Basic asanas: These basic asanas can be practiced by anyone without a yoga teacher.

Asana	Benefits
a) Dandasana	This asana relaxes the body and mind before and after doing more difficult asanas.
b) Swastikasana	Stimulates sciatic nerve, tightens abdominal muscles and maintains inner body temperature. Suitable for meditation.
c) Saasthaangasana	Relaxes the body and mind before and after doing difficult asanas, improves digestion and respiration; and many more beneficial asanas are based on this posture.
d) Taalasana	Cleans and removes the fat around the abdomen, strengthens the spine and helps in increasing the height.
f) Padmasana	Improves concentration and digestion. Relaxes the mind. Suitable for meditation. Many asanas and therapeutic procedures are based on this asana.
g) Vajrasana	Relaxes knees, ankles, feet & sciatic nerves. Improves digestion and reduces flatulence. There are many therapeutic procedures and difficult asanas based on this posture.
h) Shavasana	Relieves hypertension, insomnia, head ache, backache, sciatica, dizziness, mental weakness and hot flushes. This posture relaxes the body and mind before and after doing many other asanas.

Dandasana

Explanation: Dandasana is the simplest form of sitting posture on which many other asanas are based.

Description: Sit with your legs straight and feet together and place the hands on the ground on either side of the body with fingers pointing forward. Make sure you breathe normally and have your eyes shut for concentration. It is advisable to sit in this position for a little time before practicing other asanas based on Dandasana.

Benefits: It relaxes a person's body and mind when over strained and exhausted. It also prepares a person for doing other asanas.

Swastikasana

Explanation: It's a very simple and easy sitting position with a straight back, suitable for meditation. Swastika represents an auspicious symbol of fertility and creativity.

Description: Sit cross-legged and keep your back straight without bending either to a side or front. Fold your legs and place your hands on the knees in Jnaana Mudra as shown in the photograph. Close the eyes and concentrate on Soonya (nothingness). Sitting in this position for 10 to 15 minutes gives all the benefits mentioned below.


Benefits: It helps maintain normal temperature within the body and tones abdominal muscles and sciatic nerve. It improves one's concentrating power. This is a very suitable position for knowledge, learning, meditation, preparation for other asanas and relaxation between any two sitting position.

Saasthaangasana

Explanation: This is one of the simplest position where you lie on the floor in prone position, with the abdomen resting on the ground. This is a position of adoration, submission, reverence and prayer normally adopted by a Hindu when he goes to a temple and while paying his respects and reverence to a holy man, teacher, senior, elderly person etc. This is a very auspicious and pious posture.

Description: Spread a neat cloth or mat on the floor and lie on it straight in prone position over the abdomen with the face touching the ground. Keep both the feet close to each other with the soles of the feet facing up and extend both the hands above the head in a straight position with the arms touching the ears. Let the palms and fingers of both hands oppose each other in a Namaskar Mudras. Close the eyes and breathe normally while concentrating on your objective. You can hold this position as long as you can. Many asanas are based on this position.

Benefits: It helps in relaxing the body and mind before and after doing any difficult asanas. It also improves digestion and respiration.

Taala Asana (Taada Asana)

Explanation: 'Taala' and 'Taada' mean a palm tree. With upward stretched arms, the body resembles a palm tree. This asana is also commonly called Taadasana.

Description: Stand straight, keep the feet three to six inches apart, lift the arms up from side or front straight above the head and stand on tip of the toes. Breathe in slowly while moving your arms up and breathe out slowly while bringing them down. This movement is one unit. Do 20 to 30 such repetitions in one sitting.

Benefits: It helps strengthening the spine and increases a person's height. It helps in cleansing of your digestive system and reduces fat deposition around abdomen and buttocks.

Padmasana (Kamalasana)

Explanation: 'Padma' and 'Kamala' means lotus. The position resembles a lotus, a very calm, peaceful and holy symbol. The Hindu God, Lord Shiva and the founder of Buddhism, Emperor Gautam Buddha are usually depicted in this posture. This is a basic posture on which many other asanas are based. This is also one of the postures for meditation and many other breathing exercises in yoga.

Description: Sit in the Dandasana position. Fold the right knee, put the right ankle on to the left thigh, and then pull the left ankle over the folded right leg and place it on the right thigh. The head, neck and spine must be straight. Place the hands on the knees with the fingers depicting the holy sign, as in Chin or Jnana Mudra. Close the eyes and concentrate on your normal breathing. Sit in this position as long as you can. You can also do many other yogic practices and procedures while sitting in this asana.

Benefits: It improves concentration and relaxes the mind if exhausted or over strained. It's very suitable for meditation, Pranayama and many other yogic procedures. It also helps digestion.

Note: Do not fold legs forcefully. It takes few days for your legs to bend smoothly without pain and discomfort. For the first few days, practice folding only one leg. This half lotus position is also called 'Ardha Padmasana'

Vajrasana

Explanation: 'Vajra' means diamond. The body is rigid as a diamond in this posture. This is a basic position for many other asanas and meditation.

Description: Sit in the Dandasana position. Place the palms on the floor near the thighs. Supporting your weight on the right palm, bend the left leg at the knee and pull the ankle under the left buttock. Do the same with the right leg by supporting the body weight on the left palm. The toes point backwards and towards the ground while space is kept between the ankles. Do meditation with normal breathing or do Pranayaama with different breathing techniques in this position for 10 to 15 minutes.

Benefits: Relaxes your kneecaps, knees, ankles and feet, improves digestion and reduces gas. Relieves sciatica pain. 'Vajrasana', if done for 10 minutes after a full meal relieves heaviness in stomach due to overeating.

Note: Do not sit on your ankles.

Shavasana

Explanation: 'Shavam' in Sanskrit means a corpse and this asana resembles the position of a dead person. This posture is basically meant for relaxation after doing any other difficult asanas.

Description: All the parts of the body are completely relaxed in this position. The legs are to be kept at 300, and the arms at 15^o away from the body. Keep the elbows in prone position with fingers half-bent. The feet are kept 18 inches apart. The hands should be about 6 inches away from the body. Keep the eyelids closed, but the eyeballs should move freely within. Breathing should be slow, rhythmic and abdominal. The mind should concentrate only on breathing. This kind of breathing is called "Praanaadhaarana".

Benefits: Headache, dizziness, mental weakness, hot flushes, insomnia, high blood pressure and sciatica are relieved.

Note: The sequence of asanas mentioned hereunder does not indicate the relativity of their importance. Find out from your yoga teacher/instructor the exact asana which will be more beneficial to you.

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