Impact of Our Warriors

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1)

Practising this asana brings a whole host of benefits: It strengthens your spine & back muscles and relieves backache, lumbago and sciatica. Tones the abdominal muscles. Relieves acidity and improves digestion. Strengthens the bladder and corrects a displaces uterus. Relieves pain and heavy flow during menstruation.

Skeletal joint actions
Spine	Upper limbs	Lower limbs
		Front leg	Back leg
Extension, slight rotation for chest to face forward, pelvis level	Scapular abduction and upward rotation, shoulder abduction and external rotation, slight elbow flexion, forearm supination	SI joint nutation, hip flexion, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion	SI joint counternutation, hip extension and adduction, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion and foot supination at heel and pronation at forefoot

Muscular joint actions
Spine
Concentric contraction		Eccentric contraction
To extend spine: Spinal extensors To rotate chest forward: Internal oblique (front leg side); external oblique (back leg side)		To prevent hyperextension at lumbar spine: Psoas minor, abdominal muscles To support weight of head as neck extends: Rectus capitis, longus capitis and colli, verticalis, scalenes
Upper limbs
Concentric contraction
To abduct and upwardly rotate scapula: Serratus anterior To supinate forearm: Supinator		To stabilize and abduct shoulder joint: Rotator cuff, biceps brachii (long head), middle deltoid
Lower limbs
Front leg		Back leg
Concentric contraction	Eccentric contraction	Concentric contraction	Eccentric contraction
To resist tendency to widen knee (abduct at hip): Gracilis, adductor longus and brevis	To allow hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion without collapsing into gravity: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings at hip joint, vastii, soleus, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot To level and center pelvis over feet and to maintain balance side to side (the narrower the stance, the more active and long these muscles need to be): Gluteus medius and minimus; piriformis, superior and inferior gemellus	To extend hip: Hamstrings at hip joint, gluteus medius (posterior fibers), adductor magnus, gluteus maximus To extend knee: Articularis genu, vastii To maintain arches of foot without inhibiting dorsiflexion of ankle: Intrinsic muscles of foot	To allow outer ankle to lengthen without collapsing inner knee or inner foot: Peroneals

Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2)

This pose exercise your limbs and torso vigorously, reducing stiffness in your neck and shoulders. It improves your breathing capacity by expanding the chest. Alleviates the condition of a slipped disc, reduces fats around the hips and relieves lower backache. This pose also makes your knee and hip joints more flexible.

Skeletal joint actions
Spine	Upper limbs	Lower limbs
		Front leg	Back leg
Neutral spine, slight rotation for chest to orient to side, head rotated to face front leg, pelvis level	Scapular abduction, shoulder abduction and external rotation, forearm pronation	SI joint nutation, hip flexion and abduction, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion	SI joint counternutation, hip extension and abduction, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion, foot supination at heel and pronation at forefoot

Muscular joint actions

Spine

Alternating concentric and eccentric contractions Concentric contraction

Concentric contraction

To maintain neutral alignment of spine:

Spinal extensors and flexors

To rotate chest to side:

External oblique (front leg side); internal oblique (back leg side)

To rotate head toward front leg:

Rectus capitis posterior, obliquus capitis inferior, longus capitis and colli, splenius capitis

(front leg side); sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius (back leg side)

Upper limbs

Concentric contraction

Passively lengthening

To abduct scapula:

Serratus anterior

To stabilize and abduct shoulder joint:

Rotator cuff, biceps brachii (long head), deltoid

To pronate forearm:

Pronator quadratus and teres

Pectoralis major and minor (particularly

in back arm)

Lower limbs

Front leg

Back leg

Concentric contraction

Eccentric contraction

Concentric contraction

Eccentric contraction

To abduct hip:

Gluteus medius and minimus

To abduct hip and allow hip flexion without collapsing into gravity:

Gluteus maximus, piriformis, obturator externus, superior and inferior gemellus

To allow hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion without collapsing into gravity:

Hamstrings at hip joint, vastii, soleus, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot

To extend and abduct hip:

Gluteus medius and minimus, hamstrings at hip joint, piriformis, obturator externus, superior and inferior gemellus

To extend knee:

Articularis genu, vastii

To maintain arches of foot without inhibiting dorsiflexion of ankle:

Intrinsic muscles of foot

To support inner knee:

Gracilis

To allow outer ankle to lengthen without collapsing inner knee or inner foot:

Peroneals

Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)

One of the favourite poses to improve balance and focus. Teaches body awareness and proprioception as you learn to adjustment your body. Additionally, this asana strengthens the legs, arms, back and core muscles.

Skeletal joint actions
Spine	Upper limbs	Lower limbs
		Standing leg	Lifted leg
Neutral spine or axial extension	Scapular upward rotation, abduction, and elevation; shoulder abduction; elbow extension	SI joint nutation, hip flexion and adduction, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion	SI joint counternutation, neutral hip extension and rotation, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion

Muscular joint actions
Spine
Concentric contraction
To maintain alignment of spine: Intertransversarii, interspinalis, transversospinalis, erector spinae		To prevent anterior tilt of pelvis and overextension of lumbar spine: Psoas minor, abdominal muscles
Upper limbs
Concentric contraction
To upwardly rotate, abduct, and elevate scapula: Upper trapezius, serratus anterior To stabilize and flex shoulder joint: Rotator cuff, coracobrachialis, pectoralis major and minor, middle deltoid, biceps brachii (short head)		To extend elbow: Anconeus, triceps brachii
Lower limbs
Standing leg		Lifted leg
Concentric contraction	Eccentric contraction	Concentric contraction
To keep knee in neutral extension and balance on single leg: Articularis genu, quadriceps, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot and lower leg	To control hip flexion: Hamstrings To allow lateral shift of pelvis over standing foot for balance and to keep pelvis level: Gluteus medius and minimus, piriformis, superior and inferior gemellus	To maintain neutral hip extension and rotation: Hamstrings, adductor magnus, gluteus maximus

Reference:

Yoga Anatomy-2nd Edition-Human Kinetics (2011) by Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Matthews

The Path to Holistic Health by BKS Iyengar Yoga

Ah, the almighty backbend

Upward Bow Pose – Urdhva Dhanurasana

I still remember the first time I was introduced to upward bow pose during my Ashtanga Yoga class last year. Lying on my back, I tried to figure out the pose by observing other students. All of a sudden, the young lady next to me swiftly pressed herself all the way up and stayed firmly in the pose. The way she powerfully rose up and held the pose like a majestic mountain left me with astonishment until today. What a beautiful pose with the perfect curve of a bow shape! If you ask me what is one pose that embodies strength and flexibility, this is the pose.

Benefits of upward bow pose

As a deep backbend and chest opening practice, upward bow pose, or commonly known as wheel pose, is helpful to improve our overall health in modern life. With long hours spent sitting at the desk for work or study, we tend to lean the body forward, drop the shoulders and hunch the back. This can lead to undesired consequences such as bad posture, muscle tension, back pain and restricted breathing. While the good practice is to keep your self-awareness in maintaining a good body posture, practising backbend to stretch the spine in opposite direction proves to be a good way to counteract the hunched or slouched body posture. Not only upward bow pose can improve spinal mobility, it also strengthens the arms, shoulders, abdomen and legs. You can also benefit from the energy boost by practising this pose. Spiritually, by opening the chest, upward bow pose can help to activate heart chakra which serves as our center of love, compassion, empathy and forgiveness.

Anatomical movement and muscles involved

Hip extension and adduction
– Stretch all the muscles in the front side of the body by eccentric contraction (i.e. lengthening) of rectus abdominis, iliopsoas and quadriceps
– Strengthen all the muscles in the back side of the body by concentric contraction (i.e. shortening) of erector spinae, quadratus lumborum and hamstrings
– Concentric contraction of magnus, one of the inner thigh muscles
Shoulder external rotation
– Concentric contraction of infraspinatus and teres minor (Note: Tightness of subscapularis can limit this movement)
– Eccentric contraction of latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major
Posterior pelvic tilt

How to get into the pose?

Begin by lying on your back. Bend your knees perpendicular to the floor. Make sure feet are parallel and hip width apart. Bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor next to the ears with elbows pointing up.
Press your feet into the floor and lift your hips up. Keep your thighs and feet parallel. Then, firmly press the hands into the floor and lift your shoulders up, leaving the crown of your head on the floor. Keep your arms parallel.
Press your feet and hands into the floor. Lift your head up off the floor and straighten the arms. Gaze at your nose tip or in between the eyebrows. Stay in the pose for 5 breaths.
To exit the pose, bend you elbows and tuck your chin into your chest. Slowly lower down your body. Follow up with a counterpose such as hugging knees to chest or seated forward bend (Paschimottanasana).

Tips

Splaying knees and feet to the side will compress the lower back. To keep your knees and feet parallel and hip width apart, try squeezing a block between your thighs or pressing your feet against a block placed between them.
Engage your core muscles by lengthening rectus abdominis to create airbag for the protection of lumbar spine. This avoids hyperextension of the lumbar spine in backbend.
Aim to open your upper back more. Draw your chest towards the wall behind you. This allows the arms to carry more body weight to allow a leg to lift in one legged wheel pose.
Practise wheel walks to build the strength and learn to transfer the weight into one leg then the other.

Up for a challenge?

Here are a few options to advance and deepen the pose:

One legged wheel pose
Forearm wheel pose
Transitioning from wild thing to wheel pose
Transitioning from standing to wheel pose and the other way round by walking your hands down or up a wall behind you

Safety precautions

Practise upward bow pose at the end of yoga practice when you have sufficiently warmed up your body and opened your muscles.

Do not practise this pose if you have

Injury with knees, wrists, shoulders, neck, or back
Heart problems
High or low blood pressure

My journey with upward bow pose

Although the pose may look intimidating for a complete beginner, I started to enjoy practising backbend after a few rounds of practice. Not only upward bow pose reminds me of the strength I have within myself, I can feel the beneficial effects of back bending and chest opening shortly after practising this pose. I am able to naturally come to a good body posture with open chest each time after practising this pose. This is much appreciated by someone like me who is so used to being in hunched or slouched body posture. The good effects stay beyond the physical body. Mentally, I feel happier and with the chest opened, I feel my heart is opened as well. I feel like letting everything come and go freely. Like the big sky, every cloud is free to come and go. The sky is big enough to accommodate anything that comes, but in the meantime, the sky is willing to let each of them go when they are ready.

As for my experience of practising this pose, I had trouble with keeping my knees and feet parallel before. As much as I reminded myself not to splay the knees and feet, I tended to point them out when I was lifting myself up off the floor. I only realized my problem after having looked at the photos and videos of myself doing this pose. I would suggest students to identify any possible misalignments in your pose by taking a picture or video of yourself in this pose from different angles. From the diagonal top-down view, you can clearly see if your feet and hands are parallel and in line with each other. From the side view, you can see if your shins are perpendicular to the floor and whether you need to straighten your arms more and push your chest forward more. From the diagonal bottom view, this is how you will be amazed at the almighty backbend standing tall like a mountain.

Remember, flexibility comes with consistent practice.

With love,
Wei Li

Simple Yoga Poses to Make Your Cramps Feel Better

I’m sure many woman (like myself) would experience cramps or some discomfort during their time of the month. Doing exercise would probably be the last thing on our list. However, some yoga positions are so effective at relieving menstrual pain that once you attempt them, they can be integrated into your pain management routine!

According to Women’s Health Concern (2020), about 80% experience period pain at some stage in their lifetime. 5 to 10% of women suffer severe pain enough to disrupt their life. 40% of women experienced premenstrual symptoms such as mood swings, tiredness, bloating, tender breasts.

There are 2 different types of period pain.

Primary dysmenorrhoea

Caused by the uterus contracting to shed its lining.
Common in teenage girls and young women.
Pain may be caused by the decreased supply of blood to the uterus.
Pain is mainly at the lower part of the abdomen but may go into the back and down the front of the thighs.
Some may feel nauseated as well.

Secondary dysmenorrhoea

Occurs mid-twenties or later.
It is unlikely to cease after childbirth.
Pain is not restricted to “time of the month” bleeding and can occur throughout the cycle.
Periods may become heavier and more prolonged, and intercourse may be painful.
Can be a sign of other conditions, including pelvic infections, which may need urgent attention (seek professional help).

Yoga Poses

Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Level: Beginner

Physical Benefits

Stretches the lower back muscles
Relieves tension in the spine
Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue

Technique

Sit on your knees, knees hip-width apart, toes together.
Exhale, lower your torso between your knees. Rest on your forehead.
Extend your arms alongside your torso with your palms facing down. Relax your shoulders toward the ground.
Stay here for 5 breathe or rest in the pose for as long as needed.

Yoga Poses

Supine Spinal Twist Pose (Supta Matsyendrasana)
Level: Beginner

Physical Benefits

Stimulate the blood circulation
Release tension in the muscles of the abdomen
Relieves menstrual discomfort
Improves spinal mobility

Technique

Lie on your back
Exhale, Hug your right knee in toward the right side of your ribcage
Release your right knee to the left and if possible place in on the ground. Stretching your right arm straight out to the right. Your right hip should be stacked on top of your left hip.
Inhale, Open your right arm to the right, to make a T shape with the arms. Palms facing the ceiling.
Turn your head to the right, bringing your gaze over your shoulder to your right fingertips. You can skip this step if it does not feel comfortable on your neck.
Hold the pose for 5 to 10 breaths.
Draw your right knee into your chest. Place both legs to the floor to neutralize your spine for several breaths.
Repeat on the other side

Safety and Precautions

Avoid doing this pose if you have a recent or ongoing injury of your knees, hips, or back. There should be no pain when doing this pose.

Let’s feel better with the simple yoga poses!

Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) – Simple pose but not that simple (at least for me)

When I came back to practice yoga in 2014 (after my first trial in 2009 and thought yoga is probably not for me), I only went for hot yoga. The reason was so simple – I didn’t feel good doing Downward facing dog! I felt very uncomfortable holding the pose and I didn’t know that I totally did it wrong. In fact, I just understand the correct alignment and do it better at Tirisula and especially during Yoga Teacher Training. With the correct weight distribution and alignment, I don’t feel bad holding the pose anymore!

How to get to the pose:

Hands shoulder-width apart, spread fingers wide.
Feet hip-width apart, toes point forward
Microbend the elbows
Relax the neck
Draw shoulders down along the spine. Shoulders are away from ears
Engage the lower belly and draw the navel back to the spine. Lengthen the spine.
*Squeeze and Lift the hips up to make the body as an upside down V shape* To me, this helps a lot to distribute the weight equally between hands and feet and this technique helps me to hold longer in the pose and can be rest in the pose.
Place the heels down on the mat
Gaze towards the navel

Terms of movement

Scapula depression
Arms flexion
Hips flexion
Ankle dorsi flexion
Torso extension
Knee extension

Muscles used for Downward Facing Dog

Stretch Gluteus Maximus
Stretch Latissimus Dorsi
Contract Abdominals
Stretch Pectoralis major
Contract Triceps
Contract Quadriceps
Stretch Hamstrings
Stretch Gastrocnemius and soleus
Contract Tibialis anterior

I hope my experience of getting into downward facing dog can be useful to someone. Enjoy the pose!

The Deceivingly Easy Pose (for me at least)

PASCHIMOTTANASA (SEATED FORWARD BEND)
Paschim (West) + Uttana (Intense Stretch) + Asana (Pose)

Muscles Involved

Erector Spinae
Iliacus
Tensor Fasciae Latae
Rectus Femoris
Sartorius
Hamstrings
Gluteus Maximus
Gastreocnemius

Benefits
To motivate students to fold deeper/ hold longer when they are in the pose

Stretches/ tones the spine, shoulders, hamstrings, calves and opens up the hips
Stimulates the liver, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus
Improves digestion and releases blocked gas
Relieves the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort
Soothes headache/anxiety and reduces fatigue
Calms the brain and helps relieve stress
Therapeutic for high blood pressure, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis

Contraindications and Cautions
Take note of students practising this pose if they have the below conditions

Asthma
Diarrhoea
Pregnant
Arms, shoulders, back, hips or ankle injuries

Fun Tips!

Get a buddy to help you fold deeper! Go into the pose and then have the buddy gently press his/ her hands against your lower back and pelvis as you exhale. Ask the buddy to check that your spine is straight as you fold forward – try to bring belly to thighs, microbend your knees if you need to!

If your hands are at your shin, reach for your toes. If you are holding your toes, aim to wrap your hands around the feet. If you are holding the feet, put a block against the soles of the feet and hold the block!

Going Upside Down

We should all turn upside down.

I mean, we should all do inversions for our yoga practice. It doesn’t matter whether you are going into a handstand, headstand, shoulder stand, Pincha or downward facing dog – It is a great addition to your practice for the multitude of benefits it brings. I would like to bring our focus to the headstand aka Salamba Sirsasana in this article. In Sanskrit, salamba means “supported” and sirsa translates as “head”.

Headstand is considered the king of yoga poses. It builds stamina, alleviates insomnia, reduces the occurrence of heart palpitations, helps to cure halitosis, strengthens the lungs, improves the function of the pituitary and pineal glands, increases the haemoglobin content in the blood, relieves the symptoms of colds, coughs and tonsillitis. Additionally, it brings relief from digestive and eliminatory problems when practiced in conjunction with Salamba Sarvangasana. Mentally, as inverting your entire body brings a rejuvenating supply of blood to the brain cells, it enhances clarity of thought, increases your concentration span, and sharpens memory. Consistent practice of this asana widens your spiritual horizons. This asana also helps those who get mentally exhausted easily. (2)

Normally, headstand is practised towards the end of a yoga class and functions to allow energy to flow towards your head, activating our crown chakra. While this advanced pose does require much focus, precision, balance and strength, this asana is essentially meant to be a resting pose. (3)

Getting into a headstand:

Kneel in front of a wall and interlace your fingers. Place your interlaced fingers down on the mat with the palms apart so you create a support for your head and place the crown of your head in your interlaced fingers onto the mat. If you’re unsure where, bring your thumb to your third eye in between your eyebrows and wherever your middle finger lands, that’s where the crown of your head is. Make sure that your elbows are shoulder-width distance apart and that your wrists are perpendicular to the floor. Shoulders should be protracted and rotated upwards. Cradle the back of your head with your hands firmly.

Next, lift your knees off the ground and straighten your legs and your spine. You will be in a modified dolphin pose with your head on the ground. Start to walk your feet as forward towards the body then lift your legs. The goal is to get your hips stacked over your shoulders. This is where hamstring and lower back flexibility comes into the game.

Once you feel stable, lift your legs straight up towards the ceiling. If you feel confident and have done it a few times, lift them both at the same time. Make sure that your body is in one straight line and there is no bent in the hips. (3)

Being in a headstand:

When you stand on your head, the first sensation you will feel is pressure—pressure on the crown of the head, pressure in the arteries and veins, and pressure in the soft tissues of the head and neck. And along with these comes more subtle aspects of pressure—the demand for maintaining your balance and the psychological urge to come out of the posture. These physical and psychological pressures affect every system in the body in one way or another: muscular, skeletal, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, immune, and reproductive. (1)

In headstand no muscle is in an eccentric movement, but every body part is either stabilizing or contracting. Ultimately, your body will be stacked in a single vertical line. Muscles involved in this pose are the trapezius, the rhomboid muscles, rectus abdominus, the levator scapulae, the pectoralis minor, iliopsoas and flexors, and the serratus anterior. It is important to strengthen them through regular practise of asanas and strengthen training. (4)

Contraindications:

Please do not practise this asana if you have high blood pressure, cervical spondylosis, a backache, headache, or migraine. Also, refrained from starting your yoga session with this pose if you have low blood pressure. Perform the asana only once in a session and do not repeat it – seasoned yogis can hold up to 5 minutes. It is best not to practise this asana during menstruation. (2)

Let me end this article with a quote:

“Sirshasana is really a blessing and a nectar. Words will fail to adequately describe its beneficial results and effects. In this Asana alone, the brain can draw plenty of Prana and blood. This acts against the force of gravity and draws an abundance of blood from the heart. Memory increases admirably. Lawyers, occultists, and thinkers will highly appreciate this Asana. This leads to natural Pranayama and Samadhi by itself. No other effort is necessary.”

— Swami Sivananda

Reference:

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners-Body & Breath Inc (2017) by David H. Coulter
The Path to Holistic Health by B.K.S. Ivengar Yoga
How To Do Headstand – Alignment, Anatomy, Benefits & Preparation by Joschi Monika
Yoga Anatomy-2nd Edition by Leslie Kaminoff

Sitting All Day? These 4 Yoga Poses Will Relieve Tension

Corporate warriors, this one’s for you!

Image from Unsplash

If you have a desk job, chances are you’re familiar with that feeling of sitting by your computer all day.

Unfortunately, all those hours you’ve spent hunched over your keyboard contribute to tension in your body – from achy shoulders to tightness in the hips as well as legs, and sometimes even a stiff neck.

For some people, this can also result in bad posture and low energy.

The good news is that it is possible to undo the damage caused by sitting at your desk all day (without having to quit your job). All it takes is a little time from each day to consistently do these 4 yoga poses.

Apart from soothing your body, these yoga poses can also help to calm a busy mind that is plagued by day-to-day work stress. So why not give them a try after a long day at work? Your body will thank you after that!

1. Forward fold (Uttanasana)

Image from Pexels

If you have anxiety, the forward fold can do wonders for you as it calms your nervous system.

Besides that, your hamstrings, back muscles and glutes also get a nice juicy stretch while your abdominal muscles enjoy a gentle massage.

To get into this posture, stand with your feet hips-width apart and slowly bend forward from your hips. Bend your knees slightly to avoid locking them so you protect your tendons, ligaments and meniscus from tearing.

2. Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Image from Pexels

The downward facing dog might look like a simple pose, but it is not to be underestimated because it can strengthen and stretch various parts of your body.

To get into this posture, come into an inverted V by stretching your hands out in front of you with your hips lifted and feet grounded at hips-width distance.

When you’re in the downward facing dog, the muscles in your arms, chest, shoulder and back are engaged. Also, you’re able to strengthen your wrist and ankle joints as well as stretch your leg muscles after a long day of sitting.

It is not only relaxing, but also energizing. So the next time you need quick relief from a stressful day, get into this pose!

3. Cobra (Bhujangasana)

Image from Pexels

The cobra pose is a simple backbend that can counteract the hours of hunching over your desk.

It strengthens your wrist, arm, shoulder, back and abdominal muscles. As it also stretches your abdominal muscles, it helps to tone uterine muscles. Apart from that, it also contracts the dorsal muscles in your spine’s lumbar region, flushing out your kidneys.

To get into this posture, start by lying on the ground with your hands slightly in front of you. Tuck your elbows in and push up into your hands with a slight backbend. Make sure you bring your shoulders down to open your chest, while gazing upwards.

4. Fish (Matsyasana)

Image from Pexels

If you feel tension in your neck or head, the fish pose can help you to relieve it.

Since it stretches the front of your body, expect to engage your throat, chest, hip flexors, abdomen and intercostal muscles. Also, as it contributes to strengthening the back of your neck and upper back muscles, you’ll have improved posture and spinal flexibility.

To get into this posture, sit on your hips with your legs stretched out together in front of you, with toes pointed (or get into a seated lotus position if you’re able to). Bring your hands under your hips and prop yourself up on your forearms while learning back.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose) – A seemingly easy and basic pose that we sometimes forget to “work”

Its a standing pose, yes… but it also requires us to engage all our muscles when doing the posture.

Pose:

Standing tall with feet slightly apart, with both hands on each side, palms facing forward.

Cues:

Keeping the spine long
Feet parallel to each other and evenly grounded. Quadriceps engaged.
Activate also the adductors muscles.
Chest should be opened
Core engaged, belly sucked in.
Widen the collarbones.
Shoulders should be parallel to the ground. No slouching.
No overarch the back and squeeze the gluteals, keeping the tail bone down.
Gaze through the nose
Keep your neck long.
Chin neither tucked in or lifted
Breathing is relaxed.
5 Breaths

Benefits:

Improves posture and body awareness, strengthening legs and establish alignment.

It is a good pose to introduce to the beginners to help their awareness of the body. One way of helping a beginner to engage the adductor muscles is by squeezing a yoga block between the inner thighs. This would allow any beginner to recognise the muscle group and remember the sensation.

How can we prepare for such an easy pose, one might ask.

Standing with feet slightly apart, interlace the fingers.
Inhale raised the interlaced fingers above the crown, lengthening the spine, legs and arms
Exhale, release and relax
10 reps

The Anatomy of Kakasana (Crow Pose)

Kakasana (Crow Pose) : Analysing the postures with knowledge from the muscular and skeletal system

Note: I am not extremely familiar with the muscular and skeletal system so some muscles/bones pointed out MAY be wrong!

(Taken from Pinterest)

To get into Kakasana, yoga practitioners need to ensure first that their arms are able to hold the body weight. This involves activating the triceps brachii and biceps brachii to provide a strong base to rest the body weight upon. Contracting the deltoid muscles (anterior, medialis, posterior), pectoralis major muscle and trapezius muscle will also provide additional support to the arms to bear the weight. As the practitioner leans forward, he/she increasingly activates and contracts the serratus anterior muscle and psoas muscles (iliopsoas and iliacus) to keep the body lifted up and able to rest on the arms for a sustained period of time. To a certain extent, in order to bring the feet together to touch, there is a need to contract the adductor muscles (brevis and longus) to bring the feet closer together, and the tibialis posterior and extensor digitorium to point the toes.

As this is an arm balance posture, the areas with the greatest points of contact with the ground, and thus bearing the most weight are the hands – the tips of the fingers (phalanges), and especially the carpals. Practitioners whose arms and psoas muscles are not properly activated for the posture will end up bearing more weight on their wrists and potentially put strain on the wrist area.

Anterior Abdominal Muscles

The abdominal muscles play a big role to stabilize, rotate our trunk and protect the abdominal organs. It has the airbag effect to protect our lumbar spine and prevent the hyperextension of the lumbar spine when we do the backbend in the yoga postures.

The anterior abdominal muscles can be divided in to four groups:

Rectus abdominis

External obliques

Internal obliques

Transverses abdominis

Rectus abdominis

It is a long flat muscle which originates bilaterally from the pubic and pubic crest, inserts on the xyphoid process of the sternum and cartilage of the 5th, 6th and 7th ribs. It is divided into four muscular bodies, separated by the horizontal fibrous bands, resulting into a six pack shape for those who have low body fat.

The main tasks of this muscle is the movement of the trunk, stabilization of the vertebral column and the tension of the abdominal wall. The abdominal press increases the intra-abdominal pressure which occurs during defecation or vomiting. It also support the exhalation by pulling down the thorax through their contraction. Contracting the rectus abdominis brings the trunk forward or ventral flexion, elevation of the pelvis, lowering the thorax. The yoga asana navasana can strengthen the rectus abdominis.

External obliques

It is the largest and most superficial abdominal muscle which is located on each side of the rectus abdominis. It originates from the front of ribs 5 through 12 and lower section of latissimus dorsi, inserts on lower ribs, linea alba, inguinal ligament and anterior half of the iliac crest. When the external obliques are contracted, the same side of the shoulder will be drawn forward. It is responsible to the twist of the body by combining the contraction of the external obliques with the contraction of the other side internal obliques.

Internal obliques

It is located under the external obliques and originates from the lower borders of the lateral 1/3 of inguinal ligament, iliac crest, thoracolumbar fascia and linea alba, inserts on linea alba and ribs 9 through 12. The contraction of the internal obliques brings the opposite side of the shoulder forward, example parivrita trikonasana.

Transverses abdominis

It is the deepest abdominal muscles and originates from the iliac crest, inguinal ligament, thoracolumbar fascia and inner surface of lower six costal cartilage and their ribs 7 to 12, inserts on xyphoid process and linea alba and pubis. The contraction of the transverses abdominis compresses the abdomen and tones the abdominal organs, example santolasana.

The abdominal muscles plays an important role in the stabilizing of the body. The weakness in the abdominal muscles may cause the bad posture and the lower back pain is the most common symptoms especially the seniors. There are some yoga poses can strengthen your abdominal muscles.

1 Navasana (boat pose)

Lie down on the back, feet together and hands by side of hips. Inhale, lift both legs up to 60 degrees. Raise the hands points fingers towards the feet. Exhale, pull in the belly, engage the transverses abdominis and peel the upper body off the floor, leaving the sit bones in contact with the ground.

2 Parivrita trikonasana (revolved triangle pose)

Stand in utthita tadasana. Inhale, bring the right leg to 90 degrees and turn the left foot inwards to 45 degrees. extend the both arms at shoulder level, raise the left arm up and lengthen the spine. Exhale, place the left palm on the outside of the right foot. Twist the mid and upper body and gaze at the extended hand.

3 Dwipada uttanpadasana (double leg raise pose)

Lie down on the mat. Inhale, raise both legs up to 90 degrees slowly. Exhale, release both legs down slowly. There are some variation where any one can hold the legs on 30 degrees, 45 degrees or 60 degrees.

The tightness of the abdominal muscles limits the depth of backbends. The stretching of this muscles can help you to relax and ease the muscles stress and tension.

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Lie down on the belly and and bring the hands below the shoulders, palms down, elbows close to the ribs. Inhale, slide the upper body forward and up. Extend the elbows, push the ribs and lower abdomen up, roll your shoulder back. Gaze between the eyebrows.