- Stand in narrow stance with feet parallel to each other, toes touching.
- Spread your toes.
- Distribute your weight evenly on your feet. (You can accomplish that by slowly
- rocking back and forth.) Let your feet “root down” into the floor.
- Tighten leg muscles.
- Pull the shoulders back to open your chest.
- Take several deep breaths.
2. Prayer Pose - Exhale
Stand erect with your feet together, exhale. Keep hands joined together, as if you were
praying, in front of your chest. Keep your gaze straight ahead.
3. Raised Arms Pose - Inhale
Inhaling, while keeping your palms together raise your arm arms up over your head until
they are straight, look toward hands.
When you raise your arms don't just raise them, extend them. Extend them farther. You
should feel your shoulders being stretched.
4. Half Forward Bend Pose - Inhale
Inhaling, straighten your arms and lift the torso. Fold your torso over your legs so it is
parallel to the floor. Extend and straighten your spine. Place your fingertips on the floor.
Look toward a wall in front of you.
The most important thing in this pose is to keep the spine flat. If you can't place your
hands on the floor or, if you can't do that without curving your back use the blocks under
your hands.
5. Plank Pose – hold your breath.
Place palms on the floor just outside of the feet. Step right foot back into lunge, lower
hips. Step your left leg back into push-up position (top of push-up). The arms should be
straight and perpendicular to the floor. Shoulders directly over the wrists, torso parallel to
the floor. The feet should be on the balls. Backs of your legs and torso should form a
straight line.
This pose strengthens your arms.
6. Four-Limbed Staff Pose - Exhale
Exhaling bend elbows and lower body toward floor until it is 2-3 inches above it (lower
push-up position). Gaze down. Hold for 10 seconds.
Unlike in any other pose, in this pose you will feel that you are using your muscles. You
will have to control your descent and then hold your body just off the floor. (If you lower
your body slowly to the floor it may be better than 2-3 pushups.)
7. Cobra Pose - Inhale
Inhaling, roll your feet over the tips of your toes (the feet may also stay on the balls),
lower your hips and thighs toward the floor (touch or almost touch the floor), lift your
chest and straighten your arms. Look straight up.
This pose will strengthen your spine, stretch the chest, shoulders, and abdomen, firm the
buttocks, and relieve stress and fatigue.
8. Downward Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) - Exhale
Exhaling, push the hips up while rolling your feet back over the tips of your toes. Lift
your midsection up. Straighten your legs, try to let your heels touch the floor, stretch out
your arms so they are in line with your torso. Look at the floor. Hold.
9. Half Forward Bend Pose - Inhale
Look up between your hands. Inhaling step right foot up between your hands, then step
your left foot in next to your right foot. Straighten your arms and legs. The torso should
be parallel to the floor. Place your fingertips on the floor. Look straight forward.
10. Forward Bend Pose - Exhale
While exhaling: lower your torso toward floor keeping the spine straight. Place your
fingertips on the floor just outside your feet. The fingertips should be aligned with your
toes. Bring the torso and head toward your legs in forward fold.
11. Raised Arms Pose - Inhale
While inhaling: lift your torso up to the standing position, sweep your arms up overhead,
the palms come together.
12. Return to Prayer Pose - Exhale
Lower the hands in front of your chest to the prayer position.
Then, release the arms by the sides of your body.