Know your yoga asanas
by Laura Brookover
Bring in the New Year with a bang! Here are two Yoga asanas (postures) that will strengthen, firm and tone your body for a happier, healthier New Year!
Chaturanga (high plank pose)
This asana is a power-packed full body strengthener that is especially effective in toning the tummy and trimming the waist as it addresses core strength. An added bonus: the triceps, shoulders, back and glutes are also toned! Be sure to hold your belly in, “drawing in at the core” from the belly button down, as if there were a string attached to your belly button, pulling back through the spine. Also important, keep the hands directly under the shoulders … not too far ahead and not too far behind. This will help stabilize your balance. Finally, set a goal. Try the plank pose once, and see how long it takes for you to reach a point where you feel muscle fatigue. This is indicated by a slight quivering of the muscles. If, for example, you reach muscle fatigue at 30 seconds, set a goal of doing three or four plank poses for 30 seconds. This is a great asana to do daily!
Virabhadrasana (warrior pose)
The warrior pose strengthens the lower body, working almost every major muscle group below the waist! Try this one while looking in the mirror. Place one foot forward and one behind in a soft lunge. Slowly lower into a deeper lunge with the stance low and wide with the legs as far apart as you can tolerate for maximum benefits. The front foot has the toes facing directly forward. The back foot is almost parallel to the front and back of your mat, or 90 degrees from the direction the front foot is facing. To protect the knee joint, make sure that if you look down to the front foot you can see it. If you cannot, you need to either come up a little higher or make the legs stand apart wider. Begin to observe the breath as it flows across the area between the nose and the upper lip. Count five exhales. Slowly come out of the pose. Repeat three times on each side.
Laura Brookover teaches a limited number of classes in San Antonio, including Prenatal & Mommy-Baby Yoga at Destination Maternity and Bikini Bootcamp at Anytime Fitness, (210)497-0000. For more information, log onto the Web site at www.laurabrookover.com, or E-mail info@laurabrookover.com.
