Articles :: yoga

Balasana:: Child's Pose

Shannon Brophy, Yoga.com Staff 10/2/2007

Pronunciation: baw-LAWS-ahna

Translation:

Sanskrit, the spiritual language of India from which yoga derives its nomenclature, translates the word “bala” to “child.” Asana, of course, means pose or posture. Thus Balasana means Child’s Pose in Sanskrit.

This pose is a deep resting pose and perfect for beginners. Balasana is similar to a deep forward bend but gentler. Balasana reminds us of our times as infants, and we have memory in our bodies of being in this position. It gives you a taste of the yielding involved in a forward bend and your attention draws inward. Use the pose in a class or practice session whenever you need a break, to rest until your gather the energy for what is next.

Substitute the pose for Downward Dog Pose when you are doing a sun salutation vinyasa. Or go to it in a class whenever you need to rest and restore yourself. Balasana can precede or follow any other asana.

You may notice that some days you don’t need to do this pose and other days you are may go into it again and again during a yoga class depending on your stamina and the intensity of the class or practice. Rejoin the class or practice when you are ready.

On your yoga mat, start by kneeling on your hands and knees similar to the position a baby assumes to crawl on the floor. Widen the knees apart from each other. Place the tops of your feet on the floor so your toes are not curled under and torso width apart. Your soles should be facing the ceiling. Bring the torso rest between the thighs. Your hips are bent and your buttocks are in the air. Lower the buttocks to the floor and extend the spine.

Lengthen the neck as your forehead rests on the floor. Your arms can go along the body with palms up or facing toward you, next to the thighs as shown in the photo. The arms can reach in front of you, extended beyond your head on the floor with the palms down. Shoulders are wide. Allow your chest to sink to the floor. Take some long deep breaths with a focus on long exhalations. Let a sense of surrender into the pose.

Come out of the pose after a few to several long breaths. Rise up on an inhalation and press the tailbone down as you use your arms to bring your torso up.

Beginner Tips:

Place your forehead on folded blanket or your stacked hands if resting on the floor is not easy for you. If the knees are hurting, try placing a pillow between the heels and buttocks or a rolled washcloth between the thigh and calf at the inner knee to stop the joint from closing as much.

Similarly, if the ankles are overstretched on the floor, get two towels and roll them up, placing under the ankles. Eventually the body stretches into this and other poses more easily so keep practicing and adjust to make it comfortable for you.

Benefits:

Stretches, the thighs, hips, and ankles, opening up space in the body.

Balasana is spine lengthening and good for the back and neck, preventing or alleviating pain in these areas.

Internal organs soften and an inner yielding results.

The pose increases blood circulation to the head which may reduce the occurrence of headaches.

Your mind becomes less active and calmer.

Like many restorative poses, this one reduces stress and relieves fatigue. A very fatigued person can likely still do this asana as it isn’t demanding on one’s energy.

Contraindications and Cautions:

Don’t do the pose if you have knee injuries or ankle problems. Don’t do it if you have high blood pressure, an eye or ear infection or if you have diarrhea or are pregnant.

If you have back injuries or problems, have an instructor help you. She may suggest using a bolster under your trunk or a stack of blankets to support you.

Listen carefully to your body and respect its limitations. Stop if something hurts in a way that is more that a “stretching” sort of hurt, and if you have a sense that you should not do something. Nothing takes the place of a qualified instructor and your keen intuition about your own body.

Karma Yoga Journeys: Report from Peru

Shannon Brophy, Yoga.com Staff 9/19/2007

We traveled to the Sacred Valley in Peru this June. This was our inaugural Karma Yoga Journey, and it was successful. Most importantly, it allowed us to make a difference in the lives of children at an orphanage.

The time in Peru was divided between volunteering at the nearby orphanage, excursions to places of historical and spiritual significance, experiencing contemporary Peruvian life in the Sacred Valley and our own yoga..

The group stayed in a house in a peaceful and beautifully maintained retreat center in a spiritual community near Urubamba in Peru’s Sacred Valley at an altitude of around 9,000 feet. Our house was comfortable, quiet and featured space for yoga and a beautiful garden. TWe were fed delicious home-cooked, Peruvian vegetarian meals.

The Sacred Valley consists of primarily agrarian communities nestled between the craggy and dramatic Andes mountains. We saw many picturesque local farming scenes in which work was done by hand sometimes with the help of oxen but very rarely motorized farm equipment.

The orphanage is in a rural location on a mountain next to a glacier. The children there, though they had little materially, were rich in joy and gave more to us than we gave to them. We each quickly got to know and become attached to individual children.

Our group bonded with one another during the trip. We formed lasting and meaningful friendships that stretch across Canada, Peru, and the US.

Daily yoga was conducted by Victor Oppenheimer. Yoga felt particularly special in the Sacred Valley where the energy of centuries of spiritual work seemed to enhance the special feeling of our own practice.

Our excursions to Inca ruins were historically educational, inspiring, and meaningful. To see Machu Picchu we first stayed the night in the nearby scenic Inca built town of Aguas Calientes. The next morning we arose at 5:30 am so that we could hike to a location slightly above the ruins before sunrise. There we watched the sun rise over the nearby mountains and saw the first rays bathe the Lost City of the Incas in morning light. It was stunning sight and well worth the effort.

We experienced contemporary Peru in a personal way and while contributing to the lives of local craftspeople. We visited a local beekeeper, a potter, a chocolate maker, a llama farm, a working salt mine built originally built by the Incas many hundreds of years ago and were given a tour of a local orchard where we were served a non-alcoholic wine made from the orchard.

Being in Peru felt like we stepped back in time to a simpler and less technological yet very rich way of living. It seemed that life slowed down and allowed us to live each moment more fully and meaningfully, which was a good lesson to take back to the Northern Hemisphere. The journey contributed to our personal growth, was heart opening and gave us memories and new friends to treasure for many years to come.

We are returning to the Sacred Valley of Peru for another Karma Yoga Journey at the same orphanage. Dates are May 17 to 31, 2008. Go to http://www.karmayogajourneys.com/to learn more.

Many Paths up the Mountain

Shannon Brophy, Yoga.com Staff 9/19/2007

There are many traditional yoga paths toward spiritual growth with the goal of self-realization. We offer an explanation of some of the paths up the mountain. You can choose which path or paths may help you develop or progress along your inner journey. All paths are for the goal of union with Divine, and require surrender. Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, which is its goal.

We present (in summary) five traditional paths of yoga in this article: Karma, Hatha, Bhakti, Jnana and Kriya Yoga. There are many other paths of yoga including Raja Yoga, involving meditation, concentration and breathing practices. Additionally there are a several sub-systems like Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Integral Yoga, Siddha Yoga, and Tantra Yoga.

Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga is done with a joyful attitude, what one is best suited to do, in a peaceful fashion. It is in giving to others without expecting return. Karma yoga is spiritual action via selfless service where the person is called by their inner being to help another in need in a way.

They don’t expect a reward for doing the service and are called to help another out of love. Union with divine occurs through this right action by serving your fellow human beings as if they are God. Doing Karma Yoga is very heart opening for the giver.

“A Karma-yogi performs action by body, mind, intellect, and senses, without attachment (or ego), only for self-purification.”
Bhagavad Gita

Mother Theresa of Calcutta exemplified Karma Yoga, and we share these quotes by her:
"I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord Himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?"
"The poor give us much more than we give them. They’re such strong people, living day to day with no food. And they never curse, never complain. We don’t have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them."
"I realized that I had the call to take care of the sick and the dying, the hungry, the naked, the homeless - to be God's Love in action to the poorest of the poor.”

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is another path to realizing the self, with a focus on control of the body via asana (yoga postures or poses), pranayama (breathing practices) and meditation. Some say that hatha yoga postures are a preparation for meditation. Others consider hatha yoga a meditation in movement and stillness. All of these physical practices are hatha yoga which means “Sun” and “Moon” in Sanskrit, the Indian language of yoga.

Hatha yoga balances the energies of the body (the prana as it is called) via practices that purify and balance. This is the type of yoga that is currently practiced in the West, and there are different styles of hatha yoga which you can read about on our website.

Yoga Studios in the US tend to be hatha yoga studios of one variety or another such as Iyengar, Ashtanga, Bikram, vinyasa, Anusara, kundalini, power yoga, restorative, Kripalu, and Viniyoga.

I apologize to those who practice hatha yoga forms not mentioned here. At this time and place in the world, we are blessed with a veritable banquet of approaches to yoga practice with many flavors and tastes to choose from. We must remember that we are all climbing the same mountain though we take different paths.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. One surrenders to the Divine in the way of opening the heart. Bhakti yoga practices include singing praises, worship, prayer and ritual in a total letting go that allows the emergence of the divine self and unity with all that is.

Ramana Maharshi, a great realized sage of India explains that one begins with meditation on forms, like those of Gods like Shiva, Vishnu or the Goddess, as different from oneself. Then by degree one comes to understand that the Gods are just forms of one's own deeper Self or pure consciousness, the Divine presence in the heart. What is worshipped outside of oneself merges with what one discover’s inside of self, in unity with self.

Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga emphasizes knowledge of self by ceaseless exploration which can lead to self-realization. Jnana yoga, the contemplative path of spiritual wisdom transforms intellectual knowledge into practical wisdom through experience of unity. One attains liberation through focus on knowing and understanding the nature of Consciousness.

Papaji met Ramana Maharshi, his teacher and great sage of India, and discovered that
“A bird cannot fly without two wings. After this revelation I saw that the Maharshi was soaring on the twin wings of bhakti and jnana [devotion and transcendental knowledge].”

Kriya Yoga

The philosophy of Kriya Yoga develops inner peace through breath control. Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi and is said to have ancient roots deriving from Patanjali and the Upanishads. Patanjali tells us Kriya Yoga consists of body discipline, mental control, and meditating on Aum. Kriya Yoga is thus union (yoga) with the Infinite through a certain action or rite.

A Space Without Struggle: Helping Out Young People One Breath at a Time

Lucia Viti 9/15/2007

Street Yoga, founded by Mark Lilly, offers yoga and wellness classes to homeless and sheltered youth in Portland, Oregon. Lilly’s staff of dedicated yogis volunteer at community sites including Outside In, The White Shield Center and New Avenues For Youth.

Inspired by Sara-Joy Marsh (Lilly’s sensei and founder of Living Yoga, a non-profit organization that teaches yoga to prisoners, drug addicts and the homeless), Street Yoga teaches youth lacking reliable housing, struggling with poverty, or transitioning through the foster care system. Lilly described homeless and at-risk youth as disparaged by society, disregarded with isms and prejudices based on their survival needs. “Although it’s tough to understand what these kids endure, they’re still kids.

Street survival is simply their way of life. Street Yoga offers a safe, honoring, and welcoming space of continuity and commitment absent in days and nights filled with struggle.” Lilly noted that yoga is not a high priority for homeless youth – survival is. “Lacking shelter, assets, income and familial support, these kids are vulnerable. Being is their current condition. Yoga is a doorway for understanding the possibilities that lie within.”

Portland statistics indicate that 90 percent of its homeless youth have escaped violent households. Thirty-six percent of the females have been sexually abused, often by age seven, and 30 percent are sexual minorities, convinced that street life remains a safer haven for the complexities of sexual and gender differences.

Some are abandoned or run away, escaping parental poverty, joblessness, alcohol, and drug abuse. Homeless and at-risk youth are preyed upon for sex, drugs and petty theft. Culprits of all ages lurk as night creatures that beat, steal, stab, pimp and roll {kicked and shoved downhill for bedding} the at-risk population, forcing sleepless nights and encouraging addictions to narcotic stimulants.

Frigid temperatures, relentless rain and a lack of foot apparel cause severe foot fungal infections; youth rarely change their shoes and socks more than once a year. Exhaustion, hunger, illness and fear remain chronic.

Lilly described connection and acceptance as key teaching components. “Asanas are tailored to individual needs and given energies,” he explains. “Classes transcend the physical, offering yoga as an ethical practice with a spiritual component, one that creates a positive, safe and loving environment.

Although asanas, breath and restorative poses reduce stress, a teacher’s respect and appreciation for who they are becomes the avenue for transformation.”

“Yoga is an activity of opportunity, presence and calm for our youth,” adds Kathy Oliver, Ph.D., Executive Director of Outside In. “For some, it’s the lecture of experience for understanding the limitations posed by alcohol and drug abuse. For others it’s a calming presence, a spiritual awakening that connects a respect for the world.”

Outside In, dedicated to serving homeless youth and low-income adults obtain independent living, provides food, shelter, crises counseling, employment education and a community health clinic.

Working one-on-one, case managers address health, housing and education needs, helping youth secure their GEDs and enhance work readiness to obtain and retain employment. The Medical Clinic, a coalition of naturopathic doctors, interns, acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists, offers primary care to those lacking health insurance. Eighty-percent of the tenants never retreat to the streets; over seventy are employed, and twenty-eight are currently attending college.

Educational flyers tout yoga’s ability to increase immunity, ease back pain, enhance circulation, and build inner warmth – essential elements for tolerating street life.

“Classes are meaningful and practical,” adds teacher and Chiropractor Larry Novick. “Postures ease the stress of sleeping on park benches, beneath bridges or standing for long periods of time.

Poses are modified for injuries instigated by child abuse or street life. Although we don’t pander to their differences, we do make allowances.” Novick recalled a young girl’s difficulty in performing pigeon pose, resulting from a beating by her father to her lower back.

Lilly works closely with Street Yoga teachers to insure an understanding of the challenges the teenagers sustain. Trainings, meetings and open discussions via e-mail and website newsletters facilitate the how-to’s of interacting with scenarios unlike most. “These kids don’t have what most take for granted, a peaceful place to chill,” says Novick. “Yoga offers them a choice to find peace within.”

“Classes have an amazing afterglow,” Lilly concludes. “Students linger, asking probing questions about the practice and the meaning of life. That’s an accomplishment with any teenager, let alone a group as highly guarded. It’s a pleasure to remove the blinders to see homeless and at-risk youth as fellow travelers on life’s journey.”

Paschimottanasana: Seated Forward Bend

Shannon Brophy, Yoga.com Staff 9/1/2007

Pronunciation: POSH-ee-mow-than-AWS-ahna

Translation: Pashima in the Sanskrit word means “west.” The word uttana translates to “intense stretch.” The yogis in early times supposedly would bow down to the sun rising in the east. They were aligned on an east-west axis facing the sun in this pose,. Thus this is the Intense West Stretch.

It is a seated forward bend, and can help a person go within, in a way that restores the body and mind. It is not important how deep physically you go into the pose but rather how much you can surrender in the pose. The pose is a release to gravity, and a releaseof yourself to yourself.

Technique: Start the pose from Dandasana, the Staff Pose. Dandasana is the pose where one sits with an extended spine with the torso perpendicular to the floor and the legs together extended straight in front.

In Dandasana the pelvis should be perpendicular to the floor with the side hip bones aligned over your sit bones. If your leg stretch is not yet adequate to sit with a perpendicular pelvis then use blocks or another prop such as one or more folded blankets to provide enough height to sit with the side hip bones far enough forward so that they align with the sit bones and the pelvis is perpendicular to the floor.

Sit with the back pelvic rim moving forward enough to have a “normal” concave lower spine. A few people with a very mobile lower back can move their back pelvic rim so far forward that they over-arch their lower back. Those people should be careful to avoid this over-arching.

Reach back with each hand and move your buttock flesh backwards and out to the sides. This adjusts the angle of your pelvis. Place your palms on the floor next to the hips with your fingers facing toward the feet. Press down through your hands and give your spine more length. With an erect spine, lift up through the top of your head. Open your chest and widen your shoulders. Lift the sternum and bring it forward. Keep your abdomen relaxed and open. Get as much length as you can between the pelvis and ribs by extending the spine upwards. You are now doing Dandasana.

Now you are ready to move into the Paschimottanasana forward bend.

The stretch in Paschimottanasana occurs primarily in the legs. Throughout the pose the spine stays extended. Do not round the spine to bring the head to the legs. Rather, move the sternum forward in the pose as the top of the head stretches towards the top feet. The extended torso eventually descends until it is in contact with the actively extended legs. It is sometimes said that once one has enough leg stretch they can move to a full forward bend while keeping a slight backward arch in the spine.

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation extend forward moving from the hip joints. The front hip bones descend towards the upper thighs. Don’t bend over from the waist. Reach for the outside of the feet and grasp them. Pull yourself forward while lowering the front hip bones towards your legs..

If you cannot yet reach your feet with your hands, loop a belt around the souls of the feet and hold onto the belt as close to your feet as possible.

For some there will be a tendency to collapse the inner ankles while over stretching the outer ankles. Avoid this by keeping the soles of the feet parallel. If you bring the inside of the foot forward, extending from the balls of the big toes and the inner heels it will help create the proper movement deep in the leg sockets.

As you extend the spine over the legs and descend the torso keep your lower back concave. Do not cheat on yourself and bring your head to your legs by rounding and compressing the lower back. When you are deep in the pose, it will round slightly.

As you work correctly in the pose you get the feeling of your pelvis rotating forward instead of bending over your lower back. Remember to extend through both feet keeping the inner feet extended evenly with your outer feet. Press your thighs down to the floor.

Stay in the pose anywhere from one to three minutes. For optimal benefit you should work over time to extend your stay in the pose. Eventually you be able to hold Paschimottanasana for ten minutes. At the completion of holding the pose, rise up from your hip joints with a straight spine. Push yourself up from the floor with your hands if you like.

Beginner’s Tips: The classical pose is done with your legs together. An alternative, if your hamstrings are tight, is to keep your legs about hip width apart for a while.

Another option is to use a bolster resting on your legs under your torso. Do the pose for longer than you otherwise would in this supported fashion. It is a great posture to restore your energy when fatigued. The pose is good during menstruation and pregnancy. If pregnant, place the bolster under your chest not your belly and also widen your legs a bit as to make room for your expanding belly.

Benefits: Stretches the hamstrings, back, shoulders and spine.
Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
Stretches the spine, shoulders, hamstrings
Beneficial for the kidneys, liver, ovaries and uterus.
Improves digestion
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort
Good for pregnancy (see Beginner’s Tips above)
Beneficial for diabetics
Relieves headaches and anxiety, and makes one more energetic when tired
Therapeutic for high blood pressure, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis

Contraindications and Cautions: YDon't do this if you have back problems, asthma or diarrhea.

If you have a back injury or current problems, do the pose with guidance of an experienced yoga teacher.

Keep your lumbar disks safe by being careful not to bend forward with a rounded low back. Be sure to keep your low back concave (but not deeper than is normal for a healthy standing spine) and your sternum lifting upward while your spine is extended as fully as possible.

And Men Can Come Too…Yoga for Men's Health

Phil Aston, BWY Diploma 8/27/2007

For men, being able to tell the difference between bad stress and healthy stress can be impossible. From an early age we are told to push ourselves to the limit, to compete on every level. The jobs we go for include the maxim 'must be able to work under pressure'. We immerse ourselves in our projects, which never seem to get finished, we get home after our children are in bed and relax by either going down the gym for 2 hours of high impact exercise or down several pints before floating a take away meal on top of everything!

We think we are fit, but something is wrong, the world and everyone in it always seems a few minutes ahead of us. We feel exhausted, feelings of anxiety, lack of control and irritability rise within us and don't seem to fall back. Our minds and our ego reach into the future. If only we could just get that promotion, that new car, that new house, everything would be better; we pay no heed to our physical and mental health.

But everyday the pressure on this body, this single heart, and our inner self builds and builds.

The only thing keeping us in this life is a single muscle called the heart, our ability to experience the world around us is reliant on our health. For most men (and women) we don't really notice the body unless it hurts, it needs food or it won't fit into its clothes anymore! And for many men the last thing on their mind will be yoga.

But yoga can vastly improve physical and mental health. It will improve your ability to cope at work and will create space between your thoughts, so that you can once again enjoy your life and family with each passing moment.

In the UK being a male and attending a yoga class can be daunting. Taking aside the image of being surrounded by young women in leotards the reality is that, yes there may well be more women in the class than men, but the main thing that goes through the competitive male mind will be, it must be easy, I might feel silly and what will my mates think?

One of my mains reasons in becoming a teacher was to try and encourage more men to take up Yoga and I am pleased to say that I have a higher proportion of male students that any other teacher in the area. Being a male teacher helps, but so does the focus of giving everything we do a logical background.

So the benefits of each posture or breath awareness exercise are given a real life perspective, so its use in helping focus the mind for that important presentation or meeting or improving your swing on the golf course is always stated.

Yoga complements many other exercise disciplines and sports and although yoga itself can be seen by some as a form of exercise it is essentially the science of positive mental health.

Yoga can be used for all you health needs as it builds strength, stamina and flexibility in a balanced way; it also reduces stress, increases energy, improves sleep and brings about an increased sense of well being.

There is a mistaken view that yoga is simply slow aerobics, doing 20 rounds of the Sun Salutation can be as good a cardiovascular workout as anyone needs, but is it the mental challenge of working with the breath that makes it so special and unique.

Many of us breathe incorrectly and men are habitually chest breathers, which can result in increased stress, blood pressure and anxiety. The benefits of full abdominal breathing can increase our energy levels and sense of focus. Good health can merely be just a few breaths away.

Yoga is all about personal experience, so the spiritual component comes from within. This may manifest in a practical way, in that you find you can concentrate better, your intuition and problem solving skills become more creative.

Yoga makes you more aware of your body and present in the present moment. You still plan for the future, but by planning in the present your ability to cope with change without losing your balance becomes easier.

I use yoga everyday, the mental aspect makes me a better husband, father and manager, the physical side ensures my body is working efficiently and to its optimum level.

Women have been very health conscious for years and this is why so many women go to yoga. I firmly believe however that men have never needed the benefits of yoga more than they do now. Many men are very stressed out and damaging their health and their relationships, we know stress kills and statistically men suffer from this more than women.

Yoga can be your tool for bringing change into your life, so what are you waiting for?

Dandasana

Shannon Brophy, Yoga.com Staff 8/2/2007

Pronunciation: dand-DAW-suh-nuh

Translation: Danda means staff or rod. Your spine is the “staff” or “rod” in this pose. Asana, in Sanskrit, means pose or posture.

Dandasana is the starting posture for seated poses much like Tadasana (the “mountain pose”) is the starting posture for standing poses. In this pose, your alignment is similar to Tadasana in that, when the pose is viewed from the side, your ear is above the shoulder which is above the side of your mid-hip.

Technique: Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Reach back with each hand and move your buttock flesh backwards and out to the sides. This adjusts the angle of your pelvis. Place your palms on the floor next to the hips with your fingers facing toward the feet. Press down through your hands and give your spine more length. With an erect spine, lift up through the top of your head. Open your chest and widen your shoulders. Lift the sternum and bring it forward. Keep your abdomen relaxed and open. Get as much length as you can between the pelvis and ribs by extending the spine upwards.

The extended spine should be perpendicular to the floor. This means that the side hip bones are over the sit bones and directly under the outer shoulder bones. Retain the normal spinal curves that that your spine has when standing erect in tadasana. The lower back should be slightly concave. For most this is achieved by bringing the back pelvic rim forward. However, for some with a very mobile lumbar spine, it is possible to over-arch the lower back by bringing the back pelvic rim too far forward. Be aware of your own lower back and try to get a “normal” concave arch.

Extend the legs forward with energy from the heels. Bring the kneecaps toward the torso and up the leg using the quadrecepts muscles in your upper legs. Your heels may come off the floor when your legs are straight and active. Press your thighs press into the floor.

Beginner’s Tips:

If you have difficulty bring your side hip bones directly over your sit bones, try the pose with a blanket folded and placed under your buttocks to raise you up a little. This will help you to tilt the pelvis forward. Your hamstrings won’t stretch as much with the lift underneath you and this can make the pose more accessible. Adjust the height of your prop until you can sit comfortably with a vertical pelvis. A beginner should also practice the pose without the blanket.

It is also helpful to to the pose with the back against the wall. This will allow you to feel the arching of the lower back and the verticality of the spine. As a way to learn alignment, sit on the floor against the wall. Your lower back (sacrum) and your shoulders will touch the wall. The wall should help you achieve a normal lumbar spinal curve with an erect and extended spine. . Keep weight on the front of the sit bones throughout.

Benefits: This pose strengthens the back and legs. Your hamstrings stretch. It assists your sitting posture throughout the day especially if you routinely spend time sitting at a desk. Your back will feel better if you take time to practice the pose daily. BKS Iyengar tells us that the pose relieves bloating in the abdomen due to gas, and helps those with gastric problems. The waistline is trimmed and the kidneys are toned.