Stretch yourself into a right start for a great day!!!

There are times, as you are getting off the bed (which by the way, you seem to be struggling with!) you feel the need to get the good ol’ blood pumping. You are thinking ” hmmm… probably a brisk walk or a good dose of exercise”. Truly, nothing better to get the heady rush of blood. But, are you up to doing it? I am guessing not.

Well, no hassles - Welcome to the world of easy-to-do yogasana stretches! I can instantly think of 4 reasons why the stretches I’m going to tell you about can help you, and immensely at that:

1. It doesn’t take you more than ten to fifteen minutes to do these asanas, after which invigoration is guaranteed.
2. Let’s suppose you have a workout schedule, and are feeling lazy on a particular day - these asanas create a guilt free day for you.
3. You can use these asanas as a warmup for your workout schedule.
4. If you are starting to get into a workout plan, start with these simple asanas and move onto bigger things.

Now lets begin, shall we?

1. Pada Hastasana - Forward Bend - Hands to feet:
   
   The first asana simply requires you to bend forward.
   • Stand up straight, inhale and raise your arms above your head.
   • Bend forward exahaling till your hands touch your feet. Do this without bending your knees.

   Even if you aren’t able to touch your feet, bend as much as you can and you’ll be stretching your spine and strengthening your legs.

   Do 3-6 reps of this.

2. Ardha Chakrasana - Half Wheel:

   
   This is a powerful back bend posture that can strengthen your spine and give a sense of buoyancy to your body.

   • Place your hands on your waist, Inhale and bend back, fixing your eyes on an object behind (like a picture on the wall, etc…).
   • Stay for as long as you can, exhale and bend forward.

   Do 3-6 reps of this.




3. Trikonasan - Triangular pose:
   

   

   This is one great asana to tone up your hips and gives a good workout to the abdomen and buttocks.

   • Stand straight with your feet sufficiently apart.
   • Inhale and stretch out your arms, with them being parallel to the floor.
   • Exhale, twist yourself and with your right hand, touch your right foot.
   • Inhale and get back to stretching your arms parallel to the floor
   • Exhale, twist yourself and with your left hand, touch your left foot.

   Do 9-12 reps of this.

4. Vrikshasan - Tree Posture:
   
   Quite literally, you need to arrange yourself into a posture, where you resemble a tree.
   • Stand up straight, bend you right knee, while keeping your left leg firmly in place.
   • Keep your eye fixed on a point in the floor and slowly slide your right foot up your left leg, trying to maintain your balance.
   • After acheiving this position, slowly lift your arms above your head in a praying posture.

   Do upto 4 reps of this.

Its been wonderful doing this every morning and the refreshing feeling is worth much more than the 15 minutes that goes into doing it. Happy Stretching!!!

Tags: ardha chakrasana, asana, easy, effective, forward bend, half wheel, invigorating, pada hastasana, refreshing, stretches, tree pose, triangular pose, trikonasana, vrikshasana, workout, yoga, yogasana