Tadasana

Tadasana -The mountain Yoga Pose

Stand with both feet touching from the heel to the big toe, keeping the back straight and the arms pressed slightly against the sides with palms facing inward.
Slightly tighten or flex the muscles in the knees, thighs, stomach and buttocks maintaining a firm posture. Balance you weight evenly on both feet.
Inhale through the nostrils and lift the buttocks off the legs arching the back and thrusting the abdomen forward and tilt the head as far back as possible.

Tips

Performing the tada-asana allows one to observe one's posture closely and clearly recognize those problems which get masked or ignored by day-to-day activities. As the posture is held and the breath, mind and body is quieted various effects will surface to indicate difficulties with the spine. Favoring one foot over the other, shifting back and forth, drooped shoulders, tightness in the neck and upper or lower back, and various other physiological disturbances may appear indicating the need for further yoga practice.

Benefits

Improves posture, balance and self-awareness.

Vrksasana

Translation: The Tree Pose

From Tadasana the standing pose raise one leg of the mat, bend the knee and place the foot on the inside of the thigh. Open the hip rotating the leg out until the knee and bent leg are sideways.
The hands can be placed above the head with the finger interlocked or with the palms together in prayer position. The arms can be bent or straight.

The tailbone has a tendency to turn out. Be aware of this and tuck it forward. Pull the navel back and up. This will create a neutral spine.

Tips

Engaging the toes will tone muscles in the lower legs and help the body gain firm balance.

Benefits

The complicated firing of the nerves needed to maintain balance exercises the mind as well as the body. Small muscles in the ankles become toned and strong. It is an excellent for ankle injuries however holding the posture too long may aggravate a problem and suppress blood flow.

Uttanasana

Translation: Standing Forward Bend

Lean forward and down with the upper body entering a mild boundary then try to straighten the spine a little. Lengthen the torso so that it is not too compressed. Place the chest on the legs if you are flexible and move energy through the top of the head towards the mat. Stretch up through the tailbone and straighten the back of the legs moving energy down through the heels.

Tips

The back is stretched more especially around the shoulders and neck. It is however harder to take deep breaths as the lung volume decreases.

To prevent stress it is always good to wait until the muscles give you a changing sensation allowing the body to move deeper. Have a little patience and enter a gentle boundary it is a less stressful way to engage in the relationship of asana practice.

Benefits

There is no pressure on the spine when it hangs. The spine is lengthened naturally and feels relaxed as a result.

This yoga posture increases the flexibility of the hamstrings and lower back. The mind is also soaked in blood preventing dryness from occurring. Blood soaks into the mind allowing fresh nutrients to soak into brain.

The hamstrings are stretched (the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and the semimembranosus).

Yoga Positions

Yoga postures known as Asana are an ancient part of spiritual worship in the art of yoga. It is a way of spiritual practice that involves the mind body and soul.

The Asana allow us to meditate on the body and gain a profound understanding and knowledge of its nature. Intellectual growth in the mind and strengthening and expansion of neurological connections serve us in the spiritual quest of unity and illumination.

Yoga Asana can also be destructive when done without proper guidance. It is easy to hurt the spine and inflammation caused by over stretching over a prolonged period of time can lead to all kinds of problems including physiological imbalance, autoimmune responses, anxiety and much more. Practice light and gently when performing Asana to prevent a negative response. Seek out a good teacher that pushes you harder in meditation than in Asana and your practice will lead to health and illumination.