Sukhasana - simple crossed legged pose. In this pose you learn to sit comfortably with the trunk upright. Sitting in this way at the start of your practice creates a positive and impression on your body and mind. Once the trunk is lifted to the maximum and chest open, turn your attention to the breath and subtler sensations within the body. The pose can be practised by sitting quietly on a chair.
Tree Pose is great for strengthening feet and ankles, as well as learning to engage the inner thigh of the standing leg and the glutes and hamstrings in the lifted leg. It gently deepens knee flexion, and allows for a variety of arm variations to achieve different effects upon the spine, shoulders, arms, chest, and neck. Performed well, it can tone the entire body and feel graceful, steady, and effortless.
Savasana, or corpse pose is the linking pose between Asana (postures) and Pranayama (breath/vital energy control). It is arguably one of the most valuable postures in Yoga but because of its absence of physical challenge, it is difficult to stop the mind chatter which is one of the major aims of Yoga practice. Because of this, BKS Iyengar often referred to Savasana as “the most difficult pose to master.”
