HEALTH
From Issue #21
Yoga 101
Sydnia Yu
Five essential yoga poses:
“Yoga helps you stay calm and not freak out as much; focus
and concentrate; relax and get rid of tension. Plus, learning
how to control your breath can help you get through just about
any stressful situation,” says Ellen Schwartz, author of
I Love Yoga: A Guide for Kids and Teens. Ellen believes teens
can benefit body and soul by simply taking a few slow, deep breaths
in each of these five essential poses. Get started by visualizing
yourself as the animal or form each pose is named after to help
you move more correctly into a position that literally puts you
in better health.
Pose
1:Mountain pose
For those of you who don’t have time to stand still, but
slouch and lean on things when you do, imagine you’re as
tall and broad as a mountain. This will improve your posture and
builds strength in your back and stomach. “When you stand
taller, you feel taller and actually look taller — so it's
great for projecting a positive body image,” says Ellen.
How to:
With feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides, draw stomach
muscles in and up as you inhale. Keep shoulders down and lower
your chin, elongating the back of your neck. Plant your feet on
the ground and pull the top of your head skywards. Stay for several
breaths.
Pose
2: Cat
After being scrunched up at a desk, on a computer chair or even
in an easy chair, Ellen says this pose “wakes up”
your back, making your spine more flexible, as well as strengthening
arms and toning the front of your body.
How to:
Get on your hands and knees. Like a cat waking from a nap, breathe
out and arch your back upwards, drop your head and tuck in your
tailbone. Stay for a few breaths. Then exhale and curve your back
downwards, pointing your head and tailbone towards the ceiling.
Breathe. Return to start position.
Pose
3: Downward facing dog
To help carry a heavy backpack and textbooks all day, this pose
strengthens arms, shoulders and upper body, and stretches legs
and back.
How to:
Kneel on hands and knees and tuck toes under. Breathing out, push
your tailbone upwards and lift your knees off the floor until
legs are straight. Like a dog waking from a nap, push your hands
into the floor, press your chest towards your thighs and try to
keep your heels on the floor. Stay for several breaths. Return
to start position on an out-breath.
Pose
4: Triangle
Forming a triangle with your body strengthens legs and chest muscles
and balances out slouching, leaning hips. If you slouch or lean
one way or the other, the triangle pose helps when you lean to
the side by stretching the other hip.
How to:
From the mountain pose, step sideways with the right foot, evenly
distributing your weight. Raise arms to shoulder level, palms
down. Stay for a few breaths. Turn right foot sideways and left
foot slightly. Exhaling, shift hips left and tilt upper body to
your right. Stay for several breaths. Reach further outwards with
both hands. Breathing out, bend your right leg and push out of
the pose until upright. Return to mountain pose and repeat with
left leg.
Pose
5: Tree
This balancing pose increases flexibility in hips, improves concentration
and makes you better at sports such as, skateboarding, rollerblading
and snowboarding.
How to:
Start in the mountain pose. Breathe in, shifting weight to the
left leg. Breath out and place your right foot high inside your
left thigh. Press right knee back and pull up on the left leg
to feel tall and stretched. Bring palms together at your chest,
keep shoulders down and let elbows fall to your side. Stay for
several breaths. When balanced, slowly raise hands above your
head until arms are straight. Slowly resume starting position.
Repeat sequence for other leg.
