Yoga for Back, Arms, Chest, Legs, Hips - Salutation Pose

Another Asana for improving your focus and concentration. This will also help you to have a strenthened and flexible back, arms, chest, legs and hips. The pose helps you to keep back, hips, chest, arms and legs completely healthy because it involves all of these body parts.

Asana is called Anjaneya-asana or the Salutation pose bcause of the posture.

Asana Name: Anjaneya-asana
Pronounciation: Hon-Jha-nay-ya-Asana
Posture: Salutation Pose
Hints: Requires flexibility in hips, legs, shoulders

Meaning and Explanation:

Anjaneya refers to Lord Monkey. Anjaneya is a strong devotee of Lord Ram and helped him during his fight agasint Ravana. The word means Salutation or Praise from the Root. The first syllable Anj means "to honor, to celebrate."

Instructions:

1. Site in the vajra-asana pose. This is a seated posture by sitting back on your heels and placing the knees and legs together. Ensure that the feet are together and the toes of both the legs are close to each other or even touching each other;
2. Keep the back straight and place your palms on the thighs;
3. Kneel up;
4. Ensure that the back, buttocks, thigh and head are aligned;
5. Keep the palms on the thighs;
6. Extend your right foot forward, bending at knee level;
7. Place your right arm in the right thigh;
8. Raise your both the arms, close the palms with (as if you are doing Namaskaram) and bring the arms to the chest; Let the thumb touch the center of the chest; (this is called Anjali-Mudra);
9. Raise your arms straight up and at the same time, bend your head backwards; look up; stretch the left leg as much as possible; do this slowly;
10. Slowly bend your head backwards and taking the arms also backwards; your face should look up as if you are looking up on the sky;
11. Be in this position as long as possible;
12. Breathe gently through nostrils;
13. Slowly come back to the Vajra-asana pose;

Repeat the above set with the left leg. Do it twice on each leg;

Advantages:

This will help reduce your back pain and give strength to the back; raising the arm above the head while keeping the back straight will help the shoulder to be flexible;
stretching the leg would help the nerves to be flexible and not stiff.

General Advice:

Do all of these yogas in a pieceful place; You should be able to spend this 10 or 15 minutes for yourself; If you are in doubt about how to do this yoga or any posture, please seek help from your guru.