Strength poses

By Andrea Ferretti with James Higgins

Before You Begin

MEDITATE Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with your eyes closed. Take 10 slow Ujjayi breaths. Create a clear stream of breath, filling your lungs to capacity while you explore the inner body.

Let your mind ride with the breath, making each consecutive breath smoother than the one before. Take your time and be thorough with your exhalation. Enjoy the experience of your breath.

After 10 breaths, allow your natural breathing to return. Release any hint of tension from the body. Keeping the mind quiet and relaxed, take time to experience your well-being and dedicate your practice to the greater good.

After You Finish

Rest Set up for Savasana (Corpse Pose) and stay for at least 5 minutes. Before you sit up, roll into the fetal position for 2 minutes of quiet nurturing. Sit up tall, and for a few moments mindfully direct your breath toward your well-being and the well-being of sentient beings everywhere.

Build up to holding each pose in the sequence for 1 to 2 minutes. The first 5 poses in this sequence will build heat in the body. When you come to the floor after Forearm Plank, you can begin to incorporate rest between each pose.

1. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Stand with your feet parallel and hip-distance apart. Bend your knees deeply. Roll your inner thighs down toward the earth and spread your sitting bones while you hug the shins toward each other and ground your tailbone toward your heels. Lift and roll your shoulders back, sliding the chest and armpits up. Breathe slowly and deeply and soften your face.

2. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) From Utkatasana, straighten your legs and fold forward. Hug your shins in and feel the weight of your hips pressing down toward the feet while you pull all the leg muscles up and onto the bones. Draw your belly in toward the spine and roll the bottom of your rib cage toward the toes as though you were going to hook it over them.

3. Anjaneyasana (High Lunge) Step your right foot back, keeping your heel lifted as you come into High Lunge. Lift the right thighbone up and, with equal emphasis, guide the tailbone down toward the floor. As you reach your arms up toward the sky, draw your belly in, roll your shoulders back, and lengthen the rib cage up, away from the hips. Breathe deeply into the fullness of your lungs and soften your face. Do both sides, then step into Uttanasana.

4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Step or hop into Downward Dog. Spiral your inner thighs back and hug your shins toward each other. Draw your belly and ribs toward your spine and lengthen your side body. Lift your armpits away from the floor as you press your shoulder blades flat onto your back. Melt the center of your chest toward the earth.

5. Forearm Plank Come to a tabletop position and place your forearms on the floor. Curl your toes under and press back through your heels, taking your knees off the floor. Lift your thighbones up, pull your ribs toward your spine, and press your tailbone toward your heels. Feel your core engage and melt your heart toward the earth. When you release, rest on your belly, with your forehead on your hands, for 5 to 10 deep breaths. Relax fully.

6. Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Rest on your belly with your arms by your sides. Roll the legs inward. Inhale and lift your arms, legs, torso, and head slowly off the floor. Hug your muscles toward your bones as you extend through the limbs out to your hands and feet. Keep your shoulder blades flat on your back and breathe smoothly and deeply. Do this twice, pausing to rest for several breaths in between.

7. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) From your belly, reach back and grab the ankles; softly lift the chest, knees, and thighs from the floor. Push your shins back to help lift and open your chest. Soften your face, breathe deeply, and feel your way into the full pose.

8. Balasana (Child's Pose) Draw your hips back to your heels, with your arms outstretched in front of you, palms together. Separate your knees hip-width apart, with your big toes touching behind you. Gently bow forward and relax the hips and shoulders.

9. Sirsasana II (Tripod Headstand) If you've never attempted Headstand, do so only with an experienced teacher nearby. If you have experience with Headstand but need the support, set yourself up close to a wall. From a kneeling position, place your palms and the top of your head on the floor. When you look at your forearms they should be perpendicular to the floor. Walk your feet in toward your hands, draw your shoulders away from your ears, and spread your collarbones wide. Press your hands into the floor, squeezing your elbows in. Engage the legs and lift them slowly overhead. Draw your tailbone toward your heels and press the thighs and lower rib cage backward while extending the legs, hips, and feet toward the sky.

10. Balasana (Child's Pose) Come back to Child's Pose and connect to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual centers. Feel the benefits you've received and surrender to your natural ease and goodness. Be humble and, with gratitude, open your mind and heart to the wonderful practice of yoga.

Balance poses

by Desiree Rumbaugh

Before you begin:

Breathing and Meditation
Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position. Using both hands, grasp your thighs and turn them inward, one at a time, and then place your hands, palms facing down, on your legs. Slide your hands toward your waist to create ease in the neck and shoulders. Take 10 full breaths.

Invocation
Chant Om or an invocation of your choice.

WarmUp
Begin by stretching and breathing, either sitting or standing.

Before the sequence:

Do Reclining Hand–to–Big–Toe Pose. Then do Standing Forward Bend, with the balls of your feet on a rolled–up blanket and your heels on the floor. Do 5 Sun Salutations. Then integrate the action of your arms and shoulders by doing Handstand. Next, do standing poses like Triangle and Side Angle Pose, and seated poses like Seated Forward Bend and Head–to–Knee–Forward Bend.

Featured Sequence:

Do all 10 poses, then repeat on the second side.

After the Sequence:

Do Headstand and Shoulderstand.

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward–Facing Dog Pose)
View in Detail	Begin on your hands and knees. Spread your fingers and press your hands firmly into the earth. Inhale and lengthen the sides of your body and exhale, allowing your upper back to soften. Keep your heart descending and your spine long as you lift your hips and straighten your legs. Lift your sitting bones up and take your tailbone down toward your heels.
2. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
View in Detail	Lie on your belly with your hands on the floor, by your chest. Spiral each leg inward and press your feet and toenails down firmly. Inhale as you lengthen the sides of your body, then exhale, pressing your tailbone down. Press the lower tips of your shoulder blades toward the back of your heart while keeping the upper shoulder blades broad and open. Root your hands into the earth, and curl up toward the sky.
3. Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
View in Detail	From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), bend your left knee and place your left foot on your inner right thigh. Press that thigh against the foot. Keeping the arches of your feet lifted, spiral your legs in, back, and away from each other. Now take your tailbone down toward the earth—your legs will spiral outward as you do this. Once you've established your steadfast power, reach your arms up and look up with an open heart.
4. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III)
View in Detail	With your right leg forward and your left leg back, engage Muscular Energy for a supportive foundation. Take your tailbone down to gently lift your lower abdomen. Bend your front leg slightly and lean forward, focusing on the strength and stillness in your core. Come into the balance by stretching both legs. Keep the left leg spiraling inward as you hug both legs toward the midline. Stay for 5 deep breaths.
5. Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)
View in Detail	With a wide stance, turn your right leg out and your left leg in slightly. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees. Place your right fingertips on the floor about 12 inches in front of your foot, with your thumb in line with your little toe. Hug your legs to the midline and then draw your tailbone and right buttock down to engage your lower abdominals. Once you feel steady, use Organic Energy to open and stretch fully, from your heart through your legs, arms, head, and hands.
6. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand–to–Big–Toe Pose)
View in Detail	From Tadasana, bring your left knee toward your chest. Hold the outside of your left foot with your left hand. If your hamstrings are tight, use a strap around the bottom of your foot. Engage your muscles to the bone. Then hug both legs to the midline to find your core. When you're steady, bring your left leg out to the side. Breathe steadily; breathing takes concentration, but it helps you balance.
7. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)
View in Detail	From Tadasana, step your right foot forward four feet. Spiral your left leg in 45 degrees. Draw your tailbone down and your abdominals up. Lengthen your side body and press the lower tips of your shoulder blades into your back. Hug your shins toward the midline as you exhale and bend forward.
8. Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
View in Detail	From Tadasana, bend your knees, take your left leg off the floor, and wrap it around your right leg. Squeeze your legs together, which gives your leg muscles a massage and encourages circulation. Wrap your arms around each other, with the right one on top, until the palms meet. Squeeze them together, too. How much can you bend your legs? The more you hug to your midline, the more resilience and balance you'll create.
9. Wild Thing (Vasisthasana variation)
View in Detail	From Downward Dog, bring your weight into your right hand and roll onto the outer edge of your right foot. Step your left foot back and place your toes on the floor with your knee bent at 90 degrees. Exhale and, keeping your right leg straight, push your body away from the floor. Use your legs and buttocks to lift your tailbone and hips as high as you can, until you are almost standing on your right foot. Keep breathing and curl your head back, extending your left arm from your heart and expressing your power and freedom.
10. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)
View in Detail	From Down Dog, bring your weight into your right hand, stack the feet, and come onto the edge of your right foot. Bring your left leg into Tree Pose, then grab the outside of your left foot, press your right palm down, and lift your hips. Extend your left leg while holding the big toe. Firm both shoulder blades into your back. Spiral your chest up, lift your heart, and drop your head back.

Handstand - Adho Mukha Vrksasana

by Yoga Journal

Like its inverted cousins such as Forearm Balance and Headstand, a major obstacle to Handstand is a natural fear of falling. So the basic pose will be described with the heels supported against a wall. Make sure that there are no hanging pictures or other decorations on the wall directly above you.

(ah-doh moo-kah vriks-SHAHS-anna) adho mukha = face
downward (adho = downward; mukha = face)
vrksa = tree

Step by Step

Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) with your fingertips an inch or two away from a wall, hands shoulder-width. If your shoulders are tight, turn your index fingers out slightly; otherwise arrange them parallel to each other. If you’re uneasy about this pose, you’re not alone. To ready yourself for and secure yourself in this inversion, firm your shoulder blades against your back torso and pull them toward your tailbone. Then rotate your upper arms outward, to keep the shoulder blades broad, and hug your outer arms inward. Finally spread your palms and press the bases of the index fingers firmly against the floor.

Now bend one knee and step the foot in, closer to the wall (we’ll say it’s the left leg), but keep the other (i.e. right) leg active by extending through the heel. Then take a few practice hops before you try to launch yourself upside down. Sweep your right leg through a wide arc toward the wall and kick your left foot off the floor, immediately pushing through the heel to straighten the left knee. As both legs come off the ground, engage your deep core abdominal muscles to help lift your hips over your shoulders. Hop up and down like this several times, each time pushing off the floor a little higher. Exhale deeply each time you hop.

Hopping up and down like this may be all you can manage for now. Regularly practice strengthening poses, like Adho Mukha Svanasana and Plank Pose. Eventually you’ll be able to kick all the way into the pose. At first your heels may crash into the wall, but again with more practice you’ll be able to swing your heels up lightly to the wall.

If your armpits and groins are tight, your lower back may be deeply arched. To lengthen this area, draw your front ribs into your torso, reach your tailbone toward your heels, and slide your heels higher up the wall. Squeeze the outer legs together and roll the thighs in. Hang your head from a spot between your shoulder blades and gaze out into the center of the room.

To start stay in the pose 10 to 15 seconds, breathing deeply. Gradually work your way up to 1 minute. When you come down, be sure not to sink onto the shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades lifted and broad, and take one foot down at a time, each time with an exhalation. Stand in Uttanasana for 30 seconds to 1 minute. We tend to kick up with the same leg all the time: be sure to alternate your kicking leg, one day right, next day left.

Can you prove that yoga works?

By Timothy McCall M.D.

As yoga moves more into the mainstream and yoga therapy grows in prominence, advocates of the practice are under increasing pressure to explain exactly how it works. It is natural to reach for scientific terms in an attempt to legitimize yoga's therapeutic benefits; thus we hear, for example, that backbends fight depression by stimulating the adrenals. My response to claims like this is, "Maybe."

From our direct experience as practitioners and teachers, we have observed that backbends are energizing and seem to help people suffering from depression marked by lethargy and inertia. (They are thought to be too stimulating for those with more agitated depressions.)

When you come down from Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward-Facing Bow Pose), for instance, your heart is pounding and you may feel like you've just downed a double espresso. It feels as if adrenaline, one of the hormones secreted by the adrenals (the glands that rest just above the kidneys), is coursing through your body. But as far as I know, nobody has actually measured adrenaline levels before and after someone has done a backbend. And even if scientists did document a spike in adrenaline after backbends, we still wouldn't know for sure that it's adrenaline that alleviates the symptoms of depression.

Science supports several possibili-ties for how yoga helps with depression. Studies have found that it reduces levels of cortisol (a stress hormone that's also secreted by the adrenals), which is often elevated in people with the disease. And a study in India found that a yoga program that included asana, pranayama, and meditation raised levels of serotonin and lowered levels of monoamine oxidase—two neurochemicals involved in depression.

Yoga is known to induce the relaxation response—to lower the activity of the sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" mechanism and increase the work of the more restorative parasym-pathetic system; this characteristic could help with depression. But if that were the whole story, then poses that seem to rev up the sympathetic side—such as backbends and Sun Salutations— as well as rapid breathing techniques might be counterproductive to fighting stress and depression. The reality is that some yoga practices stimulate the nervous system and some are relaxing. It is the combination that in some complex way is beneficial.

One of the fruits of yoga practice is the realization of interconnections. Our bodies, minds, and emotions interact in complex ways that science is only just beginning to understand. In this dense web of interconnections, nothing we do has a single effect. In Urdhva Dhanurasana, you bring more oxygen into the bottom of the lungs (an area that usually gets less than the upper regions), your blood pressure and heart rate rise, pressure increases in the head and neck, and you stretch the muscles and organs in the front of the body as you compress those in back, where the adrenals are located. It's my guess that the interrelated actions of this pose—along with other elements of a complete yoga practice—are what create the therapeutic benefit.

When we don't know precisely why something works, it's best to admit it, rather than dress it up in the language of science to make it sound more impressive. The easiest thing to do is acknowledge your sources: This comes from my teacher, this from Patanjali, this from my own experience, and this from a trial study done at the Mayo Clinic.

From Patanjali's perspective, the most reliable knowledge is derived from direct experience. The irony is that when we try to explain yoga in scientific terms when the science just isn't there, we risk undermining our attempts to persuade others of yoga's benefits.

What is proper yoga breathing?

Read Natasha's reply:

Dear Marion,

The kind of breathing generally practiced in most hatha yoga classes is called Ujjayi breathing, which loosely translates as "victory" breathing. This is not to say that the quality of the breath should be aggressive, but rather that there is a steadiness, resonance, and depth to it.

To find your way into this form of breathing, begin by closing your eyes and observing your breath in its natural state. Tune into the rhythm, pace, and sound. Compare the length of your inhales to the length of your exhales. Notice the location of the breath. Focusing on the breath this way is one of the most basic and important tools of yoga, for it is by observing the breath that we come into the present moment, and it is this pattern of observation, linking mind and body, that we want to re-create throughout our practice.

Once you have taken note of the details of your natural breath, start to make subtle adjustments. Begin by matching the length of your inhales to the length of your exhales. Once the breath is even, elongate and deepen the breath just slightly, not to the point where it feels forced or strained, but just enough so that there is a consciousness about it. Continue to breathe in and out through the nose, and then shift your intention. Imagine that instead of breathing through your nostrils, you are instead breathing through the soft spot right between your collarbones, at the base of your throat. Notice how this shift in intention changes the sound and quality of your breath. It is less nasal, throatier, and has a more hollow sound to it. Ujjayi breathing is sometimes compared to the sound of the sea in a shell, or to the purring of a contented cat. The breath should be audible to you, but not to anyone standing more than a couple of feet from you. Sometimes people create a breath that sounds like Darth Vader, thinking that louder is better, but in fact the breath should have a soothing, quieting quality to it.

Practicing Ujjayi breathing is a way of harnessing the mind, using the breath as a vehicle for taking our attention off of our normal thought patterns and re-focusing it on the physical details of the practice. The breath has a function on the physical level as well, for as we begin to move more and the practice becomes more rigorous, it becomes more challenging to maintain a steady, even Ujjayi breath. The tendency is to start breathing through the mouth and for the breath to become shallower and more ragged. Maintaining a steady Ujjayi breath is hard work and thus has a very positive effect upon the lungs and heart. The breath will naturally become deeper and faster with increased effort, but when it becomes impossible to keep breathing through the nose and when the quality of the breath becomes compromised, it is usually a sign to back off and rest until you can resume with an even Ujjayi breath.

Pranayama is a quite advanced form of breath control that is usually practiced separately from asana practice, under the close guidance and supervision of a teacher. In Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga, asana is the fourth limb and pranayama the fifth. Many people take this ordering as an indication that one should have a fair amount of asana experience before taking on pranayama, so I would recommend that you focus your attention on Ujjayi breathing, as this element of the breath is most appropriate and relevant for beginning practitioners.

Lion pose - Simhasana

by Yoga Journal

Step by Step

Kneel on the floor and cross the front of the right ankle over the back of the left. The feet will point out to the sides. Sit back so the perineum snuggles down onto the on the top (right) heel.

Press your palms firmly against your knees. Fan the palms and splay your fingers like the sharpened claws of a large feline.

Take a deep inhalation through the nose. Then simultaneously open your mouth wide and stretch your tongue out, curling its tip down toward the chin, open your eyes wide, contract the muscles on the front of your throat, and exhale the breath slowly out through your mouth with a distinct "ha" sound. The breath should pass over the back of the throat.

Some texts instruct us to set our gaze (drishti) at the spot between the eyebrows. This is called "mid-brow gazing" (bhru-madhya-drishti; bhru = the brow; madhya = middle).Other texts direct the eyes to the tip of the nose (nasa-agra-drishti; nasa = nose; agra = foremost point or part, i.e., tip).

You can roar two or three times. Then change the cross of the legs and repeat for the same number of times.

Fearless Backbends

By Jason Crandell

Because we spend so much of our day hunched over a computer or moving forward, moving backward into a backbend is an unfamiliar feeling. And since our bodies and minds prefer to stick with the status quo, practicing backbends may trigger physical and psychological resistance. It's normal to feel frustrated, awkward, or even uncomfortable during your exploration of Cobra Pose and other backbends. Resistance is a natural part of breaking habits and moving into the unfamiliar, so be patient and compassionate with yourself. You aren't alone in your difficulty. With a little patience, curiosity, and practice, you'll learn how to navigate through your resistance. Here are a few suggestions for dealing with aversion and difficulty in backbends.

BEAR WITNESS Without immediately responding, observe the range of feelings that arise as you practice backbends. If there is a sharp, localized pain in your body, stop immediately. However, if you encounter mild physical or psych-ological resistance, be with it.Try witnessing your response to difficult feelings. Not only will you begin to see that resistance passes and transforms, you'll learn mindfulness, which is at the heart of the yoga practice.

SLOW DOWN Many of us go too far, too fast in our yoga practice. We prefer to accelerate through the learning, sensing, feeling process, and skip straight to the doing process. If you're having difficulty in a backbend, minimize the size of your backbend until it feels evenly distributed and healthy. Remember, you are searching for an even, graceful arc, not a visual spectacle. Besides, it's better to injure your ego than your body.

REPEAT REGULARLY The only way to learn a new pattern in the body and mind is to practice it consistently. Do backbends that feel appropriate to you as often as possible. Incorporate them into your yoga routine and daily life. You can do small backbends—like clasping your hands behind your back, lifting your chest, and simply stretching—sitting in your chair at work, waiting for the train, or standing in line at the grocer.

BE BRIEF It may be daunting to think about staying in a backbend for 30 seconds. But is it still scary if you hold it for, say, five seconds? Repeating your backbends more often and holding them for a very brief moment is an effective way to reduce your aversion.

BASK IN THE BEND Backbends are thought to be energizing, uplifting, and stimulating. After you finish a backbend, take a moment as you breathe to notice if your energy has changed. You may notice sensations immediately after a pose or later in the day—it will vary from day to day.