Cobra Pose – Bhujangasana

Difficulty – Easy

Start in a prone position lying in your stomach, legs stretched out behind you feet flat with soles facing up.

Bend your arms at the elbows and place your palms flat on the floor, fingers facing forward about 5 or 6 inches in front of the shoulders. Keep your arms in close to you sides.

Inhaling, raise your head, neck, and shoulders off the ground into a back bend. Rely on the strength of your lower back to hold you in a back bend. You can keep your neck in a neutral position or bend the head back completely to intensify the effect on your breathing by closing off the throat slightly.

Pressing your feet into the floor will help keep strength and keep the back safe.

• Muscles – Stretch of the chest, latissimus, biceps, front of hips, obliques, sides and front of the body. Strengthening entire back and spine as well as the obliques. Strengthening of the arms, especially the triceps, deltoids, and armpits. The legs should be kept strong especially in the hamstrings and maintain internal rotation of the hips.
• Joints Used – Spinal extension, hip extension, knee extension, elbow extension and internal hip rotation.
• Beware – It is important to use all the inner back muscles for strength in this pose to not allow too much pressure to be created on the back.

Sleeping Pigeon – Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Difficulty – Easy to Intermediate

Start in table-top position and bring one knee forward toward wrist on same side with lower leg and ankle toward other wrist. Extend back leg straight back with knee straight.

On an in breath push hands into floor to extend the spine and then exhaling, walk hands forward and bring forehead to floor in a forward bend

• Muscles – Intense stretch of the hamstrings, gluteus, and hips of the front leg. Strengthening of the quads of the back leg which should be kept strong to keep pressure off the knees.
• Joints Used – Spinal flexion. Hip, knee, and ankle flexion on the front leg. Hip, knee, and ankle extension on the back leg.
• Mental Health – This is a good posture for internal meditation. Try breathing into the intense stretch and relaxing into it on the exhales to improve concentration and focus.
• Beware – This stretch can be hard on the front knee, especially as the front ankle is brought more forward.

Triangle – Trikonasana

Difficulty – Basic

Stand with feet spread wide, about 4ft apart. Front foot facing the front of the mat and back foot facing at about 45 degrees.

Extend arms sideways parallel with the mat. Bend at the waist and bring front arm to shin or in front of front foot. raise back arm so it is pointing straight up. Twist your head up so it is facing raised hand.

• Muscles – Stretches quads, abductors, and calves of front leg, gluteus, biceps femoris of back leg. Strengthening gluteus, hamstrings, quads and many other leg muscles in front leg, gluteus, abductors, and other muscles of the back leg.
• Joints Used – Spinal extension and rotation, head rotation, hip rotation and extension, knee extension, and ankle extension.
• Beware – Beware of hyperextending the knees to avoid injury by keep hamstrings and quads active.

Extended Side Angle – Utthita Parsvakonasana

Difficulty – Basic

Spread feet about 4ft apart, front foot facing the front of mat and back foot at 90 degree angle. Front knee bent at 90 degrees (another variation has the front leg straight).

Start with upper body facing sideways parallel with legs, arms similar to Warrior II. Bend body forward at the waist and bring front arm to the floor or a block behind the front leg. Stretch upper arm past ears lengthening that side of the body.

• Muscles – Strengthening hip, hamstrings of the front leg, and gluteus, hamstrings and quads on the back leg. Strengthens deltoids, triceps, obliques.
• Joints Used – Spinal flexion, shoulder abduction, elbow extension. Hip flexion, knee extension, and ankle flexion on the front leg. Hip and knee extension on the back leg.
• Breathing – Works the diaphragm asymmetrically as well as organs near the diaphragm.

Warrior III – Virabhadrasana III

Difficulty – Intermediate

I like to get into this posture by starting in mountain pose with my arms overhead. Then I step forward on one foot and shift my weight to that straight leg while lifting the back leg off the ground and keeping my spine straight bending at the waist. Ending with body and raised leg in a straight line parallel to the floor.

 

• Muscles – Stretches hamstrings, abductors and gluteus. Strengthening spine, abs, hamstrings, gluteus and rotators.
• Joints Used – Spinal axial extension, shoulder flexion, elbow extension. Hip flexion, knee extension, and ankle flexion on the standing leg. Hip and knee extension on the raised leg.
• Balance – Improves balance.
• Mental Health – Balancing postures promote mental health and concentration.
• Beware – Weakness in spine and abs can make this pose difficult. Also beware of tight hamstrings. Balancing in this pose can be difficult, be sure to not completely lock the knee to avoid injuring the knee.

Warrior I – Virabhadrasana I

A group of students performing Warrior I

Difficulty – Easy

Stand with legs about 3-4ft apart, front foot facing forward, back foot at about a 45-degree angle relative to front of mat. Front knee should be bent at about 45-degrees, knee directly over ankle.

With your upper body facing forward bring your arms over head either wide at about 45-degrees or straight up for Extended Warrior I.

Look upwards keeping the back of the neck long and enjoy a slight back-bend.

• Muscles – Stretches mid and lower back, chest, front of neck, the hamstrings and quads of the front leg, and front and middle of the thigh and calf of back leg. Strengthening spine, deltoids, obliques, neck, and the hamstrings and quads of both the front and back legs.
• Joints Used – Spinal extension, shoulder flexion. Hip, knee, and ankle flexion on the front leg. Hip and knee extension on the back leg.
• Balance – Improves balance, a wider base makes balancing easier in this pose.
• Mental Health – Balancing postures promote mental health and concentration.
• Beware – Tight latissimus (mid-back muscles) can pull spine into too much of a lumbar curve so be mindful of lower and mid back pain in this pose.

The Spine and Yoga

One part of the body of particular interest in yoga is the spine.  To undertand why a healthy spine is crucial to our health, it is important to know a little about the structure of our bodies, of the spine, and the movements the spine can make.

Our head houses our brain which is crucial in controlling almost all the voluntary and involuntary processes in our bodies. The brain is connected to the spinal cord which is connected to the rest of the nerves throughout the body. The brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves are soft and are easily injured or damaged; therefore the body has a mechanism to protect the nervous system, the skeleton. The brain is protected by a hard bone casing, the skull, which sits on top of the neck or cervical spine. The spinal cord is protected within the bony spinal vertebrae.

The spinal column is made up of vertebrae stacked on top of one another with intervening softer cartilage between the stacked vertebrae. This combination of both hard and soft tissue allows for maximum protection of the spinal cord while allowing for flexibility and range of movement. Ligaments are also found holding the vertebrae together on all sides of the spine.

Together the bony vertebrae, the cartilage, and the ligaments make the spine self-supporting. If you were to remove all the muscles and tendons surrounding the spine, it would not collapse but remain in a neutral position. Furthermore any muscular or other forceful actions that move the spine away from a neutral position require energy, and when the muscles are relaxed the spine naturally moves back to a neutral position.

The neutral position of the spine changes as we age but once we are teenagers, our spines have the general adult structure with primary and secondary curves. There are two primary curves of the spine at the sacral and thoracic spine, curving forward. The two secondary curves of the spine are at the lumbar and cervical regions, curving backward.

There are four types of common spinal movements, extension, flexion, lateral flexion (side bending), and axial rotation (twisting).

Extended Warrior I provides extension of the spine.

Flexion is a movement of the spine that emphasizes the primary curve of the spine as in the the thoracic spine. A gentle pose that demonstrates flexion is child’s pose.

Extension of the spine is any movement that emphasizes the secondary curve of the spine, like in the lumbar region. An  example of spinal extension in Yoga posture practice is Warrior I or Extended Warrior I.

Lateral flexion is side bending of the spine in one direction or another which extends the distance between the vertebrae on one side. Head tilts to each shoulder create lateral flexion in the cervical vertebrae.

Axial rotation involves the action of twisting the vertebrae relative to each other. Actions such as turning our heads to the sides adds rotation to only the cervical spine.  Yoga poses such as supine twist are axial rotation for the entire spine.

There is one final action of the spine we do not commonly do, axial extension. Instead of accentuating one curve of the spine or another, we actually try to straighten all the curves of the spine and lengthen the back. One yoga posture in which we actively practice axial extension is tadanasa or mountain pose.

The movement of the spine is intrinsically connected with our breathing. No matter how you are sitting, take a few deep breaths and note the subtle movements of the spine. On the inhale you are decreasing the primary curve and enhancing the secondary curve of the spine, extension. On the exhale the primary curve is increasing while the secondary curve of the spine is decreasing, flexion.

Kaminoff, Leslie. Yoga Anatomy. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007. Print.

Three Diaphragms and Their Uses in Yoga Practice

There are three diaphragms, the diaphragm located at the base of the lungs which aids in breathing, the pelvic diaphragm is located at the pelvic floor and is important in elimination of solid an liquid waste (the downward movement of apana), and the vocal diaphragm located at the throat and controls breathing and speaking.

In Hatha or Vinyasa practice were poses are held using muscle strength, muscular action of the diaphragms leads to more strength and stability. Contracting the pelvic diaphragm leads to increased stability in the hips, sacrum, and lower spine. Additionally controlling the diaphragm used for breathing as is done in ujjayi helps create stability in the lower and mid back. The physical actions of the pelvic and breathing diaphragms allows the spine to lengthen and the deepest muscles in our bodies (not usually used in daily activities or typical exercise) to maintain stability. There are physical yoga practices that lock the action of the vocal diaphragm. The vocal diaphragm is also associated with the throat chakra or the region of the body that connects our physical bodies and our mind (astral body) and therefore is widely used in meditation and pranayama practice to explore the connection between these two bodies.

Kaminoff, Leslie. Yoga Anatomy. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007. Print.

The flow of prana through “good” and “bad” space

There are two main pathways within our bodies, prana and apana. Prana is the nourishment our bodies’ need. Prana is most commonly translated as breath or air but can also refer to nourishment in the form of liquid and food.  We take in all forms of prana at the top of our bodies, eating and drinking using our mouth and breathing using our nose and mouths.

The flow or apana of the different types of prana varies through our bodies. Food and liquids we ingest enter at the top and flow through our stomach, intestines, and other digestive organs in a mostly downward path to be released as waste at the bottom. In contrast, fresh inhaled breath enters through the nose and mouth while stale air is also breathed out through the mouth. It is important for apana to be able to flow freely both downward and upward. The natural flow of most apana is downward. Rarely do we exhale our breath and clear our lungs completely, the upward flow of apana. Incomplete exhalation leads to incomplete removal of toxins and our clean inhales are mixed with the stale air in the lungs leading to not completely fresh air, therefore it is important to practice proper breathing and learn to flow apana in both directions.

In order for prana flow freely and efficiently via apana, our bodies must be in good health and free of blockages. In order to this, we practice Yoga to create more “good space” or sukha in our body and replace the dukha or “bad space.” Many Yoga teachers call this action “creating space,” which is not completely accurate but gets the idea across.

Lets go back to to the breathing example to demonstrate “bad space” and “good space” further. Many of us do not breathe correctly for many reasons including not exhaling completely and not using all parts of the lungs to breathe. This leaves space in our lungs that is not being used fully and not getting a fresh flow of prana. The upper part of the lungs gets fresh air from our shallow breaths, but the air in the lower part of lungs grows increasingly stale when we don’t replenish the air with deep belly breaths. When we are not using our diaphragm to make deep belly breaths, there is “bad space” which is not being used, losing strength and the ability to function without practice lowering the flow of prana through these areas. With pranayama practice, we begin to use our lungs fully and start to create “good space” in areas that were previously stale. After more practice, areas that were completely dormant begin to awaken and we can better control the flow of prana through our bodies.

Kaminoff, Leslie. Yoga Anatomy. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007. Print.

Upward Plank Pose – Purvottanasana

Difficulty – Medium to Difficult

Lie firmly on the ground, spine straight.

Keep the soles and heels on the floor.

Extend the arms by pushing them into the floor lifting your body off the floor.

Basically looks like plank pose but the front of your body is facing up.

• Muscles – Full fornt body stretch. Strengthens arms and hamstrings.
• Joints Used – Extension of the spine, hips, ankles, and knees. Extension of the elbows.
• Breathing – Can be a challenge to breath in this posture.
• Circulation – Stimulates circulation of blood throughout the body replenishing oxygen.
• Beware – If you have weak hamstrings, ease into this posture.