Lying on your belly means prone position. Let your abdomen, chest, and chin touch the floor and look steadily at your front. Place hands near your thighs with fingers touching each other and palms flat on the ground. Your feet should also touch each other with toes stretched backward. Breathe slowly. This pose is called Vipareet Shayan-sthiti.Lying on your belly means prone position. Let your abdomen, chest, and chin touch the floor and look steadily at your front. Place hands near your thighs with fingers touching each other and palms flat on the ground. Your feet should also touch each other with toes stretched backward. Breathe slowly. This pose is called Vipareet Shayan-sthiti.
See general instructions about yoga practice.
Shalabhasana
Place your fists under your lower belly near the groin. While inhaling, raise both your legs up together from the waist without bending at the knees. Do not lift your head – let your chin be touching the floor. Hold on for some time (Locust or grasshopper pose). Bring your legs down slowly while exhaling and return to the original pose. Keeping fists under your belly helps to raise your legs to a higher level. Raising a single leg at a time is called Ardha-shalabhasana.Place your fists under your lower belly near the groin. While inhaling, raise both your legs up together from the waist without bending at the knees. Do not lift your head – let your chin be touching the floor. Hold on for some time (Locust or grasshopper pose). Bring your legs down slowly while exhaling and return to the original pose. Keeping fists under your belly helps to raise your legs to a higher level. Raising a single leg at a time is called Ardha-shalabhasana.
Bhujangasana
Place palms flat on the floor at the level of lower ribs. Stretch out both thumbs while keeping other fingers close together. Bend your hands so that elbows are directed upwards. Keep chin on the floor. While inhaling, raise your head, neck, shoulders, and upper trunk (up to naval) one after another with the help of your back muscles. Try to straighten your elbows without exerting much pressure on your hands. Do not strain your hip muscles. Take your neck as far back as possible and hold on for some time (cobra-pose). Come back to the original position while exhaling to bring down the abdomen, chest, and chin sequentially. One can change the position of hands and the angle of elbows (vakra-hasta) to stretch the spine at different levels.
Sarpasana
Lie on your belly with elbows bent and palms flat on the floor at the level of lower ribs. While inhaling, raise your head, neck, chest, and abdomen sequentially to the naval level to make a backward curve. Hold on for some time (snake-pose), and while exhaling, come back slowly to the original position.Lie on your belly with elbows bent and palms flat on the floor at the level of lower ribs. While inhaling, raise your head, neck, chest, and abdomen sequentially to the naval level to make a backward curve. Hold on for some time (snake-pose), and while exhaling, come back slowly to the original position.
Naukasana
Lie on your belly and place outstretched hands in front of your head with palms touching each other (namaskar) and forehead touching the ground. While inhaling, lift your straightened hands and legs as much as (up to 45 degrees) possible. Your shoulders will now be near your ears. Let your knees and feet touch each other. Do not bend knees. Hold for some time while balancing your body on your belly. While exhaling, return to the original position.: Lie on your belly and place outstretched hands in front of your head with palms touching each other (namaskar) and forehead touching the ground. While inhaling, lift your straightened hands and legs as much as (up to 45 degrees) possible. Your shoulders will now be near your ears. Let your knees and feet touch each other. Do not bend knees. Hold for some time while balancing your body on your belly. While exhaling, return to the original position.
Marjarasana
Place your palms and knees on the floor like a crawling child. Keep some distance between your hands and your feet so that your hands are beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips. Lift your neck while inhaling and press your lower back down. Hold on for some time, bring your neck down and straighten up to the original position. Now while exhaling, contract your abdominal muscles and raise the middle of your back straight up. Curl your head down to make an upward curve (cat-pose). Hold on for some time and return to the original position slowly. One can lift a straightened hand and opposite leg, without bending at elbow and knee respectively, one after other in this position.
Dhanurasana
While lying on your belly, bend both knees so that your heels reach your buttocks. While inhaling, bring both of your hands back and hold your respective ankles. Now lift your chest and thighs by pulling with your hands. Raise your head too. Your entire body will now be stretched like a bow. Do not bend your elbows. Keeping knees touched together is ideal, though difficult. Keep breathing quietly and hold on. While exhaling, get your knees, shoulders, and chin down to the ground. Release ankles and return to the original position.
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General instructions about exercise
Do exercises in fresh, pleasant environment.
It is better to exercise on empty stomach (morning/evening).
Do not eat anything for about an hour after exercise. Sips of water or other fluids are allowed.
Wear comfortable cotton clothes during exercise.
Use proper footwear during exercise. Use of sports or canvas shoes recommended.
Breathe in and out normally from nose. Avoid mouth-breathing.
Concentrate on your exercise and exercise slowly. Never exercise hastily; do not jerk your joints.
Rest for a minute or so if you feel fatigue.
Concentrate on the joint or muscle group for which you are exercising.
Learn exercises, especially those for shoulder, from a physiotherapist.
One should feel relaxation of muscles after exercise. Increase in pain after exercise may indicate wrong method. Stop exercise and meet your physiotherapist again in such situation.
Be relaxed and maintain proper posture during exercise. It is good to look into a mirror during initial days of exercise.
Maintain a posture for about 10 seconds and return back slowly to resting position.
Start low - for some minutes - and increase your work-out gradually.
Exercise one sided limbs at a time initially. Simultaneous exercise for both limbs will be possible after some days.
Exercise twice each day. Regularity is of utmost importance.
Look for a friend if exercising alone gets boring. Exercise accompanied by music is quite entertaining.
Balanced diet is also necessary appropriate benefits of exercise. Meal timings should be strictly adhered to. Consult a dietitian for reducing weight.
General instructions for yoga practice
Yoga postures should be practiced in a clean and fresh surrounding. Do the asanas on a soft and clean mattress. Use clean, light, loose and minimum clothing.
Do the asanas in morning or evening on empty stomach. Eat light food half an hour after completing practice.
Warm-up, in the form of Soorya-namaskar is desirable prior to asanas.
All movements should be gentle and controlled. Do not jerk your body. Do not over-stretch. Do not use any force to overdo.
Watch your breathing. Breathing should be easy and natural. Exhale while you bend forwards and inhale while bending backwards. Never hold breath.
One should be comfortable in any asana. Do whatever little you can. Do not try to overstretch to attain a pose as given in pictures. Trembling during asana implies overdoing.
Steadiness is of utmost importance. Period of staying in a single pose will increase with practice. Try to contract only those muscles that are required for a particular pose while relaxing all other muscles.
Draw your mind away from your body and concentrate on breathing on attaining desired pose.
Select and practice a few asanas and try to master them.
There should not be any pain, fatigue or sweating during asanas. Do a resting asana if any of these appear. One should feel enthusiastic after a yoga session.
45 minutes of yoga practice each day is desirable. Pranayama may also be done for a few minutes. Regularity is the key to success.