• Padmasana (Lotus Pose) is one of the poses which is used for

meditation. It is the most recommended pose for sitting in meditative

poses and Pranayama. At the same time this pose is difficult for most
people to achieve as this requires flexibility in the leg muscles. But with
practice it is possible to remove the stiffness in the legs and sit in
Padmasana. In future I will be writing about preparatory asanas which
removes the stiffness and prepares us for this pose.

gomukhasana

• Brings about the stretching of the ankles, hips, thighs, shoulders, armpits, triceps, and the chest.
• Also increases the flexibility of the arms and the shoulders.
• Improves breathing.

Bhujangasana is very good for strengthening the back muscles and increasing
the flexibility of spine. It also makes the kidneys and adrenal glands stronger. It
stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen; firms the buttocks and
stimulates abdominal organs. It also helps to relieve stress and fatigue and
opens the heart and lungs. With the practice of this pose blood circulation is also
improve throughout the spine and pelvic area.

danurasana

This asana has numerous benefits. It is a combination of two asanas (Bhujangasana - the cobra
pose, in which only the front of the torso is raised, and the Shalabhasana or the
grasshopper asana, in which the legs are raised).

• Strengthens kidneys
• Strengthens back muscles
• Strengthens thigh muscles

Adho mukho savanasana

Energises the body

Calms the mind and induces a state of calm

Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety

Strengthens the digestive system

Strengthens the back muscles, and helps ease backache

Helpful for asthma patients and those with high blood pressure

The true essence of Yoga revolves around elevating the life force or ‘Kundalini’ at the base of the
spine. It aims to achieve this through a series of physical and mental exercises. At the physical
level, the methods comprise various yoga postures or ‘asanas’ that aim to keep the body healthy.
The mental techniques include breathing exercises or ‘pranayama’ and meditation or ‘dhyana’ to
discipline the mind.

The ultimate goal of yoga is, however, to help the individual to transcend the self and attain
enlightenment. As the Bhagavad-Gita says, “A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with
the Self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed
in the Self alone.”

Importance Of Yoga

Yoga is not a religion; it is a way of living whose aim is ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’.

Man is a physical, mental and spiritual being; yoga helps promote a balanced development of all the
three. Other forms of physical exercises, like aerobics, assure only physical well-being. They have
little to do with the development of the spiritual or astral body.