Basic Yoga Poses and Their Variations

1. THE COBRA

Try this in easy stages. Lay down, face prone, legs closely together and stretched backwards, your forehead on the floor. Place your hands, palm down, slightly below the shoulders. Breathe in and elevate the head, pushing your neck backwards, now use the hands to press the trunk up right up until you are bending in a beautiful arc from your lower spine to the rear of your neck. You need move no further than this. Nevertheless, if you are flexible enough, you can now straighten your arms completely, fold the legs within the knees and drop your head back to touch the feet. Even though the head goes nowhere near the feet, drop it back as far as possible and hold the pose with yoga breathing. Come from the pose very slowly, coming back to the face prone posture. Loosen up with your head to one side. Do it again.

2. THE BOW

This is a serious version of the basic bow. It's amazing how many kids can perform it immediately. Get it, once again, in simple stages. Lie face prone on the mat. If you're very slim use a good heavy, padded mat with this one. Breathe in and fold your knees up. Reach back with your arms and catch hold of your ankles, trying to keep fingers and thumbs all with each other on the outside. Breathe in and simultaneously elevate the head and chest, pulling at your ankles and raising knees and thighs from the ground. Breathe normally, seeking to kick your legs higher and lifting your head up. You are right now curved like a bow, controlling the load of your body on the abdomen. You can stop right here but if you're able to nevertheless extend further, then glide your hands down your legs, raise these higher, keep your knees with each other and pull back as much as you can. Hold for some normal deep breaths, then relax back to the face-prone position, head to one side.

3. THE SHOOTING BOW

In Sanskrit this is known as Akarna Dhanurasana and one leg is used like a shooting bow. Sit down with the two legs extended in front and back straight. Reach forward using both of your hands and hold your feet, catching the right foot using the left hand and the left foot with the right hand. Inhale, fold the left knee and draw the foot across the body, near to your chest, pointing the elbow upwards and turning your body slightly to the right. The left hand keeps firm and tight, having the right foot. Keep pose with normal breathing, release slowly, and relax. Repeat on other side. At first it is sufficient to keep the bent left leg with the right hand. As soon as this is effortless, stretch downward and keep the left foot with the right hand. Continue to pull on the left foot, raising it higher on every exhalation.

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