5 Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat pose)

The term Navasana come from the sanskrit words nava meaning "Boat" and asana meaning "posture".
Description
Navasana is when the body comes into a V-shape, and balance is gain from the buttocks. There are many different variation, where the arms, legs and torso may different positions. In this position the legs and back are lifted high and the arms are extended forward parallel to the ground.
Verbal cues
1. Start by sitting on the floor with your legs extended straight. Place your hands behind your hips with fingers pointing towards the feet and strenghten the arms. Then lift through the top of the breastbone and lean back slightly, as you are doing this ensure that your back doesn't round.
2.If at any point your position feels challenging, stay here and focus on your breath
3.As you become stronger and more comfortable, lift your hands off the floor and reach your arms out towards your knees and turn your palms to face each other.
4. Be sure to keep your chest lifted and you’re back lengthened. Also remember to keep focus on your breath.
5. At first attempt to stay n this position for 10-20 seconds, and gradually increase the time frame to 1 minute.
Benefits
•             Strengthen the abdomen, hip flexors, and spine
•             Stimulates the kidneys, thyroid and prostate glands, and intestines
•             Relieve stress
•             Improves Digestion
•             Helps increase balance and concentration
Caution
If you have the following problems please do not attempt
•             Asthma
•             Diarrhea, headach
•             Heart Problems
•             Low blood pressure
•             Pregnancy, menstruation
•             Neck injury

4Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Ustransana is the sanskrit word for Camel, the arch of the body that represents the hump of a camel back.
Description:
Ustransana is a very deep backward bend preformed from the kneeling position, the openness that occurs in the hips and shoulders is a good precursor to more demanding backbends.
Verbal cues:
1.Sit between the heels and toes in Vajrasana. Then raise your body upto the knees, laying the weight on the knees kept slightly apart.
2.Now raise your hands over the head and, inhaling, slowly bend backwards.
3.Hold the right heel and then the left with the respective hand.While exhaling, arch the spine and the neck fully.
4.Push the pelvis forward. Retain the posture for some time and then return to the starting position.
Benefits:
•         Stretches the entire front of the body, the ankles, groin, and thighs.
•         Strengthen the back and shoulder muscles
•         Stretches the abdomen, chest and throat
•         Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck
•         Improves Posture
•         Therapeutic Applications for Mild Backache, respiratory ailments, fatigue, anxiety, and menstrual discomfort
cautions:        
•         People with high or low blood pressure should not attempt this
•         If you have symptoms such as insomnia, serious lower back and neck injuries, you should not attempt this position.

3Halasana(Plow Pose)

Halasana is the sanskrit term used for plow pose.
Description:
In this position the abdominal muscles are strengthened and it ensures a healthy condition of the spine. It enhance the flexibility of the spine and the spinal nerves. The muscles of the back and rear thighs are affected here. A person must relax into the posture, so you can feel the changes in your position and in your spine as you come to the starting position and proceed to the next asana.
Verbal clues:
1. You start from the Salamba Sarvangasana position, exhale and bend from the hip joints slowly lower your toes to the floor above and beyond your head. Attempt to keep your torso perpendicular to the floow and your legs fully extended.
2.When your toes are on the floor, lift your top thighs and tailbone toward the ceiling and draw your inner groin deep into the pelvis.
3. Continue to press your hands against the back torso, pushing the back up towards the ceiling as you press the back of the upper arms down, onto your support.
4.Halasanna is usually performed after Sarvangasana between 1 to 5 minutes. As a beginner attempt to hold this position for a minimum of 40 seconds and build to your goal.
Benefits
•             Calms the brain
•             Stimulates the abdominal organs and the thyroid gland
•             Stretches the shoulders and the spine
•             Reduces Stress and fatigue
•             Relieves the symptoms of menopause
•             Therapeutic for the backache, headache, infertility, insomnia, sinusitis
Caution
This posture should be avoided during
•             Diarrhea
•             Menstruation
•             Neck Injury
•             Asthma and high blood pressure
•             This is meant for intermediate to advance

2Balasana (child`s pose)

Bala is the sanskrit term for child.
Description:
Balasana possesses a deep physical and psychological memory of our time as infants. The shape of the position is useful for many reasons, but particular, it forces you to confront your attitudes and patterns of breathing, the health of your organs, and your level of awareness in moving from the abdomen. It is a very simple pose which many yoga instructors start beginner with, it begins with physically, yet it requires patience and the ability to surrender to gravity and a state of nondoing.
Verbal signs:
1. Start by kneeling on your hands and knees.
2. Release your toes on the floor and seperate your knees about hip width apart.
3.Exhale and lay your torso between your thighs and broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points towards the navel.
4. Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor.
5. While in the resting pose, a beginner must attempt to stay between 30 to 1 minute and gradually grow towards 1 to 5 minute.
Benefits:
•             Gently stretches your lower back, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles
•             Relaxes your spine, shoulders, and neck
•             Increases blood circulation to your head
•             Massages your internal organs
•             Calms the mind
•             Helps relieve stress and fatigue

Caution

Please do not attempt the following position if you have any of the symptoms listed below
•             Diarrhea
•             Pregnancy
•             Knee Injury
•             High Blood Pressure
•             Eye or ear infection
•             Ankle Problems

1Padmasana (lotus pose)

Padmasana is a term which is derived from the sanskrit word padman, meaning lotus or throne

Description:

Padmasana is done in a upright seated position, where the legs are crossed with the heels opposite to each other. The hands should be placed on the knees, and keep the spine, neck and head erect. This is one of the main seating postures in yoga and Eastern Asia meditations procedures. For a beginner this position is extremely difficult and takes many years to master.

Verbal cues:

1. Begin by position yourself on the floor with your legs straight out in front. Start by bending your right knee and bring the lower leg into a cradle. Use your left elbow to slowly notch the right lower leg into the cradle. Lift the front torso towards the inner right leg so the spine lengthens.

2. Continue by bending the left knee and lift over the front right.  Carefully snuggle the edge of the left foot into the right groin. Draw the knees as close together as possible, and lift the front torso towards your legs so the spine can lengthen.

 3.The eyes can be closed or open depending on the person, and relax the body with slow deep breaths. Adjust your body to achieve maximum comfort, until the body becomes balance and aligned.

Benefits

• Calms the brain

• Stimulates the spine, bladder, abdomen, and pelvis

• Stretches the thighs, ankles, and knees

• Consistent practice of this pose until later on into pregnancy to help ease childbirth

•             Traditional text says that it may help destroy all diseases and awakens kundalini - "corporeal energy"

Cautions:

•             Do not attempt if you suffer from ankle or knee injuries

•             This pose is for those who are intermediate or advance in yoga, do not perform if you are without prior experience or someone to guide you

helps people live healthy

Yoga classical techniques have been dated back more than 5,000 years, and the literal meaning of the Sanskrit word "yoga" is "to join", or "to unite".  The purpose of yoga differs true many different ethnicities, but is used as a disciplined method utilized for attaining a goal. Yoga was originated in ancient India, and various traditions of yoga are found in Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism. There are many different schools of yoga, but the most well known are Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Kashmir Shaivism.

Hatha yoga, is a forced yoga or abstract meditation which consist of forcing the mind to withdraw from external objects.

Raja yoga is used to control the fluctuation of the a person mind, teaching them how to quiet or master the mind. Traditionally the mind was conceived as the King of the body, and by strengthen the relationship between mind and body a person can become one within and achieve enlightenment.

Kashmir Shaivism varies among Hindu philosophies, and is categorize as absolute idealism, theistic monism, realistic idealism, transcendental physicalism. The goal of Kashmir Shaivism is to merge in universal consciousness, by means of wisdom, yoga and grace.

Yoga  teachings has always been passed on individually from teacher to student through oral teaching and practical demonstration. Yoga is a collective experience of many individuals over thousands of years, and the manner in which the techniques are taught depends on the approach passed down in the line of teachers.

There are eight steps of classical yoga, which are

·         Yama - meaning restraint

·         Niyama - meaning observance

·         Asana - meaning physical exercise

·         Pranayama - meaning breathing techniques

·         Pratyahara - meaning preperation for meditation

·         Dharana - meaning concentration

·         Dhyana - meaning meditation

·         Samadhi - meaning absorption

These steps are all essential when attempting to learn and live through yoga, by mastering these concepts a person can open their mind to many different teachings of yoga.

The knowledge of yoga arrived in the United States in the late 1800's, but was not widely thought until the 1960's. However as the beneficial effects of yoga began to spread, it gained acceptance and respect as  a valuable method for helping relieve stress, improve health and well-being.