My 10 Favorite Asanas

In no particular order, here are my favorite yoga poses and their benefits. Most of these pictures capture the poses in their full form but there are always variations.

Bound Warrior - Builds strength, improves limberness in the spine, and is a great stretch for the whole upper body.

Tree - Works on balance, concentration, and strengthens feet Remember to do the same to each side with all poses for full benefits.

Cow Face - Supposedly it's supposed to represent a cow with one ear up, one down, and the legs are the lips. Personally I think that describes a donkey. This is a deep stretch that strengthens the spine and with regular practice, helps to relieve hip and knee pain.

Eagle - Also a strengthening and balancing pose, this decompresses the spine, knees, hips, ribs and shoulders.

Half Moon - Strengthens and improves balance, this aids digestion and lifts the mood.

Half Pigeon - Personally this makes me want to swear because it's a very intense way to open the hips and mine are apparently fairly tight. The more challenging, the more you need it. We hold stress, tension, and anxiety here so it can release a fair amount of emotions and feel very frustrating. This pose stimulates organs, decompresses the spine and improves alignment.

One Legged Down Dog - Yes, it looks like a peeing dog. This builds upper body strength, relieves stress, improves digestion, and alleviates cramps.

Plow - Good for headaches, insomnia, thyroid, and abdominal organs. This will also give a good stretch to the back and shoulders, especially if you spend your day hunched over a computer.

Revolved Head to Knee - This is pretty much good for everything. Your muscles, back pain, organs, you name it, this is good for you.

Extended Triangle - Relieves backache, improves flat feet, and relieves stress.

Namaste!