Bandhas

ASANA FUNDAMENTALS

Standing Poses (Asanas)

Forward Bends

Backbends

STANDING POSES

• Strengthen muscles (esp. hips, legs, buttocks, knees, shoulders, neck); good for beginners because they strengthen largest muscles
• Warms muscles for increased stretching
• Isometric/hold contractions are very good for strengthening
• Teach alignment and body awareness
• Provide weight bearing on large bones
• Increase circulation
• Stimulates digestion
• Applies to walking, standing, and sitting postures
• Do at the beginning of practice to warm up the muscles
• Most fundamental class of all postures
• Learning to root/ground through the legs -- Poise and Balance
• Increased power, strength, stability in the legs -- Confidence and Courage
• Gain physical, emotional and mental stability, strength and stamina
• Nervous system better insulated - - Settled, secure feeling
• Circulation in the legs increase, heart works less
• Heart/lungs activated -- Detoxify the blood
• Pelvic floor widened -- Increased Apana Vayu
• Tadasana - the mountain pose

Master pose from which all others originate

Know alignment in Tadasana, know for all poses

• Stance Width -- Balance of stability and freedom

FORWARD BENDS

• Receiving postures
• Tones abdominal organs by stimulating increased circulation and flushing
• Increases circulation to the CNS
• Relieves menstrual cramps and bloating
• A key to practice during menstruation
• Calming, centering, grounding
• Helps to flush the sinuses
• Lengthens the muscles of the back side of the body
• Induces sleep
• Defined as hip flexion with the spine extended or rounded forward
• Two stages

Concave lower back (lumbar) & extended spine

Keeping that, bend forward

• Deep forward bends tone the internal organs & cool the nervous system

BACKBENDS

• Increase flexibility in the spine (must lengthen to bend safely)
• Strengthens muscles (esp. legs, hips, shoulders, and arms)
• Arouses and stimulates the CNS
• Opens and stretches the entire front of the body
• Exhilarating and rejuvenating
• Increase energy and courage
• The liver is stretched and flushed
• Kidneys compressed
• Opens the respiratory system
• Do only after warmed up correctly
• Not to late in the evening
• Require us to be courageous, adventurous and to trust our divine nature

Our front body is vulnerable

Major chakras manifest outwardly

Releases deep held emotions

Builds stability, flexibility, youthfulness and lightness