- Utkatasana – Chair Posture
From standing pose, let the arms separate to shoulder width and reach up to the sky. Inhale, squeeze in your pelvic floor and then exhale and sit back into chair posture.
You don’e have to go too far back to start off. Press the bottoms of your feet into the floor to ease pressure on your back.
If you find it awkward to balance take two chairs and hold onto the backs of them at either side. Hold this for five breaths and then use your pelvic floor to push up to standing. Well done!
So here are the marvellous benefits of this!
Benefits
Relieves back pain and regenerates discs in the spine.
Takes pressure off the lower spine.
Strengthens bones and staves off bone degeneration.
Strengthen ankles, knees and thighs.
– treat yourself with compassion and no judgement…
2. Tree Vrkasana
From standing, bring all your body weight onto your left foot. Lift up the toes and spread them wide, pressing down into all four corners of the feet. Pull up on the calf, knee and thigh, engaging the entire standing leg. Your core, pelvic floor and stomach muscles are all engaged. Reach right up to the ceiling.
Lift the right foot up into the place where the hip meets the thigh. If you can’t reach that high then place the foot at knee height or lower.
If this is stretch too far for you today, then place at the ankle or calf or the standing leg.
Keep the gaze on any fixed point. The body is upright. Hold for 5-20 breaths.
Bring the hands to prayer at the chest and breathe.
This is what it’s supposed to do! (supposed!)
Benefits
Very good for memory. Balances the left and right sides of the brain.
Ideally do this every day, for example when brushing your teeth.
Alleviates knee pain.
Strengthens the hips and thighs.
Held leg posture
Dhanurasana – Bow Pulling Posture
3. So this looks a tough posture and to get to this takes a lot of practise! Use a strap or belt to start with this and then only hold for one or two breaths…..Build up to 20 breaths.
Lying on the belly, bend the knees and hold the feet with the hands. Reach back and take hold of the ankles, or if you can’t take the ankles bring the hands to the outside of the thighs or knees, the arms and hands are outside of the feet and the wrists are inline with the arms. The shoulders are moving down the body not drawing up. Lift up the head and look up to the space between the eyebrows. Breathe for five deep breaths…
Complete with the next posture swan pose with the arms outstretched….. to stretch out the back.
And here are the benefits!
Benefits
Massages the abdominal and digestive organs, strengthening the legs.
Creates flexibility and strengthen in the lower back.
Opens the chest and the shoulders.
Creates a powerful massage and opening for the glandular system.
4. Balasana – Child’s Pose
From swan then bring them arms behind you and tuck the toes flat… bring the big toes together and then bring the knees apart. Take an inhale and bring the arms up to the ceiling and then reach forward with the arms, bringing the hands down to the mat and start walking the hands in front of you. See how far your hands can reach. And then relax into the posture. Let your lower back lengthen and your tailbone relax towards the floor. Lift the base or your skull away from the back of the neck. Turn the palms up to the ceiling, backs of the hands to the mat, then release back towards the mat.
Wonderful benefits for this one…
Benefits
Beautiful spine stretch, healthy spine, healthy body.
Calms the brain and removes stress and fatigue.
Can alleviate back and neck pain.
Modifications
If you have difficulty sitting on your heels, you could place a thickly folded blanket between your back thighs and calves.
6. Savasana – Corpse Pose
Lie down with arms out to the sides of the body, palms facing up to the ceiling. Tuck the chin in slightly and lengthen the back of the neck. The most important posture of all, try and take at least five minutes lying here, watching the breath, extending the space between the inhale and the exhale. Allowing the mind to enter meditation.
Benefits
Total chill out of the whole body!
So there are your five, go try them!
Namaste!
Our little town of Harrogate, possibly over the past three years has been besieged by cycling. It’s everywhere, the fastest men in lycra racing around town on Giant bikes, women donning 
Muladhara Warm Up and then carry on to Kriya 1, Kriya 2 and Wahe Guru. Cut and paste what you can fit it into your life, comment here with me if you want.
