A Closer Look at Five Yoga Poses and Postures

Divas have fallen out of favor, as the world yawns in the excess of Paris and Britney-style antics. After all, how many times can we really see the same private regions exposed every where we turn before we have to just groan and search for something new? When Martha Stewart, patron saint of good things, violated the terms of her house arrest, she gave us something new to look at.

Apparently, Martha Stewart was busted for violating the terms of her house arrest, when she left home to attend yoga class. Bad news for Martha, sure, but it's given everyone the opportunity to check out yoga from a new standpoint. After all, yoga is fun and beneficial, but it has to be something extra-special for the Queen of Clean to risk an additional three weeks house arrest.

New to yoga? No worries, we're going to dig into some of the best yoga poses and find inspiration for some impromptu stretching of our own.


5 Yoga Poses and Postures

Yoga is intended to calm the mind and body, reduce stress, strengthen and tone the muscles, and carries a bevy of benefits from lowered blood pressure to increased stamina. Yoga poses and positions have been developed over centuries of research and experience. They have been found to be extremely effective in:

*Increasing flexibility of the body, and freeing energy blocks which leads to a healther body.
* Helping to lose excess weight, another cause of bad health.
* Massaging internal organs of the body, and the rarely stimulated parts of the body like the thyroid gland.

Many yoga enthusiasts come to find yoga to be a true lifestyle, encompassing everything that they do.

Starting out, of course, it's just plain fun and relaxing to learn a few poses and postures. Here are the Top 5 Yoga Poses and Postures, perfect for beginners learning yoga at home.

1. Trikonasan (Triangular Pose)

This beginner's pose helps reduce fat deposits around the hips, relieves pain in the ribs and back, helps remove skin eruptions and boils, and has been said to increase height (very slightly, of course).

To Perform this Pose: Keeping the legs as far apart as you can, making sure that you have good balance while doing so, bend one arm like an arc over your head. Bend in the opposite direction as your arm, touching your free arm to the foot on that side. Hold and concentrate on taking deep breaths for a few moments, and carefully straighten. Then, perform the same steps to the opposite leg.

2. Bhujangasna (Cobra Pose)

This very relaxing pose relieves constipation, indigestion, and flatulence. It makes the waist slender and the chest broad. The Cobra Pose also helps in relieving menstrual disorders, liver and kidney disorders while relieving backaches and reducing abdomen fat. Due to the way it works, though, this pose should never be performed by hernia patients.

To Perform this Pose: Lie flat on your tummy, with your arms flat along the sides of your body and your feet together. Take several deep breaths, and slide the arms upward so your hands are flat on the ground at about waist-level. Then, raise your head and chest from the ground, up to the navel. Hold for a few moments, concentrating on your breath, and slowly lower yourself.

3. Vajrasan (Vajra Nerve or Adamantine Pose)

A perfect relaxation and meditation pose, this one also helps the body become strong and firm, relieving the pain of calves and knees. It is very good for those who suffer from excessive sleep, and has been proven useful for students who keep late hours late at night. This is also the only pose which can be safely performed immediately after a meal, which helps aid digestion.

To Perform this Pose: Fold your legs under you, knees and ankles close together, and lower yourself to sit on them. Let the palms of your hands rest on your knees, and keep your spine erect, chin high. Vajra is the name of a nerve, which is directly connected to the digestive process.

4. Gomukhasan (Cow's face and Jaw Pose)

This pose strengthens the feet, waist, and knees. It is extremely useful for people who suffer from asthma, tuberculosis, and other respiratory disorders. It is possible to inhale markedly greater amounts of oxygen while in this pose.

To Perform this Pose: Fold and cross your legs under you, knees wide and big toes touching to create a triangle, then rest your bottom in between them. Take one arm from below the back, at your waist, and grasp it with your other hand, coming down from above the shoulder. Hold for several seconds, taking deep breaths, and then perform on the opposite side.

5. Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

This "Final Pose" is performed at the end of a yoga session to relax the body, strengthen the lungs and heart, and aid nerves and veins in the lower spine become more supple, preventing and healing backaches and sciatica.

To Perform this Pose: Lie flat on your back, with your arms spread out in line with your shoulder. Close your hands into fists, with thumbs inside. Then, bend your legs at the knees, with your soles flat on the floor. Keep a distance to allow the knee of one leg touch the knee of the other, without your feet touching. Then, turn both knees to the right, and your head to the left. Hold for a moment, and then turn both knees to the left and your head to the right.