As the countdown to Valentine’s Day begins today, you must be wondering how you can shed a few kilos, so you can slip into that sexy dress with ease. Now that you’re nearing the nth moment and there’s not much time for you to spend hours into a strict fitness routine, you may be wondering whether that is possible at all. But, worry not! Yoga has an answer to it all, provided you strictly follow a routine every day.
Know more about the 7 yoga asanas you can do in the last week culminating in V-Day.
1. Balasana (Child’s Pose)
How to reach this pose
- Get down on all your fours.
- Position your knees wider than your hips and make sure that your big toes touch the mat.
- Take your stomach closer to your thighs, lowering your forehead towards the floor.
- List your arms in the font, parallel to the floor.
- Inhale and exhale gradually while holding this position.
2. Anand Balasana (Happy Baby)
How to reach this pose
- Lie flat on the mat, facing the ceiling.
- Bend your knees, gradually pulling them towards your stomach and then gripping the sides of your feet.
- Inhale and exhale here
- Next, maintain a position where your ankles are directly over your knees while using your feet to push against your hands.
3. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
How to reach this pose
- Lie on your stomach with your legs shoulder-width apart and the upper part of your feet on the mat.
- Place your hands just below the shoulders with your elbows stuck to your body.
- Inhale now and start strengthening your arms, pushing your feet against the mat to raise your body.
- Gradually lift your chest off the floor and push your shoulders backwards.
- Stop strengthening your arms when the pelvis gets lifted off the mat.
- Hold this position, and inhale and exhale for up to 30 seconds.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog)
How to reach this pose
- Get on all fours on the mat, keeping your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees below your hips.
- Inhale slowly.
- Exhale and then lift your knees away from the floor, while pushing your heels downwards towards the floor.
- Raise your tailbone toward the ceiling, making sure that you don’t lock your knees.
- Push your shoulder blades back toward your tailbone and keep your head between your arms.
- Hold on to this position, gradually moving your feet towards the ground.
5. Chakravakasana (Cat-Cow Pose)
How to reach this pose
- Get in a tabletop position with your palms down, wrists and elbows aligned under shoulders, knees under hips, ankles straight back from the knees. You can curl the toes under or tops of the feet down, as the flow moves you.
- Inhale, bend the elbows, lower the belly, lift the chin and the tailbone simultaneously, moving each of the vertebrae of the spinal column in a wave.
- Reverse the movement on the exhale by tucking the tailbone and chin, and doming the back as you draw the navel toward the spine as the chin tips toward the chest.
- Repeat for the desired amount of times.
6. Malasana (Garland Pose)
How to reach this pose
- Squat down, keeping your feet as close together as possible, with your toes pointed outside.
- Push your torso down between your thighs, pressing the elbows against your knees.
- Keep your tailbone pressed toward the ground and raise your chest up, making the most of your knee’s resistance to keep you propped up.
7. Naukasana (Boat Pose)
How to reach this pose
- Sit on your back with your legs spread straight in front of you, parallel to the ground.
- Recline back slightly using your hands as a support.
- Inhale and pull your knees toward your chest, till your thighs are at a 45-degree angle to the ground.
- Try extending your legs as much as possible; otherwise, keep them where they are.
- Strength your arms in front of you, so they are parallel to the ground and hold this position.
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