Healing Yoga part 2

Mona Ray
Jul 5, 2023
3 min read

Three Yoga Poses to Restore Your Energy Level; Good to Practice if you suffer due Chronic Conditions.

Happy after yoga

Last week I wrote about three yoga poses that can restore your energy level and calm your mind. Today I want to continue the topic and present three more yoga poses. Adhomukha Svasana/Downward-facing-dog, Adhomukha Virasana/Downward-facing-hero pose and Adhomukha Swastikasana/Downward-facing cross-legged pose with props.

Tips

A hot shower or bath before Yoga is recommended, but it is unnecessary.
Yoga is not a competition with anyone, even with yourself. Remember to listen to your body and do nothing that makes you uncomfortable, dizzy etc. If you feel any discomfort, slowly get out of the pose.
Yoga helps you to get in touch with your body, calm your mind and allows you to find yourself.
Keep the place warm; put inside some fresh air, light candles, light incense, and put on relaxing music in the background.

Props

It would help to have one yoga block (or books), two bolsters (or thick & long pillows), two thick blankets, a bench, and a yoga mat.

Adhomukha Svansana/Downward-facing-dog

How to do it?

You can practice this asana against the wall or not.

If you practice against the wall:

Stand in Tadasana with your back 1.2 m (4ft) away from the wall.
Kneel and place your hands on the floor (Cat pose).
Walk your feet back against the wall. Lock your elbows.
Stretch your legs & raise your buttocks, stretch your chest, and push your sternum towards your hands.
Place your head on the block.
Your throat should be soft and elongated, your eyes relaxed, and your brain passive.

Stay in the pose for 30-60 seconds (5-10 breaths).

Do not do it if:

You have diarrhoea and rheumatoid fewer.

If you have a stiff spine, high blood pressure, recurring headaches, or varicose veins, practice with a block to support your head.

Benefits:

It tones and relaxes the nervous system and helps relieve depression and anxiety.

Cures breathlessness, palpitations, extreme fatigue and sunstroke.

Stabilises blood pressure and heart rate.

It helps to relieve chronic constipation, indigestion, and excess bile formation.

Relieves arthritis of shoulders, wrists and fingers.

Reduces lower backache.

It improves the flexibility of hips, knees, and ankles and strengthens the ligaments and tendons of the legs.

Counters the loss to the cartilage of the knees and hamstrings muscles.

Strengthens the arches of the feet and prevents calcaneal spurs.

Adhomukha Virasana/Downward-facing hero pose

How to do it?

1. Kneel with the bolster between your knees. Put one folded blanket on the bolster and a second across your calves and heels—palms on your knees, feet together. Stay in this pose for 30 sec ( breaths). 5

2. Pull the bolster closer, just below your abdomen, and position the blanket on it so you can rest your face on it. Exhale and forward bend. Stretch your arms, and put palms on the floor, on either side of the end of the bolster.

3. Lower your chest to the bolster, stretch your arms forward, extend your neck, rest your forehead and face on the blanket, push your thighs down and lower your buttocks towards the floor. Your abdomen should be soft, armpits opened, sternum extended, and buttocks rest on the other blanket. Increase the forward stretch of your torso and spine. Stay in the pose for 30-60 sec (5-10 breaths).

Do not do it if:

Experience incontinent.

If you suffer from migraines or stress-related headaches, put a crepe bandage around your eyes and head.

Benefits:

Relieves breathlessness, dizziness, fatigue and headaches.

Reduces high blood pressure.

Reduces acidity and fluctuance.

Alleviates menstrual pain and depression related to periods.

Adhomukha Swastikasana/Downward-facing cross-legged pose

1. Put a yoga mat and a bolster on the bench and put a folded blanket between the front end of the bolster and the front edge of the bench (sunbed).

2. Sit in Swastikasana (cross-legged pose) on the other bolster (pillow).

3. Breathe out, bend forward, chest on the folded blanket, arms forward, bend your elbows, right palm on your left forearm, and left palm on your right forearm. Breathe slowly, relax and elongate your neck, and breath evenly while staying in the pose for 2 min (20 breaths).