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Below are postures you’ll find in your classes at OlyYoga. To avoid risk of injury, receive proper instruction on alignment and to benefit from postures (asana), we advise new students to practice with a certified teacher before practicing on their own. Students with medical conditions should consult their doctor before practicing yoga.

The following are visual instructions to assist you during your Yoga class. Here are a few precautionary tips before you begin your practice:
Before class, let your teacher know of any medical history or recent surgery that may limit you in class.
Listen to your body and carefully listen to instructions from you teacher.
Learn to distinguish between discomfort and pain.
Move slowly into postures; work at the edge of a stretch, back off slowly if there is any pain.
Ask your teacher for modifications to lighten the posture or deepen the stretch.
If you are nursing an injury, have high blood pressure, are pregnant or have chronic back pain, consult with your doctor before taking a Yoga class.
Remember to relax and breathe.

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Sun Salutation
Surya Namaskar

(This is a series of poses. Click the green arrow to step through the sequence.)


Standing Postures  

Mountain Pose
Tadasana

Benefits:
Improves posture
Balances the body
Focusses the mind
   

Tree Pose
Vrksasana

Benefits:
Improves memory and concentration
Stretches entire body
Tones leg muscles
   

Triangle Pose
Trikonasana

Benefits:
Tones & strengthens legs, hip and back muscles
Improves circulation
   
   

 

Standing Forward Bend Pose Uttanasana

Benefits:
Stretches entire back of body
Calms the nervous system
Stimulates digestion
   

 

Warrior I
Virabhadrasana I

Benefits:
Reduces stiffness in back and shoulders
Strengthens legs
Trims the hips
Tones the abdomen

 


Sitting Postures

Easy Pose
Sukhasana

Benefits:
Focusses the mind
Opens the hips
Lengthens the spine
   

 

 

Easy Pose forward fold
Sukhasana forward fold

Benefits:
Focusses the mind
Opens the hips
Lengthens the spine
   

 

Lotus Pose
Padmasana

Benefits:
Opens up your chest and stimulates the heart
Mostly used for meditation and pranayama
   
   

Spinal Twist
Ardha Matsyendrasana

Benefits:
Lengthens and realigns the spine
Aids digestion
Improves the nervous system
   

 


Forward Bends

Child’s Pose
Mudhasana

Benefits:
Relaxing Pose
Calms the mind, body and spirit
Excellent relief for lower back pain
   

Backbends

Cobra
Bhujangasana

Benefits:
Opens the chest
Provides good backward spinal stretch
   
   

 

Bow
Dhanurasana

Benefits:
Tones abdominal organs
Increases vitality
   
   

 

Cat Pose I
Bidalasana I

Benefits:
Stretches the middle  to upper back and shoulders
Alleviates backaches
Excellent for pregnant women
   

 

Cat Pose II
Bidalasana II

Benefits:
Lengthens the spine while stimulating the kidneys and adrenal glands
   
This posture is a reminder that, in Yoga, every pose has a counter pose in order to maintain balance.
   

Fish
Matsyasana

Benefits:
Corrects rounded shoulders
increases lung capacity
relieves stress and regulates moods
Energizes the parathyroid glands and tones the pituitary
   
Counter pose to shoulderstand and headstand.

Inverted Postures

Downward Facing Dog
Asho Mukha Svanasana

Benefits:
Lifts you pelvis
Lengthens the spine
Strengthens and stretches upper body while stimulating the brain and nervous system
   

Shoulderstand
Sarvangasana

Benefits:
Rejuvenates the body by sending fresh blood to the heart and brain
Stretches the neck and upper spine
Stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands
Can relieve a headache
   
Caution: Girls below the age of 19 should not do this posture.

 

Plow Pose
Halasana

Benefits:
Stimulates the spine
Strengthens the nervous system
Improves circulation
Releases neck tension

 


Reclining postures

Lying Down Spinal Twist
Jathara Parivartanasana

Benefits:
Strengthens abdominal muscles and legs
Tones the spine
Eases back pain
   


Wind Relieving Pose
Apanasana

Benefits:
Massages abdominal organs and releases gas from the intestines
Releases stress and promotes flexibility

 

Corpse Pose
Savasana

It is important to end every yoga session with at least 10 minutes of relaxation in the corpse pose. Learning how to relax both the body and the mind deepens the benefits of the performed asanas.

   

 

Resources:  B.K.S. Iyengar; Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health; Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, H. David Coulter; Yoga Journal; Elwin Street Limited, London

Philosophies
Health benefits
Getting started
Etiquette
Postures
Contraindications
Language of yoga
 

 

Sun salutation
OlyYoga   1009 4th Avenue East, Olympia, WA 98506
Tel: 360-753-0772