2. Kakasana or The Crow Pose
Kakasana, the crow posture, is tenth in the sequence of 12 basic postures of hatha yoga. The crow is a balancing posture which strengthens the shoulders, arms and wrists.
Physical: Strengthens the arms, wrists, and shoulders; stretches all the muscles in these regions, bringing increased flexibility; stretches and “lubricates” the joints, tendons, and ligaments of the upper body; expands the chest and increases breathing capacity; revitalizes the nerves and muscles of the hands, the wrists, and the forearms; prepares the chest and arms for any kind of strenuous work.
Mental: Like all the balancing positions, the crow demands and greatly develops the powers of concentration; nourishes mental poise and awareness; encourages a feeling of inner balance; prepares the mind for meditation.
Pranic (Spiritual): Removes lethargy; brings newfound energy into the shoulders and the arms
Place your hands on the Bosu in front of your feet with the palms down, fingers spread comfortably apart. Be sure the hands are at least shoulder width or a little farther apart. Sometimes turning the finger tips very slightly towards each other with fingers slightly bent can be helpful.
Bend your elbows and place your knees on the upper part of your arms above the elbows. The location of the knees varies from person to person depending on your body proportion and what is comfortable. Generally, the closer the knees are to the armpits the harder the crow posture is.
Look at the floor 2 to 3 feet in front of your hands. This is very important. Keeping your concentration in front of your hands will prevent you from falling forward and crashing to the floor nose first.
Slightly shift your weight forward over your hands until your feet come gradually off the floor. Do not hop into position. When both feet are off the floor comfortably, touch the big toes together. Always keep looking at the floor in front of your hands while holding this position.
In the beginning the crow posture can be somewhat painful for the wrists for some people. To make it easier, try shifting the weight forward until you feel some pressure on the wrists, and then practice lifting first one foot and then the other off the ground until the wrists build up sufficient strength to lift both feet off the ground together.
In the beginning, hold the posture for 10 seconds, gradually working up to 1 minute or more.
To come out of the posture exhale and gradually lower the feet back down.
3. Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
The Spinal Twist Yoga Pose, which takes its Sanskrit name from the great Yogic Sage Matsyendra, is one of the few Yoga Poses in the Basic Session that rotates the spine. Most bend the spinal column either backward or forward, but to become truly flexible it must be twisted laterally as well. The movement also tones the spinal nerves and ligaments, and improves digestion. Keep your spine erect and your shoulders leveled in the position. Breathe steadily. Twist a little more each time you exhale. Twist first to the left, as below, then repeat the sequence twisting to the right.
Benefits
Physical: Helps to keep the spine elastic by retaining side-to-side mobility; helps to relieve muscular problems in the back and hips; removes adhesions in the joints caused by rheumatism; increases the synovial fluid of the joints, and makes the joints active; tones the roots of the spinal nerves and the sympathetic nervous system, and brings a fresh supply of blood to the area; massages the abdominal muscles, relieving digestive problems; benefits the gall bladder, spleen, kidneys, liver, and bowels.
Mental: Helps to cure disorders of the nervous system; brings peace of mind.
Pranic (Spiritual): Augments the prana sakti (vigor and vitality), removing innumerable diseases; rouses the Kundalini (potential spiritual energy).
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