DIFFICULT POSTURES IN YOGA

Articles In This Section:

· BASICS OF ASANAS

· SETTING A TIME FOR YOGA

· %DEATH POSE IN YOGA

· RAISED LEGS POSTURE IN YOGA

· SIMPLE POSE IN YOGA

· PERFECT POSE IN YOGA

· BUDDHA POSE IN YOGA

· DIFFICULT POSTURES IN YOGA

· REVERSE POSTURE IN YOGA

· SUPINE POSE IN YOGA

· SHOULDER STAND IN YOGA

· ENTIRE BODY STRETCH IN YOGA

· STANDING POSITION IN YOGA

· STOMACH LIFT IN YOGA

· ABDOMINAL EXERCISE IN YOGA

· ARDJA-MATSYENDRASANA POSE IN YOGA

· TWISTING POSTURE POSE IN YOGA

· BOIV POSTURE IN YOGA

· COBRA POSE IN YOGA

· POSTERIOR STRETCH IN YOGA

· PLOUGH POSE IN YOGA

· HALASANA POSE IN YOGA

· HEADSTAND FOR YOGA GETTING READY

· NEXT STEP IN THE HEADSTAND POSE FOR YOGA

· HEADSTAND POSE FOR YOGA

· FINAL STEP FOR THE HEADSTAND POSE IN YOGA

Place the sole of your left foot against the right thigh, then begin a bouncing up-and-down movement with your left knee. You will find that the moment you push the knee down to the floor it will bounce up again like rubber—this is true even of the Simple Pose—and the bouncing routine helps stretch and Umber unused tendons and ligaments. Bounce first one knee, then the other.

Therapeutic Value: The Lotus Pose, which symbolizes mental purity and a completely developed consciousness, is said to free the mind of temptations and lower physical instincts. Its perfect symmetry gives the body inner harmony, preserves the equilibrium of our positive and negative currents and increases the effect of our breathing exercises. Creative energy is said to waken like a great river dammed up so that its rising waters may be harnessed. Its immediate physical benefits are to keep the joints flexible and to promote good posture.

Perhaps you are wondering why such difficult postures as the last three are recommended for concentration, since it would seem that in order simply to concentrate one might just as well lie down and relax. Actually, this is not the case. Experience has shown that if one lies down to concentrate or meditate, it is all too easy to day-dream, drowse or even fall asleep. Standing positions, on the other hand, make it impossible to relax sufficiently for the mind to be completely free to devote itself to meditation. Over the centuries Yogis have found that the sitting posture is infinitely the superior one, and so have adopted it.