Wide-Legged Forward Bend
(pra-sa-REE-tah pah-doh-tahn-AHS-anna) prasarita = stretched out, expanded, spread, with outstretched limbs pada = foot ut = intense tan = to stretch or extend (compare the Latin verb tendere, “to stretch or extend”) Wide-Legged Forward Bend: Step-by-Step Instructions Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), facing one of the long edges of your sticky mat, then step […]
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
(ARE-dah MOT-see-en-DRAHS-anna) ardha = half Matsyendra = king of the fish (matsya = fish indra = ruler), a legendary teacher of yoga Half Lord of the Fishes Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, buttocks supported on a folded blanket. Bend your knees, put your […]
Cow Face Pose
(go-moo-KAHS-anna) go = cow (Sanskrit go is a distant relative of the English word “cow”) mukha = face Cow Face Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose), then bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Slide your left foot under the right knee to the outside of the right hip. […]
Eagle Pose
(gah-rue-DAHS-anna) Garuda = the mythic “king of the birds,” the vehicle of Vishnu. The word is usually rendered into English as “eagle,” though according to one dictionary the name literally means “devourer,” because Garuda was originally identified with the “all-consuming fire of the suns rays.” Eagle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Stand in Tadasana. Bend your knees […]
Child’s Pose
(bah-LAHS-anna) bala = child Child’s Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip […]
Bharadvaja’s Twist
(bah-ROD-va-JAHS-anna), Bharadvaja = one of seven legendary seers, credited with composing the hymns collected in the Vedas Bharadvaja’s Twist: Step-by-Step Instructions Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Shift over onto your right buttock, bend your knees, and swing your legs to the left. Lay your feet on the […]
Bound Angle Pose
(BAH-dah cone-AHS-anna) baddha = bound kona = angle Bound Angle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions Step by Step Sit with your legs straight out in front of you, raising your pelvis on a blanket if your hips or groins are tight. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out […]