Yoga Final

Cassie Grawe

Yoga Final

Poses for Energy & Focus

WIDE LEGGED FORWARD BEND:

Parasarita Padottanasana broken down in Sanskrit essentially is “prasarita” meaning stretched out or spread, “pada” meaning foot, “ut” meaning intense, and “tan” meaning to stretch or extend. !!!!!!![need more]!!!!!!!

To do this pose you begin in Tadasana facing the long edges of your mat. You then hop your feet to the sides about three to four feet apart and making sure your feet are parallel to each other. Lean your torso down from the hips and place your hand firmly on the floor below you for support. You may also rest them on your calves or ankles if that is more comfortable to you. Your head may also touch the floor if you can reach, but if you cannot that is perfectly okay. Make sure your thighs are flexed to get the most stretch out of this pose. Breathe deeply and evenly for five breaths.

This pose is a go-to for me when I’ve had a long day and I really need to get my body feeling less sluggish. This pose is great for strengthening and stretching the legs, especially the inner and back legs. It calms the brain and can also relieve minor back pain. This is a pose I tend to do when I feel myself becoming tired and need a good stretch to wake me up. When I was working on my film “Bubble Yum” I tended to hit a wall at about hour six or seven and would resort to this pose to calm myself and stimulate my leg muscles.

DOWNWARD FACING DOG:

Adho Mukha Svanasana translates in Sanskrit as such: “adho” meaning downward, “mukha” meaning face, and “svana” meaning dog. [more]

To perform Adho Mukha Svanasana you must begin on the floor with your hands and knees on the ground. Move your body back so your bottom rests on your heels and your arms are out in front of you. From there you will lift your bottom up into the air. You may leave your knees bent slightly or straighten your legs and place your heels on the floor for a more intense stretch. Allow your head to hang and your arms and shoulders to firm as you remain in this pose for about five breaths.

Whenever my back feels incredibly scrunched I enjoy doing this pose. Downward facing dog is great for many reasons and has so many benefits. From calming the brain and relieve stress and mild depression to energizing the body and strengthening the arms and legs this pose really does it all. It is also known to help prevent osteoporosis and is therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, and sciatica. The first time I did this pose I absolutely hated it mostly because I felt like I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have any strength and I couldn’t hold it for very long. Now it is one of my favorite poses to do. I love how it makes my back feel and is a pose I try to do every day, mostly in the morning to help wake me up.

OPEN LIZARD POSE:

Utthan Pristhasana is a yoga pose I had never heard of before. In Sanskrit it translates to !!!!!!!!!![more]!!

Begin in downward facing dog for and then move your right leg up to your hand, placing your foot on the outside of your right hand, similar to runner’s pose. Resist the urge to round your back, try to keep it as straight as you can as you lower yourself down onto your forearms and lay your left leg flat behind you. Don’t worry if you cannot go down all the way, do what feels best to you and really focus on the stretch that is happening in your hips. Hold this pose for five breaths, focusing on deepening and slowing the breath.

While traversing the internet on the hunt for poses for my final, I came across this one while I was trying to find energizing poses. I love lizards so I decided to give it a shot. While practicing it reminded me of pigeon pose because of the intense stretch is gives my hips. The benefits of this pose include strengthening the inner thigh muscles and opening the hips and ham strings. I feel this pose would pair really well with pigeon pose and will definitely be doing this one often especially on days when my hips feel out of whack.

BOW:

Dhanurasana has a very simple Sanskrit translation as “dhanu” means bow. [MORE]

Start by lying face down on your mat, your arms should be against your torso and your palms should be up. Exhaling, bend your knees as close to your bottom as possible then reach and grab your ankles with your hands. Inhale and lift your heels away from your bottom and lifting your thighs and upper torso off the floor as much as you can. Be sure not to forget to breathe in this pose as it is difficult. Hold for about five breaths.

This pose is great because it stretches everything from your ankles and thighs to your chest and throat. It is a great feeling intense stretch that strengthens your back muscles and also improves your posture. As a kid I used to do this a lot mainly because I thought it was fun. And it felt good. I used to do this and kind of rock myself as I watched TV. As an adult I do this mostly to give my body a good n all over stretch. Especially on days where I feel sluggish and tired I find this pose really wakes my whole body up.

SPHINX:

Salamba Bhujangasana, in Sanskirt, translates to “salamba” which means supported and “bhujang” which means cobra. This is essentially a less intense version of Bhujangasana (cobra pose). Though this pose does not translate directly to Sphinx pose I feel it mostly gets its name due to how one looks while in the pose. The way the body is positioned makes it appear like the Sphinx in Egypt. All that is needed is the missing nose.

Preforming Salamba Bhujangasana is very easy. Begin by lying face down on your mat, make sure your legs are close together. Place your hands on the mat near the top of your head then lift up so your forearms are supporting your upper torso. Make sure that your spine is curved and that you focus on your breathing. Hold this pose for about five breaths.

I feel this is a pose everyone does now and again without even realizing it. This pose is great for strengthening the spine as well as relieving stress. This pose is also known for the stretch is gives the chest, shoulders, and abdomen. I chose this pose because I was curious how different it would feel when compared to Bhujangasana. I didn’t expect as much of a stretch with this one and I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it because I really enjoy Bhujangasana.

PLOW:

Halasana in Sanskrit translates to “hala” which means plow [MORE]

To do this pose, begin by laying back on your mat in corpse pose. Then place your feet flat on the floor and lift your pelvis up. Place your hand underneath your back for support and kick back with your feet. Allow the momentum to carry your legs over the top of you and behind you. Make sure you are using your hands to help support your back as you get into this pose. Place your toes on the floor if they can reach, if not then your legs can hang gently over the top of you. If you feel stable you may lay your hands down to the sides and inner-lock the fingers. It is hard to breathe in this pose so try to focus most of your energy on taking deep breaths and be careful of your neck in this pose as well. Hold this for about five breaths.

The benefits of this pose are many. It calms the brain and stretches the shoulders and the spine as well as reducing stress and fatigue. This is also therapeutic for backache, headache, and insomnia. When I first learned this pose during our midterms I really liked it. It was fun to get into, I absolutely loved the challenge, and most importantly I felt it really gave me some energy. Because of the stretch it gives my back it really wakes me up. Normally when I’m having a day when I just feel groggy and slow I’ll do this pose for a few minutes and I find it helps me.

BOAT:

Boat pose in Sanskirt is Paripurna Navasana where “paripurna” means full or complete, and “nava” means boat. [MORE]

This pose is a lot more difficult than it looks. To begin this pose, sit on the floor with your legs extended out in front of you. Place your hands a little behind you with your fingers pointing towards your feet and lean back slightly so you’re at about at a forty-five degree angle. As you exhale bend your knees and then lift your feet off of the floor. Make sure you maintain that forty-five degree angle and that your back is completely straight. If possible extend your legs up so that they are straight, if that cannot be done try lifting your shins so they are parallel to the floor. Stretch your arms out in front of you so they are parallel to the floor. If that is too difficult they may stay where they are. Hold this pose for about three breaths.

As easy as this pose appears it is much more difficult than it looks. To be completely honest I absolutely hate this pose. It is the most difficult for me to do, but I continue to practice it because of the health benefits and of the workout it gives my abs. This pose is known for strengthening the abdomen, hip flexors, and spine and well as relieving stress. This pose is also known to improve digestion. This is a pose I started out hating. I could not do it very well at the beginning but over time I have gotten better. If I had to choose what I enjoy most about this pose I would say how easy it is to alter it to your ability. If you are unable to lift your legs up entirely then you can leave them where they are or go mid-way. What I have found is it is easier to do baby-steps with this pose so you do not get discouraged.

BRIDGE:

Bridge pose in Sanskrit is Setu Bandha Sarvangasana where “setu” means dam or bridge and “bandha” means lock. [MORE]

To preform Setu Bandha Sarvangasana being on your mat in corpse pose. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor with your heels as close to your bottom as possible. As you exhale press your feet and arms into the floor and push your hips upwards off of the floor. Clasp your hands together and extend to give support to your shoulders. Broaden your shoulders for more support and make sure that your thighs are as parallel to the floor as you can make them, with every breath try to extend your hips a little more. Hold this for about five breaths.

This is a pose that has a long list of health benefits but I mainly chose this pose because it stretched the chest, neck, and spine and it calms the brain which allows it to help alleviate stress and mild depression. This is also a good pose for reducing anxiety, fatigue, backache, headache, and insomnia. This is one of my more favored poses. It’s fairly easy to do and I love the stretch it gives my back. I also find the pose relaxing which is nice when I really need to focus on something but am unable to due to feeling to stressed and anxious.

BOUND ANGLE:

Bound Angle Pose in Sanskrit is Baddha Konasana where “baddha” means bound and “kona” means angle. [MORE]

To perform this pose is fairly simple. Begin by sitting on your mat with your legs out in front of you. Next you will bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together towards your pelvis as close as you comfortably can. Use your hands to bind your feet together as you lean forward slightly as you exhale and try to lower your knees to the ground. As you inhale straighten and push the soles of your feet closer together. As you go deeper into this pose you may use your arms to help push your knees further onto the floor if you are comfortable with that. Sometimes it is helpful to sit on a support such as a folded towel if you are having trouble with this pose. Continue this pattern for about five breaths.

Bound Angle pose is one of my favorites and has many benefits. This pose stimulates the heart which improves general circulation. It stretches the inner thighs, groin, and knees as well as relieving stress, anxiety, and mild depression. And traditional texts say that this pose destroys disease and rids the body of fatigue. This is a pose I’ll do quite often and was another go-to of mine for when I was on the set of my film “Bubble Yum”. Whenever I hit that wall of fatigue when I was shooting I was do this pose a lot in my down time when my cinematographer was setting up lights. I found this pose helped to loosen my legs as well as my back a little bit.

CHILD’S POSE:

In Sanskrit, Child’s Pose translates to Balasana where “bala” means child. [MORE]

http://www.doyouyoga.com/how-to-do-lizard-pose/

http://katiehayyoga.com/2014/04/know-your-asana-lizard-pose-utthan-pristhasana/.html

http://www.artofliving.org/yoga/yoga-poses/salamba-bhujangasana-sphinx

http://www.yogajournal.com/