How To

How to Use Sitting Asana

By Ashley Martinez, eHow Editor
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Sitting asanas are wonderful for meditative purposes, to practice pranayamas (breathing exercies) or to work on your spinal alignment. Here are few asanas used for various purposes.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Yoga Mat

    Sit and Soar

  1. Step 1
    Comfortable Seated Position
    Comfortable Seated Position

    Find a comfortable seated position on the mat. This is usually a cross-legged, Indian style position. Your hands can be faced up or down on your knees or in a mudra. Start to notice your breath. Comfortable seated position is great for meditation or breathing exercises, such as Kapalabhati (breath of fire) or Nadi Sodhana (alternate nostril breathing).

  2. Step 2
    Baddha Konasana
    Baddha Konasana

    A subsequent asana is Baddha Konasana, or bound ankle pose. Sit tall, extending your spine, and allow your thighs to drop into the mat. For more advance practitioners, you may choose to bend forward.

  3. Step 3
    Dandasana
    Dandasana

    Extending your legs out in front of you for Dandasana (staff pose) is another strengthener for your core and spine.

  4. Step 4
    Janu Sirsasana
    Janu Sirsasana

    Sitting poses that will help strengthen you hips and flexibility are Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend) and Upavistha Konasasana (Open Angle Pose). Learning to stay longer in these poses will help you bring a focus to the moment and help you reconnect with the breath. In Janu Sirsasana, align you belly button over you thigh.

  5. Step 5
    Gomukhasana
    Gomukhasana

    More advanced is Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) which you may take with the bind for an extra stretch. In this pose, you will drop both knees on top of one another, squeezing the thighs together and allowing both sit bones to drop into the mat. Sit tall. Breathe deeply.

  6. Step 6
    Gomukhasana from the back
    Gomukhasana from the back

    This is Gomukhasana with the bind from the back. If you take the bind, allowing the arm that is on top to draw upward, pointing your elbow up. The arm that is on botton, you will draw that elbow down.

Tips & Warnings
  • In every seated pose or asana, breathe deeply.
  • Root your tailbone on the mat.
  • Extend your spine up.
  • Do not practice without a yoga instructor's permision.

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eHow Article: How to Use Sitting Asana

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