26 Postures and 2 Breathing Exercises. What can they do for you?

Standing Deep Breathing/ Pranayama Breathing

• Opens cervical vertebrae.
• Increases lung capacity and elasticity.
• Permits maximum expansion of the lungs for increased oxygen intake.
• Counteracts emphysema, asthma and other breathing problems.
• Helps regulate blood pressure.
• Exercises the nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems.
  

Half Moon with Hands to Feet  Pose/ Ardha Chandrasana with Padahastasana

• Tones thighs, hips, waist and abdomen.
• Improves and strengthens muscles in the central part of the body, especially the abdomen.
• Increases flexibility of the spine.
• Stimulates pituitary gland.
• Massages kidney and colon.
• Helps relieve constipation.
• Helps to alleviate lower back pain, bronchial distress, sciatic deformities, frozen shoulder.

Awkward Pose/ Utkatasana

• Improves overall body strength and balance.
• Strengthens and firms upper arms, abdominal muscles, thighs, calves, hips and buttocks.
• Relieves menstrual cramping.
• Good for digestion and joint pain.
• Increases blood circulation in the knees and ankle joints.
• Relieves symptoms of rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica and gout in the legs.

Eagle Pose/ Garurasana

• Massages reproductive organs and helps prostate problems.
• Firms and tones legs, arms and abdominal muscles.
• Good for varicose veins.
• Relieves tension in neck and shoulders.
• Increases joint mobility in hips, ankles, knees, hips, shoulder, elbow, wrist, deltoids and scapula.
• Improves function of the central nervous system and the lymphatic system.
• Improves balance and concentration.

Standing Head to Knee Pose/ Dandayamana-Janushirasana

• Improves circulation, strength, flexibility and balance.
• Massages digestive and reproductive systems.
• Strengthens muscles around the knee and ankle joints.
• Develops skills of concentration, determination, patience and perseverance.

Standing Bow Pulling Pose/ Dandayamana-Dhanurasana

• Improves cardiovascular function and circulation to heart and lungs.
• Develops concentration, determination, patience and perseverance.
• Improves mobility of the spine and elasticity of rib cage and lungs.
• Activates digestive system.
• Tones core and leg muscles.
• Improves range of motion in shoulders.
• Develops grip strength.
• Relieves muscle fatigue and lethargy and stimulates the nervous system.

Balancing Stick Pose/ Tuladandasana

• Improves blood flow and circulation.
• Exercises pancreas, liver, spleen and nervous system.
• Strengthens the heart muscle.
• Strengthens and firms arms, hips, core, buttocks and upper thighs.

Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose/ Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana

• Improves hip flexibility.
• Increases circulation to the brain.
• Stimulates adrenal glands.
• Improves functioning of abdominal organs and the small and large intestines.
• Good for diabetes, hyperacidity of the stomach and constipation.
• Stretches sciatic nerves.

Triangle Pose/ Trikanasana

• Firms thighs and waist and opens hips.
• Helps alleviate rheumatism and lumbago in the lower spine.
• Helps correct frozen shoulder.
• Corrects chemical imbalances and relieves constipation, colitis, low blood pressure, appendicitis, spondylitis and menstrual disorders.
• Improves cardiovascular function.
• Exercises the circulatory, digestive, immune, reproductive, respiratory and muscular systems.

Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose/ Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana

• Improves flexibility of the spine, shoulders, hips and sciatic nerve.
• Improves circulation to legs and brain.
• Relieves some types of headaches.
• Stimulates pituitary and thyroid glands.
• Stretches, tones and decongests the spinal column and the nervous system.
• Helps relieve hyperacidity, constipation, dyspepsia and other digestive problems.

Tree Pose/ Tadasana

• Improves posture, balance and grace.
• Prevents hernia by strengthening the internal oblique muscles.
• Improves hip and knee mobility.
• Tones gluteus maximus.
• Relieves tension in neck and shoulders.
• Releases inflammation of the lower back.
• Good for circulatory disorders, arthritis and rheumatism.

Toe Stand Pose/ Padangustasana

• Develops psychological and mental powers, especially patience.
• Especially strengthens and stretches muscles of the feet.
• Strengthens abdominal muscles.
• Combats arthritis, knee, leg or gout pain.
• Strengthens weak joints.

Dead Body Pose/ Savasana

• Returns circulation and breath to normal between postures.
• Improves concentration and focus.
• Helps reduce hypertension, nervousness, anxiety and irritability.

Wind Removing Pose/ Pavanamuktasana

• Massages ascending, descending and transverse colon.
• Helps prevent constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
• Good for constipation, flatulence and hyperacidity.
• Improves flexibility of the hip joints and relieves lower back pain.
• Reduces excess gas production.

Sit Up

• Strengthens and firms abdominal muscles.
• Increases flexibility of the spine, hamstrings and sciatic nerve.
• Energizes.

Cobra Pose/ Bhujangasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain.
• Improves functioning of intestines, liver, kidney and spleen.
• Helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis of the spine.
• Helps relieve menstrual and digestive problems.
• Helps heal or prevent slipped or herniated discs, scoliosis and arthritis.

Locust Pose/ Salabhasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain.
• Improves functioning intestines, liver, kidney and spleen.
• Relieves slipped discs and sciatica.
• Reduces symptoms of gout, herniated disc, sciatica, tennis elbow.

Full Locust Pose/ Poorna-Salabhasana

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain.
• Increases elasticity in rib cage and thorassic spine.
• Firms abdominal muscles, upper arms, hips and thighs.

Bow Pose/ Dhanurasana       

• Increases spinal strength and flexibility, relieves back pain.
• Improves functioning intestines, liver, kidney and spleen.
• Accelerates circulation of spinal fluid.
• Improves digestion and fights constipation.
• Helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis of the spine.
• Opens rib cage to allow full expansion of lungs.
• Revitalizes spinal nerves by increasing circulation, and strengthens muscles along the entire length of the spine.

Fixed Firm Pose/ Supta-Vajrasana

• Helps relieve sciatica, gout and rheumatism in the legs.
• Helps prevent hernia.
• Strengthens and improves flexibility of diaphragm, hips, lower spine, knees and ankles.
• Lubricates joints, especially knees and ankles.

Half Tortoise Pose/ Ardha-Kurmasana

• Alleviates stomach discomfort, digestion problems and constipation.
• Stretches lower part of the lungs.
• Increases blood circulation to the brain.
• Relieves insomnia and migraines.
• Increases flexibility of the hip and shoulder joints.
• Stretches the spine.

Camel Pose/ Ustrasana

• Compresses kidneys and adrenal glands, helps reduce excess stress hormones.
• Sends fresh blood to the kidneys.
• Stretches abdominal organs, stimulating digestive system.
• Stretches the throat, thyroid gland and parathyroid gland.
• Stimulates the nervous system.
• Opens rib cage to allow for maximum expansion of the lungs.
• Maximum compression of spine, improving flexibility and circulation.

Rabbit Pose/ Sasangasana

• Maximum stretch of spine for mobility and elasticity.
• Alleviates insomnia, depression, cold, sinus congestion and headaches.
• Strengthens and firms abdomen and back muscles.
• Stimulates nerves behind the eyes.
• Improves posture.
• Stimulates thymus gland, improving function of the immune system.

Head to Knee with Stretching Pose/ Janushirasana with Paschimotthanasana

• Improves digestion, simulates thymus and immune system.
• Improves the flexibility of sciatic nerves, ankles, and hip joints.
• Strengthens and firms abdomen and arms.
• Increases circulation to the liver, spleen, and pancreas.
• Reduces symptoms of asthma.

Spine Twisting Pose/ Ardha-Matsyendrasana

• Increases circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves, veins and tissues.
• Improves spinal elasticity and flexibility.
• Opens bronchial muscles and rib cage.
• Prevents and heals herniated disc.
• Relieves back pain and deformity in lumbar region.
• Massages kidneys, liver, gall bladder, spleen and pancreas.
• Relieves lethargy, helps cure vertigo and dizziness.

Blowing in Firm Pose/ Kapalbhati in Vajrasana

• Increases circulation.
• Strengthens abdominal muscles.
• Normalizes bowel function.
• Energizes and increases mental clarity.