Lie in a corpse posture and relax your breathing. Let your hands be facing up and feet gently lurching sideways (1).
- Now stand erect with your hands folded in front of your chest. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and weight evenly distributed on them. Slowly drop your hands in front of your legs and start raising your arms upward. Breathe in while raising your arms upwards and synchronize the termination of breath with the completion of raising of arms (2).
- Start bringing down the arms while breathing out. Touch the floor with both hands beside feet with your legs bent or straight depending upon the level of flexibility (3).
- Keep your lungs empty at this stage and swing your left leg behind with knee touching the ground (4).
- Swing the right leg behind also while breathing in. Make a plank while resting on your arms and toes. Hold your breath while in this position (5).
- While holding the breath, lower your body onto floor with your knees and upper portions of body touching the ground and your hands resting beside your body. In this position, only the upper portion of chest and knees are touching the ground (6).
- Push up and back the upper portion of your body onto floor with the help of back muscles and upper arms. Breathe out also while doing so. This is also called a Cobra Posture (7).
- Lower your body and arch back throwing your head between your hands and pushing feet into ground using hamstrings. Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. Your body will look like a triangle. Breathe in (8).
- Hold your breath. Swing your left leg in with knee touching the floor. Let your head be stre
tched comfortably. You will feel a gentle stretch in your body spreading along the spine and hamstring (1). - Swing your right leg in with your hands beside your feet and knees bent slightly or straight depending upon on your level of flexibility. Go with most comfortable style that fits your level of fitness. Breathe out at this stage (2).
- Now once again, start raising your arms over your head, stretching body upward while breathing in. With feet firmly grounded, use the pelvic area as a pivot to stretch your arms and whole body. Feel the gentle stretch running through the whole body starting from lower legs to the upper body (3).
- Bring your arms down while breathing out. Fold your hands in front of your chest (starting position, 4).
- After completion of the complete posture, lie down in the corpse position for two minutes. Breathe deeply through nose and savor the relaxation you have got into while practicing this posture(5).
Benefits
- It effectively massages internal organs of pelvis, chest and abdomen.
- Improves circulation of blood and energy.
- Maintains spinal flexibility.
- Increases flexibility and limberness of the body.
- Facilitates mind-body unison.
Illustrations by Dr. Manjit Handa
