How to Do the Crocodile Pose in Yoga

Not every posture in yoga requires the flexibility and dexterity of a Cirque de Soleil performer. However, even the easiest postures, the ones that don't appear to be stretching any part of your body, are beneficial. The crocodile posture is one of those. An integral part of yoga is learning to relax and how to breath deeply and rhythmically. A yoga practitioner learns to become mindfully aware of how her body is feeling and the ways in which it is responding to certain movements and positions or, conversely, when it's not cooperating and perhaps a posture needs to be modified. Learning how to relax and let go shouldn't be such a big deal that you have to be taught how to do this, but in this fast-paced, hectic, never-a-second-to-spare world that we live in, we sometimes forget to slow down.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Yoga mat

1. Lying on your yoga mat, stomach against the mat, get yourself situated. Pull your shoulders down from your ears. Most people tend to tense up in the neck and shoulder area without even realizing it.

2. Spread your extended legs slightly apart. Your can point your feet towards one another or directly to the back.

3. Bend your arms at the elbows and tuck your hands, palms down, under your head, which you have turned either to the right or to the left.

4. Close your eyes and begin your deep, rhythmic breathing through your nostrils. Learn to hold your inhalations and your exhalations a little longer each time you practice yoga.

5. Relax your face muscles, including your mouth and your brow.

6. Focus on the various parts of your body. Instruct your back to relax, your legs, your arms, your belly, your heart, your brain, your nervous system, and so on.

7. Note that your body will relax and you can feel it, with each exhalation.

Tips & Warnings

• Doing the crocodile pose will help relieve digestive problems. Furthermore, lying on the stomach aids in gastric maladies as well. Check out the yoga link in the Resource section. You will see an illustration of the corpse pose which is done on the practitioner's back but, like the crocodile back, which is done on the stomach, both poses are easy to execute yet very beneficial. Don't dismiss the efficacy of these two postures simply because they seem too easy and undemanding.

Who Can Help:

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

Resources

• ABCs of Yoga