(my-yer-ahs-anna) mayura = peacock Step by Step Kneel on the floor, knees wide, and sit on your heels.

Lean forward and press your palms on the floor with your fingers turned back toward your torso (thumbs pointing out to the sides). Bend your elbows slightly and touch the pinky sides of your hands and the outer forearms (up to the elbows) together. Then bend your elbows to a right angle and slide your knees to the outside of your arms and forward of your hands. Lean your front torso onto the backs of your upper arms and burrow your elbows deep into your belly at or below the navel. If your elbows slide apart, you can bind them together with a strap. Position the strap just above your elbows. If you can't quite manage the full pose (as described in the next step), support your feet on a block (sitting on one of its sides), placed near the back end of your sticky mat. Firm your belly against the pressure of the elbows. Lower your forehead to the floor. Then, straighten your knees and stretch your legs out behind your torso, tops of your feet on the floor. Firm your buttocks and round your shoulders slightly downward. Lift your head off the floor and look forward. Lean your weight slightly forwardif your legs and buttocks are firm and active, this slight shift of weight will lever your feet off the floor. Position your torso and legs approximately parallel to the floor. Hold at first for about 10 seconds, gradually increasing your time to 30 seconds as you gain more experience with the pose. Then lower your head and feet to the floor, bend your knees, and lift your torso off your arms. Hide All Anatomical Focus Wrists and forearms Thighs Buttocks Abdomen Benefits Strengthens the wrists and forearms Tones the abdomen Strengthens the back torso and legs Contraindications and Cautions Any wrist or elbow injuries Beginner's Tip To balance in this pose, support your forehead and/or your front ankles on a block.

(hah-LAHS-anna) hala = plow Step by Step From Salamba Sarvangasana, exhale and bend from the hip joints to slowly lower your toes to the floor above and beyond your head. As much as possible, keep your torso perpendicular to the floor and your legs fully extended. With your toes on the floor, lift your top thighs and tailbone toward the ceiling and draw your inner groins deep into the pelvis. Imagine that your torso is hanging from the height of your groins. Continue to draw your chin away from your sternum and soften your throat. You can continue to press your hands against the back torso, pushing the back up toward the ceiling as you press the backs of the upper arms down, onto your support. Or you can release your hands away from your back and stretch the arms out behind you on the floor, opposite the legs. Clasp the hands and press the arms actively down on the support as you lift the thighs toward the ceiling. Halasana is usually performed after Sarvangasana for anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. To exit the pose bring your hands onto your back again, lift back into Sarvangasana with an exhalation, then roll down onto your back, or simply roll out of the pose on an exhalation.

Anatomical Focus Thyroid Therapeutic Applications

Benefits Calms the brain Stimulates the abdominal organs and the thyroid gland Stretches the shoulders and spine Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause Reduces stress and fatigue Therapeutic for backache, headache, infertility, insomnia, sinusitis

Contraindications and Cautions Diarrhea Menstruation Neck injury Asthma & high blood pressure: Practice Halasana with the legs supported on props. Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don't take up the practice of Halasana after you become pregnant. With the feet on the floor, this pose is considered to be intermediate to advanced. It is not advisable to perform the pose in this way without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced instructor. Beginner's Tip In this pose (and its companion, Salamba Sarvangasana) there's a tendency to overstretch the neck by pulling the shoulders too far away from the ears. While the tops of the shoulders should push down into the support, they should be lifted slightly toward the ears to keep the back of the neck and throat soft. Open the sternum by firming the shoulder blades against the back.

(boo-jang-GAHS-anna) bhujanga = serpent, snake Step by Step Lie prone on the floor. Stretch your legs back, tops of the feet on the floor. Spread your hands on the floor under your shoulders. Hug the elbows back into your body. Press the tops of the feet and thighs and the pubis firmly into the floor. On an inhalation, begin to straighten the arms to lift the chest off the floor, going only to the height at which you can maintain a connection through your pubis to your legs. Press the tailbone toward the pubis and lift the pubis toward the navel. Narrow the hip points. Firm but don't harden the buttocks. Firm the shoulder blades against the back, puffing the side ribs forward. Lift through the top of the sternum but avoid pushing the front ribs forward, which only hardens the lower back. Distribute the backbend evenly throughout the entire spine. Hold the pose anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, breathing easily. Release back to the floor with an exhalation. Anatomical Focus

Therapeutic Applications Stress Benefits Strengthens the spine Stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen Firms the buttocks Stimulates abdominal organs Helps relieve stress and fatigue Opens the heart and lungs Soothes sciatica Therapeutic for asthma Traditional texts say that Bhujangasana increases body heat, destroys disease, and awakens kundalini. Contraindications and Cautions Back injury Carpal tunnel syndrome Headache Pregnancy Beginner's Tip Don't overdo the backbend. To find the height at which you can work comfortably and avoid straining your back, take your hands off the floor for a moment, so that the height you find will be through extension.

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) This pose is so called because it looks like an archer's bow, the torso and legs representing the body of the bow, and the arms the string. Step by Step

Lie on your belly with your hands alongside your torso, palms up. (You can lie on a folded blanket to pad the front of your torso and legs.) Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles (but not the tops of the feet). Make sure your knees aren't wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose. Inhale and strongly lift your heels away from your buttocks and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor. This will have the effect of pulling your upper torso and head off the floor. Burrow the tailbone down toward the floor, and keep your back muscles soft. As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher, press your shoulder blades firmly against your back to open your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your ears. Gaze forward. With the belly pressed against the floor, breathing will be difficult. Breathe more into the back of your torso, and be sure not to stop breathing. Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more. Anatomical Focus Thighs Groins Belly Chest Spine Shoulders Neck Therapeutic Applications Constipation Respiratory ailments Mild backache Fatigue Anxiety Menstrual discomfort

Benefits Stretches the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs and groins, abdomen and chest, and throat, and deep hip flexors (psoas) Strengthens the back muscles Improves posture Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck

Contraindications and Cautions High or low blood pressure Migraine Insomnia Serious lower-back or neck injury Beginner's Tip Sometimes beginners find it difficult to lift their thighs away from the floor. You can give your legs a little upward boost by lying with your thighs supported on a rolled-up blanket.

Traditionally Fish Pose is performed with the legs in Padmasana. Since Padmasana is beyond the capacity of most beginning students, here well work either with the knees bent, feet on the floor, or with the legs straight pressed against the floor. (mot-see-AHS-anna) matsya = fish Step by Step Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Inhale, lift your pelvis slightly off the floor, and slide your hands, palms down, below your buttocks. Then rest your buttocks on the backs of your hands (and dont lift them off your hands as you perform this pose). Be sure to tuck your forearms and elbows up close to the sides of your torso. Inhale and press your forearms and elbows firmly against the floor. Next press your scapulas into your back and, with an inhale, lift your upper torso and head away from the floor. Then release your head back onto the floor. Depending on how high you arch your back and lift your chest, either the back of your head or its crown will rest on the floor. There should be a minimal amount of weight on your head to avoid crunching your neck. (For more about this, see the Beginners Tip below.) You can keep your knees bent or straighten your legs out onto the floor. If you do the latter, keep your thighs active, and press out through the heels. Stay for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing smoothly. With an exhalation lower your torso and head to the floor. Draw your thighs up into your belly and squeeze. Anatomical Focus Belly Chest Spine Shoulders Neck Therapeutic Applications Constipation Respiratory ailments Mild backache Fatigue Anxiety Menstrual pain Benefits A traditional text that Matsyasana is the destroyer of all diseases. Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas) and the muscles (intercostals) between the ribs Stretches and stimulates the muscles of the belly and front of the neck Stretches and stimulates the organs of the belly and throat Strengthens the muscles of the upper back and back of the neck Improves posture Contraindications and Cautions High or low blood pressure Migraine Insomnia Serious lower-back or neck injury Beginner's Tip Beginners sometimes strain their neck in this pose. If you feel any discomfort in your neck or throat, either lower your chest slightly toward the floor, or put a thickly folded blanket under the back of your head.

(shah-VAHS-anna) sava = corpse This pose is also called Mrtasana (pronounced mrit-TAHS-anna, mrta = death) Step by Step

In Savasana it's essential that the body be placed in a neutral position. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and lean back onto your forearms. Lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and, with your hands, push the back of the pelvis toward the tailbone, then return the pelvis to the floor. Inhale and slowly extend the right leg, then the left, pushing through the heels. Release both legs, softening the groins, and see that the legs are angled evenly relative to the mid-line of the torso, and that the feet turn out equally. Narrow the front pelvis and soften (but don't flatten) the lower back. With your hands lift the base of the skull away from the back of the neck and release the back of the neck down toward the tailbone. If you have any difficulty doing this, support the back of the head and neck on a folded blanket. Broaden the base of the skull too, and lift the crease of the neck diagonally into the center of the head. Make sure your ears are equidistant from your shoulders. Reach your arms toward the ceiling, perpendicular to the floor. Rock slightly from side to side and broaden the back ribs and the shoulder blades away from the spine. Then release the arms to the floor, angled evenly relative to the mid-line of torso. Turn the arms outward and stretch them away from the space between the shoulder blades. Rest the backs of the hands on the floor as close as you comfortably can to the index finger knuckles. Make sure the shoulder blades are resting evenly on the floor. Imagine the lower tips of the shoulder blades are lifting diagonally into your back toward the top of the sternum. From here, spread the collarbones. In addition to quieting the physical body in Savasana, it's also necessary to pacify the sense organs. Soften the root of the tongue, the wings of the nose, the channels of the inner ears, and the skin of the forehead, especially around the bridge of the nose between the eyebrows. Let the eyes sink to the back of the head, then turn them downward to gaze at the heart. Release your brain to the back of the head. Stay in this pose for 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of practice. To exit, first roll gently with an exhalation onto one side, preferably the right. Take 2 or 3 breaths. With another exhalation press your hands against the floor and lift your torso, dragging your head slowly after. The head should always come up last. Therapeutic Applications Stress Benefits Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression Relaxes the body Reduces headache, fatigue, and insomnia Helps to lower blood pressure

Contraindications and Cautions Back injury or discomfort: Do this pose with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, hip-distance apart; either bind the thighs parallel to each other with a strap (taking care not to position the heels too close to the buttocks) or support the bent knees on a bolster. Pregnancy: Raise your head and chest on a bolster. Beginner's Tip Often it's difficult to release the heads of the thigh bones and soften the groins in this pose. This creates tension throughout the body and restricts the breath. Take two 10-pound sand bags and lay one across each top thigh, parallel to the crease of the groin. Then imagine that the heads of the thigh bones are sinking away from the weight, down into the floor.

Chakrasana (wheel pose)

Chakra Wheel In this asana, the body is bent towards the back in circular pose, hence it is known as Chakrasana. The body can be bent at the waist forward or backward. While bending forward, the body does not appear in a circular pose. However in backward bends, the body looks like a circular pose. Hence, it is known as Chakrasana.

Taking the asana position 1. Start in supine position. Bend at the knees and place the feet close to the buttock, about hip-width apart. 2. Lift the arms up and have them place beneath the shoulders, with the fingers pointing to the shoulder. 3. Exhale while inhaling; lift the buttock, waist, lower and middle back off the ground. Exhale. 4. While inhaling, lift the shoulders up by pushing onto the ground with the palms. Lift up the buttock; waist and the whole back until the hands are straight at elbows and legs at the knees. Breathe normally in the final position. The asana position 1. The whole back is in a backward arching position. There should be no tension in between the shoulder blades and in the neck region. 2. The weight of the body is distributed evenly on the feet and palms. You can do so by shifting the body (not the palms or feet) back and forth to find a balance in the weight distributed. 3. The neck should be in a relaxed position. Do not turn the head to either side as this might put unnecessary tension to the neck and shoulder. 4. The facial muscles should be relaxed and calm. 5. Feel the openness of the chest and breath slow and steadily while in the pose.

Releasing the asana position 1. Inhale while exhaling, bend at the elbows and legs at knees. Bend the head, and release the head, shoulders, waist and buttock onto the ground. Rest the back entirely on the ground. 2. Bring both the palms away from the shoulders and have the arms down by the side of the body. 3. Straighten out the legs and come back into supine position. Anatomical focus 1. Spinal column and the muscles attached to the vertebrae 2. Muscles on the upper part of the abdomen 3. Thighs 4. Calves

Awareness 1. Maintain slow and rhythmic breathing throughout the whole process of staying in the pose. 2. On the openness felt at the front part of the body, especially the chest and front thigh region. 3. The deep arch in the spinal column.

(pod-MAHS-anna) padma = lotus Step by Step Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front. Bend your right knee and bring the lower leg up into a cradle: The outer edge of the foot is notched into the crook of the left elbow, the knee is wedged into the crook of the right elbow, and the hands are clasped (if possible) outside the shin. Lift the front torso toward the inner right leg so the spine lengthens (and the lower back does not round). Rock your leg back and forth a few times, exploring the full range of movement of the hip joint. Bend the left knee and turn the leg out. Rock your right leg far out to the right, then lock the knee tight by pressing the back of the thigh to the calf. Next swing the leg across in front of your torso, swiveling from the hip and not the knee, and nestle the outside edge of the foot into the inner left groin. Be sure to bring the right knee as close to the left as possible, and press the right heel into the left lower belly. Ideally the sole of the foot is perpendicular to the floor, not parallel. Now lean back slightly, pick the right leg up off the floor, and lift the left leg in front of the right. To do this hold the underside of the left shin in your hands. Carefully slide the left leg over the right, snuggling the edge of the left foot deep into the right groin. Again swivel into position from the hip joint, pressing the heel against the lower belly, and arrange the sole perpendicular to the floor. Draw the knees as close together as possible. Use the edges of the feet to press the groins toward the floor and lift through the top of the sternum. If you wish, you can place the hands palms up in jnana mudra, with the thumbs and first fingers touching. Padmasana is the sitting asana par excellence, but it's not for everybody. Experienced students can use it as a seat for their daily pranayama or meditation, but beginners may need to use other suitable positions. In the beginning, only hold the pose for a few seconds and quickly release. Remember that Padmasana is a "two-sided pose," so be sure to work with both leg crosses each time you practice. Gradually add a few seconds each week to your pose until you can sit comfortably for a minute or so. Ideally you should work with a teacher to monitor your progress. Anatomical Focus Spine

Therapeutic Applications Sciatica Benefits Calms the brain Stimulates the pelvis, spine, abdomen, and bladder Stretches the ankles and knees Eases menstrual discomfort and sciatica Consistent practice of this pose until late into pregnancy is said to help ease childbirth. Traditional texts say that Padmasana destroys all disease and awakens kundalini. Contraindications and Cautions Ankle injury Knee injury Padmasana is considered to be an intermediate to advanced pose. Do not perform this pose without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher. Beginner's Tip During the cradle warm-up the outer ankle is often overstretched. Push through the inner edge of the foot against the upper arm to equalize the two ankles. Then when you bring the foot across into the opposite groin, see that you maintain this even stretch of the inner and outer ankles.

Shirshasana - Headstand
Starting Position: Vajrasana Concentration: on the whole body Breath: normal breathing Duration: 1 minute to a maximum of 5 minutes (only after practicing for a longer period of time) Practice: Sit in Vajrasana. Hands rest on the thighs. >Breathing normally place the head on the floor in front of the knees. Clasp the fingers behind the head and support the back of the head with the clasped hands. The forearms rest on the floor and the elbows form an equilateral triangle with the head. >Tuck the toes under, lift the hips and straighten the legs. Concentrate on the balance of the body. Walk the feet in closer to the body so that the buttocks are high above the head. Transfer the weight of the body onto the forearms and raise the feet from the floor. Keeping the back straight bring the heels towards the buttocks. Finally, straighten the legs fully upright and allow the feet to remain relaxed. Balance the body weight between forearms, head and neck in a relaxed manner. >Hold the posture as long as possible, but not more than five minutes. >Slowly lower the legs by bending the knees and bringing the feet towards the buttocks and then the toes to the floor. >Relax forward for some time in Yoga Mudra and then return to Vajrasana. Variation A: Come into Shirshasana and hold the legs horizontal to the floor. Variation B: Come into Shirshasana and spread the legs wide apart. Benefits: Increases blood supply to the head, therefore is beneficial for brain function and all sensory organs in the head (eyes, ears etc.). Improves memory and the ability to concentrate. This Asana stimulates and regulates all the body's systems. Helps to counter problems related to menopause. Develops physical and mental contentment and aids spiritual progress. Caution: Avoid this Asana during menstruation and when there is high blood pressure, dizziness, cerebrovascular disorders, glaucoma or problems of the cervical spine.

(oo-TEE-tah trik-cone-AHS-anna) utthita = extended trikona = three angle or triangle Step by Step Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down. Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle. Exhale and extend your torso to the right directly over the plane of the right leg, bending from the hip joint, not the waist. Anchor this movement by strengthening the left leg and pressing the outer heel firmly to the floor. Rotate the torso to the left, keeping the two sides equally long. Let the left hip come slightly forward and lengthen the tailbone toward the back heel. Rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or the floor outside your right foot, whatever is possible without distorting the sides of the torso. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with the tops of your shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position or turn it to the left, eyes gazing softly at the left thumb. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up, strongly pressing the back heel into the floor and reaching the top arm toward the ceiling. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left.

Anatomical Focus Thighs Therapeutic Applications Stress Benefits Stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles Stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves; shoulders, chest, and spine Stimulates the abdominal organs Helps relieve stress Improves digestion Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause Relieves backache, especially through second trimester of pregnancy Therapeutic for anxiety, flat feet, infertility, neck pain, osteoporosis, and sciatica Contraindications and Cautions Diarrhea Headache Low blood pressure Heart Condition: Practice against a wall. Keep the top arm on the hip. High blood pressure: Turn the head to gaze downward in the final pose. Neck problems: Don't turn your head to look upward; continue looking straight ahead and keep both sides of the neck evenly long. Beginner's Tip Brace your back heel or the back of your torso against a wall if you feel unsteady in the pose.