Marjaryasana

Marjari = cat

Step by Step Start on your hands and knees in a "tabletop" position. Make sure your knees are set directly below your hips and your wrists, elbows and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the oor. Center your head in a neutral position, eyes looking at the oor. As you exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, making sure to keep your shoulders and knees in position. Release your head toward the oor, but don't force your chin to your chest. Inhale, coming back to neutral "tabletop" position on your hands and knees. This pose is often paired with Cow Pose on the inhale for a gentle, owing vinyasa.

Dolphin Plank Pose

Step by Step Start in Dolphin Pose, knees bent. Then walk your feet back until your shoulders are directly over the elbows and your torso is parallel to the oor. Press your inner forearms and elbows rmly against the oor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back and spread them away from the spine. Similarly spread your collarbones away from the sternum. Press your front thighs toward the ceiling, but resist your tailbone toward the oor as you lengthen it toward the heels. Lift the base of your skull away from the back of the neck and look straight down at the oor, keeping the throat and eyes soft. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. Then, release your knees to the oor with an exhale.

Full Boat Pose

Paripurna Navasana
(par-ee-POOR-nah nah-VAHS-anna) paripurna = full, entire, complete nava = boat Step by Step Sit on the oor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your hands on the oor a little behind your hips, ngers pointing toward the feet, and strengthen the arms. Lift through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly. As you do this make sure your back doesn't round; continue to lengthen the front of your torso between the pubis and top sternum. Sit on the "tripod" of your two sitting bones and tailbone. Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the oor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to the oor. Lengthen your tailbone into the oor and lift your pubis toward your navel. If possible, slowly straighten your knees, raising the tips of your toes slightly above the level of your eyes. If this isn't possible remain with your knees bent, perhaps lifting the shins parallel to the oor. Stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the oor. Spread the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly out through the ngers. If this isn't possible, keep the hands on the oor beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs. While the lower belly should be rm, it shouldn't get hard and thick. Try to keep the lower belly relatively at. Press the heads of the thigh bones toward the oor to help anchor the pose and lift the top sternum. Breathe easily. Tip the chin slightly toward the sternum so the base of the skull lifts lightly away from the back of the neck.

At rst stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds. Gradually increase the time of your stay to 1 minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation.

Plank Pose

Step by Step Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana. Then inhale and draw your torso forward until the arms are perpendicular to the oor and the shoulders directly over the wrists, torso parallel to the oor. Press your outer arms inward and rm the bases of your index ngers into the oor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then spread them away from the spine. Also spread your collarbones away from the sternum. Press your front thighs up toward the ceiling, but resist your tailbone toward the oor as you lengthen it toward the heels. Lift the base of the skull away from the back of the neck and look straight down at the oor, keeping the throat and eyes soft. Plank Pose is one of the positions in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. You can also perform this pose by itself and stay anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Side-Reclining Leg Lift

Anantasana
Step by Step Lie on the oor on your right. Press actively through your right heel, ex the ankle, and use the outside of the foot to stabilize the position (if you still feel unstable, brace your soles against the wall.) Stretch your right arm straight out along the oor parallel to your torso, so that you create one long line from the heels to your nger tips. Bend your right elbow and support your head in your palm. Slide the elbow away from your torso to stretch the armpit. Externally rotate your left leg so the toes point toward the ceiling, then bend and draw the knee toward your torso. Reach across the inside of the leg and take hold of the left big toe with your index and middle ngers. Secure the grip by wrapping the thumb around the two ngers. (If you're not able to comfortably hold the toe, loop a strap around the sole and hold the strap.) On an inhale, extend the leg up toward the ceiling. The raised leg will likely angle slightly forward, while the top buttock will drop back. Firm the sacrum against the pelvis; this creates a kind of fulcrum that will help you move the leg slightly back toward a perpendicular position. Press actively through both heels. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release the leg, take a few breaths, and roll over onto your left side. Repeat for the same length of time.

Crane Pose

Bakasana
(bahk-AHS-anna) baka = crane Step by Step Squat down from Tadasana with your inner feet a few inches apart. If it isn't possible to keep your heels on the oor, support them on a thickly folded blanket. Separate your knees wider than your hips and lean the torso forward, between the inner thighs. Stretch your arms forward, then bend your elbows, place your hands on the oor and the backs of the upper arms against the shins. Snuggle your inner thighs against the sides of your torso, and your shins into your armpits, and slide the upper arms down as low onto the shins as possible. Lift up onto the balls of your feet and lean forward even more, taking the weight of your torso onto the backs of the upper arms. In Bakasana you consciously attempt to contract your front torso and round your back completely. To help yourself do this, keep your tailbone as close to your heels as possible. With an exhalation, lean forward even more onto the backs of your upper arms, to the point where the balls of your feet leave the oor. Now your torso and legs are balanced on the backs of your upper arms. As a beginner at this pose, you might want to stop here, perched securely on the bent arms. But if you are ready to go further, squeeze the legs against the arms, press the inner hands rmly to the oor and (with an inhalation) straighten the elbows. Seen from the side the arms are angled slightly forward relative to the oor. The inner knees should be glued to the outer arms, high up near the armpits. Keep the head in a neutral position with your eyes looking at the oor, or lift the head slightly, without compressing the back of the neck, and look forward.

Stay in the pose anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute. To release, exhale and slowly lower your feet to the oor, back into a squat.

Dolphin Pose

Step by Step Come onto the oor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your forearms on the oor with your shoulders directly above your wrists. Firmly press your palms together and your forearms into the oor. Curl your toes under, then exhale and lift your knees away from the oor. At rst keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the oor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins. Continue to press the forearms actively into the oor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them away from the spine and draw them toward the tailbone. Hold your head between the upper arms; don't let it hang or press heavily against the oor. You can straighten your knees if you like, but if your upper back rounds it's best to keep them bent. Continue to lengthen your tailbone away from the pelvis and lift the top of your sternum away from the oor. Stay between 30 seconds to one minute. Then release your knees to the oor with an exhale.

Happy Baby Pose

Ananda Balasana
Step by Step Lie on your back. With an exhale, bend your knees into your belly. Inhale, grip the outsides of your feet with your hands (if you have difculty holding the feet directly with your hands, hold onto a belt looped over each sole.) Open your knees slightly wider than your torso, then bring them up toward your armpits. Position each ankle directly over the knee, so your shins are perpendicular to the oor. Flex through the heels. Gently push your feet up into your hands (or the belts) as you pull your hands down to create a resistance. Coax the thighs in toward your torso and down toward the oor as you lengthen the spinerelease your tail bone toward the oor and lengthen the base of your skull away from the back of your neck. Hold the pose steadily for 30 seconds to one minute. Then release the feet back to the oor with an exhale and rest for a few breaths.

Shoulder-Pressing Pose

Bhujapidasana
Step by Step Squat with your feet a little less than shoulder width apart, knees wide. Tilt your torso forward between your inner thighs. Then, keeping your torso low, raise your hips until your thighs become close to parallel to the oor. Snug your upper left arm and shoulder as much as possible under the back of your left thigh just above the knee, and place your left hand on the oor at the outside edge of your left foot, ngers pointing forward. Then repeat on the right. As you do this your upper back will round. Press your inner hands rmly against the oor and slowly begin to rock your weight back, off your feet and onto your hands. As you straighten your arms, your feet will lift lightly off oor, not by raw strength but by carefully shifting your center of gravity. Squeeze your outer arms with your inner thighs, and cross your right ankle over your left ankle. Look straight ahead. Hold for 30 seconds, then bend your elbows and lightly release your feet back to the oor with an exhale. Repeat the pose a second time with the left ankle on top.