Basic Yoga for Daily Life

I had stared doing Asanas on my own through reading the books. But for many years I always struggled in deciding as how many Asanas I should do everyday for a healthy life. According to scripture there are more than 8 million Asanas. So, it is impossible for an individual to do all the Asanas everyday. So I decided to do research and talk to experienced Yoga teachers. And finally, a teacher from one of the best schools of yoga suggested me that just 12 basic postures brings out the essence of all major Asanas.

Everyday Challenge

In our today’s life, we always face the shortage of time. Many of us want to do Asanas everyday but due to shortage of time, we put it off. I am sure that some other friends have the same challenge of deciding how many Asanas they should do everyday? So, I thought to put this information together.

Basic Positions

Asanas are generally performed in four different positions –

1. Standing
2. Sitting
3. Supine
4. Prone

So for the simplicity I created four different categories. And then, I have chosen 5 Asanas for each position. These Asanas includes those 12 basic postures.

Please note that the Asana at number 0 (Zero) in each position must be performed in the beginning and at the end of each Asana of the respective category. It provides rest and relaxation for each pose.

Standing Position
0. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
1. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
2. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
2. Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)
4. Veeraasna (Warrior Pose)
5. Sirshasana (Headstand Pose)

Note: Sirshasana involves sitting and standing upside down. But for simplicity I have put it under Standing Position.

Sitting Position
0. Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
1. Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
2. Vajrasana (Diamond Pose)
3. Gomukhasana (Cow-face Pose)
4. Paschimothanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
5. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Spinal twist)

Supine Position
0. Shavasna (Corpse Pose)
1. Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)
2. Halasana (Plow pose)
3. Matsyasana (Fish pose)
4. Chakrasana (Wheel pose)
5. PavanMuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose)

Note: Chakrasana is performed in four different ways using Standing, Suspine and Prone. The simplest way is to do in Supine Position, however performing in Standing Position is an ideal way to do.

Prone Position
0. Makarasana (Frontal Corpse)
1. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
2. Shalabhasana (Locust Pose)
3. Noukasana (Boat Pose)
4. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
5. Mayurasana (Peacock Pose)

 

Note: Noukasana is also performed in Supine Position. Noukasana in Prone position is also called Superman pose.

If there is a shortage of time, then I choose the following five Asanas:

• Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
• Chakrasana (Wheel pose)
• Mayurasana (Peacock Pose)
• Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)
• Halasana (Plow pose)

If there is really no time for five Asanas, then I just choose Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).

-----Always End With Shavasna (Corpse Pose) ----------

Key Mantra

It does not matter how many postures you were able to do, but the essential part is how many postures you were able to do naturally and correctly. If an Asana is not done correctly then it will not yield the complete benefit.