Uttanasana

Step by Step

1. Stand in Tadasana, hands on hips. Exhale and bend forward from the hip joints, not from the waist. As you descend draw the front torso out of the groins and open the space between the pubis and top sternum.
2. If possible, with your knees straight, bring your palms or finger tips to the floor slightly in front of or beside your feet, or bring your palms to the backs of your ankles. If this isn't possible, cross your forearms and hold your elbows.
3. With each inhalation in the pose, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates almost imperceptibly with the breath. Let your head hang from the root of the neck.
4. Uttanasana can be used as a resting position between the standing poses. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It can also be practiced as a pose in itself.

Practitioners suggest that this posture provides these benefits:
Provides a complete stretch to the entire back side of the body.
Rejuvenates the spinal nerves.
Tones the kidneys, liver, and spleen.
Increases flexibility of the spine, hips, sciatic nerves, tendons, and ligaments of the legs.
Improves blood circulation in the legs.
Calms and rejuvenates the nervous system as it soothes the brain cells.
Provides nourishment to the facial skin, scalp, and hair roots.
Improves eyesight and hearing.
Stretches the hamstrings.

Virabhadrasana III

Benefits:

Strengthens the legs and abdomen, improves balance. Improves concentration.

Instructions:
1. From Urdhva Dhanurasana , bring the hands onto your hips.

2. Bring your weight forward into your front foot as you gently kick up your back leg.

3. At the same time, bring the torso forward until it is parallel to the floor.

4. Keep the neck relaxed, as if it's the natural extension of the spine.

5. Keep both hips pointing toward the floor as you bring the back leg in line with your body.

6. Flex the raised foot and keep the muscles of the raised leg actively engaged.

7. Bring the arms back along your sides.

8. Repeat on the other side.

Beginners: Do the pose at the wall. You can either face the wall and bring your arms

outstretched in front of you with your hands on the wall or turn around and bring the lifted back foot onto the wall.

Advanced: Try another arm variation. Bring the arms outstretched in front of you or into reverse namaste

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Benefits:

Improves spinal flexibility. Stretches the shoulders and chest. Strengthens the arms.

Instructions:
1. Come to lie on the back

2. Bend the knees, bringing the soles of the feet parallel on the mat close to the buttocks.

4. Bend the elbows and bring the palms of your hands underneath your shoulders with the fingertips pointing towards your feet.

5. Inhale and press down into the palms as you lift the hips up off the floor.

6. Bring the crown of your head to the mat. Pause here for a moment as you make sure that the elbows are staying parallel and not splaying out to the sides.

7. Straighten the arms as you lift the head off the floor.

8. Make sure to keep the legs parallel.

9. Reach the chest towards to wall behind you.

10. Begin to straighten the legs.

11. To come down, tuck the chin into the chest and lower down slowly.

12. Rest, allowing the knees to knock together.

Beginners: Try the pose at the wall. Take two blocks and place them leaning on the wall at 45

degree angles. Put each hand on a block.
Have someone stand behind you and hold their ankles instead of putting the hands on the floor.

Advanced: Lift one leg at a time straight up to the ceiling.
Come into the pose from standing and/or come up to stand from