Yoga
Asana with the constitutions each posture settles, the cautions, and where it sits in a practice.
Bow Pose
A stimulating backbend that fires digestion and opens the front body.
Bridge Pose
A gentle backbend that opens the chest and energises without strain.
Butterfly Pose
A seated hip-opener that keeps the pelvis supple and calms the mind.
Camel Pose
An energising backbend that opens the chest and lifts low mood/kapha.
Cat–Cow
A flowing spinal warm-up that mobilises the back and soothes the mind.
Chair Pose
A heating standing pose that builds leg strength and stokes agni.
Child's Pose
A gentle forward resting fold that calms the nervous system and releases the back — deeply settling.
Cobra Pose
A gentle backbend that opens the chest and awakens digestion and energy — warming and uplifting.
Corpse Pose
Total relaxation — the essential closing pose that integrates practice.
Cow-Face Pose
A shoulder- and hip-opener that releases tension from desk posture.
Downward-Facing Dog
An energising inversion that lengthens the whole back body and calms the mind.
Eagle Pose
A standing balance with the arms and legs wrapped around each other. It builds focus and steadiness while opening the upper back and outer hips.
Extended Child's Pose
A restorative fold to rest between poses and soothe the back and mind.
Extended Puppy Pose
A kneeling half-fold in which the hips stay high and the chest melts toward the floor. It sits between Child's Pose and Downward Dog and is one of the kindest ways to open tight shoulders.
Extended Side Angle
A strong standing pose that builds stamina and opens the whole side body.
Fish Pose
A chest- and throat-opening counter-pose, energising and expansive.
Garland Pose
A deep supported squat that opens the hips, groins and ankles. In Ayurvedic terms it encourages the downward flow of apana, which is why it is often used for sluggish elimination.
Half Moon Pose
A standing side balance on one leg and one hand, opening the hips and side body while training steadiness. It is usually entered from Triangle or Warrior II.
Happy Baby
A supine hip-opener in which the knees are drawn wide toward the armpits while holding the outer feet. It is used to release the hips and lower back while keeping the body grounded and safe.
Legs-Up-the-Wall
A gentle inversion that relieves tired legs and calms the nervous system.
Lion Pose
A seated pose with a strong open-mouthed exhale and the tongue extended. It is traditionally used to clear the throat and to release tension held in the jaw and face.
Locust Pose
A strengthening back-body pose that builds the spine and counters sitting.
Lotus (or Easy) Seat
The classic meditation seat — steady and comfortable for breath and stillness.
Low Lunge
A hip-flexor opener that counters sitting and energises the legs.
Mountain Pose
The foundational standing posture — grounding, aligning and steadying, a reset for scattered vata.
Neck Releases
A short sequence of slow neck movements drawn from the classical joint-freeing (pawanmuktasana) series. It is used to release tension held in the neck, jaw and upper shoulders.
Pigeon Pose
A kneeling hip-opener that works the outer hip of the front leg and the hip flexor of the back leg at once. Held with support and slow breathing, it is used to release long-held tension in the hips.
Plough Pose
A calming inversion that stretches the spine and quiets the mind (advanced beginners+).
Reclining Bound Angle
A deeply restorative pose that opens the hips and calms the whole system.
Reclining Figure Four
A supine 'eye of the needle' stretch for the outer hip and glutes. It is one of the most reliable ways to ease the hip tightness that builds up from long hours of sitting.
Reverse Tabletop
A seated chest opener in which the hips lift with the hands placed behind. It is a straightforward counter-pose to forward folds and to a day spent rounded over a screen.
Seated Easy Twist
A simple cross-legged or chair-seated twist that mobilises the spine from the base upward. It is the single most useful posture to take at a desk partway through a long working day.
Seated Forward Fold
A calming seated fold that lengthens the back body and turns the mind inward.
Seated Spinal Twist
A detoxifying twist that mobilises the spine and stimulates digestion.
Shoulder Rotations
Slow shoulder circles from the classical joint-freeing series. A one-minute reset for shoulders that have been hunched over a keyboard, and a safe warm-up before any arm work.
Shoulder Stand
'Queen of asanas' — a supported inversion; practise only with experience.
Side-Lying Relaxation
A supported side-lying rest used in place of Corpse Pose whenever lying flat is uncomfortable — in later pregnancy, with reflux, or with an aching low back.
Sphinx Pose
A low forearm-supported backbend that gently restores the natural curve of the lower back. It is the mildest of the prone backbends and can be held far longer than Cobra.
Standing Forward Fold
A calming forward fold that releases the back and settles the nervous system.
Standing Side Bend
A simple standing side bend that lengthens the waist and ribs and helps the breath move more freely. It can be done beside a desk in under a minute.
Supine Spinal Twist
A reclining twist done with the whole back supported by the floor. It is traditionally used near the end of practice to unwind the spine and settle the nervous system before rest.
Thread the Needle
A kneeling twist in which one arm threads beneath the body until the shoulder rests on the floor. It releases the upper back, shoulders and neck with almost no effort required.
Thunderbolt Pose
A simple kneeling seat, traditionally the one posture said to be suitable to sit in shortly after eating. It is also a steady, low-effort seat for breathing practice.
Tree Pose
A balancing pose that grounds scattered vata and builds focus and stability.
Triangle Pose
A lateral stretch that opens the side body, hips and chest.
Warrior II
A strong standing pose that builds stamina, focus and heat (good for kapha).
Warrior III
A single-leg balance in which the torso and lifted leg form one long line parallel to the floor. Strengthening and focusing, it is a good choice for heavy, sluggish kapha mornings.
Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold
A seated fold with the legs spread wide, lengthening the inner thighs and the whole back body. It is a cooling, inward-turning posture usually placed late in a practice.
Wide-Legged Standing Forward Fold
A wide-stance forward fold that lengthens the hamstrings and inner legs while letting the head and neck hang heavy. It is calming and cooling, and often kinder to the low back than a feet-together fold.
Wind-Relieving Pose
A gentle pose that eases gas and bloating and mobilises the low back.
Educational information about Ayurveda, Siddha and Yoga — not a medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult a qualified professional before starting any herb, supplement, or therapy.