Body Limbering Up Exercises in Yoga
Pawan Mukta asana series: These are wonderful, simple exercises which loosen up, warm up and limber up your joints and muscles from the tip of your toes to the top of your head. It is best to satart any yoga practice with 7 to 8 minutes of Pawan Muktasana excercises.
Before beginning any yoga practice, sit in a comfortable posture. It could be merely in cross legged, or padma asana, on your heels in vajrasana or on a chair or sofa if you are in a debilitated state or have some severe back problem.
Close your eyes and internalize your awareness. Watch your own breathing for a minute or so keeping your spine straight and your whole body relaxed.
a) Feet Stretching exercise: Sit comfortably on your mat with legs stretched out in front of you.
Inhale and stretch your foot outward so that the toes point away from the body.
Exhale and pull your foot inward so that the toes are now poised towards the body. One inhalation and exhalation makes one round. Do seven rounds.
a) Ankle rotation: Sit comfortably and spread your legs a foot apart. Then rotate your right ankle in clockwise direction seven time and then anti-clocwise direction seven times. Repeat the same with your left ankle. Get your feet together and repeat with both feet together.
1) Ardha Titali asana (Half Butterfly) : Sit comfortably with your legs stretched out in front of you. Fold the right leg and place it on your left thigh. Place the right hand on the knee and gently bounce the right leg up and down like the wings of a butterfly. Do 20 to 40 rounds depending on your capacity and comfort level. Do equal number of rounds with the left leg.
2) Poorna Titali asana: Sit comfortably with your legs stretched out in front of you. Then fold both legs. Gripping the toes draw the foot as close as possible to the groin region. Then with hands on the knees, bounce your legs up and down again like a butterfly flapping its wings.
3) Gatyatmak Meeru Vakrasana: Sit on the floor with legs stretched out. Then separate your legs as far apart as possible. Then stretch your hands sideways so that they at the shoulder level and your hands are in one straight line. Then twist your body to the right so that the left hand can grip the right toes and right hand is stretched out at the back. Turn the head to the right and gaze at your right hand. Then twist your body to the left without bringing the hands down. Now grip the left toe with the right hand and turn and gaze at the left hand stretched out behind you. This is one round. Practice between 7 to 10 rounds.
Head Rotation or Greeva Sanchalana: (Neck movement) Sit comfortably in padmasana (cross legged) with hands resting on the knees in gyan or chin mudra.
Close your eyes, relax your body and internalize your gaze.
Move your head forward with exhalation and try to touch the chin to the chest.
The slowly move your head back as far as comfortably possible so that you feel the stretch of the neck muscles and inhale. Do three to ten rounds.
Sit comfortably, inhale deeply and as you exhale turn your head to the right as far back as possible. Then inhale as you come back to the centre and exhale and look to the left as far back as possible. Keep your eyes closed and awareness on stretch and pull of the entire neck region.
Inhale in the centre and bend the head to the side giving a nice stretch to the left side of the neck. Exhale as you bend the head. Repeat for the other side.
4) Mushtika bandha (hand clentching) Sit relaxed in cross legged or any base position. Raise your hands straight in front at shoulder level. Your open palms should point downwards. Stretch your fingers as wide apart as possible. Close the fingers to make a tight fist with the thumbs inside. The fingers should wrap the thumbs. Inhale while opening the hands and exhale while closing. Maintain awareness on breath, and movement and close yours if necessary. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
5) Mushtika bandh ( wrist bending) Sit comfortably in cross legged or base position with back straight but relaxed.
Stretch arms at shoulder level in front of the body with finger together and palm facing downward. Bend the palm at the wrist so that the fingers are pointing at the floor. Then raise the palm at the wrist so the fingers are pointing at the ceiling. Inhale while bending up and exhale while bending down. Repeat it 5 to 10 times.
6) Manibandha chakra: (wrist joint rotation) Remain in base position, back straight, body relaxed. Stretch your hands out in front at shoulder level. Put your thumb inside your palm and close the fingers around it in a tight fist. Then rotate the fist at the wrist in a clockwise direction for 7 to 10 rounds and then anti clock wise direction same number of rounds.
7) Kehuni Naman: ( Elbow bending) Remain in cross legged or base position. Stretch the hands out in front of you at shoulder level palms facing upwards. Then inhale in this position and exhale and bend the hands at the elbow with the fingers touching the shoulders. Do this 7 to 10 rounds
8) Same practice can be done with hands stretched out in a line at the side and palms turned upwards. Inhale in this position and exhale and bend the elbows with the fingers touching respective shoulders.
Pawan Mukta asana series: These are wonderful, simple exercises which loosen up, warm up and limber up your joints and muscles from the tip of your toes to the top of your head. It is best to satart any yoga practice with 7 to 8 minutes of Pawan Muktasana excercises.
Before beginning any yoga practice, sit in a comfortable posture. It could be merely in cross legged, or padma asana, on your heels in vajrasana or on a chair or sofa if you are in a debilitated state or have some severe back problem.
Close your eyes and internalize your awareness. Watch your own breathing for a minute or so keeping your spine straight and your whole body relaxed.
a) Feet Stretching exercise: Sit comfortably on your mat with legs stretched out in front of you.
Inhale and stretch your foot outward so that the toes point away from the body.
Exhale and pull your foot inward so that the toes are now poised towards the body. One inhalation and exhalation makes one round. Do seven rounds.
a) Ankle rotation: Sit comfortably and spread your legs a foot apart. Then rotate your right ankle in clockwise direction seven time and then anti-clocwise direction seven times. Repeat the same with your left ankle. Get your feet together and repeat with both feet together.
1) Ardha Titali asana (Half Butterfly) : Sit comfortably with your legs stretched out in front of you. Fold the right leg and place it on your left thigh. Place the right hand on the knee and gently bounce the right leg up and down like the wings of a butterfly. Do 20 to 40 rounds depending on your capacity and comfort level. Do equal number of rounds with the left leg.
2) Poorna Titali asana: Sit comfortably with your legs stretched out in front of you. Then fold both legs. Gripping the toes draw the foot as close as possible to the groin region. Then with hands on the knees, bounce your legs up and down again like a butterfly flapping its wings.
3) Gatyatmak Meeru Vakrasana: Sit on the floor with legs stretched out. Then separate your legs as far apart as possible. Then stretch your hands sideways so that they at the shoulder level and your hands are in one straight line. Then twist your body to the right so that the left hand can grip the right toes and right hand is stretched out at the back. Turn the head to the right and gaze at your right hand. Then twist your body to the left without bringing the hands down. Now grip the left toe with the right hand and turn and gaze at the left hand stretched out behind you. This is one round. Practice between 7 to 10 rounds.
Head Rotation or Greeva Sanchalana: (Neck movement) Sit comfortably in padmasana (cross legged) with hands resting on the knees in gyan or chin mudra.
Close your eyes, relax your body and internalize your gaze.
Move your head forward with exhalation and try to touch the chin to the chest.
The slowly move your head back as far as comfortably possible so that you feel the stretch of the neck muscles and inhale. Do three to ten rounds.
Sit comfortably, inhale deeply and as you exhale turn your head to the right as far back as possible. Then inhale as you come back to the centre and exhale and look to the left as far back as possible. Keep your eyes closed and awareness on stretch and pull of the entire neck region.
Inhale in the centre and bend the head to the side giving a nice stretch to the left side of the neck. Exhale as you bend the head. Repeat for the other side.
4) Mushtika bandha (hand clentching) Sit relaxed in cross legged or any base position. Raise your hands straight in front at shoulder level. Your open palms should point downwards. Stretch your fingers as wide apart as possible. Close the fingers to make a tight fist with the thumbs inside. The fingers should wrap the thumbs. Inhale while opening the hands and exhale while closing. Maintain awareness on breath, and movement and close yours if necessary. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
5) Mushtika bandh ( wrist bending) Sit comfortably in cross legged or base position with back straight but relaxed.
Stretch arms at shoulder level in front of the body with finger together and palm facing downward. Bend the palm at the wrist so that the fingers are pointing at the floor. Then raise the palm at the wrist so the fingers are pointing at the ceiling. Inhale while bending up and exhale while bending down. Repeat it 5 to 10 times.
6) Manibandha chakra: (wrist joint rotation) Remain in base position, back straight, body relaxed. Stretch your hands out in front at shoulder level. Put your thumb inside your palm and close the fingers around it in a tight fist. Then rotate the fist at the wrist in a clockwise direction for 7 to 10 rounds and then anti clock wise direction same number of rounds.
7) Kehuni Naman: ( Elbow bending) Remain in cross legged or base position. Stretch the hands out in front of you at shoulder level palms facing upwards. Then inhale in this position and exhale and bend the hands at the elbow with the fingers touching the shoulders. Do this 7 to 10 rounds
8) Same practice can be done with hands stretched out in a line at the side and palms turned upwards. Inhale in this position and exhale and bend the elbows with the fingers touching respective shoulders.
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