Mountain

Physical Benefits

• Aligns the spine 
• Tones the abdominal muscles and buttocks
• Opens the chest
• Improves posture
• Strengthens the arches, ankles, knees, and thighs

Downward-Facing Dog

Physical Benefits

• Improves digestion
• Relieves insomnia, menstrual and menopausal discomfort, and low back pain
• Strengthens the arms, legs, and torso
• Stretches the palms, chest, back, hamstrings, calves, and feet
• Energizes the body

Contraindications

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• High Blood Pressure
• Headache

Crescent Lunge

Physical Benefits

• Strengthens the arches, ankles, knees, and thighs
• Stretches the hips and shoulders
• Opens the chest
• Stimulates the digestion
• Increases muscular endurance
• Relieves symptoms of sciatica

Contraindications

• Neck inury
• Knee injury (use the gentle variation)

Chair

Physical Benefits

• Lengthens the spine
• Strengthens the feet, ankles, calves, knees, buttocks, and thighs
• Opens the chest
• Stimulates digestive, circulatory, and reproductive system

Contraindications

• Low blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Knee injury (use the gentle variation)

Tree

Physical Benefits

• Remedies flat feet
• Strengthens the arches, ankles, calves, and thighs
• Lengthens the spine
• Improves balance
• Opens the shoulders, chest, thighs, and hips
• Improves circulation

Contraindications

• Headache
• High blood pressure (keep hands under heart)

Standing Extended Leg Stretch

(Standing Big Toe)

Physical Benefits

• Improves balance
• Strengthens the arches, ankles, calves, and thighs
• Stretches the hamstrings
• Lengthens the spine

Contraindications

• Knee, ankle, or hip injury (keep knee into chest)
• Vertigo
• Hernia

Plank

(Chaturanga Dandasana)

Physical Benefits

• Strengthens the legs, buttocks, back, abdominal, shoulders, arms and wrists
• Improves circulation and digestion
• Helps relieve minor tendonitis and fatigue
• Energizes the body
• Builds core strength

Contraindications

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Pregnancy (use the gentle variation)

Cobra

Physical Benefits

• Improves Posture
• Stimulates the circulatory, digestive, and lymphatic systems
• Opens the chest, shoulders, and throat
• Lengthens the spine and increases spinal flexibility
• Strengthens the low back, shoulders, and legs
• Reduces fatigue

Contraindications

• Pregnancy
• High Blood Pressure
• Severe spinal or neck injury

Locust

Physical Benefits

• Lengthens the spine
• Opens the chest, shoulders, and throat
• Strengthens the legs, buttocks, shoulders, and arms
• Tones the abdominal cavity and aids digestion
• Stimulates circulation
• Increases flexibility
• Improves posture

Contraindications

• Headache
• High blood pressure
• Spinal or neck injury (use gentle version)
• Pregnancy

Cat Cow

Physical Benefits

• Increases spinal flexibility
• Opens the lower back and abdominal cavity
• Aids digestion
• Opens the chest, throat, and shoulders
• Increases circulation
• Stimulates thyroid and parathyroid function
• Therapeutic for mild carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, sciatica, and low back inury

Contraindications

• Severe carpal tunnel syndrome

Gentle Spinal Twist

Physical Benefits

• Improves digestion and circulation
• Reduces discomfort from backache, neck pain, and sciatica
• Stretches and strengthens the spine, shoulders, and hips
• Relieves menstrual discomfort
• Stimulates the lymphatic system

Contraindications

• Digestive discomfort
• High or low blood presure
• Headache

Simple Sitting Twist

Physical Benefits

• Opens the chest and neck
• Stimulates the digestive and lymphatic system
• Increases circulation in the spine and abdominal cavity
• Improves digestion
• Relieves carpal tunnel syndrome
• Alleviates sciatica
• Strengthens the hips, shoulders, and spine
• Relieves low back and neck discomfort

Contraindications

• Headache
• High or low blood pressure
• Ankle or knee injury (use gentle variation)

Seated Forward Bend

(Intense West Stretch)

Physical Benefits

• Stretches the spine, hamstrings, and calves
• Improves digestion
• Stimulates the lymphatic and reproductive systems
• Helps relieve menstrual and menopausal discomfort
• Improves liver, kidney, and colon function
• Alleviates high blood pressure, infertility, an sinusitis
• Reduces fatigue and insomnia

Contraindications

• Low back injury (use gentle version)
• Asthma
• Pregnancy (gentle variation, legs wide apart)

Standing Forward Bend

Physical Benefits

• Stretches the feet, knees, and thighs
• Stretches the hamstrings and calves
• Improves the function of digestive and reproductive systems
• Opens the hips and groins
• Stimulates the liver, kidneys, and digestive system
• Relieves menopausal discomfort, headache, insomnia, and fatigue
• Alleviates discomfort from sinusitis

Contraindications

• Back injury (keep knees bent)
• Low blood pressure
• Pregnancy (wide stance, knees bent)

Head to Knee Pose

Physical Benefits

• Opens the chest and lungs
• Stretches the calf, hamstring, and lower back muscles
• Helps relieve menstrual and menopausal discomfort
• Improves digestion
• Increases circulation to the liver, kidneys, and colon
• alleviates fatigue and headache
• Strengthens the lower back

Contraindications

• Low blood pressure
• Knee injury (use gentle variation)
• Asthma

Revolved Head to Knee

Physical Benefits

• Improves digestion
• Stretches the calf, hamstring, and low back muscles
• Opens the hips, groins, and shoulders
• Opens the musculature and fascia around the waist, rib cage, and chest
• Stimulates the reproductive system
• Circulates blood to the liver, colon, and kidneys

Contraindications

• Low blood pressure
• Low back injury
• Neck or shoulder inury
• Pregnancy (after 1st trimester)

Open Angle

Physical Benefits

• Strengthens the low back
• Lengthens the spine
• Opens the hips, groin, and shoulders
• Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and inner thighs
• Stimulates digestive and reproductive systems
• Increases circulation to liver and kidneys

Contraindications

• Low blood pressure
• Low back injury
• Groin or hamstring injury

Side Open Angle

Physical Benefits

• Improves digestion
• Stretches the calf, hamstrings, and low back muscles
• Strengthens the low back
• Promotes spinal flexibility
• Opens musculature and fascia around the waist and rib cage
• Opens the hips, groin, and shoulders
• Stimulates the reproductive system
• Increases circulation to the liver and kidneys

Contraindications

• Low blood pressure
• Low back injury (gentle variation)

Baby Cradle

Physical Benefits

• Stretches the thighs, hamstrings, and calf muscles
• Creates proper engagement of the hamstrings
• Improves digestion
• Messages the abdominal muscles
• Simulates the colon kidneys, and liver
• Opens the pelvic region
• Stimulates the reproductive and digestive systems

Contraindications

• Knee or hip injury

Thunderbolt

(Kneeling Pose)

Physical Benefits

• Stimulates circulation
• Energizes the thighs, calves, and ankles
• Aligns the spine
• Stretches the quadriceps
• Opens ankle, knee, and hip joints

Contraindications

• Knee injury
• Ankle injury

Staff Pose

 Physical Benefits

• Tones abdominal muscles
• Increases circulation
• Opens the chest
• Strengthens legs, torso, arms, and spine
• Improves muscular endurance of legs and lumbar spine

Contraindications

• None

Sage

Physical Benefits

• Increases blood circulation in the lower spine
• Tones abdominal organs through breathing action
• Elongates the spine
• Opens the hips
• Strengthens the low and middle back
• Calms the nervous system

Contraindications

• Low back, hip, knee, or ankle injury (gentle variation)

Bound Angle

Physical Benefits

• Improves digestion and circulation
• Keeps the prostate, kidneys, and urinary tract healthy
• Prevents varicose veins
• Promotes reproductive health
• Opens the chest
• Reduces fatigue and relieves headahes

Contraindications

• Knee or groin injury (gentle variation)
• Low back pain (gentle variation)

Knees To Chest

Physical Benefits

• Stretches the spine and shoulders
• Improves digestion
• massages the abdominal organs and back
• Relives lower back pain
• Opens the hips

Contraindications

• Knee injuries
• Hernia

Reclining Big Toe

Physical Benefits

• Stimulates prostate gland
• Improves digestion
• Stretches hips, calves, and thighs
• Opens the hamstrings and psoas muscles
• Strengthens the knees
• Relieves menstrual and back discomfort
• Promotes reproductive health
• Strengthens arches of the feet
• Relieves sciatica and low back discomfort

Contraindications

• Headache
• High blood pressure (gentle variation)

Child Pose

Physical Benefits

• Alleviates head, neck, and chest pain
• Opens the pelvic floor, hips, and low back
• Stretches ankles, knees, and hips
• Opens the upper back

Contraindications

• Pregnancy (knees apart, no pressure on abdominal region)
• Ankle, knee, or hip injury

Corpse

Physical Benefits

• Lowers blood pressure
• Relaxes and rejuvenates the body
• Reduces fatigue

Contraindications

• Pregnancy (gentle variation)
• Low back or spinal injuries (gentle variation)

Sun Salutation

• Mountain
• Raised Arm Pose
• Standing Forward Bend
• Crescent Lunge
• Downward Dog
• Plank
• Four-Limbed Staff
• Cobra
• Downward Facing Dog
• Crescent Lunge
• Downward Facing Dog
• Standing Forward Bend
• Raised Arm Pose
• Standing Mountain

Repeat Cycle with Left Side of Body