PARSVA BAKASANA

Also known as: Side Crane Pose
Type of pose: Arm balance
Benefits: Strengthens the wrist, forearms and abdomen. Improves balance.
Instructions:
1. Come to a squatting position with the knees into the chest.
2. Come up on to the balls of your feet and bring your palms flat on the floor in front of you about shoulder's distance apart.
3. Keeping the palms in place, turn your knees to face the right side.
4. Start to lean forward, keeping the head lifted, and place your hips on top of the left arm and your knees on top of the right arm.
5. Take one foot and then the other off the floor so you come to balance with both feet up.
6. Come down and try the other side.
Beginners: Try lifting one foot up at a time to get a feel for how far forward you need to bring yourself. Do not let your head drop! This will cause you to tip forward and lose balance. Put a blanket in front of you so you won't be afraid of hitting your head if you fall. Everyone falls when learning this pose.
Advanced:

Try the following variations:
Straighten both legs, keeping the feet in line with the hips.
Straighten both legs, and move the right leg to the back (see photo).
Come down and this time center the thighs on the left arm bringing all your weight onto the left arm when you come up. Jump back to chaturanga.

EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA I

EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA I
Eka means one. Pada means a leg or foot. Koundinya is the name of a sage.
1. Perform Salamba sirsasana.
2. Exhale, lower the legs staight together until they are parallel to the floor. Pause here and take a few breaths.
3. Exhale, bend the legs and move the left leg sideways to the right. Place the left leg over the back of the upper right arm so that the outer side of the left thigh above the kneerests as near the right armpit as possible. Take a few breaths and balance.
4. Stretch the left leg straight sideways and the right leg straight back Take two breaths.
5.
Exhale,raise the head above the floor, extend the arms and balance on the hands. Keep both legs straight and taut at the knees. This is the final positon. Remain in the pose as long as you can up to 10 to 30 seconds with normal breathing.
6. Bend both knees, exhale, rest the head on the flooor and again go up to Sirsasana. Rest here for some time with normal breathing.
7. Repeat the asana on the other side for the same length of time as above, rading left for right and vice versa. Here the right thigh wil rest on the back of the upper left arm and the left leg will be strecthed staight back. Then again go up to Srsasana as as stated in position 6.
8. To complete the pose, either lower the legs to the floor and relax, or do Urdhva Dhanurasana and stand up in Tadasana. When on has mastered Viparita Chakrasana, this exercie is exhilarating after Urdhva Dhanurasana.

EFFECTS :-
The pressure of lthe leg on the abdomen in this pose massages the abdominal organs. The spinal twist rejuvenates and strengthens the spine .The arms and neck grow powereful.

AKARNA DHANURASANA:

AKARNA DHANURASANA:

Karna means the ear. The prefix a expresses the sense of near to, towards. Dhanu means a bow. In this posture, the left foot is pulled up till the heel touches the ear as an archer pulls the bow-string, while the othe hand holds the right big toe, this leg lying straigh on the floor. In the second movemebt the raised leg is straightened until it is almost perpendicular,the big toe being held throughout by the hand like an extended bow.

The asana is given below in two movements.

1. Sit on the floor with the legs stretched straight in front.

2. Hold the right big toe between the right thumb and the index and middle fingers. Similarlyhold the left big toe.

3. Exhale,bend the left elbow and lift the left foot up by bending the knee. Take a breath. Now exhale and pull the left foot up unitl the heel is close to the left ear. At the same time draw the let arm back from the shoulder. D o not let go of the right big tow. Keep the right leg extended through out and see that the back of the entire leg rests on the floor. The extended right leg should not bend at the knee.

4. Hold tis position from 15 to 20 seconds with normal breathing This is the first movement.

5. Now exhale andstretch the left leg up vertically. Take a breath. Exhale, draw the leg further back until it touches the left ear. Continue to grip the toes of both feet and fully extend both legs Do not bend the at the knees. It takes fome time to learn to balance in this second movement. Remain in this postion from 10 to 15 seconds, breathing normally.

6. Repeat the pose on the right sede, pulling the right foot twoards the right ear and raising it up vericallynear the right ear, while keeping the left leg straight on the floor. Do not relax the hand grip of the toes. Maintain the position on bnoth sides for an equal length of time. Then release the hands and relax.

EFFECTS :-

The practice of this posture makes the leg muscles ver flexible. The abdominal muscles are contractd and this helps tomove the bowels. Minor deformities in the hip joints are adjusted. The lower porition of the spine is exercised. The pose is full of grace. It should be practised unitl it comes effortlessly andgives the appearance of a trained archer discharging arrows from his bow