For all those of you aspiring to master the art of stretching and finding your inner peace, here is a little something. You don’t have to be a passionate yogi to reap the benefits of doing yoga. All you ought to do is include it in your daily routine. Twelve of our certified yoga coaches talk about their favourite yoga poses and how they benefit your body.
Read on and see if any of your favourite poses are mentioned below!
Abhilasha’s Pick – Camatkarasan (The Wild Thing)
This pose opens up the whole body. It makes me feel very confident, strong as well as graceful. This pose is very liberating and allows my qualities to flourish, bringing out the best in me. The Camatkarasan has the ability to strengthen one’s inner mechanism, thus being christened as ‘The Wild Thing’ in English. According to me, accepting and strengthening your original self is the best form of yoga one can practice.
The benefit that this pose offers is that it makes use of the whole body, thus making use of it in all its entirety. It cultivates willpower, confidence and self-reliance in the person who practices it regularly.
Chaitanya’s Pick – Urdhva Padmasana in Shirshasana (Headstand Variation)
My personal favourite, the Urdhva Padmasana in Shirshasana, is the one pose that strikes the balance between strength and flexibility. Getting into this pose is worth the effort and practice, since it leaves you in the mode of relaxation, yet fully alert.
The King of asanas, the Shirshasana strengthens your core while building your respiratory system. It also helps cure and prevent eye and ear ailments along with expanding horizons. It also improves memory and concentration. Padamasana coupled with this improves mobility and flexibility in the hips and knees.
Anshu’s Pick – Ustrasana (The Camel Pose)
I love backbends. Back bends are excellent mood elevators and also keep your spine supple- after all you are as young as your spine, they say! The horizontal and vertical planes in this pose are challenging to maintain, calling for your glutes to be kept tight, thus releasing immense energy! This pose opens up your chest elevating the sternum to the sky, leaving your spine feeling light as a feather!
If you are trying to correct your posture in terms of drooping shoulders or a hunched back, this is the pose you should be performing. All in all practising the Ustrasana does good to your entire back.
Sridhar’s Pick – Vrikshasana (The Tree Pose)
Being symbolic of having more patience, the Vrikshasana helps you stand firm in times of change. Just like how a tree grows from within, the journey towards transformation for every soul takes place from within.
The Vrikshasana helps improve balance and stability in the legs, while helping one achieve balance in other aspects of life. As a result of its weight-bearing nature, practicing this pose will help strengthen the bones of the hips and legs. Practicing the Vrikshasana also helps build your self confidence and esteem like an old tree that stands tall through the storm.
Shamlee’s Pick – Purna Natraj Asana
Natarajasana the Lord of the dance, has been my favourite asana ever since I started my journey with Yoga. This asana helps me improve my back bend and concentration, leaving me feeling good and refreshed. This pose doesn’t require much space and can be practiced anywhere and at anytime, and I mean it, I perform this pose even while traveling or trekking for that matter!
The benefits of this pose include strengthening your hips, legs, ankles and chest. It helps you shed those unwanted pounds! Practicing this pose will also help you improve your posture, balance, digestive system as well as concentration, thus taking you to zen mode as your body releases stress and your mind is in a state of calm.
Shambhavi Rajni’s Pick – Padmasana
Padmasana among the many different asanas in yoga is my favourite. Apart from being simple and easy to do, this pose doubles up as a good workout and is good for your mind and breathing. It is also known to condition your body and core while improving your flexibility. This is a very simple asana and can be performed by men and women of all ages.
This basic pose has a number of benefits as listed below.
- Padmasana preserves the vital fluids of the body, thus preventing abdominal diseases and female afflictions connected with the reproductive organs.
- Practice this pose and bring your mind to a state of peace, solitude and longevity.
- Padmasana also helps you develop a healthy appetite while relaxing your body.
- Being the base of all asanas, it helps strengthen the hips, eliminates knee joints in female practitioners and stretches out the knees and ankles.
- Practice this pose to tone your hips and thighs!
Kavana’s Pick – Dhanurasana
The more we stretch, the more flexible we become. Dhanurasana or the bow pose is a symbol of the sacred weapon used by Lord Rama and Arjuna. The arrow hitting its target solely depends on how carefully the bow is arched. Similarly the more precise we are in performing this asana, the more flexible our body becomes.
Performing this asana maintains the elasticity of your spine, while toning the abdominal organs. It opens up the chest, neck and shoulders while stretching the muscles of the legs and arms. It also works as a stress reliever and helps improve concentration.
Sumeet’s Pick – Samakonasana
The greats have said in the past that “a person who dances well can walk easily”, but I believe that “a person who can do this challenging pose well can do all the physical activities that involve gross motor movements effortlessly”.
The Samakonasana is great when it comes to improving blood circulation to the abdomen and reproductive organs. While it stretches and straightens the spine to improve posture, it also opens up the hip and groin muscles.
Jitendra’s Pick – Ardha Chandrasana
The Ardha Chandrasana is my personal favourite. I often practice this pose after my session at the gym, this helps strengthen my entire body and also stretches out the neck, chest and thighs.
This pose limbers and strengthens the entire skeletal structure. It relieves you of respiratory ailments including the common colds and throat infections.
Dr. Helen’s Pick – Trikonasana
This pose is at the top of my list. The reason being, it can be performed at any time and place. The biggest advantage of this pose is that it is an excellent fat burner and is good for those suffering from back pain. The triangle pose also helps expand your chest and shoulders.
Tanya’s Pick – Yoga Mudra Asana
After a stressful day at work, getting into the Yoga Mudra Asana instantly fill you up with energy, leaving you refreshed. What makes this asana my favourite is the fact that just holding this posture for a few breath counts, rids me of all my physical stress and agility while immensely calming my mind.
Yoga Mudra Asana is known as the most well packed pill for complete health and well being. In the basket of its enormous benefits, you will find that it improves memory and spine flexibility, while ridding you of stress. It also has the ability to improve blood circulation and digestion, as well as cure skin ailments.
Swapna’s Pick – Tiryaka Tadasana
The practice of this asana coupled with 1-2 glasses of warm water triggers bowel movements. Regular practice helps to stretch the digestive system, while toning the sides from the wrist to the waist when holding the pose for 15-20 secs, each side for 4 rounds. This asana also helps build the postural muscles and improves circulation of spinal nerves.
I start my day with this stretching asana, since it serves as a warm up, opening up the shoulders, arms and neck joints.
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