Asanas are yoga poses. Asana literally means "seat" in Sanskrit. We practice asanas to gain confidence, grounding and lightness through a healthy connection to the earth.
The following are the most common asana groups.
1.Standing Pose: Mountain Pose
This asana strengthens and activates the entire musculature, especially the legs and torso, and Mountain Pose is the foundation of many asanas. If you do not do Mountain Pose well, you will lack the foundation for your asana practice to evolve.
Asana details: Stand straight , big toes and heels can touch each other or be hip-width apart for better stability. Activate your feet, raise your knees to activate your thigh muscles, feel the natural curves of your spine and align your cervical spine with them, relax your eye muscles, and let your breath travel from your head to your feet and back.
Note: Distribute your weight evenly, activate your leg muscles without bending your knees backwards, try to keep your pelvis neutral, don't tilt, don't shrug your shoulders
2. Forward Bend: Standing Forward Bend
This asana is therapeutic for stomach problems and menstrual problems. Relax and open the shoulder and neck area, relax the psoas major and hamstrings, strengthen the legs, stretch the hamstrings and lower back.
Tip: Pull up the kneecaps and keep the knees slightly bent to allow gravity to work, relax the arms and head, and try to stretch the front and back of the torso equally.
Note: If you feel tension, bend your knees, not from your lower back, but from your hips, remembering that your legs will be carrying the weight of your upper body, not your lower back!
3. Backbend: shoulder bridge pose
Asana calms and coordinates the nervous system, strengthens the inner leg muscles, strengthens the ankle, hip and calf muscles
Asana details: Lie on your back with your feet hip-width apart, stretch out your hands to grab your heels, lift your pelvis, push the center of the back of your head back to the floor to maintain the natural curve of the back of your neck, release your hands and place them on the floor with your palms facing up, hold the pose for five minutes
Note: Make sure your knees do not come apart. You can hold a yoga block between your thighs to make sure your lower back stays extended, exercise your hips less, exercise your thigh muscles more, and rotate your thighs inward
4. Twist: Twist Low Lunge
This asana strengthens the leg muscles, tightens the abdominal and hip muscles, and detoxifies the liver, kidneys and other internal organs through twisting.
Asana details: enter a lunge with your right foot behind you, align your pelvis and create length and width in your pelvis and lower back. Place your left hand on your left hip and gently pull back to stabilize your pelvis, twist your torso to the left, open your chest upwards and take a few breaths, then switch sides.
Note: Make sure the back knee is always pointing down and the foot is at a 90 degree angle, twisting the neck and head only as far as feels comfortable.
5. Hip Opening: Butterfly Pose
This asana opens the hips, supports blood circulation in the pelvis, lower abdomen and lower back, prevents sciatica and hernias, and strengthens the reproductive organs.
Asana details: Sit on the floor, stretch your legs, bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together and close to you, grab your feet, bring your toes and soles together, and bring your heels close to your perineum. Straighten your upper body and let your shoulders drop. Bend forward if you can and rest your head on your hands or a yoga block Note: Do not tighten your shoulders or chin
