Yoga Exercise - Revolved Triangle Pose

Yoga Exercise - Revolved Triangle Pose (Parivrtta Trikonasana)

This asana is a contrary twisted Trikonasana and is a good exercise to follow the Trikonasana. Parivrtta Trikonasana makes the back stronger and freer and forms a frontal attack on tensions in the hip-joint. The exercise is good for your sense of coordination and sense of balance. You need a lot of concentration and precision to be able to carry it out correctly. 

	STEP 1: The Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is a good asana to start this exercise with.
	STEP 2: Start with the Dog position and put your right leg about one meter forward.
	STEP 3: Put your hands next to your foot and carry your weight with the lower back on the heel of the foot in front. Raise your upper body until your back is straight. You can recognize this by a groove in the middle of the lower back. Without changing your posture and shifting your weight, twist your left foot diagonally with the heel toward the ground.
	STEP 4: With your right hand, grab your ankle or the under side of your lower leg and you see to it that the lower back carries your weight and that consequently you hardly rest on your right hand. Stretch the leg which is in front without bending the back or twisting your body. With your back straight and your right hip stretched backward, look at a point on the ground and breathe in and out quietly. Press your left hand against the ankle or your lower leg and twist the upper body to the right and upward. Try to support as much of your weight as possible with your back and to rest as little as possible on your right arm. With a view to the strong straining of your hips and the hamstrings, you should see to it that you are not going to try to compensate for it by twisting your legs outside. Because if you do, you lose the stretching motion in your back, allowing your lower back to sink down or to support yourself too much on your lower arm.
	STEP 5: If you cannot twist any further, stretch your right hand upward.
	STEP 6: Then twist your head to the right and upward, look upwards along your arm and stretch out your neck. The better you do this exercise, the bigger will be the triangle between your leg in front, your arm and your side. When you stand well aligned in this position, it will feel light and spacious. Step back towards the Dog and repeat the exercise with your left leg in front.

The exercise often has a strong effect on your pelvis and this easily causes you to feel an inclination to wobble or look for a way to compensate it. Try to twist as much as possible through relaxation and a good alignment. In the case of pain or discomfort, try to avoid getting stressed and tense as much as possible. And only when you experience the exercise as extremely difficult should you allow yourself to give your body a little extra support with your lower arm. For your balance, it might help to put the heel of your backward foot against the baseboard of the wall. 


Ref: http://www.abc-of-yoga.com

Yoga Exercise - Triangle Pose

Yoga Exercise - Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

In this exercise, you build up strength in the lower back and upper legs while you remove tension from the lower and upper back, the hips and the hamstrings through both the twist and the stretching. The exercise is good for your sense of coordination and sense of balance. You need a lot of concentration and precision to be able to carry it out correctly. 

	STEP 1: Start with the Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana).
	STEP 2: Move your left foot forward for about 1 meter.
	STEP 3: Put your left hand beside your foot and carry your weight with the lower back and on the heels of your foot in front. Raise the upper part of your body until the lower back is straight. You can recognize this by a groove in the middle of the lower back. The right foot (the one at the back) rests on the floor.
	STEP 4: Stretch the leg which is in front without bending the back or twisting your body. With your back straight and your right hip stretched backward, look at a point on the ground and breathe in and out quietly. Press your left hand against the heel and twist your chest to the left. Let the twisting motion involve only your upper back while your hip, lower back, legs and head remain stationary. When you cannot twist any further, stretch your right arm upward.
	STEP 5: Then twist your head to the left, look upward along your outstretched arm and stretch out your neck. When you stand well aligned in this position, it will feel light. The better you do this exercise, the bigger will be the triangle between your legs, arms and side are. Step back towards the Downward Facing Dog Pose and repeat the exercise with your right leg in front.

In this Asana, it is important that you keep the lower back straight. Aside from that, remember that when you are twisting, the hips do not twist along. Otherwise, the right hand side becomes active and the lower back gets "locked up" as it were which results in tension in the lower back. Prevent this by actively tightening the left hand side and let it even help carry the position so that you can keep the hip in its place when twisting. This dynamism in your side also helps you to keep the dynamism in the hip active through the right leg as a result of which the hip is mobilized as much as possible. 


Ref: http://www.abc-of-yoga.com

Yoga Exercise - Cat Pose

Yoga Exercise - Cat Pose (Bidalasana)

The Cat Yoga Pose teaches you to initiate movement from your center and to coordinate your movement and breath. These are two of the most important themes in Asana practice. The alignment of your center depends on the positioning of your pelvis. Therefore, think of your hip positioning as the center of each pose. This is important because your spine is the most significant line of energy in every pose and because the way your spine elongates from your center depends solely on which way your pelvis is turning. Learn how to perform the Cat Pose in this section.

	STEP 1: Start on your hands and knees. Position your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees directly beneath the hips. Have your fingers fully spread with the middle fingers pointing straight ahead. Make your back horizontal and flat. Gaze at the floor. This is your "neutral" positioning. When your pelvis is in neutral, your spine will be at full extension, with both the front and back sides equally long.
	STEP 2: As you wait for the inner cue, do not sag into your shoulders. Instead, create a line of energy through each arm by pressing downward into your hands and lifting upward out of your shoulders. Go back and forth like this several times to make sure you understand the movement. As you exhale, sag into your shoulders and do the incorrect action; as you inhale, lengthen the arms, lift out of the shoulders and do the correct action.
	STEP 3: When you are ready to begin, breathe in deeply. As you exhale, turn your hips into Cat Tilt. Do this by gently pulling the abdominal muscles backward toward the spine, tucking the tailbone (coccyx) down and under, and gently contracting the buttocks. Press firmly downward with your hands in order to stay lifted out of the shoulders, and press the middle of your back toward the ceiling, rounding your spine upward. Curl your head inward. Gaze at the floor between your knees.

Ref: http://www.abc-of-yoga.com

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