actively towards the ceiling. If you had bent the knees, you should straighten them now. The center of your arches, the center of your pelvis and the center of your crown should be in alignment.
4. You should firm up the outer arms inwards and soften your fingers. You should continue the press of your shoulder blades against your back, while widening the shoulders and drawing them towards your tailbone. Your body weight should be evenly balanced on your two forearms. Your tailbone should continue its upward lift towards your heels. When the back portions of your legs are completely lengthened through your heels, you should maintain that lengthening and press upward through the balls of your big toes, so that your inner legs are marginally longer than the outer legs.
5. Beginners should maintain this position only for 10 seconds. You can slowly add 5 or 10 seconds every week until you are comfortable in this posture up to 3 minutes. After a few weeks, you can add 5 or 10 seconds each day. You can stay in this position as long as you are comfortable. You should finally come down slowly while exhaling and you should not lose the lift of your shoulder blades. Both feet should touch the ground at the same time. The lifting and bringing down your legs should be smooth and not jerky. Initially, this may not be possible for beginners, but they will get perfection with constant practice. You can remain in Sirasasana even up to 20 or 30 minutes, but you should ensure that you are absolutely comfortable.
6. After resting for 5 minutes, you should drink a cup of milk, which is very important. You should not remain for long periods in Sirasasana in summer, but you can extend the time during winter.

Benefits of Sirasasana

Sirasasana calms your brain and relieves stress as well as mild depression. It stimulates the pineal and pituitary glands. This asana strengthens your arms, legs, lungs, and spine. Sirasasana also tones up the abdominal organs. It is therapeutic for insomnia, asthma, sinusitis and infertility. Sirasasana is highly useful in maintaining Brahmacharya and prevents wet dreams or spermatorrhoea. It invigorates, vivifies and energizes. Memory power increases by the practice of Sirasasana. The head receives lots of blood and Prana.

Swami Shivananda of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh has mentioned that Sirasasana can cure all diseases related to eye, head, nose, stomach, throat, liver, lungs, spleen, genitor-urinary system, gonorrhoea, syphilis, deafness, renal colic, piles and diabetes. Many ovarine and uterine diseases of women get cured. It relieves symptoms of menopause. Swami Shivananda has asserted that Sirasasana, Sarvangasana and Paschimottanasana are enough to keep a person completely healthy and other asanas need not even be practiced. These three are so powerful and important, according to him.

Precautions and Contraindications for Sirasasana

Persons suffering from back injury, heart condition, headache, high blood pressure, neck injury and low blood pressure should not practice this asana. Women should avoid Sirasasana during menstruation and pregnancy. You can do Sarvangasana before Sirasasana, though a few yoga schools reverse this order.

Beginners should practice this asana only under the guidance of an experienced yoga master. Otherwise, they can initially practice this by remaining close to a wall so that they do not fall on their backs. When they rest their legs on the wall, they will not be in a perpendicular position, but it will be easy for them to come to a straight position without too much difficulty. With practice, they will be able to reach the correct position without the support of the wall.

Variation of Sirasasana

The variation of Sirasasana is Eka Pada Sirasasana or one leg headstand posture. After reaching and getting stabilized in the Sirasasana position, you should exhale and lower the right leg until it is parallel to the ground, but your left leg should be firm and remain perpendicular to the ground. You can hold this position for up to 30 seconds and lift back the right leg to the perpendicular position, inhaling. You can repeat this with your left leg for the same period.

Preparatory an Follow-Up Asanas

The preparatory asanas for Sirasasana are Sarvangasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana and Virasana. The follow-up asanas are Balasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana.

Gomukhasana is known as cow face posture, since Go means cow in Sanskrit and Mukha means face. You can do this asana easily in a sitting posture.

Procedures for Gomukhasana

1. You should sit in Dandasana or staff posture.
2. You should bend your left leg and bring the heel of the left leg under the right leg, close to the right hip.
3. You should bend your right leg now over your left knee, allowing your right heel to come close to your left hip. Your right knee should be in a position directly above your left knee.
4. You should place your palms of both hands on your feet.
5. You should press your sitting bones onto the ground and you should keep your head straight so that the crown points towards the ceiling.
6. You should bend your left elbow and move your left forearm to bring it behind your back.
7. The back of your left hand should be positioned in the middle of the back, very close to the shoulder blades. Your left forearm and the fingers of your left hand should be pointing upward.
8. You should extend your right hand over your head, while inhaling.
9. You should bend the right elbow and bring the right elbow between your shoulder blades. The right palm should be facing your back and the fingers of your right hand should be pointing downward.
10. You should now clasp the fingers of your left hand with the fingers of your right hand.
11. You should pull the shoulders away from one another and experience the stretch in your shoulders. You should also open up your chest.
12. You can remain in this posture between 10 and 30 seconds before you release your hands and come back to Dandasana.
13. You should repeat the steps between 2 and 12 for your other side.

Precautions

You should not do this asana if you are suffering from any problems in the knee, hip, neck, and shoulders.

Benefits of Gomukhasana

Gomukhasana releases the tension in your shoulders. It stretches your arms and shoulders. It opens up the chest, facilitating deeper breathing. It is also useful in the elimination of rounded shoulders. When you deepen this asana, breathing becomes easier and headaches get relieved. The anatomical focus of Gomukhasana is on your ankles, hips, thighs, shoulders, arms and chest.

Variations in Gomukhasana

You can do this asana from a sitting position, but you can perform the stretch of the upper body in standard sitting position or in Vajrasana or thunderbolt posture. If you are unable to clasp your hands behind your back, you can hold a strap between the hands. You can also pull your abdominals towards your spine, bend forward at the hips and press your chest gently to the floor. It is advisable to learn this asana and other asanas under the supervision of a trained yoga master.

Preparatory and Follow-Up Asanas for Gomukhasana

You can practice Baddha Konasana, Upavista Konasana, Virasana, Supta Virasana, Supta Padangustasana and Supta Baddha Konasana before starting on Gomukhasana. You can follow up Gomukhasana with Ardha Matsyendrasana, Garudasana, Marichyasana III, Paschimottanasana, Bharadvajasana, Upavista Konasana and Padmasana.

Vajrasana is known as thunderbolt posture, since vajra means thunderbolt in Sanskrit. It is also termed as adamantine posture. If you practice Vajrasana, you have a firm, steady pace and you cannot be easily shaken. Vajrasana renders the knees very hard. The spinal cord or Meru Danda becomes strong and firm. This asana nearly resembles the Namaz posture that Muslims adopt when they sit for prayer.

Procedure of Vajrasana

1. Come down slowly from a standing position or Tadasana by bending your knees, but keeping your back and neck straight and erect.
2. When your thighs touch the forelegs and the forelegs are firmly on the ground, twist your feet so that the soles support the buttocks and the feet extend beyond the buttocks, with the fingers of the feet stretching outward.
3. The calves of the legs should touch the thighs and the part of the knee to the toe should touch the floor. The entire weight of the body is borne by the knees and ankles.
4. When you are sitting in the proper position comfortably, place your hands on the knees, keeping the knees quite close. The back, neck and the head should be in a straight line.
5. Initially, you may feel a little pain in the knee joints and ankle joints, but this will disappear with practice. You can massage the knee joints and ankle joints with your hands until you feel comfortable.

Benefits of Vajrasana

Vajrasana is a very good asana to counter indigestion. If you sit after taking your food in Vajrasana for about 30 minutes, the food will become well digested. Dyspeptics can derive a lot of benefit from this asana. The muscles and the nerves of the legs and thighs get strengthened by Vajrasana. If you are suffering from myalgia in your thighs, legs, knees, and toes, you can eliminate myalgia with Vajrasana. You can also use this asana as a cure for sciatica and flatulence.  Vajrasana helps in making the stomach work vigorously. Vajrasana exercises a beneficial, stimulating influence on Kanda. Kanda, a very vital part of our body is located 12 inches above our anus and the 72,000 Nadis in our body spring forth from Kanda. With practice, you can sit in Vajrasana for a long time. Yogis and siddhas use Vajrasana for meditation.

Variation of Vajrasana

You can also keep your heels separate. You can keep the buttocks and the anus between the heels and keep the legs by the sides of the two thighs.

If you keep your hand on your knees, hips, or the sides of your chest and press your buttocks firmly with the soles, with the trunk, neck and head straight and erect, it is known as Kurmasana or tortoise posture.

If you sit in Vajrasana and stretch the hands to the face level with palms facing together, while bending down slowly and lying down on the floor with the support of your hands, it is Ardha Kurmasana.

For performing Utthana Kurmasana, you should sit in the position of Garbhasana with the hands between the thighs and the calves. While you keep the feet on your thighs in Garbhasana, you keep the ankles close and one ankle over the other ankles, while pressing the head down with the hands. These asanas eliminate pain and sprains in the back.

When you take the feet towards the back, allowing the toes to touch each other, with the knees at the sides and the hands on the knee, it is known as Mandukasana or frog posture.

When you raise your knees slowly while sitting in Vajrasana, you will be performing Angushthasana, which is very helpful in maintaining Brahmacharya.

When you sit in Vajrasana and take hold of your heels with your two hands, it is known as Ananda Mandirasana.

Supta Vajrasana

Supta Vajrasana is a major variation of Vajrasana by combing Vajrasana with Savasana or sleeping posture. It is also known as Ardha Savasana. You should perform this asana only after obtaining perfection in Vajrasana, since more force and strain come on your knees in this asana. You should lie down on your back and make a finger-lock. The head should rest on your palms. At the beginning, the entire portion of your back will not be able to touch the floor and the lower portion will remain in a raised position. However, you will get perfection in this asana with practice. This asana provides all the benefits of Vajrasana. Even hunchback can be removed by this asana since the spine bends backward and becomes elastic. When you perfect this asana, performing Chakrasana becomes easier.