5 Excellent Sitting Yoga Poses asanas

Physical exercises necessarily don’t have to involve a lot of running and vigorous movements. Body movements that are subtle and grounding can equally enhance the health of body and mind of the practitioners. The Natural form of exercise available to us in Yoga involves a lot of sitting yoga asanas to help the beginners, senior citizens, and people with various other limitations stay active, supple, and robust.

The Seated yoga posture series includes a variety of positions: seated twists, seated forward fold, etc., that holistically reward the spine and vital body organs of the sadhaks. From strengthening to toning to stretching, the seated yoga positions are a good mix of strength, flexibility, relaxation, calmness, and happiness.

For the interested yoga enthusiasts, we have listed out the best five sitting yoga poses along with their steps and benefits:

1. Child Pose (Balasana): Embrace the calmness and pure happiness like a child in Balasana. The alignment of the body in the pose reduces stress, fatigue, and restores the body-mind balance.

Steps: Start on your fours. Gather your breath and spread your knees wide apart. Sit back with hips on the heels and top of the feet flat on the surface of the yoga mat. As you sit, lengthen the spine from the top of the head. Exhale, fold forward from the hips wrapping your front torso in between the thighs and bringing the forehead down to the ground. Keep the arms long, palms up near to the posterior. Shut the eyes and relax the body.

2. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana): Fold Forward and release all the stress. Seated forward bend pose prepares the practitioners for deeper yoga poses.

Steps: Come and sit on a yoga mat. Stretch the legs in front, elongate the back, and rest the hands on the mat alongside the legs. Inhale, reach the arms upward and relax. Exhale, fold forward maintaining the length of the spine. The torso should rest over the thighs while the head rests on the legs. Try to hold onto the ankles, feet, shins, toes, whichever is possible for you. With each exhalation, try to fold deeper into the pose for maximum benefits.

3. Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana): Stretch the organs and improve their functioning with the practice of this pose. A highly beneficial pose for pregnant women aiding in childbirth.

Steps: Begin seated in the staff posture. Comfortably bend your knees and using your hands, pull the heels towards the pelvis bone. As the heels are drawn closer to the pelvic region, touch the soles of the feet together and drop open the knees to the sides. Encircle the index finger of your hand around the toes of the feet and sit up straight. Look straight in the front direction. Hold on to the posture for 60 seconds. Do not forget to take smooth breaths.

4. Bharadvaja’s Twist (Bharadvajasana): Give a nice stretch to the spine and abdominal organs with the Bharadvaja’s twist.

Steps: Sit in an upright stance on the floor with legs absolutely unbent. Shift the weight to the right hip, bend the knees, and sway the legs to the left side. Rest the feet on top of the ground with the left ankle resting in the right arch. On an inhalation, straighten the front torso and upon exhalation, twist to the right with the left hip in close contact with the floor. Place the right hand on the floor beside the right hip and left palm under the right knee. Twist the chest to the right as much as possible. Look towards the right side.

5. Boat Pose (Navasana): One of the challenging sitting yoga poses worth every effort. This asana stimulates the kidneys, glands, stretches the hips, relieves stress, and improves digestion.

Steps: Sit in Dandasana. Locate the palms slightly behind the hips on a yoga mat. Lengthen the upper body and lean backward moderately. Now, balance the body on the tripod of the two sitting bones and tailbone. Set the feet on the floor with knees bent. Gently unbend the legs and stretch them out completely. Flex the feet and make shins parallel to the floor. Bring the arms out to the sides in the front direction.

Make these sitting yoga asanas the source of your health and well-being by practicing them regularly.