PARIPURNA NAVASANA, PARIVRATTA PARSVAKONASANA AND PASCHIMOTTANASANA

PARIPURNA NAVASANA

FULL BOAT POSE

THIS ASANA STRENGTHENS THE BELLY MUSCLES, THE LEGS AND THE LOWER BACK. IT IS ALSO BENEFICIAL TO THOSE SUFFERING FROM KIDNEY, THYROID, PROSTRATE AND INTESTINE PROBLEMS. THIS ASANA IS A GREAT STRESS RELIEVER AND ALSO IMPROVES DIGESTION.

STEPS

SIT DOWN WITH YOUR PALMS ON THE FLOOR. PULL IN YOUR LEGS AND GRAB YOUR UPPER LEGS ON THE BACK SIDE BELOW THE KNEES. TILT YOUR UPPER BODY BACKWARD SO THAT YOUR LOWER BACK CARRIES YOUR WEIGHT AND THE ENTIRE UPPER BACK IS ALIGNED IN A STRAIGHT PERPENDICULAR LINE.
SLIGHTLY PULL YOUR LEGS WITH YOUR ARMS TO MAINTAIN THE POSTURE.
EXTEND YOUR ARMS FORWARD AND PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR.
STRETCH YOUR LEGS AND FEET TOGETHER. SEE IT THAT YOUR BACK REMAINS STRAIGHT. WHEN YOU FIND THE POSITION EASY, YOU CAN REDUCE THE STRETCHING POWER OF YOUR ARMS WITHOUT CHANGING THE POSITION. EVENTUALLY BRING YOUR ARMS ALONG THE BODY PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR AND FOCUS ON A PARTICULAR SPOT FOR YOUR BALANCE. QUIETLY BREATHE IN AND OUT THROUGH YOUR BELLY AND TRY TO MAINTAIN YOUR RELAXATION DURING YOUR EFFORTS.

BENEFITS

THIS ASANA REMOVES TENSION FROM THE NECK AND THE SIDE MUSCLES AND OPENS UP THE CHEST AND EXPANDS IT.
TONES THE HIPS AND THE BUTTOCKS.
THIS ASANA REDUCES EXCESS FAT IN THE ABDOMEN, WAIST AND HIPS AND MASSAGES THAT AREA OF THE FLANK WHERE FAT ACCUMULATES.

PARIVRATTA PARSVAKONASANA

REVOLVED SIDE ANGLE POSE

IN SANSKRIT, "PARIVRATTA" MEANS TO REVOLVE OR TO TURN ROUND, "PARSVA" IS THE SIDE OR FLANK. "KONA" MEANS ANGLE. THIS STANDING POSE IS AN INTENSE TWIST. FOR MANY PEOPLE, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT BASIC STANDING POSES. FOCUS, PRESENCE OF MIND, GOOD BALANCE AND FLEXIBLITY ARE REQUIRED AND "THUS" DEVELOPED BY PRACTISING THIS POSTURE.

THE COMBINATION OF STRETCHING AND TWISTING IN THIS ASANA MAKES THE SPINAL COLUMN STRAIGHTER AND FREER. IT ALSO MOBILIZES PARTS OF THE BACK AND THE BIP, WHICH IN DAILY LIFE DO NOT MOVE A LOT. THE TWISTING MOTION TRAINS THE NERVES AND THE SINEWS IN THE SPINAL COLUMN AND IMPROVES DIGESTION.

STEPS

TO START OFF, PUT YOUR RIGHT FOOT FORWARD, BEND YOUR KNEE AT 90 DEGREE, AND KNEEL WITH YOUR LEFT KNEE.
BRING YOUR LEFT ELBOW OR LEFT UPPER ARM YOUR RIGHT KNEE. MOVE YOUR RIGHT HAND CLOSE TO YOUR HIPS.
PLACE BOTH PALMS IN THE PRAYER POSITION. MAKE A UPWARD MOTION OUT OF THE LOWER BACK, SO THAT THE ELBOW SLIGHTLY PRESSES UPWARD AGAINST YOUR RIGHT KNEE AND YOU NO LONGER LEAN ON YOUR LEG.
PUT SOME COUNTER PRESSURE WITH YOUR ARM AGAINST THE KNEE, STRETCH YOUR BACK, MOVE YOUR SHOULDER BLADES BACKWARDS, AND TURN TO THE RIGHT WITH YOUR UPPER BODY. STRAIGHTEN YOUR LEFT LEG BACKWARDS.
PUT YOUR LEFT HAND ON THE FLOOR AND ALIGN YOUR RIGHT ARM WITH YOUR LEFT LEG. AT THIS POINT, YOUR RIGHT ARM AND LEFT LEG SHOULD FORM A DIAGONAL LINE. TRY TO STRETCH YOUR NECK, BREATHE TOWARDS THE BREAST BONE AND TWIST FROM THE LOWER SHOULDER BLADE WHICH STEERS ON THE TWIST. REPEAT THE EXERCISE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

BENEFITS

STRENGTHENS AND STRETCHES THE LEGS, AND ANKLES, GROIN MUSCLES, SPINE, CHEST AND DIAPHRAGM, AND SHOULDERS.
BRINGS FRESH CIRCULATION OF BLOOD TO YOUR ABDOMINAL ORGANS.
CHARGES THE CELLS, ESPECIALLY IN YOUR ABDOMEN, WITH NEW OXYGEN AND NUTRIENTS.
INCREASES BALANCE.
SQUEEZES OUT BODY TOXINS WITH THE TWISTING ACTION.
CREATES HEALTHY SPINAL FLEXIBLITY.
THE POSE MAY HELP THOSE WITH CONSTIPATION, BACKACHE, OSTEOPOROSIS AND SCIATICA.

PASCHIMOTTANASANA

SEATED FORWARD BEND

IN SANSKRIT "PASCHIM" MEANS BACK AND "UTHAN" MEANS STRETCH. IT IS A SIMPLE YET POWERFUL POSITION TO PRACTICE. THE ORIGINAL POSTURE IS STRENUOUS, BUT BEGINNERS CAN TRY OUT AN EASIER VERSION WHICH IS EXPLAINED BELOW. THIS ASANA CAN BE PERFECTED ONLY AFTER A WEEK OF PRACTICE.

THIS ASANA GIVES A COMPLETE STRETCHING TO THE NECK, THE BACK, THE HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES. AT THE SAME TIME, IT DIRECTS YOUR ATTENTION INWARD. YOU STIMULATE THE ENTIRE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND LEARN TO FIND STILLNESS AND RELAXATION DURING A PERIOD OF EFFORT OR EVEN DISCOMFORT, WHEN DOING THIS STRETCHING EXERCISE.

STEPS

SIT DOWN WITH YOUR LEGS STRETCHED. THE LEGS LIE SIDE BY SIDE AND TO TOES POINT UPWARDS. STRETCH YOUR LOWER BACK AND RAISE YOUR ARMS. LOOK FORWARD, LENGTHEN YOUR BACK, AND KEEP THE CHEST AND YOUR BREATHING FREE.
SLOWLY BEND FORWARD, STRETCH YOUR CROWN UPWARD AND TRY NOT TO LOSE THE SUPPORTING DYNAMISM OF THE LOWER BACK. SEE IT IT THAT YOUR LEG DO NOT MOVE OR TILT UP.
THE MOMENT YOU NOTICE THAT YOU CAN ONLY BEND FURTHER BY BENDING THE LOWER BACK, MOVE YOUR HANDS TO YOUR LOWER LEGS, ANKLES OR FEET. LIGHTLY PULL YOUR LEGS, ANKLES OR FEET AND CONTINUE STRETCHING.

KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS DOWN. BREATHE IN DEEPLY AND OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF YOUR SPINAL COLUMN AND IN A RELAXED WAY. EVERTYTIME YOU EXHALE, YOU SHOULD BEND FURTHER TOWARDS YOUR LEGS WITHOUT LOSING THE LENGTH IN YOUR BACK AND THE DYNAMISM IN THE LOWER BACK. WHEN YOU LOSE THE DYNAMISM IN THE LOWER BACK, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT YOU LOSE A MAJOR PART OF THE STRETCHING AND YOU WILL HAVE A HARD TIME BREATHING.

4. STRETCH OUT YOUR ARMS FORARD.

5.SLOWLY RAISE YOUR UPPER BODY. KEEP YOUR LEGS LYING SIDE BY SIDE AND THE TOES POINTING UPWARDS.

6. SIT STRAIGHT UP AGAIN, JUST LIKE YOUR ORIGINAL POSITION.

BENEFITS

PASCHIMOTTANASANA IS A FIRE STRETCHING EXERCISE FOR THE BACK OF THE WHOLE BODY, FROM THE HEELS TO THE TOP OF THE SPINE. IN ONE CONTINUOUS MOVEMENT, ALMOST ALL THE POSTERIOR MUSCLES OF THE BODY, PARTICULARLY THE HAMSTRING MUSCLES AT THE BACK OF THE THIGHS AND THE MUSCLES OF THE SMALL OF THE BACK, ARE FULLY STRETCHED AND RELAXED. THE MUSCLES OF THE NECK, CHEST, SHOULDERS, THE SPINAL COLUMN, HIPS AND THE RECTI ARE ALSO BROUGHT INTO PAY.
THIS ASANA STRETCHES THE SPINE TO ITS MAXIMUM LENGTH, WHICH MAKES IT SUPPLE AND FLEXIBLE.
THE ASANA STRETCHES THE RIBCAGE AND ITS IRREGULAR PRACTICE WILL EXPAND THE LUNGS MORE.
THE PRACTICE OF THIS ASANA IMPROVES DIGESTION AND THE PERISTALTIC ACTION OF THE BOWELS.
THE JOINTS OF THE ARMS, SHOULDERS, LEGS, KNEES, ANKLES NAD HIPS BECOME MORE ELASTIC.
IT IS A GOOD REMEDY FOR CONSTIPATION, DYSPEPSIA, FLATULENCE, BELCHING, HICCOUGHS AND DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES.