Yoga Palm Tree pose

The Yoga Palm tree pose is a simple standing pose. You can do this pose at any time during the day and even when you are at office. Begin by standing with your feet together. Keep your heels together and spread the toes of your right foot away from those of your left foot. This posture, gives you a firm grip on the floor as you stand. Ground your heels into the floor and bring your knees together.

Now lift your arms to the level of your shoulders. Your arms are now horizontal to the mat. Now let your shoulders relax by swinging your arms freely. This motion mimics that of the swaying of leaves against the wind. As you do this, also wiggle your fingers. This unobtrusive movement of your fingers work on the tendons and ligaments of your palms. As you move your fingers, you also keep swinging your arms, which in turn nourishes your shoulders by increasing the circulation of blood.

Keep the rest of your body straight and tall. Keep your spine erect without curving it to your right or left. Reach out with your fingers as high as you can. As you do this swaying motion, breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Stabilize your hips, back and legs, torso and head. It is only the arms and fingers that move to establish a connection between your arms and shoulders.

This free flowing movement, as you go back and forth with your arms, and as you also breathe consciously and deeply, helps to clear your windpipe and breathing tract.

You can also twist your arms around a little bit when you swing them. Twist them from your shoulders, elbows and wrists. You should feel the twist all through your arms from your fingers up to your shoulders. This helps in nourishing the joints in the arms as you connect from the shoulders to your hands. Do this movement between ten to fifteen breaths, or for as long as you feel comfortable. To exit this pose, lower you arms by your sides and then join your palms at the level of your chest. Pause and repeat the movement of your hands once again.

Apart from being an exercise in itself, to tone up your triceps and biceps, this is also a warm-up exercise to activate yourself before you proceed to do heavier exercises.

Sources:

Gentle Yoga Poses : Yoga Palm Tree Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAuqQIAgN3Y

Talasana - Palm-Tree Pose

http://www.a2zyoga.com/yoga-poses/talasana.php

Tadasana - Palm Tree Pose

http://www.kundalini-yoga-poses.com/palm-tree-pose-tadasana.html

Talasana or Palm Tree Pose

http://www.naturopathictreatment.net/talasana-or-palm-tree-pose.html

Do the Yoga Triangle pose to nourish your Hips and Lower Back

The Yoga Triangle pose is a simple pose that you start doing standing up. There is no complicated twisting and bending involved. You start by standing in the Mountain pose with your spine erect and feet together and breathe slowly and consciously.

Spread your feet apart with a shoulder’s length of distance between them. You can spread your feet by shuffling them away from each other or jumping up to spread them apart with one move.

Lift your arms to the level of your shoulders with your palms facing down. Keep your arms parallel to the floor and ensure that the outside edges of your feet are parallel to each other and your feet are pointing forward as in the normal standing posture.

Stiffen your buttocks and the muscles of your legs. Turn your right foot to point to your right, away from you. Ensure that your right heel is aligned in a straight line with your left ankle. This alignment gives you a stable base when you do the following steps.

Inhale, and as you exhale bend down to your right side and rest your right palm on your right shin. Lift your left arm and align it vertically with your right arm which is rests on your right shin. When you are in this position, keep your thighs firm to enable you to stabilize in this position.

Inhale, and as you exhale turn your head to face up to the ceiling. Breathe easy and pause at this stage for between three to five minutes and then emerge from this pose.

You may repeat these steps, by bending towards your left. When you do this, turn your left foot to point to your left, away from you, while your right foot points forward in your normal standing position.

Doing this pose, nourishes your hips and lower back, and also your legs. It also makes your hips supple.

Sources:

Yoga Asanas - Triangle Pose Trikonasana Asana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tutu7aE2dBI

Yoga Exercise - Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/thetriangle.asp

Trikona-asana - The Triangle Pose

http://www.santosha.com/asanas/trikona.html

Triangle Pose

http://www.wildmind.org/applied/yoga/asanas/triangle

Do the Flying Core Salutations Sequence of Yoga for developing strong arms

The Flying core salutations of Yoga are a dynamic sequence of steps that help you to tone your arms and legs. This sequence also helps to improve your metabolism.

You start doing this sequence from a standing position. Inhale, and as you exhale, bend forward from your knees. Join your palms and take them as close as possible to your feet.

Place your palms on the mat in front of your feet and bend your knees to lift your heels and lock your knees into your armpits. Stiffen the muscles of your arms and rest your shins on your upper arms. Push up your back, and lift your feet off the floor. Your knees rest against your armpits.

Jump back and land your feet as far away behind you as you can. Your torso is now straight so also are your legs. Bend your arms from the elbows to lower your chest to the mat. Pause at this step, where you are in the Sun Salutation pose.

Lift your shoulders up, by straightening your arms. Thrust your chest out and open up your heart. Inhale, and as you exhale, lift your hips up to make them the highest point in your posture. Lower your head in between your arms, as in the Down dog pose.

Inhale and lift your right leg up and align the angle of this upraised right leg with that of your back and arms. Inhale, and as you exhale, lower your right leg to bring it in between your arms. Lift your right leg up again and bring it down. Repeat this movement for a few times, using your left leg instead of your right.

After doing this movement for a few times. Bring the leg you have lifted below your chest. Rest your chest for a moment on your thigh and then lift your chest up. Make your torso erect and lift your arms above your head. Exhale as you lower your arms and then inhale as you lift them up again. Repeat this movement a few times.

This robust sequence of steps will help you develop strong arms and shoulders.

Sources:

Core Salutations Torch Calories in Less Time

http://sadieyoga.com/core-salutations/

Core Connections

http://newsletter.sadieyoga.com/003-cc-core-salutations/

Flying Core Salutations

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

Sun Salutations Core

http://yogademo.com/sun-salutations-core

Yoga exercises for Oblique Muscles for New Moms

The period immediately after you deliver your baby is one where you body has to be gradually nourished to enable it to get back to its normal chores once again. During pregnancy, especially during the advanced phases, you would have slowed down your pace of activities. This would have brought about a certain stiffness and lethargy in your movements.

During your post-delivery period you will need to do certain exercises that will help your body to regain its suppleness. But you need to go about doing these exercises with due caution. You will need to consult your gynecologist before you start doing any of these exercises. Some of them would have to be modified to suit your medical condition. If you have delivered your baby, by being operated in the cesarean section, you will need to postpone doing any exercise by a few weeks till you recover fully. Your gynecologist would be the best person to guide you on this.

When you start doing any exercise, you will also need to do so under the guidance of a yoga tutor. Learning to do any yoga pose, the right way is very necessary if it is to have its desired salutary effect.

Start doing the Yoga exercises for oblique muscles by lying down supine on a yoga mat. Bend your legs from the knees and lift your knees, to make your legs appear as an inverted V. Now inhale deeply, and as you exhale, draw your belly inwards and push the floor down with your feet and shoulders, to lift your hips slightly off the mat. Engage the muscles of your abdomen, and then lift your shoulders and head off the mat.

Raise your right arm and reach out to your left knee. When you do this, retain the left arm on the mat and press the mat down with your left palm to help you to raise your body off the mat. Pause in this position for some time, and then lower your shoulders and head to the mat. As you hold on to this position, initially your pelvis might shake. You will be able to stabilize your pelvis when you get used to doing this pose over a few days.

When you lower your shoulders and head to the mat, you may move your right arm above your head. Now repeat this step by using your left arm instead of your right. Repeat these steps for between three to five times or as long as you are comfortable and then exist this pose. Take care not to overdo it in your initial enthusiasm.

This pose will help you to overcome the stiffness in your hips that you experience in the immediate post-delivery period.

Sources:

Yoga Exercises for Oblique Muscles

http://www.ehow.com/video_2351791_yoga-exercises-oblique-muscles.html

Yoga Exercises for New Moms: Yoga Exercises for Oblique Muscles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aPadazXkyg

How To Do Yoga Exercises For New Moms Yoga Exercises For Oblique Muscles

http://wn.com/how_to_do_yoga_exercises_for_new_moms__yoga_exercises_for_oblique_muscles

Great workout ideas for new moms

http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpp/wildcard_8/wildcard_88/great-workout-ideas-for-new-moms