Kiran Sawhney

Natarajasana is a glorious heart-opening backbend, but it is first and foremost an asymmetrical standing balance pose. In order to arrive at the pose’s graceful dynamism, you’ll need the integrity of a strong and stable foundation in the standing foot, leg, and hip. Virabhadrasana III involves placing the full weight of the extended upper body on one hip joint (which is contraindicated for students with weakness in the supporting musculature, trochanteric bursitis, or other hip issues). To come into the pose, start in crescent pose with the right foot forward and the left heel off the floor. Then hinge at the hips to bring the torso forward to a 45-degree angle; bring the hands on the hips or let the arms come alongside the body to help center the weight over the standing leg. Lightly spring forward to bring the weight of the body fully onto just the right foot. At first keep the right knee bent, slowly extending it to feel your way into stability without straining in the hamstrings, k...

Benefits Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine Stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders Improves sense of balance Relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet

Sarv means all. Anga means the body parts. Sarvangasana is beneficial for all the body parts. Benefits Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression Stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands and abdominal organs Stretches the shoulders and neck Tones the legs and buttocks Improves digestion Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause Reduces fatigue and alleviates insomnia Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, and sinusitis

Kapalbatti- Kapal in Sanskrit means the skull and batti is Diya or lamp. Doing kapalbatti gives you shining skull/glow on your face.  As the removal of carbon-dioxide from the body is initiated, so it leads to blood purification also. This makes your skin healthy and beautiful. You can sit in either Sukhasana or Padmasana. Hands in Chinh mudra (index finger and thumbs touching each other) and breathe powerfully. Exhale and contract your naval in. Pump the abdominal muscles forcefully. Anulom Vilom/ Opposite nasal breathing/  Alternate Nostril Breathing- It is one of the most effective pranayama ( breathing exercises ) to purify the mind and body. Anulom Vilom offers benefits in curing most of the internal body conditions and is very useful in releasing stress and anxiety. Anulom Vilom pranayama can be performed by people of all ages.  To perform Anulom Vilom ,  sit in sukhasana or padmasana. Left hand in chinh mudra and right in vishnu mudra. Vishnu mudra is when ind...

This posture may look like imposing to those who haven’t attempted it. Nevertheless, it is an extremely powerful asana. It is called the "king of asanas" because of its overall effect on the whole body. For beginners, it is better to ask a friend to help you with this in the beginning. Technique Kneel down on your yoga mat. Interlock the fingers of your hands and place them and your forearms on the yoga mat. Keep the elbows fairly close together. Place the back of your head into the hollow of the palms (not on the palms or fingers). Rise up off your knees and take a step or two towards your head. Inhale, and slowly raise the legs until they are vertical. Keep your back straight and try to relax. Breathe slowly and deeply from the abdomen. Concentrate on the brain or the pineal gland between the eyebrows. To come down, bend your knees and lower one leg and then the other. Benefits The headstand increases circulation to the brain, which causes improved brain function (intellige...

Physical Benefits Strengthens the shoulders, arms and wrists Improves balance Stretches the muscles of the forearms, wrists and fingers Especially beneficial for repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, and for people who spend a lot of time on the computer Mental Benefits Improves mental equilibrium and sense of calm Improves concentration

Bharadvajasana  Benefits Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips Massages the abdominal organs Relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica Helps relieve stress Improves digestion Especially good in the second trimester of pregnancy for strengthening the lower back Therapeutic for carpal tunnel syndrome.

It is a beautiful day. I did little meditation which helped me be so calm, happy, peaceful and be more connected with myself. I am wearing a top which is a very precious, very special gift from my sister.  Most of the time I accuse her that she buys clothes her size/style and gifts me and when I do not like them, she happily wears them. No, actually that is not true. But this top-I love it, have cherished it.

Tadasana/Mountain Pose Tadasana is usually the starting position for all the standing poses. But it's useful to practice  Tadasana as a pose in itself. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute, breathing easily. Benefits Improves posture Strengthens thighs, knees, and ankles Firms abdomen and buttocks Relieves sciatica Reduces flat feet Natarajasna/Lord of the dance pose Nata means dancer or actor Raja means king The asana follows Tadasna. Benefits Stretches the shoulders and chest Stretches the thighs, groins, and abdomen Strengthens the legs and ankles Improves balance

Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with your hands several inches behind your hips and your fingers pointing forward. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor, big toes turned inward, heels at least a foot away from your buttocks. Exhale, press your inner feet and hands down against the floor, and lift your hips until you come into a reverse tabletop position, torso and thighs approximately parallel to the floor, shins and arms approximately perpendicular. Without losing the height of your hips, straighten your legs one at a time. Lift your hips still higher without hardening your buttocks. Press your shoulder blades against your back torso to support the lift of your chest. Without compressing the back of your neck, slowly drop your head back.  Hold for 30 seconds, then sit back down in Dandasana with an exhale. Benefits Strengthens the arms, wrists and legs Stretches the shoulders, chest, and front ankles Watchpoints Make sure your hands are directly under your shoulder bla...

Ramp is a wonderful surface. It is inclined and hence gives all the benefits of incline surface walking. It targets he rear muscles like hips, thighs and calves. It is color coded. This makes the job of fitness trainer like me, easier. I can cue better to my clients.  We do aerobics on it. But here I am demonstrating Yoga poses like warrior (Virbhadrasana) and Triangle (Trikonasna) on Ramp.