yoga conference
1. THE COBRA Try this in easy stages. Lay down, face prone, legs closely together and extended backwards, forehead on the ground. Put your hands, palm straight down, slightly below your shoulders. Breathe in and elevate your head, pressing your neck back, now make use of your hands to push the trunk upwards until you are bending in a wonderful arc from your lower spine to the rear of your neck. You need move no further than this. However, if you are supple enough, you are now able to straighten your arms totally, bend the legs at the knees and drop your head back to touch your feet. Even though your head goes nowhere near the feet, drop this back as far as possible and hold the pose with yoga breathing. Come from the pose very slowly, coming back to the face prone posture. Relax with your head to one part. Do it again. This yoga move is very effective.
2. THE BOW This is an extreme type of the simple bow. It’s surprising how many kids can perform it immediately. Take it, again, in simple phases. Lie face inclined on the mat. If you’re very slender use a nice thick, padded mat with this one. Inhale and fold the knees up. Reach back using your arms and catch hold of your ankles, trying to keep fingers and thumbs all with each other on the outside. Inhale and at the same time raise the head and chest, yanking at the ankles and lifting knees and thighs off the ground. Inhale and exhale normally, trying to kick up your legs higher and raising the head upwards. You are right now curved just like a bow, balancing the weight of your body on the abdomen. You can stop right here but if you’re able to still stretch further, then glide your hands down the legs, lift these higher, keep your knees together and pull out as much as you possibly can. Hold for a few normal deep breaths, then relax back to the face-prone position, head to one part. These are shown in yoga teacher training.
3. THE SHOOTING BOW In Sanskrit this is known as Akarna Dhanurasana and one leg is used just like a shooting bow. Sit with the two legs stretched out in front and back straight. Stretch forward with both of your hands and hold the feet, catching the right foot using the left hand and the left foot with the right hand. Inhale, bend the left knee and draw the foot over the body, near to the chest, pointing the actual elbow up and turning your body slightly right. The left hand keeps firm and tight, having the right foot. Keep posture with normal breathing, release slowly, and relax. Repeat on other side. At first it is sufficient to keep the bent left leg using the right hand. When this is effortless, stretch down and hold the left foot using the right hand. Continue to pull on the left foot, raising it higher on each exhalation. Learn more in the yoga conference.
