Postures & Benefits

Half Moon with Hands to Feet

Ardha Chandrasana with Padahastasana

• Trims fat over thighs, hips, waist and abdomen.
• Improves and strengthens every muscle in the central part of the body, especially the abdomen.
• Increases flexibility of the spine.
• Stimulates pituitary gland.
• Exercises kidney and colon.
• Helps cure constipation.
• Helps detoxify the body.
• Helps to alleviate lower back pain, bronchial distress, sciatic deformities, frozen shoulder.

Awkward Pose

Utkatasana

• Improves overall body strength.
• Strengthens and firms upper arms and all muscles of thighs, calves and hips.
• Cuts fat pocket under buttocks.
• Uses all major muscle groups; shapes lower muscles.
• Relieves menstrual cramping.
• Good for digestion, joint pain, immune disorders.
• Increases blood circulation in the knees and ankle joints; opens pelvic area.
• Relieves rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica and gout in the legs.

Eagle Pose

Garurasana

• Helps reproductive organs; helps prostate problems.
• Firms legs, arms and abdomen.
• Good for varicose veins.
• Relieves tension in neck and shoulders.
• Increases joint mobility in the hip girdle, ankles, knees, hips, shoulder, elbow, wrist and mobility of scapula.
• Improves the function of the central nervous system, and the lymphatic system.
• Helps detoxify the body.
• Improves balance and grace of the body.

Standing Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana-Janushirasana

• Improves circulation and flexibility.
• Massages digestive and reproductive systems.
• Strengthens muscles around the knee joint.
• Develops concentration, determination and patience (realizes oneness of body and mind).
• Improves pancreatic functions.
• Good for diabetes.
• Relieves nervousness.
• Improves memory.
• Improves flexibility of sciatic nerve.
• Helps combat acidity and relieves flatulence.

Standing Bow Pulling Pose

Dandayamana-Dhanurasana

• Improves cardiovascular function and circulation to heart and lungs
• Removes plaque from arterial walls
• Develops concentration, determination and patience
• Marriage between strength and balance
• Improves elasticity of the spine
• Increases elasticity of rib cage and lungs
• Cures infertility, balances ovaries
• Helps prostrate problems
• Activates digestive system
• Elminates abdominal obesity
• Improves muscle fatigue, lethargy and stimulates the nervous system
• Flushes out the kidneys

Balancing Stick Pose

Tuladandasana

• Increases blood flow all over the body and arteries of the heart
• Stretches the entire length of the spine
• Exercises pancreas, liver, spleen and nervous system
• Improve physical, psychological and mental powers
• Strengthens the heart muscle; prevents further cardiac problems
• Strengthens and firms arms, hips, buttocks and upper thighs
• Great for emotional problems
• Good for varicose veins

Standing Separate Leg

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana

• Improves hip flexibility
• Increases circulation to the brain
• Helps functioning abdominal organs and the small and large intestine
• Stimulates adrenal circulation
• Combats clinial/psychotic depression
• Good for diabetes and hyperacidity of the stomach
• Reduces signs of aging
• Good for constipation
• Combats abdominal obesity
• Stretches sciatic nerves
• Stimulates hypothalamus

Triangle Pose

Trikanasana

• Firms thighs and opens the hips
• Slims waist, combats obesity
• Helps cure rheumatism and lumbago in the lower spine
• Gets rid of saddlebags
• Helps correct frozen shoulder
• Corrects chemical imbalances
• Helps anorexia, constipation, colitis, low blood pressure, appendicitis, spondylitis and menstrual disorders
• Improves cardiovascular function
• Reduces overproduction of cortisol
• Exercises the circulatory, digestive, immune, reproductive and muscular systems all at the same time

Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana

• Improves flexibility of the spine, shoulders, hips and sciatic nerve
• Improves circulation to legs and brain
• Improves memory, helps some types of headaches, brings mental clarity
• Balances pituitary and thyroid glands
• Helps offset manic depression
• Stretches, tones and decongests the spinal column and the nervous system
• Massages internal organs
• Helps relieve diabetes and hyperacidity
• Helps relieve constipation, dyspepsia, flatus dyspepsia and hemorrhoids

Tree Pose

Tadasana

• Improves posture, balance and grace
• Prevents hernia by strengthening the internal oblique muscles
• Creates hip and knee mobility
• Tightens gluteus maximus
• Relieves tension in neck and shoulders; abdominal area
• Increases joint mobility in hip girdle
• Releases inflammation of the lower back
• Good for circulatory disorders, arthritis and rheumatism
• Traction to the entire spine, increasing the cushioning function of the intervertebral discs

Toe Stand

Padangustasana

• Develops psychological and mental powers, especially patience
• Especially good for the feet
• Strengthens abdominal muscles
• Creates balance in body and mind
• Combats arthritis, knee, leg or gout pain
• Strengthens weak joints

Dead Body Pose

Savasana

• Returns circulation to normal
• Improves concentration
• Helps reduce hypertension, nervousness, anxiety and irritability

Wind Removing Pose

Pavanamuktasana

• Massages ascending, descending and transverse colon
• Helps and prevents constipation and irritable bowel syndrome
• Good for constipation, flatulence and hyperacidity
• Improves flexibility of the hip joints and relieves lower back pain
• Firms the abdomen, thighs and hips
• Normalizes the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach
• Reduces excess gas production

Sit Up

• Strengthens and firms the abdomen
• Increases flexibility of the spine, hamstrings and sciatic nerve
• Releases toxins in the lungs
• Energizes

Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain
• Improves functioning intestines, liver, kidney and spleen
• Improves pigeon chest, permitting maximum expansion of the lungs increasing oxygen intake
• Accelerates circulation of spinal fluid
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis of the spine
• Reduces symptoms of gout, herniated disc, sciatica, tennis elbow
• Helps relieve menstrual problems
• Strengthens the immune system and revitalizes the thyroid

Locust Pose

Salabhasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain
• Improves functioning intestines, liver, kidney and spleen
• Improves pigeon chest, permitting maximum expansion of the lungs increasing oxygen intake
• Accelerates circulation of spinal fluid
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis of the spine
• Reduces symptoms of gout, herniated disc, sciatica, tennis elbow
• Helps relieve menstrual problems
• Strengthens the immune system and revitalizes the thyroid

Full Locust Pose

Poorna-Salabhasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain
• Improves functioning intestines, liver, kidney and spleen
• Improves pigeon chest, permitting maximum expansion of the lungs increasing oxygen intake
• Accelerates circulation of spinal fluid
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis of the spine
• Reduces symptoms of gout, herniated disc, sciatica, tennis elbow
• Helps relieve menstrual problems
• Strengthens the immune system and revitalizes the thyroid

Bow Pose

Dhanurasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain
• Improves functioning intestines, liver, kidney and spleen
• Improves pigeon chest, permitting maximum expansion of the lungs increasing oxygen intake
• Accelerates circulation of spinal fluid
• Improves digestion
• Helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis of the spine
• Reduces symptoms of gout, herniated disc, sciatica, tennis elbow
• Helps relieve menstrual problems
• Strengthens the immune system and revitalizes the thyroid

Fixed Firm Pose

Supta-Vajrasana

• Helps cure sciatica, gout and rheumatism in the legs
• Helps prevent hernia
• Strengthens and improves flexibility of diaphragm, hips, lower spine, knees and ankles
• Slims thighs
• Lubricates joints
• Prevents diabetes and varicose veins

Half Tortoise Pose

Ardha-Kurmasana

• Relieves migraines, stomach discomfort, digestion problems and constipation
• Stretches lower part of the lungs increasing blood circulation to the brain bringing mental clarity
• Good for diabetes and anemia
• Cures insomnia
• Massages heart, lungs, and coronary arteries
• Increases flexibility of the hip and shoulder joints
• Stretches lower lungs, relieves asthma
• Stretches the spine
• Increases circulation to the heart

Camel Pose

Ustrasana

• Compresses kidneys and adrenal glands, helps reduce excess stress horomones
• Sends fresh blood to the kidneys
• Eliminates toxins from the body
• Stretches abdominal organs and cures constipation
• Stretches the throat, thyroid gland and parathyroid
• Stimulates the nervous system
• Opens rib cage to allow for maximum expansion of the lungs
• Expands lungs and eases bronchial problems
• Maximum compression of spine, improving flexibility
• Firms the abdomen, slims the waist

Rabbit Pose

Sasangasana

• Maximum stretch of spine allowing nervous system to receive proper nutrition
• Maintains mobility and elasticity of spine
• Cures insomnia, depression, cold, sinus, tonsillitiis, laryngitis, allergies, brain fatigue, and glandular effects
• Balances horomones
• Improves short term memory
• Strengthens and firms abdomen and back muscles
• Stimulates nerves behind the eyes
• Improves posture
• Stimulates thymus gland, improving function of the immune system

Head to Knee with Stretching Pose

Janushirasana with Paschimotthanasana

• Helps balance blood sugar levels
• Improves kidney function
• Improves digestion, simulates thymus and immune system
• Improves the flexibility of sciatic nerves, ankles, and hip joints
• Strengthens and firms abdomen and arms
• Increases circulation to the liver, spleen, and pancreas
• Reduces symptoms of asthma

Spine Twisting Pose

Ardha-Matsyendrasana

• Increases circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves, veins and tissues.
• Improves spinal elasticity and flexibility.
• Opens bronchial muscles and rib cage.
• Firms abdomen, thighs and buttocks.
• Exercises digestive, endocrine, muscular, reproductive and skeletal symptoms.
• Prevents and heals herniated disc.
• Relieves back pain and deformity in lumbar region.
• Helps arthritis of the knee and sciatica.
• Massages kidneys, liver, gall bladder, spleen and pancreas.
• Relieves lethargy, helps cure vertigo and dizziness.

Blowing in Firm Pose

Kapalbhati in Vajrasana

• Increases circulation
• Removes toxins
• Strengthens all abdominal organs
• Trims the waist line
• Engergizing
• Improves mental clarity
• Good for high blood pressure
• Normalizes bowel function