There is considerable interest about this posture and tall claims about the benefits. It is however not safe to try this asana unless one is sure about the strength of blood capillaries in brain. All the benefits of this pose can be derived from other postures like sarvangasana. This asana is also indicated only for persons who are in control of their emotions and thoughts.

Many people believe this is the king of all yoga postures. Everyone should be aware of the fact that this asana is simply not for everyone, even for shortest duration.

The Procedure for Seershasana Yoga pose

1. Stand erect

2. Be seated on the heels and place the hands on your knees.

3. Interlock the fingers. Place the hands below elbow on the ground by leaning forward.

4. Place the back side of your head inside the interlocked fingers.

5. Lift knees one by one from the ground. Move your feet towards the head.

6. Lift the legs as you slowly inhale. Take the legs vertically above your head.

7. Your body will remain vertically upwards. No curves on the back.

8. Hold on the position for a few seconds.

9. Bend knees one by one and get the legs to ground one after the other.

10. Take a kneeling position and sit back on your heels.

The Benefits of Shirshasana Yoga Posture

It is supposed to improve memory and intelligence. Ductless glands are benefited from this asana. It also helps in neutralizing any abnormality of back.

It is also cure for nervousness, insomnia, amnesia, constipation, asthma etc.

Note:
This asana is not for everyone. A lot of blood rushes into the brain, which causes additional stress on the blood vessels there. Practice it under the supervision of a trained yoga master and attempt it only if you feel so much enthused and confident about the asana.

Dhanus in Malayalam means a bow. In dhanurasana, the yoga practitioner bends like a bow while lying on his or her stomach. Not easy to accomplish, but worth practicing it.

The Procedure for Dhanurasana Yoga Pose

1. Lay flat on your stomach.

2. Bend both legs upwards.

3. Grasp the ankles with corresponding hands.

4. Look straight in front of you.

5. Slowly raise your head, chest and thighs from ground as much as you can. Pull the legs towards your head and the body will automatically rise.

The Benefits of Dhanurasana Yoga Pose

This asana offers good exercise to arms, legs, neck and back. Flexibility of joints and waist, better posture, wide chest for men, enhancement of respiration are other benefits of this posture. It is beneficial for diabetics. Digestive problems, constipation and other vata related disorder patients can benefit from this pose.

It ensures hormonal balance in the body and enhances the functioning of liver, intestines. It also enhances blood circulation to limbs.

Notes
Persons suffering from blood pressure problems, heart diseases, ulcers and hernia shall not attempt this posture.

This posture is named palm tree pose because the final position of the asana resembles a palm tree.

The Procedure of Tadasana Yoga Pose

1. Stand erect with feet held six inches apart.

2. Gaze straight at your eye level.

3. Clasp both hands together with palms facing out.

4. Keeping them straight, slowly raise your hands to above your heads as you slowly inhale. Also raise your heels as high as possible. Now gaze at the inner side of the hand-clasp.

Take extra care not to lose balance, as you are now standing on your toes only.

5. Slowly exhaling, lower your hands and assume normal position. Simultaneously lower your gaze and heels.

Repeating this for ten times is beneficial in improving balancing capacity of body.

6. While the heels are off, try bending on either side. Exhale as you bend and inhale as you straighten up. This bending resembles a palm tree swaying in strong wind.

Try swaying while keeping your feet firmly on ground, if you don’t get the balance to stand on toes.

The Benefits of Tadasana Yoga Pose

This stimulates intestines and muscles at stomach. It relaxes blood vessels on either side of spine. It also improves bowel movement. Makes spines flexible and helps in better posture.

Under careful guidance, pregnant women can try this. It is claimed that practicing this asana through the first few months of pregnancy can make parturition easier. Again, pregnant women don’t attempt this asana without expert guidance.

Note
Don’t move quickly as it can cause balance loss. If you find it very hard to assume this pose, you can try it by keeping your legs wider apart.

Padahasthasana is a yoga pose that helps in strengthening legs and spine. It also provides equilibrium to the body.
The Procedure for Padahasthasana Yoga Posture

1. Stand erect with feet separated by six inches.

2. Slowly raise your hands above the head as you inhale. Keep the palms facing front.

3. Bend forward as you exhale. Go as far as you can.

4. Try to touch the toes with your fingers.

5. Try to put your face between knees while holding the breath out.

6. Straighten up and move to normal position as you slowly inhale.

Note: Don’t bend your legs at the knees.

The Benefits of Padahasthasana Yoga Pose

Padahasthasana strengthens the muscles of the thighs and legs. It increases flexibility of the spine. It increases blood flow to all parts of the body. It makes muscles flexible. It also calms down nervous system.

It is beneficial in treating back pain. It is also beneficial in preventing sciatica pain.

This pose got its name because the legs of the yoga practitioner resemble the tail of a dragon fly or locust that is flying.

This is preparatory pose for salabhasana or full locust pose.

The procedure for Ardha Salabhasana, the Yoga Pose

1. Lay flat on your stomach. Keep the toes flat on the ground and chin on the ground.

2. Place your hands close to the body, making a fist that opens upwards.

3. Slowly raise your right leg as you inhale. Hold it in the air for a little while.

4. Retain breath for two seconds.

5. Lower the leg slowly as you exhale.

6. Repeat the procedure for left leg.

Repeat the cycle for five times.

The benefits of Ardhasalabhasana

Promotes digestion, regulates bowel movement, strengthens liver, intestines, kidney and pancreas; and regulates the activity of pancreas and prostate. It is also helpful in straightening any unnatural curves on the spine.

Notes

Ulcer and hernia patients must not practice this asana.

Utkatasana is a yoga pose that strengthens muscles in the arms, legs and stimulate digestive system, respiratory system and circulatory system.

Persons with headache are not advised to practice this pose.

The Procedure for Utkadasana Yoga Pose

1. Stand erect. Keep feet 6 inch apart.

2. Raise your arms to shoulder level.

3. Bend your knees forward till your thighs are parallel to ground.

4. [If possible look upwards to the sky and slightly bend backwards from this position.]

5. Slowly lift your body up and bring the hands down to normal stand-at-ease position.

Notes on Utkatasana Yoga Pose

This posture strengthens ankles, calves, and gives flexibility to spines. It strengthens diaphragm and heart. It tones waist, relieves joint pain and improves overall physical endurance and strength.

Persons with head ache or low blood pressure should not practice this.

Bhujangasa or the cobra pose assumes the pose like a cobra. The top of the body is raised while the lower half remains on the ground. The person lies flat on his or her stomach and raises head shoulder and chest upwards while placing the palms on either sides of chest for balancing.

This posture gives a youthful appearance to the person and is beneficial to internal organs. Persons suffering from vata related disorders, respiratory problems, etc can use this posture. It is also good to keep youthful appearance and keep general physical health.

The Procedure for Bhujangasa the yoga posture

1. Lie straight on the stomach, with toes flat on floor and hands on either sides of chest-shoulder area.

2. Bend the neck and head backwards as you inhale. Lift areas below navel region firm on ground.

3. Look upwards to the sky. Hold breath for a few seconds.

4. Exhale slowly and bring your head to the floor. Take rest for a few seconds in that position.

Benefits of Bhujangasana Yoga Posture

This posture stimulates pancreas, liver, abdomen, digestive system and enhances circulation. It increases flexibility of spinal cord, relieves problems related to female reproductive organs. Normalize abnormal menstruation and strengthens ovary and uterus. Persons suffering from back ache can benefit from this posture.

Persons sitting long hours without any physical movement can benefit from this posture as it can relieve backache for them.

Asthma patients and persons suffering from dyspepsia and other vata related disorders can benefit from this yoga pose.

This yoga pose gives a youthful appearance to the people practicing it.

This yoga posture is simple to understand but difficult to practice. Those who practice this pose experience a stretching feeling on their abdomen.

The procedure for Uttanapadasana yoga posture

1. Lie on your back.

2. Keep your feet together.

3. Keep palms down on either side of the body at a slight distance.

4. Without bending your knees, lift both legs together to a height of approximately 30 degrees as you inhale. Hold your breath as much as you can.

5. Slowly exhaling bring both legs to the ground.

6. Repeat this process at 45 degree and 60 degree angles.

You can also try lifting your legs to 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 60 degrees on a stretch, both while lifting and dropping the legs.

Ardha uttanapadasana (or half-leg lifting pose) is performed by lifting one leg at a time. Rest of the procedure is same.

Benefits of Uttanapadasana yoga posture

This posture helps in reducing obesity, abdominal disorders and enhances circulation.

People suffering from spondilitis should not practice this.

This is quite a difficult yoga pose. Don’t attempt to practice this without the help of a yoga teacher. Very difficult to accomplish this posture, and should be extremely careful as you can lose the balance any moment.

Your body needs to be balanced like a stick horizontally balanced in the air with only your palms touching the ground and body balancing on your elbows.

The procedure of Mayurasana Yoga Pose (to be practiced under guidance of a learned yoga master)

1. Kneel on ground while spreading the knees at a distance of 12 inches.

2. Place the palms on the floor with fingers pointing backwards. Keep the upper arm close to the body and the elbows on either sides of navel.

3. Bend your upper body forward while simultaneously stretching out the legs backwards. Gradually take the position of a stick hold horizontally to the ground.

4. Remain in that position for a few seconds.

5. Slowly fold the legs and get the knees to the ground.

6. Return to normal position.

Precautions

Remember full body weight is balanced at the navel. It is easy to lose balance. If you feel any difficulty while practicing this, return to normal position and start again.

The Benefits of Mayurasana Yoga Pose

It strengthens digestive system and prevents dyspepsia. Piles, constipation and obesity are other conditions that may benefit from this pose.

Women and people suffering from cervical spondilitis should better avoid this pose.

Remember this pose can be practiced only under the guidance of a learned yoga master and shall not be attempted on your own. Body jerk should be avoided and any inconsistencies you feel should not be ignored.

This is the resting posture. Always practice savasana before and after practicing any other asana. This asana provides complete rest to your body.

Savam (in Malayalam) means a dead body. In this posture you give complete rest to your body, nerves, muscles, thoughts and breathing.

The procedure of Savasana Yoga Pose

1. Lie flat on your back and spread legs comfortably.

2. Spread hands on either side of the body at a distance most comfortable to you.

3. Your toes will be facing outwards and hands upwards.

4. Relax all the muscles and nerves of your body. Give complete rest to all body parts. Give no strength to even moving a finger. This is dead pose, leave your body as a dead one.

5. You can close eyes, but take care not to fall into sleep.

6. Don’t take any special effort to breathe, think or suppress any thoughts. If you find your thoughts not under control, try counting your breath.

7. Now pay attention to your breathing. You will soon experience controlling your breathing. Again; no need to control breathing.

This pose must be practiced for at least a minute after every posture. Keep on this posture for a minimum of 10 minutes after completing all other postures.

Benefits of Savasana Yoga Pose

It release mental pressure and gives complete rest to body. Your mind will be prepared to undertake fresh new endeavors. It gives complete rest to brain and is beneficial in cases of mild depression and insomnia.

Heart patients and high blood pressure patients can benefit from this asana.

Don’t practice this if you have back injury.

The term vajra has two different meanings – thunderbolt and diamond. Vajra in yoga refers to male genital organs.
Vajrasana is a meditation posture. It acts towards both mental and physical stability.

The Procedure for Vajrasana Yoga Pose

1. Sit down with legs spread before the body and hands on either sides flat on the ground.

2. Fold the legs at knees and place the toes side by side flat down.

3. Spread the heels wide apart.

4. Sit on the groove formed by parting heels.

5. Place the palms on the knees.

Important note: – Keep the body (neck, back, and head) erect. Remember – toes together, heels spread and soles upward. Sit only on the gap between the heels.

You can pay attention to your breathing or go to meditation at this posture.

Releasing

Take the palms from the knees and place it on either sides of body.

Straighten each leg one by one.

Take the sitting posture.

Benefits of Vajrasana Yoga Pose

It is preferred posture for meditation and concentration. It is also good posture to practice deep breath pranayama. Body and mind gets stabilized.

This is also known to strengthen the reproductive system. It strengthens all the blood vessels and nerves related to reproductive system.

It stimulates the activity of pancreas and strengthens digestive system. Diabetic patients and people with digestive problems can practice this asana for five minutes after taking food.

At first one can take this posture for five minutes. With practice it can be extended to up to three hours.

People with stiff joints and experience difficulty movement must first get the joints free and relaxed before attempting this asana.