Our Yoga expert, Navodita, tells us about five sitting and twisting poses to tone your belly, fix your digestion and relieve you of some lower back tension. Bharadwaj Asana, named after a seer, helps relieve stress and improves digestion. The Paripurna Nava Asana strengthens the abdomen and spine. It stimulates the kidney, thyroid and prostate glands and intestines, while Gomukha Asana stretches the ankles, thighs, hips, shoulders, armpits, triceps and chest. Ardha Matsyendra Asana stimulates liver, kidneys and pancreas and cures some of the most deadly diseases. Krouncha Asana stretches the hamstrings and stimulates the abdominal organs and heart. Here are the secrets to holistic health, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
It’s time for a rigorous workout to kick start your week with a punch and some adrenalin rush. Yoga gives you the perfect mind and body balance to get you started on a fresh boost to the week. Once again it’s time for some sitting and twisting poses to tone your belly, fix your digestion and relieve you of some lower back tension.
Bharadwaj Asana
Sit straight in Danda Asana. Shift over onto your right buttock, bend your knees and swing your legs to the left. Lay your feet on the floor outside the left hip with the left ankle resting in your right arch. Inhale and lift through the top of the sternum to lengthen the full torso. Then exhale and twist your torso to the right keeping the left buttock firmly placed on the floor. Lengthen your tailbone towards the floor to keep the lower back long. Stretch your belly. Tuck your left hand under the right knee and place your right hand close to the right buttock on the floor. Pull your left shoulder back slightly, pressing your shoulder blades firmly against the back even as you turn your chest to the right. You can turn your head to the right along with the twist of the back. Stay in this pose for about twenty seconds. Repeat this asana to the left for the same time. With each inhalation lift a little more through the sternum and twist with the exhalation.
This asana stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips. It massages the abdominal organs, relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica. It helps relieve stress and improves digestion.
One more asana that works wonders for your belly is the Nava Asana.
Paripurna Nava Asana or Boat Pose
Here you have to lie down on the floor. Exhale and keeping your legs stretched and back straight lift your back and feet off the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor and lift your pubis towards your navel. Keep your knees straight, raising the tips of your toes, slightly above the level of your eyes. Stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. In the beginning stay in the pose for about twenty seconds. Gradually increase the time to about one minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation.
It strengthens the abdomen and spine. It stimulates the kidney, thyroid and prostate glands and intestines.
One more asana that can work wonders in a seated posture is the Gomukha Asana.
Gomukha Asana or Cow Face Pose
Sit straight in Danda Asana. Bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Slide your left foot under the right knee to the outside of your right hip. Then cross your right leg over your left, so that the right knee is stacked up on the left one, and the right foot is slid around the left hip. Inhale and stretch your right arm, rotate your arm inward, then point toward the wall behind you and tuck the arm behind your torso to touch the shoulder. The right elbow is completely facing downward. Now inhale and take your left arm behind your back, left elbow facing the ceiling, take your left hand down to hold the right hand and hook the right and left fingers. The left elbow is completely facing the ceiling. Stay in this pose for about twenty seconds after which you can repeat with the opposite arms and legs.
This stretches the ankles, thighs, hips, shoulders, armpits, triceps and chest.
Now it’s time for some more twisting that can work wonders for your pancreas- the Ardha Matsyendra Asana.
Ardha Matsyendra Asana
Sit straight in Danda Asana. Bend your knees, put your feet on the floor, and then slide your left foot under your right knee to place it close to your right hip. Place the outside of your right leg on the floor across and over your left knee. Step the right foot close to your left hip. The right knee will point directly up to the ceiling. Exhale and twist toward the inside of your right thigh. Press the right hand against the floor just behind your right buttock and set your left upper arm on the outside of your right thigh near the knee. Push the right knee with your left elbow. Lean the upper torso back slightly, against the shoulder blades, and continue to lengthen the tailbone into the floor. Continue turning your head towards the twist of your torso. Stay in this pose for about thirty seconds. Repeat with the opposite legs bent in different ways. With every inhalation twist a little more, lift a little more through the sternum and push your fingers onto the floor.
It stimulates the liver, kidneys and pancreas. It stretches the shoulders, hips and neck. It energizes the spine. It relieves menstrual discomfort, fatigue, sciatica and backache. It is therapeutic for asthma. It increases appetite and cures most deadly diseases.
If you would now like to get into some more forward stretches, Krounch Asana is here for you.
Krouncha Asana or the Heron Pose
Sit in Danda Asana. Bend your left leg into Vir Asana. Firm the shoulder blades against your back to help maintain the lift of the chest. Inhale and raise the other leg diagonally above the floor. Stretch your arms and entwine them around your right foot. Stretch the sternum and touch the front to the knee. Hold this position for about thirty seconds. Exhale and release the stretched leg and repeat with the other leg in Vir Asana.
This pose stretches the hamstrings and stimulates the abdominal organs and heart.
So here was a tough and hard work out for you with some powerful sittings, forward stretches and twisting. Next week we will be back with some more asanas.
©Navodita Pande
Pix from the Net.
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