BIDALASANA (CAT POSE), CHAKRASANA (WHEEL POSE) AND DHANURASANA (BOW POSE)

 

BIDALASANA (CAT POSE)

THIS ASANA TEACHES YOU TO INITIATE MOVEMENTS FROM YOUR CENTRE AND TO COORDINATE YOUR MOVEMENT AND BREATH. THESE ARE TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THEMES IN YOGA ASANA PRACTICES. THE ALIGNMENT OF YOUR CENTRE DEPENDS ON THE POSITIONING OF YOUR PELVIS. THERFORE, THINK OF YOUR HIP POSITIONING AS THE CENTRE OF EACH POSE. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOUR SPINE IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT LINE OF ENERGY IN EVERY POSE AND BECAUSE THE WAY YOUR SPINE SLONGATES FROM YOUR CENTRE DEPENDS SOLELY ON WHICH WAY YOUR PELVIS IS TURNING.

STEPS 

 

 

1. ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES. POSITION YOUR HANDS DIRECTLY BENEATH YOUR SHOULDERS AND YOUR KNEES DIRECTLY BENEATH THE HIPS. HAVE YOUR FINGERS FULLY SPREAD WITH THE MIDDLE FINGERS POINTING STRAIGHT AHEAD. MAKE YOUR BACK HORIZONTAL AND FLAT. GAZE AT THE FLOOR. THIS IS YOUR "NEUTRAL" POSITIONING. WHEN YOUR PELVIS IS IN NEUTRAL, YOUR SPINE WILL BE AT FULL EXTENSION, WITH BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK SIDES EQUALLY LONG.

2. AS YOU WANT FOR THE INNER CUE, DO NOT SAG INTO YOUR SHOULDERS. INSTEAD, CREATE A LINE OF ENERGY THROUGH EACH ARM BY PRESSING DOWNWARD INTO YOUR HANDS AND LIFTING UPWARD OUT OF YOUR SHOULDERS.

GO BACK AND FORTH LIKE THIS SEVERAL TIMES TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE MOVEMENT. AS YOU EXHALE, SAG INTO YOUR SHOULDERS AND DO THE CORRECT ACTION, AS YOU INHALE, LENGTHEN THE ARMS, LIFT OUT OF THE SHOULDERS AND DO THE CORRECT ACTION.

3. WHEN YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN, BREATHE IN DEEPLY. AS YOU EXHALE, TURN YOUR HIPS INTO CAT TILT. DO THIS BY GENTLY PULLING THE ABDOMINAL MUSCLES BACKWARD TOWARDS THE SPINE, TUCKLING THE TAILBONE (COCCYX) DOWN AND UNDER, AND GENTLY CONTRACTING THE BUTTOCKS. PRESS FIRMLY DOWNWARD WITH YOUR HANDS IN ORDER TO STAY LIFTED OUT OF THE SHOULDERS, AND PRESS THE MIDDLE OF YOUR BACK TOWARDS THE CEILING, ROUNDING YOUR SPINE UPWARD. CULL YOUR HEAD INWARD . GAZE AT THE FLOOR BETWEEN YOUR KNEES.

BENEFITS 

DOING THE BIDALASANA BENEFITS YOUR HEALTH BY STIMULATING SPINAL FLUID AND THE DIGESTIVE TRACT, BESIDES IMPROVING CIRCULATION THROUGH THE SPINE AND CORE. IT IS ALSO BENEFICIAL IN MANAGING STRESS.

CHAKRASANA (WHEEL POSE)

THIS ASANA IS SO NAMED BECAUSE THE BODY TAKES THE SHAPE OF A CIRCLE OR SEMI-CIRCLE. THE ASANA IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE GYMNASTIC BACK-BEND. THE POSE IS THE SAME, EXCEPT WHILE DOING A BACK BEND, THE PERSON IS STANDING AND KEEPS BENDING FURTHER BACK TILL HIS PALMS REST ON THE FLOOR WHILE IN THE CHAKRASANA, THE PERSON IS LYING DOWN, AND SLOWLY LIFTS HIS BODY UP. PERSON THIS ASANA IN THE MORNING OR AFTERNOON, NOT IN THE EVENING.

THIS ASANA STRENGTHENS THE POWER OF YOUR LEGS, ARMS AND WRISTS AND MAKES YOUR BACK AND SPINAL COLUMN SUPPLE AND FLEXIBLE. IN THIS EXERCISE THE FRONT PART OF THE BODY IS STRETCHED AND THE BACK SIDE OF THE BODY IS BENT.

STEPS

1. LIE ON YOUR BACK ON YOUR YOGA MAT. PULL IN YOUR LEGS AND PUT YOUR FEET, SOMEWHAT TURNED INSIDE, ON THE MAT. HOWEVER, DO NOT PULL THEM FURTHER APART THAN THE DISTANCE OF ONE HIP END TO THE OTHER.

2. MOVE YOUR HANDS TOWARDS YOUR HEAD AND SPREAD YOUR PALMS ON THE FLOOR BESIDE YOUR HEAD, YOUR FINGERS PLACED TOWARDS YOUR SHOULDERS.

3. LIFT YOUR HIPS, WITH YOUR HEAD STILL ON THE YOGA MAT.

4. KEEP YOUR FEET AND KNEES PARALLEL AS YOU PUSH YOURSELF UP INTIL YOU STAND ON THE GROUND WITH THE CROWN OF YOUR HEAD.

5. STAND ON YOUR FEET AND STRETCH OUT YOUR ARMS UNTIL YOU HAVE ASSUMED THE COMPLETE BRIDGE POSITION. THE ARMS ARE SLIGHTLY BENT INWARDS. LET YOUR HEAD FALL BACKWARDS. THE BENDING IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY STRENGTH FROM YOUR LEGS AND WITH FORCE FROM YOUR ARMS. ASIDE FROM THAT, YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE THE BENDING THROUGH THE ENTIRE BACK AND NOT JUST THROUGH A FEW VERTEBRAE. LOOT AT THE FLOOR, AND EVERY TIME YOU EXHALE, TRY TO BEND THE UPPER BACK FURTHER AND FURTHER. KEEP THE KNEES TOGETHER, STRETCH THE LEGS WITHOUT TIGHTENING THE BUTTOCKS, RELAX THE SHOULDERS AND TRY TO KEEP THE ANGLE OF YOUR WRISTS AND HANDS 90 DEGRESS.

BENEFITS

1. STRENGTHENS THE LIVER, PANCREAS AND KIDNESY.
2. STRENGTHENS THE MUSCLES OF THEHANDS AND FEET.
3. INCREASES ELASTICITY OF THE SPINAL CORD.
4. EXCELLENT FOR THE HEART, AS IT CAUSES THE AORTA TO STRETCH.

DHANURASANA (BOW POSE)

IN SANSKRTI "DHANU" MEANS BOW. IN THE ASANA BODY TAKES THE SHAPE OF BOW, AND THERFORE, IT IS CALLED DHANU. THIS ASANA IS A COMBINATION OF BOTH BHUJANGASANA AND SHALABHASANA AND CAN DELIVER BENEFITS OF BOTH THE ASANAS.

THIS, EXERCISE EXPANDS THE CHEST, MOBILIZES THE ENTIRE SPINAL COLUMN, AND CAN BE A WELCOME CHANGE TO THE USUAL MOVEMENT OF YOUR BODY. THE BOW POSE IS A GOOD EXERCISE TO IMPROVE POSTURE AND STRENGTHEN TEH BACK MUSCLES.

STEPS

 

1. LIE ON YOUR STOMACH, ARMS ON YOUR SIDES, AND PALMS SIDEWORD ADHERED TO THE SIDES OF THIGHS.
2. MOVE YOUR LEGS IN THE 90 DEGREE ANGLE UPWARDS.
3. REACH BACK WITH YOUR ARMS AND GRASP YOUR ANKLES. LET YOUR WEIGHT REST ON YOUR STOMACH AND NOT ON YOUR PELVIS.
4. RAISE YOUR KNEES FURTHER BY PULLING YOUR ANKLES WITH YOUR HANDS. CONTINUE BREATHING REGULARLY AND TRY TO INCREASE THE STRETCHING IN THE CHEST AND THE BACKWARD BEND FOR A RELAX BODY AND MIND.

BENEFITS 

 

 

• THOUGH THIS ASANA IS A COMBINATION OF BOTH BHUJANGASANA AND SHALABHASANA IT DELIVERS BENEFITS OF BOTH AND ASANAS. IT ACTIVATE ALL THE GLANDS OF ENDOCRINE SYSTEM.
• THIS ASANA ALSO HAS GOOD EFFECTS ON PANCREAS ADRENAL, THYROID, PARATHYROID, PITUITARY AND SEX GLANDS LEADING TO NORMAL SECRETION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE HORMONES.
• THIS HAS FAVOURABLE EFFECT ON ENZYME PRODUCING ORGANS, LIVER, PANCREAS, SMALL INTESTINE AND LARGE INTESTINE. AS A RESULT OF THIS THE CONCERNED ORGANS BECOME MORE ACTIVE AND EFFICIENT.
• IT RESTORES FLEXIBILITY TO THE SPINE. REGULAR PRACTICE WILL RELIEVE LOWER BACK PAIN AND RELEASE TENSION AND STRAIN IN THE UPPER BACK AND NECK AREA.
• IT INCREASES BLOOD FLOW IN ABDOMINAL AREA AND AIDS ALL SORTS OF DIGESTIVE DISORDERS AND DISCOMFORT. ALSO THE BLOOD CIRCULATION IN ARMS AND LEGS IN IMPROVED.