Asana Benefits

by Taya Mahony

Boat (Paripurna Navasana) • Improves digestion

Benefits: • Improves asthma
• Relieves stress • Reduces anxiety, menstrual pain, high blood
• Improves digestion pressure, sinusitis, menopause symptoms,
• Stimulates kidneys osteoporosis
• Stimulates thyroid and prostate glands Contraindications: Neck injury
• Strengthens hip flexors, groin and abdomen
• Good for kidneys Camel (Ustrasana)
Contraindications: Diarrhea, headache, heart Benefits:
problems, asthma, pregnancy, low blood pressure, • Stimulates abdominal organs
insomnia, neck injury • Stretches front of body
• Opens chest and throat
Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana) • Improves posture
Benefits: • Strengthens back muscles
• Stimulates abdominal organs • Improves thyroid
• Improves fatigue • Improves upper back curves
• May help ease childbirth Contraindications: Insomnia, low back pain, neck
• Eases menstrual discomfort injury, migraine, low or high blood pressure
• Stimulates heart and circulation
• Helps relieve mild depression and anxiety Cat/Cow
• Relieves symptoms of menopause Benefits:
• Stretches thighs, knees, and groins • Massages back muscles
• Good for flat feet • Calms mind
• Improves blood pressure • Relieves lower back pain
• Good for reproductive system: improves • Massages kidneys
infertility • Flattens stomach
• Good for asthma • Calms nervous system
Contraindications: Groin or knee injury Contraindications: Use caution with back pain

Bow (Dhanurasana) Chair (Utkasana)

Benefits: Benefits:
• Improves posture • Reduces flat feet
• Stretches front of body • Strengthens ankles, calves, thighs and spine
• Stretches abdomen • Stretches shoulders and chest
• Stretches ankles, thighs and groins • Simulates heart
• Strengthens back • Stimulates abdominal organs
• Stretches hip flexors Contraindications: Insomnia, low blood pressure,
Contraindications: High or low blood pressure, headache
migraine insomnia, low back pain, neck
injury Child’s (Balasana)
Benefits:
Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) • Stretches hips, ankles and thighs
Benefits: • Calms brain
• Calms mind • Reduces stress
• Relieves tension • Relieves back and neck pain when supported
• Stimulates digestive organs Contraindications: pregnancy, knee injury, and
• Stimulates abdominal organs diarrhea
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Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Benefits:
• Improves digestion
• Strengthens spine
• Stretches chest, lungs, abdomen and heart
• Firms buttocks
• Improves respiratory and reproductive organs
• Strengthens eyesight
• Stimulates nervous system
• Improves asthma
• Relieves stress and fatigue
• Eases sciatica
• Stimulates abdominal organs
Contraindications: Carpal tunnel syndrome, back
injury, headache, pregnancy
Corpse (Savasana)
Benefits:
• Calms mind
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Relaxes body
• Reduces headache
• Improves fatigue and insomnia
Contraindications: Back injury: adjust pose
accordingly, pregnancy: raise head and chest
Cow Face (Gomukhasana)
Benefits:
• Stretches ankles, hips, thighs, shoulders,
chest, triceps and armpits
Contraindications: Serious neck or shoulder
problems
Downward Facing Dog (Adhomukha
Svanasana)
Benefits:
• Removes fatigue
• Rests heart
• Good for hearing and eyesight
• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and
mild depression, raises awareness and
memory
• Energizes the body, removes fatigue,
increases circulation to the brain
• Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves,
arches, spine, backside of body, arms, hands,
hips, calves, Achilles tendon
• Strengthens the arms, hands, upper body and
legs
• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
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• Relieves menstrual discomfort when done
with head supported
• Helps prevent osteoporosis
• Lengthens spine, rejuvenates discs
• Improves digestion
• Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, and
fatigue
• Therapeutic for high blood pressure, opens
chest, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, sinusitis
Contraindication: Chronic back, hip, arm or
shoulder pain, unmediated high blood
Pressure
Eagle (Garudasana)
Benefits:
• Strengthens and stretches the ankles and
calves, legs and hands
• Stretches the thighs, hips, shoulders, and
upper back
• Improves concentration
• Improves sense of balance
• Improves sciatica
• Good for testicles
• Helps nerves in hands and feet
• Mental clarity and single-mindedness of
thought
• Reduces stress
Fish (Matsyasana)
Benefits:
• Good for Asthma
• Kidneys, intestines
• Pineal and pituitary glands
• Good for thyroid
• Strengthens and stretches spine
• Good for nervous system
• Good for pelvis region and reproductive
organs
• Relieves constipation and digestion
• The arms are strengthened
• Improves mental capacity and increases
blood flow to brain
• The neck and the cheek muscles are
stretched, reduces puffiness in cheeks
Counter Pose: Shoulderstand (Fish performed after)
Contraindications: Neck injury
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Four-limbed Staff (Chaturanga Hero (Virasana)
Dandasana) Benefits:
Benefits: • Stretches thighs
• Tones abdomen • Good for high blood pressure
• Strengthens arms and wrists • Improves digestion and relieves gas
Contraindications: Pregnancy, carpal tunnel • Improves swelling of legs during pregnancy
syndrome • Relieves menopausal symptoms
• Strengthens arches
Half Lord of the Fishes • Improves asthma
Benefits: Contraindications: Headache, heart problems, knee
• Improves digestions injury, ankle injury
• Good for kidneys
• Opens rib cage Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani)
• Improves balance, posture Benefits:
• Helps urinary system • Calms the mind
• Stretches hips, neck and shoulders • Brings relief to cramped and tired feet and
• Relieves menstrual cramps legs
• Good for spine Contraindications: Bend knees if experience
• Increases appetite tingling\
• Improves fatigue
• Eases sciatica Locust (Salabhasana)
• Strengthens liver Benefits:
Contraindications: Back or spine injury • Strengthens spine muscles
• Relieves stress
Half Moon (Ardha Chandranasa) • Stimulates abdominal organs
Benefits: • Stretches shoulders, chest, belly and thighs
• Improves coordination and balance • Strengthens buttocks, arms and legs
• Improves digestion Contraindications: Headache, back injury, neck
injuries
• Relieves stress
• Strengthens ankles, things and buttocks
• Strengthens abdomen Mountain (Tadasana)
• Strengthens spine Benefits:
• Stretches groin, shoulders, chest and back • Relieves stress
Contraindications: Diarrhea, insomnia, low blood • Improves sciatica
pressure, headache • Corrects incorrect posture
• Improves body alignment
Head to Knee • Tones but muscles
Benefits: • Strengthens knees and legs
• Calms mind • Reduces flat feet
• Strengthens back Contraindications: If you have Parkinson’s Disease
or scoliosis stand with your back against the wall
• Improves digestion
• Stretches spine, shoulders, hamstrings, and
groins Seated Forward Bend
• Helps relieve fatigue and anxiety (Paschimottanasana)
• Improves high blood pressure Benefits:
• Strengthens back • Calms the brain
• Relieves menopausal symptoms • Relieves menopausal and menstrual pain
• Stimulates liver and kidneys • Relieves stress
Contraindications: Asthma, diarrhea, knee injury • Stretches spine
• Improves anxiety
• Reduces fatigue
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 • Good for high blood pressure, infertility, and Tree (Vrksasana)
insomnia Benefits
• Improves headaches and sinusitis • Relieves sciatica
• Improves digestion • Reduces flat feet
Contraindications: Diarrhea, back injury, asthma • Strengthens calves, ankles, spine and thighs
• Improves balance
Pigeon (Rajakapotasana) • Stretches groins, thighs, chest and shoulders
Benefits: • Improves concentration and coordination
• Stretches spine hips and groin Contraindications: dizziness, knee injury, headache,
• Opens chest high or low blood pressure lower arms
• Massages kidneys and adrenal glands
Contraindications: Lower back problems Triangle (Trikonasana)
Benefits:
Plank • Improves anxiety
Benefits: • Stretches thighs, knees, and ankles
• Tones abdomen • Helps relieve stress
• Strengthens wrists, spine, and arms • Improves digestion
Contraindications: Carpal tunnel syndrome • Helps relieve menopausal symptoms
• Relieves backache
Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) Contraindications: Headache, diarrhea, neck
Benefits: problems, low blood pressure, heart conditions
• Relives headaches and insomnia
• Good for asthma, high blood pressure, Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha
osteoporosis, infertility, sinusitis Svanasana)
• Reduces stress and anxiety Benefits:
• Helps relieve menopause symptoms • Strengthens back, arms, and wrists
• Reduces mild depression • Improves posture
• Improves digestion • Tightens buttocks
• Stretches calves, hamstrings and hips • Stimulates abdominal organs
• Beneficial to the kidneys and liver • Relieves depression and insomnia
• Calms mind • Opens chest and lungs
• Improves scoliosis pain when done with bent • Good for asthma
legs Contraindications: Back pain or injury, pregnancy,
Contraindications: Do with bent knees to reduce headache, carpal tunnel syndrome
back pain
Warrior (Virabhadrasana)
Sun Salute (Surya Namaskar) Benefits:
Benefits: • Stretches and strengthens ankles and legs
• Strengthens and stretches all major muscle • Good for carpal tunnel syndrome, infertility,
groups sciatica, osteoporosis, flat feet
• Massages internal organs • Relieves back pain
• Improves circulation • Good for pregnancy
• Reduces fatigue • Improves stamina
• Improves focus • Stretches groin and shoulders
• Relieves tension • Opens chest
Contraindications: high blood pressure, dizziness,
• Stimulates abdominal organs
back problems, pregnancy should speak with Dr.
Contraindications: High blood pressure. Neck
problems, diarrhea

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