Dandasana – The Staff Pose.

Dandasana or the Staff Pose is a simple sitting pose which forms the starting position for most other sitting yogic postures. In Sanskrit, Danda means a stick or staff and Asana means a pose.

How to do Dandasana (The Staff Pose)?

1. Sit on the floor and stretch your legs in front of you.
2. Place the hands on the sides on the floor.
3. Bring the two legs together with both the feet touching each other.
4. Put slight pressure on the floor with your palms and raise your spine up. The back and the head should be held straight and gaze forward.
5. Flex the feet back so feel a slight tug on the legs muscles.
6. Broaden the chest so that the two shoulder blades are pulled towards each other in the back. If you have a weak back, you may use the support of the wall to do this pose.
7. Push the thighs to the floor and make sure the legs are straight. If your hamstrings are tight, then you may use a blanket under your legs.
8. Breathe normally and maintain this position for as long as you wish.

Benefits of Dandasana (The Staff Pose)

1. Dandasana is a starting pose for most of the other sitting postures. For example, if you want to perform Paschimottanasana or the forward bend pose, you have to start with this asana.
2. It helps to strengthen the muscles of the back and corrects minor postural defects.
3. Perfecting this asana gives you the strength and steadiness to do more advanced yogic poses.
4. The muscles of the chest and abdomen are stretched and strengthened.
5. Maintaining the pose for longer durations can remove stiffness of the lower back muscles.
6. It can improve digestion.
7. It can remove fatigue in the leg muscles.
8. It increases the flexibility of the lower back and hips.

 Contraindications for Dandasana (The Staff Pose)

1. Dandasana is a beginner’s pose. It does not have any known contraindications for a normal healthy person. However, those who suffer from the weak back should try to do this with the support of the wall.
2. Use a blanket under the legs if your hamstrings are too tight.

Mandukasana – The Frog Pose.

Mandukasana or the Frog Pose tones all the organs in the abdomen and is excellent for diabetes. In Sanskrit, Manduka means frog and Asana means a pose. In the final position, the posture resembles a frog. Mandukasana has many variations, but here we mention the most popular version.

How to do Mandukasana (The Frog Pose)?

1. Sit in Vajrasana or the thunderbolt pose. This is the simple kneeling posture.
2. Make a fist with both hands with the thumb tucked inside the four fingers.
3. Place the two fists on the abdomen on both sides of the navel.
4. Exhale and pull the abdomen slightly inside. Slowly bend forward and press the navel with both the fists.
5. Keep the back as straight as possible and look forward in the bend position.
6. Keep the breath outside in this position and maintain it for as long as you are comfortable.
7. To release the pose, inhale and slowly raise the trunk up to kneeling position, bring the hands back to the sides and relax.
8. Repeat this for about 3 – 5 times.

Now let us talk about the benefits of this asana.

Benefits of Mandukasana (The Frog Pose)

1. Mandukasana tones all organs in the abdomen including the stomach.
2. It is good for the pancreas and has beneficial for diabetes.
3. It can relieve constipation.
4. It can reduce extra fat in the belly, waist, and thighs and helps in weight reduction.
5. Mandukasana improves digestive and excretory functions.
6. It gives a good stretch to the back muscles.
7. It can relieve pain in the knees, legs, and ankles.

 Contraindications for Mandukasana (The Frog Pose)

1. Those who have back pain should avoid forward bending asanas in general.
2. Those who have any injury to the knees or hips should avoid doing Mandukasana.
3. Mandukasana should not be done by pregnant women.
4. If you had any recent surgery of the abdomen, chest, knees or legs, then avoid doing this pose

Meditation...

Vakrasana – The Twisted Pose.

Vakrasana or the Twisted Pose makes the spine flexible and removes fat from the waist. In Sanskrit Vakra means twisted and asana is a pose. In Vakrasana, the trunk is twisted to either side and is practiced in the sitting position. It is a good twisting pose for beginners. Those who cannot perform Ardha Matsyendrasana can perform Vakrasana to get similar benefits.

How to do Vakrasana (Twisted Pose)?

1. Sit on the floor with legs stretched out and hands resting on the floor by the side.
2. Bend your left leg with the sole of the feet resting on the floor. Let the right leg remain straight on the floor.
3. Twist your trunk towards the left and bring your right hand over your left leg.
4. Place the right hand over the left toe or you can hold the left ankle with your right hands. Place the left hand behind, to support the weight of the body. The neck is twisted to the left, in line with the trunk.
5. Breathe normally in this position. Maintain this final position for 30 seconds or as long as you are comfortable.
6. To release the pose, release the hands, twist to the right and assume the normal forward-looking position. Bring the hands to the side of the body, resting on the floor. Lower the left leg and let it rest on the floor.
7. Repeat these steps on the right side as well. Do as many rounds as you feel comfortable.
8. Rest in Shavasana after the practice for few minutes.

Benefits of Vakrasana (Twisted Pose)

1. Vakrasana tones all the organs in the abdomen.
2. It improves digestion and removes constipation.
3. It is also good for the liver.
4. It improves the function of the pancreas and is good for diabetes.
5. It gives a good twist to the spine and makes the spine flexible. Those who cannot practice Ardha Matsyendrasana should practice Vakrasana, which is an easier twisting pose.
6. Vakrasana helps to remove the fat around the waist.
7. It improves the functioning of the adrenal glands.
8. Vakrasana helps to remove chronic back and shoulder pain.

 Contraindications for Vakrasana (Twisted Pose)

1. Those suffering from any injury of the hips, shoulders, and neck should not do this asana.
2. Vakrasana should not be attempted by those who have undergone any recent surgery of the thorax, abdomen or the hips.

Air Squats.

1. Place your feet at shoulder width apart while keeping your chest up and your abdominals braced.
2. Begin the movement by swinging your arms up towards your shoulders. At the same time, bend at the knees and drive your hips back like you’re sitting in a chair.
3. Once your upper thighs are parallel to the ground, pause, then drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.

Clamshell Exercise – For Stronger Gluteus Medius Muscle.

Clamshell Exercise – For Stronger Gluteus Medius Muscle

A great exercise to strengthen your glute medius for everyone is the clamshell exercise. 

The keys to doing this properly;

1. Make sure that the bottom of your feet and your butt are in line.

2. Slowly raise the top leg and lower the top leg while keeping your feet together.

3. Stack your hips directly on top of each other. Focus on your glute medius while doing these.

Perform this exercise 20 reps on each side.

Short Foot Exercise.

About the Short Foot Exercise

The short foot exercise is a technique recommended by Czech physiologist and postural expert Vladimir Janda, MD to build strength and endurance in the muscles that support the arch.

The short foot exercise primarily strengthens the abductor hallucis muscle, an important dynamic stabilizer of the foot. Research has shown that the abductor hallucis muscle is also a dynamic elevator of the medial arch, meaning that strengthening the muscle may reduce or eliminate the collapsing of the arch associated with flat feet.

While the original exercise was described as being performed in a sitting position, a recent study demonstrated that muscle activity of the abductor hallucis is much greater than when the exercise was performed from a single-leg standing position as measured by EMG.

Observe if your arch flattens out and if the foot becomes longer. The weaker the intrinsic muscles (a group of muscles located deeper in the foot), the more action you will see. The main idea of the exercise is to make your foot shorter through a higher arch. Do not curl your toes or turn your foot outward! You will be very tempted to do so when you feel that you have no control over the correct muscles. Focus and look for them. Once you find how to control them, practice any time you have a moment of standing. Shorten your foot, elongate. Shorten, elongate. Always keep your metatarsals down on the floor.

How to perform the short foot exercise:

Step 1: Sit in a chair with both feet placed flat on the floor

Step 2: Raise the arch of your foot by sliding your big toe toward your heel without curling your toes or lifting your heel

Step 3: Hold the position for 6 seconds then relax and repeat for the recommended number of set and repetitions. Variations can be performed by moving the feet farther away from you or turning the foot inward or outward to challenge the muscles from different positions.

Step 4: Once you feel comfortable performing the short foot movement you can gradually progress to performing the exercise while standing and then eventually from a single-leg standing position.

When mastering this exercise:

You will improve the control over your intrinsic feet muscles, which will help to create a more stable base of support for your legs, hips and the entire body. The exercise can be difficult in the beginning, because you won’t be able to find or control those muscles. With little practice, you will be able to do it any time and in progressively more difficult exercises.