Yoga Pose of the Week: Bharadvaja's Twist

Here's a pose that stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips; Massages the abdominal organs; Relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica; Helps relieve stress; Improves digestion; And strengthens the lower back! Wow!

1) Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Shift over onto your right buttock, bend your knees, and swing your legs to the left. Lay your feet on the floor outside your left hip, with the left ankle resting in the right arch.

2)Inhale and lift through the top of the sternum to lengthen the front torso. Then exhale and twist your torso to the right, keeping the left buttock on or very close to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor to keep the lower back long. Soften the belly.

3)Tuck your left hand under your right knee and bring your right hand to the floor just beside your right buttock. Pull your left shoulder back slightly, pressing your shoulder blades firmly against your back even as you continue to twist the chest to the right.

4)You can turn your head in one of two directions: continue the twist of the torso by turning it to the right; or counter the twist of the torso by turning it left and looking over the left shoulder at your feet.

5)With every inhalation lift a little more through the sternum, using the push of the fingers on the floor to help; with every exhalation twist a little more. Stay for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then release with an exhalation, return to the starting position, and repeat to the left for the same length of time.

I grabbed this pose and description from http://www.yogajournal.com/, check it out for more!

Yoga Pose of the Week! Yoga for Stress Relief!

Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana):

1. Come onto all fours. See that your shoulders are above your wrists and your hips are above your knees. Walk your hands forward a few inches and curl your toes under.

2. As you exhale, move your buttocks halfway back toward your heels. Keep your arms active; don't let your elbows touch the ground.

3. Drop your forehead to the floor or to a blanket and let your neck relax. Keep a slight curve in your lower back. To feel a nice long stretch in your spine, press the hands down and stretch through the arms while pulling your hips back toward your heels.

4. Breathe into your back, feeling the spine lengthen in both directions. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, then release your buttocks down onto your heels.

5. Feel great!

Yoga Pose of the Week! The Lion Pose!

Lion Pose (Simhasana):
Step by Step

1. Kneel on the floor and cross the front of the right ankle over the back of the left. The feet will point out to the sides. Sit back so the perineum snuggles down onto the on the top (right) heel.

2. Press your palms firmly against your knees. Fan the palms and splay your fingers like the sharpened claws of a large feline.

3. Take a deep inhalation through the nose. Then simultaneously open your mouth wide and stretch your tongue out, curling its tip down toward the chin, open your eyes wide, contract the muscles on the front of your throat, and exhale the breath slowly out through your mouth with a distinct "ha" sound. The breath should pass over the back of the throat.

4. Some texts instruct us to set our gaze (drishti) at the spot between the eyebrows. This is called "mid-brow gazing" (bhru-madhya-drishti; bhru = the brow; madhya = middle).Other texts direct the eyes to the tip of the nose (nasa-agra-drishti; nasa = nose; agra = foremost point or part, i.e., tip).

5. You can roar two or three times. Then change the cross of the legs and repeat for the same number of times.

This is a great pose for releasing stress!

Yoga for Headaches Sequence. A short yoga pattern for to relieve Headaches.

HEADACHE SEQUENCE (minimum time 25 minutes, maximum time 45 minutes)

Balasana (Child's Pose)
Perform either with your head on the floor, or with your torso and head supported on a bolster positioned between your thighs. The bolster's long axis should be parallel to your torso. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.)

Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Pose)
Support your head either on a bolster laid across your extended leg, or, if you're less flexible, on the front edge of a padded chair seat. Hold each side for 1 to 3 minutes; total time 2 to 6 minutes.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)
Support your head on a bolster or block. (Total time 1 to 2 minutes.)

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
Place your head and crossed forearms supported on a padded chair seat. (Total time 1 to 3 minutes.)

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)
Support the torso on a rolled blanket underneath and parallel to your spine. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.)

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose)
Support the torso on a bolster, and shoulders and head resting lightly on the floor. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.)

Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
Let the pelvis be support either on a bolster or rolled blanket. (Total time 3 to 5 minutes.) To avoid any possibility of straining your back when exiting, be sure not to twist off the support. Either 1) slide off the support first before turning to your side, or 2) bend your knees, press your feet against the wall, and with an inhalation lift your pelvis off the support; then slide the support off to one side, lower your pelvis to the floor, and turn onto your side.

Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Take normal inhalations but lengthen the exhalations as much as is comfortable for you. If you normally take 5 counts on an exhalation, extend it to 7 or 8 counts if possible. At the end of the first 10 or so exhalations, pause for 2 to 5 seconds before drawing the next inhalation. (Total time 1 to 15 minutes.)

**please contact your health-care professional before beginning any workout routine.****

Build your own yoga sequence from The Yoga Journal here!

Namaste!
Salts