Come onto your hands and knees, then bring your right foot forward and drop your right knee to the side. Extend your left leg back and point the toes of your back foot. Your right heel can be close to your groin or further forward if you’re more flexible. Center your weight over your hips […]
Banish tension with this feel-good stretch whenever you need a pick-me-up. Lie on your back and raise your arms over your head. Inhale as you stretch the right side of your body, keeping the left side relaxed. Your right leg and buttock stretch down, while your right arm and the right side of your torso
Lying Stretch Asana Read More »
Here is a simple leg-strengthening exercise that helps sculpt and tone the outside of your thighs, your hips, and your waistline. Lie on your right side with your body in a straight line. Bend your right arm and rest your head in your hand. Place your left hand on the floor in front of you
This wonderful backbend massages the organs in your chest and abdomen, preventing and relieving many common problems, such as asthma, poor digestion, constipation, and kidney and liver ailments. Don’t attempt to lift up too high at first—or too quickly. Allow the movement to gently stretch your spine, one vertebra at a time, as you assume
Sitting comfortably on your heels with your hands firmly planted on the ground for support enables you to lift your chest high in this arching backbend. Breathing into the chest as you hold the pose helps expand your lungs while deepening the backbend. Kneel down, toes pointing back, and sit on your heels, hands resting
Imagine you’re churning butter in this abdominal strengthener. Sit with your legs extended. Interlock your fingers and stretch your arms forward at shoulder level. Lean forward, then move your torso to the right. Lean back, then move around to the left. Continue moving your upper body clockwise in a circle, using your hips as
Stand with your feet together or a comfortable distance apart and turn your palms out. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose as you raise your arms out to the sides and above your head, joining your palms at the end of the inhalation. As you exhale audibly through your mouth, turn your palms down
Be sure to press your feet down firmly as you practice this pose so that you feel your legs and buttocks strengthening as well as your arms. Sit with your legs extended. Place your hands behind your buttocks, palms down, shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing out to the sides. Your hands should be a few inches
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Rest your arms close to your sides, palms down. Inhale, then exhale as you press your lower back toward the floor and lift your knees toward your chest. Inhale as you straighten your legs, raising them until they are perpendicular to the
This Triangle variation has always reminded me of a slow-moving windmill turning to a gentle breeze. Keeping your legs strong throughout will give you a firm base from which to extend your arms and torso and turn from side to side. Feel your limbs being energized as circulation increases throughout your body. Separate your feet
