The Sanskrit word bala means child. [Pronunciation: ba-lah-sa-na]

steps:-

1) Sit on your knees with your feet together and buttocks resting on your heels. Separate your knees about the width of your hips. Place your hands on your thighs, palms down. (This is the vajra-asana or Thunderbolt Pose).
2) Inhale deeply, then exhale as you bring your chest between your knees while swinging your arms forward.
3) Rest your forehead on the floor, if possible, and then bring your arms around to your sides until the hands on resting on either side of your feet, palms up.
4) Breath gently through your nostrils as you hold the posture. Hold for about one to two minutes. Then return to asn upright kneeling position with your back straight and your hands on your thighs.
5) Repeat the posture at least one more time.

The bala-asana is one of the more relaxing Yoga postures and can easily be done by beginners. As part of your Yoga routine it is best used as a counter-pose to any posture that stretch the spine backward (such as the naga-asana, the dhanura-asana, the chakra-asana, the ushtra-asana, etc.)

The bala-asana gently stretches and relaxes the shoulders, neck, back muscles and thighs.

       

The Sanskrit word ushtra means camel.[Pronunciation: oosh-trah-sa-na]

1) Sit up on the knees with the heels of the feet pressed against the buttocks and the calves of the legs flat on the floor.
2) Reaching backward, grasp the left ankle with the left hand and right ankle with the right hand.
3) 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.
4) Either hold the posture for the duration of the inhale breath or breath gently through the nostrils while holding the posture.
5) Exhale and return to the kneeling position.

The ushtra-asana is a powerful posture for streatching the spine, back muscles, shoulders and arms. It is best to practice it later in your asana routine after most of the muscles are limber and and you have worked the back and shoulders.

Hold the posture for the duration of the inhaled breath. If you choose to breath while holding the ushtra-asana, hold it for between thirty seconds to one minute. Repeat the posture three times.

       

Pronunciation: ah-car-nah da-noor ah-sa-na

The Sanskrit word karna means ear and the prefix “a” means near to or towards. Dhanur means bow-shaped, curved or bent. The “bow” here referred to is a bow as in “bow and arrow.” Literally we could translate this as the near-the-ear bow posture but because of the obvious appearance of the posture we’ll call it the shooting bow posture.

steps for AKARNA DHANURAASANA

1) Sit on the floor with the legs together and extended straight out in front. Keep the back straight, shoulders level and head straight. Place the hands, palms down, flat on top of the thighs then inhale deeply.

2) Exhale and reach down and loop the forefinger of the right hand around the big toe of the right foot and grasp the left foot with the left hand.

3) Inhale and pull the right foot back placing the big toe next to the right ear. Straighten the back as much s possible and hold the posture for the duration of the inhale breath.

4) Exhale and return to the seated position of step #1 then repeat the posture on the opposite side.

While performing this posture imagine yourself as an archer with your gaze focused on a target and the arrow gracefully and steadily being pulled back in the bow. Hold the posture as steady as an archer would hold an arrow aimed at its target. Return the foot to the floor gently. This simple technique will help cultivate focused and unwavering attention.

This posture should be held for a minimum of 30 seconds and can be extended to up to several minutes. Repeat at least twice with each leg.

Reverse the hands and feet so that that the right hand pulls the left foot to the left ear and vice versa. The foot gets pulled under the outstretched arm.