Essential Asanas – A Brief Introduction
Hope you enjoy my little slideshow and if you love to get a more detailed description for the asanas and like to learn also about benefits, adaptations, variations and contra indications check out this page on my website.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Mountain Pose / Tadasana / Samasthiti Mountain Pose is a basic standing pose establishing a sense of poise for creating contemplation on being centered and grounded while slowing and modulating your breathing. Do not be tempted to rush through the pose, instead take time to relax remain still and breathe evenly, receiving the full benefits of the pose.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Warrior II/Virabhadrasa na II – More advanced version of Warrior I focusing more on the hips and groin and increasing strength and stamina, improving balance.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Chair Pose/Utkatasana – Chair Pose is a standing pose that strengthens your lower body and torso. This pose also stretches your shoulders and opens your chest.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Triangle/Trikonasana – Translated as raised triangle. Stretching the sides of the spine, back of the legs and the hips. Also stretching the muscles between your ribs, the intercostals, which open the chest and improves breathing capacity.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Standing Forward Bend/Uttanasana
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Half-Moon/Ardha Chandrasana – An advance standing balance pose that stretches the body in several directions at once – through the crown of the head and arms to improve balance and coordination. Ideal for those feeling the stresses and stains after a difficult day and releasing of feeling of anxiety. A natural progression from Triangle Pose.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Warrior I/Virabhadrasana I – Warrior I Pose is a standing posture to ground and center the body, giving rise to emotional and mental balancing. It opens the hips, tones the legs, ankles and improves balance. Named after the mythic warrior Virabhadra, Warrior I promotes a feeling of inner strength and fearlessness, also translated as “auspicious hero”.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Boat/Navasana – Seated Boat Pose strengthens your abdomen, lower back and hips, while stretching the back of your legs. Strengthening your abdominal muscles can help protect your lower back and spine. This pose is also beneficial for improving your balance. Despite the effort and many actions involved, finding stability in this posture can hep calm and align your body, mind and emotions. Good pose for developing overall stamina.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Bridge/Setu Bandhasana – Bridge is a basic back bend that opens the chest and strengthens the back, also increasing the flexibility of the spine while strengthening the neck, abdomen and thighs. This pose can help energize the body which makes it a good warm up.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Cat and Cow/ Cakravakasana – Improves the flexibility of the spine and circulation in the torso. While stretching the shoulders, back and hips. Can be used as a warm-up pose or after more strenuous poses to help release tension in the body.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Child’s Pose/Balansana – Child’s pose is a seated forward bend that stretches and releases your spine and lower back. You can use this pose as a warm-up pose, a resting pose or a counter pose after a back bend. Often referred to as the pose ‘of courage’ it is suggested to go here at any time during a yoga practice if and when your body is saying, time-out or I need a rest.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Cobra to Upward-Facing Dog/Bhujangasana to UrdhvaMukhaSvanasana – Develops strength and flexibility in your spine and back with an emphasis on lower back. Acts as a counter balance as we have a tendency to bend forward more in daily life.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Energy Freeing Pose + Twist/Apanasana+Jathara Parivartanasana – Stretches and releases the spine, lower back and hips. Often used as a warm up pose.Do not underestimate the value of this simple pose. Have patience, do slowly, hold long and use variation for optimal benefits.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Half-Locust II-Asymmetrical/Ardha Salabhasana – Locust Pose is beneficial for strengthening your legs and back with an emphasis on strengthening your lower back. Believed also that it tones the entire backside of the body. Can often relieve nerve strains as sciatica if the source is an anterior nerve root compression, symptoms often exaggerated by forward bending which adds further compression.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Downward-Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana – A wonderful warm up pose to be done before or between asana, from the chair to the mat and many places in between. A version for each and every student meeting them exactly where they are on each day of their practice.
-
- Image©Rolf Goellnitz – RoxAnn Madera – Balancing Cat-Ruddy Goose-Sunbird/Cakravakasana An energizing pose that improves your balance and strengthens your entire body, stretching the arms and legs and aligning the spine.
Important disclaimer:
“The yoga therapy components of my [instruction or practice] are based on the credentials earned as Graduate of Yoga Therapy RX at Loyola Marymount University and Yoga Therapy Clinical Practicum at Healing Yoga Institute, not derived from my status as an RYT ®with Yoga Alliance Registry.”
The news, suggestions, information, exercises and other offers or items on this website are intended for informational purposes only. Not all exercise is suitable for everyone. To reduce the risk of injury, please consult your Doctor before engaging in any physical and/or therapeutic exercise program. Nothing is intended to be a substitute for professional medical care.
YogaTherapyALaCarte 
You must be logged in to post a comment.