Halasana ( The Plough)

Lie flat on your back with your arms down beside your thighs.

Raise both legs and guide them over your head until the toes touch the floor.

The legs should remain straight.

Support the back with the hands if necessary


Benefits

This posture is recommended for diabetics.

It aids the regeneration of the pancreas as well as the regulation of adrenaline in the system.

Under compression the thyroid gland benefits from an increased flow of blood, which helps to regulate its functions.

By controlling the metabolism , this gland has a considerable influence on the youthfulness of the body.

The posture has a good effect on the spleen and sexual glands, especially in its final stage, when the knees are brought to the ears.

The organ especially affected is the liver which is cleansed and decongested.

Chakrasana (the wheel pose)

Lie in Shakrasana (the relaxation posture)

Bend the knees and bring the heels to touch the buttocks with the feet 30cm apart.

Raise the arms and bend the elbows and place the palms of the hands just above the shoulders on the floor.
Let the fingertips point towards the shoulders.

Raise the arms and bend the elbowsa nd place the palms of he hands just above the shoulders on the floor.
Let the fingertips point towards the shoulders.

Inhale and then hold the breath in as you slowly raise the trunk,letting the head drop back gently to allow
the crown to support the weight of the upper body.The Knees will form right angles.

Then straighten the arms and legs and lift the head off the ground and raise the body to its fully arched
position.

Then supine the position,bring the knees to the chest, give the back and nice massage doing circles with
knees, drop the knees down and breath knees.


Benefits

This asana is beneficial for the entire nervous, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular and glandular system.

It influences all the hormonal secretions and relieves many ailments of the female reproductive system.

Ardha Chandrasana (The Crescent Moon Pose)

Inhale deeply while slowly stepping backwards with the right leg away from the body in a backward stretch, though not too far back. The top of the right foot, lower leg and knee rest on the floor,

Arch the back and look up, raising the chin as high as possible.

Bring the palms together, then stretch them over the head .

If this seems too difficult separate the hands and arms.

From the finger tips to the tip of the toes there should be an appearance from the side of a crescent moon.


Benefits

This asana tones the abdominal muscles, strengthens the muscles of the thighs and legs and induces balance in the nervous system.

Vrischikasana (the Scorpion Posture)

Do a headstand slightly away from the wall. Slowly take the feet towards the wall, as you slowly take your hands away from your head, and place them either side of your head,elbows down.

Now slowly push up on the arms lifting the head upwards and outwards so that you are resting on the arms.

With practice you will be able to be able to just put the elbows and hands down on the floor and skip up straight into a scorpion and hold an elegant posture with straight legs or bent legs (not so elegant).


Benefits

This asana reorganises the vital life force in the body i.e. prana, which is the key to physical aging,

It brings about nervous stability and increases blood flow to the brain and pinier gland, thereby rectifying nervous disorders and glandular malfunctions.

Vrischikasana increase circulation to lower limbs and abdomen, revitalising all the bodily systems,
alleviating piles, and varicose veins and toning the productive organs.

The  arched position of the back, tones the spinal nerves, and makes the muscles supple and loosens the vertebrae.

It strengthens the arms and develops balance and concentration.

This is a level four posture and should only be practiced during a class with the supervision an experienced yoga teacher.

Downward Facing Dog (Parvatasana)

Exhale deeply, slowly bending forward while stretching the right leg back and place it beside the left leg,

At the same time raise the buttocks and lower the head between the arms so that the back and legs form a triangle.

Now push the head towards the legs and breath deeply.(personal tuition is available by me having been teaching yoga for 13 years)


Benefits

This asana strengthens the nerves of the arms and legs, exercises the the spine and stimulates circulation especially the upper spine.

It is a semi inverted posture which aso brings blood to the upper body including the face and head.

It is practiced by those that are unable to to do the headstand (Sirsasana) due to injuries or myopia.

The Perfect Relaxation Posture

Lie on your yoga mat, bend the knees. The slide the legs away leaving the lower back on the floor.

Take the feet about hip width apart and let them flop out to the side.

Now take the arms away from you at about 45 degrees with palms facing upward.

Then take a deep inhalation through the nose and open the mouth and sigh.

This Posture should be practiced at the beginning and end of a class.
          

Benefits

If you are ever stressed out, this will bring you down to earth and if you do some deep whole breathing for a few minutes and release, you will feel a nice tingling throughout the the body.

The Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar)

This is a series of 12 postures performed at the beginning of a yoga class. Surya Namaskar only takes 3 to 10 minutes a day...

Stand  upright with your hands by your side in Tadasana.Inhale an exhale into prayer position

Inhale as your raise your hands above your head whilst bending backward.

Exhale as you bend forward keeping your arms by your ears and try and bring your head to your knee, into standing  forerward bend.

Hold your breath whilst you take the right foot back the then the other foot back into plank (press up position).

Then as push the bottom up as bring your chin in line with your hands just above the mat, inhaling push on the toes come in to Cobra posture as you straighten the toes.

Turning over the toes  over as you exhale pushing your bottom into the air into Dog Posture.

Inhale, bring one foot back between the hands with the knee bent and look up,exhale as you bring the other foot back in to standing forward bend.

Inhale  keeping your spine and arms straight in line in  with your ears as you  come up and back.

Exhale as bring your arms into prayer position then by your sides, as you started.

Repeat taking the other left foot back and so on.

Eventually you should do five( or ten if your up to it) continuous rounds, starting and ending with  prayer position.

Once have layed down go into the relaxation posture,

Try  the instant relaxation posture and inhale squeeze the hands buttocks,exhale legs and feet to, then inhale the chest and ribs and face arms into tention so that the whole body is in tension, now juste exhale, open the mouth and sigh and release.

This method of relaxtion can be used in bed at night, you can feel like you are floating between the sheets.
You won't want to move. Then  try the Sleeping Posture.


 
Benefits

It tones up the digestive system by the alternate stretching and compression of the abdominal region; it massages the viscera (the liver, stomach spleen, intestines and kidneys) activates the digestion and gets rid of constipation and dyspepsia.

It strengthens the abdominal  muscles and by doing holds the organs in place. Blood stoppages in the abdominal organs are banished. The arms and shoulders are strengthened.

Surya Namaskar steps up cardiac activity and the flow of blood throughout the system,which is ideal for the health of the body. It combats hypertension and palpitation's and warms the extremities.

It tones up the nervous system by stretching and bending the spine: it regulates the functions of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and helps to promote sleep.

The memory improves. The skin is well irrigated so it reflects good health,and the complexion clears, it improves the muscle structure throughout the body. 

It gets rid of  any folds of fat, especially the surplus fat around the stomach,on the hips or thighs and on the neck and chin.

It lends grace and ease to the movement of the body for sport of all kinds.

Surya Namaskar revives and maintains a spirit of youthfulness, an asset beyond price