Strengthens the back muscles. Bow Pose.

Bend back into the shape of a bow to feel energetically locked, loaded, and ready to take aim.

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose): Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Lie on your belly with your hands alongside your torso, palms up. (You can lie on a folded blanket to pad the front of your torso and legs.) Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles (but not the tops of the feet). Make sure your knees aren't wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose.

Step 2

Inhale and strongly lift your heels away from your buttocks and, at the same time, lift your thighs away from the floor. This will have the effect of pulling your upper torso and head off the floor. Burrow the tailbone down toward the floor, and keep your back muscles soft. As you continue lifting the heels and thighs higher, press your shoulder blades firmly against your back to open your heart. Draw the tops of the shoulders away from your ears. Gaze forward.

Step 3

With the belly pressed against the floor, breathing will be difficult. Breathe more into the back of your torso, and be sure not to stop breathing.

Step 4

Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more.

Benefits

Stretches the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs and groins, abdomen and chest, and throat, and deep hip flexors (psoas)
Strengthens the back muscles
Improves posture
Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck

Modifications and Props

If it isn't possible for you to hold your ankles directly, wrap a strap around the fronts of your ankles and hold the free ends of the strap, keeping your arms fully extended.

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Yoga exercise for digestion, Noose Pose

In the noose pose, the arms are wrapped around the squatting legs and the hands are clasped behind the back, forming a "noose." This position, suitable for intermediate and advanced students, is described in the Full Pose section below. First we'll look at a simpler version of this twist, using the wall as a prop. Noose Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) next to a wall with your feet hip-width and parallel to each other. Ideally, you will stand forearm distance from the wall. So, as you stand in Tadasana with the wall on your right side, turn to the right and press your right palm into the wall-from wrist to elbow, your forearm should be parallel to the ground. Adjust your distance to the wall accordingly and turn your torso back to center. Step 2 Bend your knees into a full squat, with your buttocks sitting on your heels. If you're not able to get the heels fully on the floor, squat with the heels raised o...

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Yoga exercise for lower back pain. Knees to chest with slow rock pose

Yoga exercise for lower back pain. Knees to chest with slow rock pose The knee to chest pose is a classical yoga asana with therapeutic benefits for lower back pain. When coupled up with a slow rock either side to side or back and forth, it offers a gentle massage to the lower back that helps relieve pain. It also stabilizes and aligns the spine as your release the weight of your body to the ground. Furthermore, it massages the abdominal organs promoting digestion and detoxification – constipation can worsen lower back pain How it to do it Lie on your back with legs extended forward. Draw your knees towards your chest. Interlace your fingers and firmly rest them on your shins, to nudge the knees nearer to your chest. This allows your upper and middle back to ground down and for a deep stretch on the lower back. Hold for 5-10 breaths. Modifications For added comfort, you may place a thin blanket under your neck or ...

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Strengthens the arms and wrists. Side Crane (Crow) Pose

The key to Parsva Bakasana is twisting enough to place the outer edge of one upper arm far around the outside of the opposite thigh. Side Crane (Crow) Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 Bend your knees to a half-squat, thighs parallel to the floor. If your heels don't rest comfortably on the floor, support them on a thickly folded blanket. Take your left elbow to the outside of your right thigh as you soften your belly. Step 2 Exhaling, twist your torso to the right, bringing your left lower ribs across toward your right thigh as far as you can. Step 3 Slide the back of your left arm down the outside of the right thigh, bringing your outer armpit as close to the outer thigh as you can. Keeping the arm in place, do a slight back bend and draw your right shoulder back to twist your torso more deeply. Step 4 Exhaling each time, repeat these alternating backbending and twisting movements until you reach your maximum rotation. Then slide you...

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