Author: james craig

REVERSE WARRIOR POSE

(Reverse Warrior Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Opens lung capacity
  • Tones your legs and opens your hips
  • Stretches your ascending/descending colon

For your mind:

  • Engages your mind in the present moment as it is
  • Thoughts become the forefront of your mind like being pushed against a wall
  • Connects you to your breath and understanding of the timing in it

For your spirit:

  • It helps you open up to yourself.
  • Keep your head up, and you can do it.
  • Look to the mystery of the open sky’s above you

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Use a folding chair beneath your glute to assist your balance until stronger.
  • Keep your hand on your thigh to help you balance.
(Focus on your hand like thumb and pointer touching.)

Pose Description:

  1. Start in a warrior two position.
  2. Maintain a warrior-two foundation in your legs.
  3. Rotate your hands palms up.
  4. Gaze at your fingers and watch your front hand reach the sky.
  5. (Your back arm will lower when your front hand raises.)
  6. Release your neck and shoulders.
  7. Breathe here.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

REVERSE TRIANGLE POSE

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches your ribcage and strengthens your intercostal muscles
  • Encourages length in your neck and spine to stimulate softer muscles in your throat to breathe better
  • Stretches your colon and groin

For your mind:

  • When you can’t see the ground in this pose, you are confronted with concentrating on what is rather than what you wish you could see
  • Focus you on the ground and gives you new muscles to control
  • It allows your awareness to see what goes up and also goes down.

For your spirit:

  • The elegance and grace are now in your body and mind; this pose shows that.
  • Mountain peaks with the wind blowing snow off their tops look like this pose to a degree.
  • Guided by the unknown or yet not seen, being in the moment you look up at the sky (if you’re outside), then you learn you’re supported by a foundation that seems to be innately there always.

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Shorten the stance you make between your feet.
  • Place your hand on your back thigh to support your balance.
  • Bend your front knee and take Reverse Warrior Pose

Pose Description:

  1. Start from a triangle position.
  2. Reach forward as far as you can.
  3. Rotate your front hand palm face-up.
  4. Lift your front hand to the ceiling.
  5. Extend your fingers up.
  6. Open your back palm face-up.
  7. Root your feet evenly.
  8. Release your shoulders.
  9. Relax your jaw and eyes.
  10. Breathe here for a few cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

EXTENDED SIDE-ANGLE POSE

(Extended Side-Angle Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches your side body
  • Engages stabilizer muscles in your back
  • Strengthens your obliques and inner thigh muscles

For your mind:

  • Extends your mind deeper to the center of your body
  • Allows you to imprint conscious thought
  • It helps you think about what is behind you to stabilize your balance.

For your spirit:

  • Empowers you
  • Sparks your creativity
  • Grounds you to your inner balance

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Use a block to put your palm on if you are working on reaching the ground.
  • Shorten your stance between your feet.
(Reach and gaze straight up or comfortably straight down for your balance.)

Pose Description:

  1. Start in a warrior two position.
  2. Gaze at your backhand and open your palms toward the wall.
  3. Extend your front arm forward.
  4. Engage your oblique and steady your torso and legs.
  5. Lower your front arm and reach your backhand up.
  6. Reach your upper arm over your head with your ear by your bicep.
  7. Extend your fingertips and draw your chest open.
  8. Lean back a little bit.
  9. Breathe here a few cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

TRIANGLE POSE

(Triangle Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and upper back muscles
  • Increases oblique contraction and tones legs
  • It broadens your shoulders and encourages an open heart.

For your mind:

  • It makes you focus on your breath, not increase your heart rate.
  • It helps you concentrate on your core power
  • Stimulates extension to your breath so that you can calm down easier

For your spirit:

  • It opens your heart to see things a little more clearly
  • The triangle is the most stable form and can build into any other shape.
  • You are strong and can grow into any pose you work on for a disciplined amount of time.

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Place a block on the inside of your front foot. (Tall length of the block up.)
  • Gently push your palm on your thigh and straighten your arm.
  • Half-bind or full-bind for chest opener or minor spinal twist.

Pose Description:

  1. Start from a warrior two position with your right leg bent.
  2. Straighten your bent front leg.
  3. Send your hips toward the back wall as you reach as far forward as possible.
  4. Plant your feet evenly and relax your toe’s length.
  5. Keep your torso strong and your abdominals engaged.
  6. Lower your right arm down without pressing against your right thigh.
  7. Reach your left arm up and extend your fingers.
  8. Gaze where you feel most comfortable, too, down or up.
  9. Breathe here for a few cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

CRESCENT LUNGE POSE

(Crescent-lunge Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches your back leg
  • It tones and engages your thigh.
  • Strengthens your pelvic floor muscles and low-back lumbar fascia

For your mind:

  • Focus on your relative center of gravity
  • It empowers you to concentrate on your breath to balance.
  • Mindful of a balance of softness and engagement

For your spirit:

  • It picks you up when you feel down.
  • Structures your foundation to walk forward with ease
  • Confidence will rise the more you do this pose

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Place a chair in front of you for balance.
  • Keep your hands in prayer position at your chest.
  • Stand near a wall to stabilize yourself.

Pose Description:

  1. Start in a low lunge position.
  2. Plant your weight toward the sole of your front foot.
  3. Equal your weight in the ball mound of your back foot, and extend your leg.
  4. Place your hands on your hips to level and stabilize your strength.
  5. Reach your arms overhead and extend your fingers.
  6. Draw your shoulders down.
  7. Engage your core and breath here for a few cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

WARRIOR THREE POSE

(Warrior Three Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Helps your equilibrium
  • Strengthens your pelvic muscles
  • Activates and tones your thighs and psoas muscle

For your mind:

  • It brings you to the present moment you are in
  • Concentrates on balancing
  • Focus your mind by putting it into this moment of struggle

For your spirit:

  • It makes you feel like you can hold the world
  • Powers you through your connection to the ground
  • It opens your heart to try what may be difficult to change it to what may be possible

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Place a chair in front of you.
  • Use a block or two in front of you on the floor.
  • Place a block between your hands.
  • Bring your hands to a prayer position on your chest.

Pose Description:

  1. Start in a low lunge position.
  2. Firmly plant your weight toward the sole of your front foot.
  3. Hands are in a prayer position on your chest.
  4. Lift your back heel and straighten your front leg. (Your body is in a capital “T” position.)
  5. Engage your core and root your standing leg.
  6. Point your lifted legs and toes down.
  7. Level your sacral spine and hips with the floor.
  8. Reach your arms over your head with your palms facing each other.
  9. Activate your perineum muscle.
  10. Gaze down or forward, your preference.
  11. Breathe here for a few cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

WARRIOR TWO POSE

(Warrior Two Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Opens your hips
  • Strengthens the connection to the weight of your arms
  • Tones and stretches your upper back and triceps

For your mind:

  • It takes concentration to be in this pose for a few breath cycles
  • When you relax in this pose, you can focus on all of your senses like one.
  • It helps give you stillness in your mind.

For your spirit:

  • It fires up the warrior within you.
  • This pose can empower you.
  • Your actions here can give you a feeling of repose

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Use a wall or a bar nearby.
  • Place a chair next to your mat to assist your balance.

Pose Description:

  1. Start in a low lunge position.
  2. Spin your back heel to the ground to 90 degrees.
  3. Place your weight evenly on both feet.
  4. Align your front toe with both heels.
  5. Rise and keep your front knee in a bent position.
  6. Stack your shoulders over your hips, and maintain a tall torso.
  7. Relax your toes long and return your focus to your foundation.
  8. With palms down and hands on your thighs.
  9. Reach and lift both arms to shoulder height.
  10. Draw your shoulders together as you reach out through your middle fingers.
  11. Gaze over your backhand to see that it’s the right height.
  12. This releases your neck’s tension.
  13. Gaze at your front middle fingernail.
  14. Breathe here for a few cycles and feel how your body starts to respond.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

WARRIOR ONE POSE

(Warrior One Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches your IT band
  • Supports spacial balance
  • Strengthens your pelvic floor muscles

For your mind:

  • It helps you focus on the small things, like the tension in your jaw
  • Increases connection to the floor and how you think about it
  • Concentration gained improves your ability to reduce stress

For your spirit:

  • “This is intense, but I’m not tense.”
  • You can breathe with a little more fire now
  • Stimulates inner strength

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Keep your hands in prayer position on your chest.
  • Use a chair placed in front of you to help you balance.

Pose Description:

  1. Start from a low lunge position.
  2. Place your hands on your hips.
  3. Step your back foot forward one foot.
  4. Rotate your back foot to 45 degrees or less.
  5. Heel to the floor. (Intense stretch in the back leg.)
  6. Draw your left hip forward in line with your right.
  7. Relax your shoulders and engage your core.
  8. Reach your arms over your head and face your palms towards each other.
  9. Release your tongue and breath here for a few cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

LOW-LUNG POSE

(Low Lunge Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Strengthens your pelvic muscles
  • Stretches your hamstring and quad muscles
  • Encourages oblique and core muscles

For your mind:

  • It Activates fight or flight, so it gives you a chance to focus
  • Overthinking can be reduced
  • Intuitive connection to the distance you need to step to align and center yourself best

For your spirit:

  • “I can do this!”
  • Step lightly, and lightness will be yours.
  • Your confidence increases each time you try

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Use two blocks to help yourself release tension.
  • Lower your back knee to the floor.

Pose Description:

  1. Start from a forward fold position.
  2. Place your palms on the floor with your middle fingers paralleled.
  3. Keep your left foot planted.
  4. Step your right foot back and straighten your leg.
  5. Press down the ball mound of your right foot and the sole of your left foot.
  6. Connect to your pelvis through your feet.
  7. Engage your core to feel a little more of a lift.
  8. (This pose can lead you to many more postures in transition.)

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Yoga Poses

HIGH-PLANK POSE

(High-Plank)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Strengthens your abdomen
  • Encourages the whole body to engage
  • Tones your arm, triceps and deltoids

For your mind:

  • Focus the mind on the present moment
  • Activates your SNS to give a chance to calm down through concentration
  • Stimulates oxygen to your brain to improve cell production

For your spirit:

  • Increases determination of your spirit
  • If you feel you can’t, then you can think you can, and you may “will” it to be if you breath
  • Energizes your spirit with confidence

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Place your knees on the floor.
  • Use a tabletop position.
  • If your wrist hurts, then you can use a forearm plank.

Pose Description:

  1. Start from a forward fold position.
  2. Plant your palms shoulder-width distance apart.
  3. Suction your palms down and parallel your middle fingers.
  4. Step your feet back hip-width distance apart.
  5. Gaze straight down.
  6. Engage your abdominal muscles.
  7. Press your heels back.
  8. Lengthen up your back and breath here for a few breath cycles.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Yoga Poses