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.

To Improve Focus and an Exercise for Hips and Legs

To improve your focus and concentration, do this asana. This will not only help you to improve the strength and fitness of your hips and legs. To start with, this may be little difficult, but without giving up, if you continue to practice this, you will get the result you wanted.

The asana is called "Akarna-Dhanura-asana" and also known as "The Shooting Bow Pose" because of the pose of the asana.

Asana Name: Akarna-Dhanura-asana
Pronounciation: ah-car-nah-da-noor-ah-sa-na
Posture: The Shooting Bow Pose
Hints: Requires flexibility in hips and legs

Meaning and Explanation:

The word "karna" is from sanskrit language which means "ear". The prefix "a" means "near to or towards." Dhanur means bow-shaped, curved or bent. Asana is the posture. So, this is a shotting-bow pose.

Instructions:

1. Sit on the floor with the legs together and extended straight out in front;
2. Keep the back straight, shoulders level and head straight;
3. Place the hands on the thigh with palms down;
4. Inhale deeply;
5. Exhale, take the right hand, take it to the right toe, loop the forefingers (of right hand) around the right toe. Similarly, hold the left leg with the left hand.
6. Inhale and pull the right foot back place the big toe next to right ear;
7. Ensure that the back is straight as much as possible, and hold this posture as long as you can hold the inhale breath;
8. Take the right leg back to the original position; Exhale slowly while doing this coming to normal position; release the hand;

Repeat this procedure with the other leg; Do this for 3-5 cycles a day.

"Having caught the toes of the feet with both hands and carried them to the ears by drawing the body like a bow, it becomes Dhanura-asana." - The Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika I.27.

Advantages:

While practicing this posture imagine yourself as an archer with the gaze focused on the target and the arrow firmly yet gracefully being pulled back in the bow. Hold the posture steady as an archer would hold the arrow aimed at its target. Return the foot to the floor gently. This simple technique will help cultivate a focused and unwavering attention.

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.