7 yoga asanas for good health

Our body is our temple, our mind a sanctum and our spirit is its inhabitant. Yoga is our prayer to ensure that the three of our interconnected elements are nurtured and that they blossom with good health and happiness. In the following article, we shed light on the benefits of performing yoga to attain a healthy body and a composed state of mind. These sophisticated practices that have been detailed below sculpt the body to achieve desired results for all those who bear in mind that health is happiness.

Paschimottanasana

Instructions:

• Sit up straight with your legs stretched out forward.
• Extend your arms up to the sky with your palms facing each other.
• Exhale and bend forward with your lower back placing your upper body over your lower body.
• With your knees kept straight, hold your heels with your palms.
• Try to reduce the gap between your thighs and your stomach and touch your nose to your shin.

Breathing methodology:

• Exhale as you bend forward with your back.

Precautions:

Practitioners with back injuries must avoid this asana.

Benefits:

• Lengthens the spine and makes the back more flexible.
• Helps patients with hypothyroid and hyperthyroid.
• Tones and massages all the abdominal organs and prevents any digestive disorders.
• Stimulates reproductive organs.
• Helps to remove excess flab around the abdomen.

Padahasthasana

Instructions:

• Stand up straight and extend your arms up to the sky with your palms facing each other.
• Exhale, completely empty your stomach of air and bend forward bringing your arms forward and then down parallel to your legs.
• Place your stomach on your thighs, chest and nose towards your knees.
• Place both your palms flat on the floor, beside your feet.
• Make sure that both knees are straight and your elbows slightly bent if possible.
• Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Breathing methodology:

• Inhale when standing straight with your arms stretched upward.
• Exhale completely as you go down.
• Inhale upon release.

Precautions :

• Keep your knees bent initially and slowly straighten them as your flexibility improves. This will prevent any pull to the hamstring.
• Practitioners with back injuries must avoid performing this asana.

Benefits

• There is an increased blood flow to the face and the hair.
• Works as an antioxidant for your skin.
• Strengthens and nourishes your hair to reduce breakage.
• Makes your lower back more flexible and strong.
• It opens up the hamstrings, making them stronger and more flexible.
• It massages all the abdominal organs, leading to improved digestion.
• Tones the stomach.

AdhomukhiSwanasana

Instructions:

• Stand up straight with your hands beside your body.
• Bend your upper body forward and extend your arms to the floor.
• Place your palms down on the floor beside your feet.
• Gently take one leg back , then push the other leg back as well to form a triangular shape with your body.
• Your pelvis is the pivotal point of the triangle and must remain up.
• Ensure that both your heels touch the floor, your back is straight and you are looking at your toes.
• Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Breathing methodology:

• Exhale when you bend forward and straighten your back.
• Breathe normally while holding the posture.

Benefits

• There is an increased blood flow to the hair. This causes the hair to get nourished naturally and reduces breakage.
• Knee hamstrings are stretched and made more flexible.
• Back becomes more flexible
• Strengthens arms and wrists
• Opens up shoulder blades

Santholanasana

Instructions:

• Lie down on your stomach.
• Place your palms beside your chest with your elbows pointing upward.
• Tilt your feet and bring your toes onto the floor with your heels facing upward.
• Exert pressure on the floor with your palms and propel your body upward in such a manner that your upper body and lower body form one straight line.
• Your arms make a 90-degree angle with the ground while you face forward.
• Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Breathing methodology:

• Inhale when you lift your body up.
• Breathe normally when you hold the posture.

Benefits:

• Strengthens wrists, arms and core muscles.
• Improves digestion.

Bhujangasana

Instructions:

• Lie down on your stomach with your legs outstretched and beside each other.
• Place your palms beside your chest on either side with your elbows pointing upward.
• Support the weight of your upper body on your palms and lift your chest off the floor while your navel remains on the ground .
• Open up your shoulders, arch your back and face upward.
• Keep your elbows slightly bent.
• Ensure that your legs and lower abdomen touch the floor.
• Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Breathing methodology:

• Inhale as you lift your chest up.

Precautions:

• Practitioners with chronic lower back pain must avoid performing this asana.

Benefits:

• Stretches your upper and lower back making it more flexible and strong.
• Strengthens the shoulders and arms.
• Improves circulation in the back region and tones the spinal nerves. It also tones the reproductive organs and stimulates digestion.
• Increases the lung’s capacity to breathe.

Ashtanga Pranamasana

• Lie down on your stomach, with your palms beside your chest and elbows pointing upward.
• Lift up your body with the support of your palms and toes and remain parallel to the floor.
• Now, place your knees down and your chest in between your palms such that your pelvis remains without touching the ground.
• Point your bent elbows to the sky.
• Ensure that your thighs, pelvis and stomach do not touch the floor.
• The chest and palms should be in one line.
• In this asana , both the toes, knees, hands, chest and chin touch the floor.
• Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Breathing methodology:

• Hold your exhaled breath as you drop your knees and assume the posture.

Benefits:

• Flexes the lower back, neck and shoulder
• This pose strengthens the legs and arm muscles and exercises the region of the spine between the shoulder blades.

AshwaSanchalan asana

Instructions:

• Stand up straight with your hands beside your body.
• Bend your upper body forward and place your palms on the floor.
• Inhale, bend your knees, look forward and gently move your left leg back.
• Place your left knee down and point your toes outward.
• Place your palms flat on the floor with your elbows straight.
• Ensure that the right leg is in between your elbows and bent 90 degrees at the knee such that the lower leg is perpendicular to the ground helping your hands support your body weight.
• Hold the posture for 30 seconds.

Breathing methodology:

• Inhale as you push your right leg back and look up.

Benefits:

• Stretches the upper thighs, thus improving their flexibility.
• Therapeutic for indigestion, constipation and sciatica.
• Strengthens the knees and ankles.
• Massages the abdomen and improves its functioning.
• Opens the groin and psoas muscles.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)