Sit up - For beginners

From where you are in Dead Man Pose, raise your arms up over your head simultaneously inhaling, and sit up, keeping legs straight and heels on the floor. Use the force of throwing your arms toward your toes to help you sit up. Just before you reach the upright position, start exhalation and dive forward, reaching for your toes, which are flexed back toward you. Grasp them, laying your whole body and face out flat on your legs or at least touching your forehead to your knees. Touch the floor on either side of your legs with elbows.

Some people at first can find no way in the world, no matter how hard they try, to sit up - as though something big and fat is sitting on their chest. Others can do it, but their feet bounce two feet into the air as they do so (This is all right. You can even lift the feet farther and use their downward thrust to sit you up if you are having a great deal of trouble). Others can sit up keeping the feet firmly on the ground, then can't grasp their toes, much less touch even the forehead to the knees.

Do not let your particular state of unfitness discourage you! Give each sit-up your honest effort and in two months maximum you will do it exactly as we described.

Read more about this poses benefits, pictures, video and tips from HERE

Drawings and info from "Bikram´s Beginning Yoga Class " Book, 1978.

Pavanamuktasana - Wind Removing Pose - For Beginners

As a beginner, you'll find it easier to do is you move the leg a little bit outside of the body before pulling down to the chest. Don't be surprised, of course, if you can get the knee nowhere near the chest at first. Just pull as hard as you can, while concentrating upon relaxing, letting everything go, in the right hip joint. When you really try, there is fast progress in this pose. (If you don't feel the pull in your hip joint, you aren't really trying.)

It is essential to keep the calf of the left leg touching the floor. If it gives you difficulty, flex the toes up toward you; the calf will then touch.

Those of you who can get the leg down to the chest should use a more advanced grip. Instead of interlacing fingers, catch the raised right knee in the crook of the right arm,raise the left arm and grasp the opposite elbows, keeping them square, as though they were holding both knees. With shoulders on the floor, pull straight down toward your chest.

As in many of the other poses, you'll probably find more flexibility in the knee and hip joint on one side than on the other. So, keep urging the less flexible side by pulling harder, but with a slow, steady pressure.

If you are unable to get the legs far enough down toward the chest to grasp opposite elbows, then grasp forearms, wrists, fingers, a skyhook, or anything you can manage.

As you now see that all three sections of this pose are a bit like rubbing your stomach clockwise with one hand, patting your head with the other, while wiggling your ears. You have three separate and opposing things to think about  - pulling down on the knees with all your might, keeping the chin tucked firmly down onto the chest, and either keeping the calf of the leg touching the floor or lowering the tailbone to the floor. While working on one task, you invariably forget the others.

A deceptive pose, indeed. It looks so simple, yet requires concentration and effort. Just keep in mind your two main goals: to open up your stiff hip joints and to push every single vertebra into the floor.You should feel a pull in your hip joints while you are doing the pose. But you may also feel the real effects when you release and lower your legs to the towel. So release slowly.

Benefits

The Wind Removing Pose cures and prevents flatulence, which is the source of most chronic abdominal discomforts. It also improves the flexibility of the hip joints and firms the abdomen, thighs, and hips.

Read more about this poses benefits, pictures, video and tips from HERE

Drawings and info from "Bikram´s Beginning Yoga Class " Book, 1978.

Savasana - Dead Body Pose - For Beginners

We never fully realize what reservoirs of tension we are until we are given the seemingly simple instruction to completely relax. Your hands will twitch and your feet are full of as much nervous energy as are your hands. And how about the muscles of your legs, buttocks, pelvis and spine - especially your neck and shoulders - not to mention that convoluted gray mass called brain? Suddenly you notice how many parts of you want to be tight because they're used to it.

The object of this pose is to consciously let go of as much tension as you possibly can. But trying to relax each part of you separately is akin to plugging a weakening dike. The minute you get your fingers pacified, the tension will pop up in your toes; if you manage to relax the buttocks, you'll find that your calf muscles have tightened, and so on. You could lie there and chase the tension for hours on end and still not catch and contain it.

It is far better to concentrate on relaxing the body as a whole unit. Let the floor support you. Pretend that all the spark has left your body. You would fall through space like a chunk of a lead if the floor were not there, pressing upward, holding you easily. There's no need to worry, no need to be tense; the floor can do it all. Let it!

Benefits

The Dead Body Pose returns blood circulation to normal. It also teaches complete relaxation.

Read more about this poses benefits, pictures, video and tips from HERE

Drawings and info from "Bikram´s Beginning Yoga Class " Book, 1978.

Padangustasana - Toe stand - For beginners

It is handy that your hands should begin the Toe Stand in a praying position. Because if you've looked at what comes next - first you will pray your knee will not break and then that you won't fall over onto your nose and become disfigured. Believe me, the praying is unnecessary. The Toe Stand is really the Lion Who Could Not Roar. It only looks fierce.

You haven't really been asked to dive fifty feet into a half-filled tea cup, you know. Don't scare. Nothing will break. You have warmed up to this exercise, and gaining balance is probably your biggest problem here.

Once you have conquered your fear and become accustomed to sinking down using your hands for support, try to go all the way down without touching the hands to the floor. Your goal is to keep your hands in the praying position throughout.

The straighter the spine and the more parallel the crossed leg is with the floor, the better your balance will be. Also vital is concentration on that one spot in front of you. Balance in the Toe Stand is really only a matter of patience and concentration. Waving your arms as though you were directing traffic can be helpful in finding balance. Also, learn to use the toes of your balancing foot just like fingers to grip the floor and help you keep your balance.

If the method just described hasn't worked for you after a few weeks, you can still practice the Toe Stand. Squat down, put one foot up on your thigh, and proceed to try for balance, first using both hands and then only one until you feel solidly set

To bolster confidence in the strength of the knees, go back up to the standing position on one leg, foot still on thigh, by putting your hands on the floor, weight well forward, then rear your buttocks up and backward and push the standing leg back, locking the knee. Gradually, you gain confidence, balance, and strength.'

Benefits

The Toe Stand develops psychological and mental powers - especially patience. Physically, it helps to cure gout and rheumatism of the knees, ankles and feet. It also helps cure hemorrhoid problems.

Read more about this poses benefits, pictures, video and tips from HERE

Drawings and info from "Bikram´s Beginning Yoga Class " Book, 1978.