Professional Documents
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Pose
Child's Pose / Balasana
Begin on your hands and knees. Bring the big toes together and separate the knees a little wider than hip distance.
On an exhalation glide your hips back to sit on the heels. Place the forehead on the floor and rest the arms along
side your body. If this is uncomfortable for the knees place blankets, a bolster or pillows under your torso.
Pitta Focus:
Breathe into the back body. Notice your breath in the low back, the mid back and the upper back. Feel the low back
inflate, the rib cage open and the shoulder blades broaden.
Benefits:
Stretches the spine and back muscles. Calms the nervous system. Gently massages the digestive and pelvic organs.
Pitta Focus:
Surrender your body to the exhalation. Enjoy the simplicity of the pose and gentle opening of the side body.
Benefits:
Stretches the intercostal muscles, gently ignites agni and brings awareness to the back body thus relieving held
tension.
Pitta Focus:
Contract the abdominal muscles on the inhalation by drawing your navel towards your spine and release the
muscles as you exhale. This action provides a deep massage for the digestive organs and balances agni.
Benefits:
Increases spinal flexibility, relieves tension in the back (especially the shoulders and neck) and tones the abdomen.
Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Arms rest along side your body as you extend the fingers towards the floor.
Drop the shoulders and lift the heart. Make sure that the floating ribs are not sticking out. Let the chin tilt slightly
towards the chest to lengthen the neck. Reach the crown of the head up and ground down through the feet. Press
through the big toe and outer legs. Internally rotate the femurs to give the sacrum space. Lengthen your tailbone.
Pitta Focus:
Avoid sticking the ribs out, bring them back into your body. Lengthen the back of the neck by lowering the chin
and slightly drawing it in. Focus on the internal gaze rather than the external.
Benefits:
Increases focus, concentration and balance.
Palms Together
Arms Overhead
Forward Fold
Lunge
Arms Overhead
Childs Pose
Childs Pose
Kneeling Position
Lunge
Caption
Forward Fold
Arms Overhead
Pitta Focus:
Gaze should remain at or below the horizon throughout the salutation and emphasis is on the internal gaze rather
than external. Back of the neck stays long and ribs draw back into the body. Practice the moon salutation slowly
and rhythmically.
Benefits:
Warms up the joints and stretches the entire body while creating a cooling effect. Increases the functioning and
balance of the circulatory, respiratory, immune, endocrine, digestive, musculo-skeletal and nervous systems.
Chair / Utkatasana
Begin in mountain pose with your feet hip distance apart, toes turned slightly in. Internally rotate your femurs and
on an exhalation bend the knees and come to sit in an imaginary chair. On an inhalation, reach the arms out in front
of you and hold them at a level that does not aggravate or build too much heat for you. Breathe fully and lengthen
your exhalation.
Pitta Focus:
Breathe into the back of your body. Release the posture before you feel a lot of heat building up. You can always
come back into it. Remind yourself to have a relaxed effort in the pose. Rather than holding the posture for a period
of time, remain fluid and come in and out of the pose with your breath for several repetitions.
Benefits:
Builds strength in the thighs and abdomen as well as building lung capacity and stamina.
Pitta Focus:
Contract and release the abdominal muscles as you breathe into the twist. Imagine the twist wringing your insides
out of any excess heat or toxins.
Benefits:
Releases stagnation, increases flexibility in the spine, improves digestion and strengthens the thighs and abdomen.
Pitta Focus:
Surrender to the pose. Allow your exhalation to guide you comfortably in the pose and imagine your thoughts are
pouring out of the crown of your head. Be patient with your bodys limitations.
Benefits:
Increases flexibility in the hamstrings and spine, calms and cools the mind, improves digestion, slows the heart and
nourishes the brain cells.
Pitta Focus:
Breathe into the side body. Find a balance of relaxation and effort.
Benefits:
Builds strength, stamina and focus. Aids digestion and increases lung capacity.
overhead. Inhale to find length in the torso and as you exhale begin to twist over to the right. Bring the left elbow
across the right thigh. Place the right palm atop the left and press the hands together. Feel free to lift the left heel
off the floor. This will encourage a deeper twist and help with balance. Breathe here before alternating sides.
Pitta Focus:
Wringing out your insides. Use the breath to massage the internal organs. Keep the gaze at or below the horizon
and focus on how the pose feels internally rather than what it looks like externally.
Benefits:
Detoxifying, aids digestion, builds strength in the legs and rejuvenates the abdomen with a fresh supply of blood.
Cobra / Bhujangasana
Lie on your stomach and place the hands underneath the shoulders. Inhale to roll the shoulders back, lift the chest,
lengthen the tailbone and find your gaze at the horizon or below. Lower down on an exhalation. Repeat several
times with inhalation and exhalation.
Pitta Focus:
Opening the solar plexus. Avoid griping the buttocks and reach out of the lower back. Keep the chin slightly drawn
in towards the chest.
Benefits:
Strengthens the muscles of the back, stretches the spine, opens the chest and shoulders and massages the abdominal
and pelvic area.
Pitta Focus:
Gaze is at or below the horizon and the chin is slightly tilted downwards to avoid shortening the back of the neck.
Work at 80% effort.
Benefits:
Strengthens the abdominal muscles, spine, buttocks and thighs. Stimulates digestion.
Pitta Focus:
Keep the chin slightly tucked towards the chest. Release the pose when your body is ready.
Leg Lifts
Lie down on your back and extend the arms out to the sides like a T. Press the palms into the ground. Flex the feet
and engage the legs. Inhale to lift the left leg off the ground towards a 90 degree angle. Exhale to slowly lower.
Inhale to reach the right leg up and exhale to lower it. If the low back is straining, then bring your hands
underneath your sacrum and/or bend the knee. Take several repetitions on each side.
Pitta Focus:
Secure the lower back to the floor. Let your breath guide the movement.
Benefits:
Strengthens the core muscles and builds agni.
Bicycle
Lie on your back and place your hands behind your head. Bend your knees bringing the feet off the floor so that
your calves are parallel to the earth. Keep the elbows wide as you inhale to lift the upper back off the ground and
reach your left elbow to the right knee. Exhale to return to center. Inhale to reach the right elbow to the left knee.
Alternate sides for several rounds.
Pitta Focus:
Practice with ease rather than intensity. Keep the chin slightly tucked and the chest open.
Benefits:
Builds and balances agni.
Bridge / Setubandha
Lie on your back, bend the knees and bring your feet to the floor a little wider than hip distance. Turn the feet in
slightly and internally rotate the thighs. Reach the arms along side the body pressing the palms into the floor.
Elongate your neck by slightly tucking the chin towards the chest and press through the crown of your head. On an
inhalation, begin to lift the hips. Use your breath, let the front of the body open and breathe along the solar plexus.
Exhale to slowly lower down. Repeat as a flow; inhaling the hips off the floor and exhaling to lower.
Pitta Focus:
Lengthen the back of the neck and draw your gaze inward. Let the breath open the solar plexus.
Benefits:
Increases flexibility of the spine, improves functioning of the endocrine and nervous system and helps to balance
disorders in the digestive, reproductive and gastrointestinal tract.
until the hips rest on the ground. Slowly lower the legs as you keep the abdomen engaged. If you feel any
compression on the neck, do not practice this pose.
Pitta Focus:
Breathe fully and be gentle. Encourage the opening at the solar plexus by bringing the elbows into the body so you
can roll the shoulder blades closer together.
Benefits:
Tones the abdominal organs, soothes headaches, stimulates the thyroid, activates the parasympathetic nervous
system, creates space in the chest and uplifts to the spirit.
Supine Twist
Lie flat on your back, bend the knees and lift the feet off the floor. The calves should be parallel to the ground. Flex
your feet and extend the arms out to the sides like a "T. Press the palms into the ground. Take a deep breath feeling
your back body expand into the earth. On the exhalation, guide the knees/legs to the left side coming into a twist.
Use the breath to create more space between the right shoulder and right hip. The right shoulder should connect to
the ground. If it has a tendency to rise up then place blankets under the legs. Enjoy several breaths before inhaling
back up to center and exhaling the legs to the right side.
Pitta Focus:
Breathing fully into the belly. Make sure the back of the neck is extended. Enjoy the sensation of letting go into the
pose on your exhalation.
Benefits:
Increases spinal flexibility, invigorates the internal organs and relieves backache.
Pitta Focus:
Surrender to the pose and have compassion for your bodys limitations. Breathe into the back of the body and
extend your exhalation. Enjoy the internal sensations that arise.
Benefits:
Stretches the hamstrings, calms the mind, tones the spine and compresses the abdominal organs.
Pitta Focus:
Remember that there is nothing to do in savasana. Simply enjoy the act of doing nothing at all. Maintain a
comfortable body temperature. Rest the eyes by using an eye pillow. As the body relaxes it cools quickly and even
as a hot pitta it is important to avoid getting cold in savasana.
Benefits:
Complete relaxation. Releases physical and mental tension, improves immunity and allows your body to integrate
your yoga practice.
Pitta Focus:
Lengthening your exhalation and feeling the breath in your back body.
Benefits:
Calms the nervous system, slows the mind, cultivates awareness, and increases lung capacity.