Advanced Warrior Two Pose

The Yoga Advanced warrior two pose is aimed at strengthening your hips and core. You start this exercise by standing up straight on the mat. Spread your feet to either side and keep a distance of about a shoulder and a half between them.

Turn your shoulders to your right, and as you do so also turn your right foot to point towards your right away from you. Your left foot though continues to face forward as it normally is when you stand. Your right leg may be slightly bent from the knee, but hold your left leg straight. Do ensure that you do not lock your left knee when you stand this way, as there is danger of your spraining your knee.

Lift your arms up to the level of your shoulders with your palms outstretched and your fingers pointing away from you. You may need to step back further with your back foot (in this case your left foot), to ensure that your hips are centered between your right foot and left foot. Make your torso straight, and ensure that your spine is not bent either to your left or right.

Lower your arms and place your palms on your hips. Turn your shoulders towards your left, so that you are now facing forward. Lower your hips and bend the knee of your outstretched right leg. Ensure that your right knee is directly above your right ankle and your right shin is vertical.

Inhale and lift your arms again and spread them to either side of your shoulders. Stretch both your arms, reaching slightly back with your back hand (in this case your left hand) and slightly forward with your right hand. Turn your face towards your right and pause at this position for some time. Keep breathing slowly and consciously all the while and never hold your breath at any stage during this exercise.

To emerge from this position, lower your arms and withdraw your legs to bring them together in the normal standing position. Repeat this step by stepping forward with your left leg instead of your right. This way you nourish your hips, thighs, calves and shoulders.

To get the best results, do this exercise on an empty stomach and schedule it in the morning so that you could also imbibe the pure morning air as you do this exercise. Do have a word with your doctor before you go ahead to do this exercise, especially if you suffer from any hip or spine related ailments.

Sources:

Yoga Warrior Two Pose for Energy

http://www.ehow.com/video_4935968_yoga-warrior-two-pose-energy.html

Advanced Yoga Poses and Positions : Free Online Yoga Instruction : Warrior Two Yoga Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTx2WfHcPD0

Warrior II Pose

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/495

Yoga Poses - Warrior Pose II (Virabhadrasana II)

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/info/warrior-pose2.asp

Yoga Standing Hip Rolls during Pregnancy

During pregnancy, especially during advanced pregnancy you experience stiffness in different parts of your body due to the additional weight of the baby that you bear. Your movements too are very careful and limited. This exacerbates the feeling of stiffness and rigidity.

The prenatal yoga standing hip rolls is an easy exercise to do. But in spite of the ease while doing this exercise, you need to consult your gynecologist before you proceed to do this pose. For this exercise, as for all other prenatal exercises, you need to have a friend, or preferably your yoga tutor around to help you out.

Stand facing a table at about half an arm’s distance from you. Cross your arms, and place your forearms on the table as you lean against it. Place your head on your forearms. Ensure that your abdomen is not under any kind of pressure when you are in this position.

Stretch your spine and keep your back nice and long. After ensuring that you have placed your arms on the table securely, you may walk your feet away from the table for a step or two, to arch your back a bit more. Keep your feet slightly apart to provide for space for your baby, as you proceed to do the following moves. A distance of a couple of feet is fine depending on your height.

Now begin to do the hips rolls by moving your hips to your right and stretching them as comfortably as you can. As you do this, the left side of your abdomen is slightly compressed. Pause at this stage for between two to three breaths and then move your hips to your left, compressing the right side of your abdomen.

Introduce a variation by lifting your hips up a bit and then lowering them as you swing from side to side, to do circles with your hips. Repeat this process of swinging from right to left for as long as you find doing it to be comfortable.

This exercise relieves the stiffness that you feel around your hips and waist, especially during advanced pregnancy. It stretches your hips and lower back as you go from one side to the other. But as your do this, do not go too far, and avoid straining your abdomen.

This exercise also helps you to adjust to the physical changes that rapidly take place in late pregnancy, and also prepares you for labor to undergo a relatively painless delivery.

Sources:

Hip Roll Exercises

http://www.livestrong.com/article/156412-hip-roll-exercises/

Yoga for Pregnant Women : Standing Hip Rolls for Prenatal Yoga

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVmv-M3y5CU

Standing yoga poses:

http://www.yoga-poses-and-beyond.com/standingyoga.html

Standing Hip Rolls for Prenatal Yoga

http://www.ehow.com/video_2351572_standing-hip-rolls-prenatal-yoga.html