Standing
Trikonasana: Triangle
Parivrtta Trikonasana :Reversed (twisted) triangle
Parsvakonasana: Sideway strech
Prasarita Padotanasana: Wide leg forward bend
Virabadrasana: Warrior posture
Ardha Chandrasana: Half moon pose (balancing on one leg)
Uttanasana: Standing forward bend
Utkatasana: Half squat
Vrkasana: Tree pose
Garudasana: Eagle posture
Inversions
Sirsasana: Headstand
Sarvangasana: Shoulderstand
Halasana: Plough posture
Karnapidasana: Knee to ears posture (a variation of Halasana)
Urdhva Padmasana: Shoulderstand with legs in lotus
Pindasana: Inverted embryo posture
Ado Mukha Svanasana: Downward facing dog
Backbends
Ustrasana: Camel
Salabhasana: Locust
Dhanurasana: Bow,
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana: Upward facing dog
Bhujanghasana: Cobra
Forward bends
Paschimottanasana: Sitting forward bend
Janusirsasana: One leg head to knee forward bend
Kurmasana: Tortoise
Maha Mudra: The great seal, a variation of Janusirsasana
Sitting asanas
Badhakonasana: Cobbler’s pose (sometimes called butterfly)
Siddhasana: Perfect posture
Padmasana: Lotus
Vajrasana: Diamond posture (kneeling)
Svastikasana: Easy posture (simple cross legged sitting posture)
Virasana: Hero posture (kneeling)
Baddha Padmasana: Bound lotus
Gomukasana: Cow face posture
Balancing asanas
Tolasana: Scale posture (lifting up in lotus)
Bakasana: Crow posture
Mayurasana: Peacok
Kukutasana: Cock posture
Miscellaneous asanas
Navasana: Boat posture
Matsyasana: Fish posture
Savasana: Corpse posture
Uttanapadasana: a variation of Matsyasana
Simhasana: Lion posture

Relaxation, of course, has many more benefits that just providing the space for energy assimilation after yoga exercises, and so it is certainly a very valuable skill to own and master for healthy and peaceful living. To that end, Corpse Pose is great to practice if you are going through a stressful and tense time in your life, are fighting any health issues or if you are simply interested in cultivating a relaxed and peaceful mind and body.

Despite how simple an exercise Corpse Pose might seem and despite thinking that relaxation is a natural state, you will be surprised how difficult this actually can be for people to do. The habit of endless thinking, worrying, stressing, planning, etc, has become hard to shake in today’s hectic world, thus making the simple and natural state of relaxation hard to access. Perhaps even enlightenment is easier today to achieve than relaxation . This is all the more reason that we need to consciously practice relaxation and stress relief, so that we can enjoy the bountiful benefits this blessed state bestows.

For successful relaxation, whether it is via the practice of Corpse Pose or some other technique, breath is going to always be a key component. Breath can be used to not only signal the mind and body that it’s relaxation time, but it can also be used as a mechanism in relaxation visualization techniques to help promote this state. Furthermore, by the simple use of the breath, stress relief can be achieved anytime, even when lying on your back and playing dead is not quite appropriate . So in the practice section below, be sure to pay particular attention to this aspect.

In the practice section below you will also find several variation of how to take full advantage of Corpse Pose to not just relax, but also to do conscious stress relief and to set the optimum state for affirmations and visualizations.

Corpse Pose will be included in our ongoing Kundalini Yoga Exercises E-book and it will also be part of our Hatha Yoga Poses E-book, as this essential technique is common to all schools of yoga. For another excellent relaxation technique you can read the article on the Meditation Technique for Relaxation & Stress Relief.
Benefits of Corpse Pose Relaxation Technique:

1. Allows surrender to Infinity so it can speak to us.
2. Allows surrender to the Universe so she can heal and rejuvenate us.
3. Allows surrender to the body and indicates trust in it’s ability to heal itself. Creates a highly conducive state for self-healing to take place.
4. Helps the mind and body deeply relax and promotes stress relief.
5. Allows the mind and body to assimilate the gains from previously done yoga exercises.
6. Creates a state optimum for visualization techniques to be implemented thus, helping one manifest one’s desires and intentions.
7. Allows one to be free from worry and anxiety, thus promoting a peaceful and serene mind and body.
8. Helps one combat insomnia and sleep peacefuly.

Corpse Pose Relaxation Technique Basic Practice Details:

* Lie on your back and close your eyes.

* Have your legs shoulder width apart and allow the feet to fall away naturally. Have your arms outstretched and along the sides of your body, about 12 inches away. Have your palms facing up and allow the finger curled naturally. If necessary use a rolled blanket or small pillow under your knees to take pressure off your lower back. You can also use a light blanket to stay warm as the body will cool down when relaxed.

* Now start to take a deep breath, allowing it to fill your abdomen first and then letting the air fill you chest. Without pausing exhale, allowing the air to empty your chest first and then your abdomen. Your diaphragm should push down and out, expanding your stomach as you inhale, and then up and it pulling in your stomach as you exhale. Take 5 such deep long breaths to help melt away tension and stress.

* After the 5 long deep breaths, simply let go of everything and allow yourself to sink deeper and deeper into the floor and deeper and deeper into nothingness.

* Let go of all your worries, anxieties, problems, tensions, goals and plans. Allow the entire body, mind and breath to relax. Just relax completely and surrender to Infinity. Allow Infinity to do what is necessary with you. Feel peaceful and quiet, and with every breath allow yourself to let go even more and relax even more deeply.

* Continue on for the duration of the relaxation period. Time is open for this exercise.

Corpse Pose for Conscious Stress Relief & Relaxation:

* In this variation you can use Corpse Pose to consciously relax and let go of tension in various parts of the body. To do this follow the steps above up to the point where you have completed the 5 long deep breaths.

* Now begin to scan your body starting with your feet and move upwards. For each part of your body, as you inhale, visualize white light entering that part and as you exhale visualize any tension stored in that area leaving your system. Move up at any pace you like, until you reach the crown of your head. So consciously relax your feet, shins, knees, thighs, buttocks, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, forearms, hands, neck, chin, mouth, cheeks, eyes, forehead, head, etc. See if you can find where you tend to store stress and tension, and then as you develop this familiarity, ensure you spend extra time in that region letting go of the stress.

Corpse Pose for Affirmation and Visualization:

* In this variation you can use Corpse Pose to set the optimum stage for visualization techniques and affirmations to work. To do this follow the steps above up to the point where you have completed the 5 long deep breaths.

* Now begin to breathe in a conscious rhythm where you are doing twelve breath cycles per minute. Each inhalation and exhalation cycle counts as one breath and you want to be at 12 such breaths a minute. This will be slower that the 15-17 breaths you currently take per minute and this rhythm sets the stage for communicating with your Higher Self and the Universe.

* So once you reach 12 breaths per minute, stay there for a few minutes and then begin whichever visualization technique or affirmation you wish to practice. You will find yourself much more successful with them now.

Hope you enjoy this technique and it helps you get rid of stress, find peace and master the all important art of relaxation.

First, a basic Sun Salutation sequence for beginners.

1. Come to stand in Tadasana

2. Inhale – Bring the arms out to the sides and up to Urdhva Hastasana

3. Exhale – Swan dive down hinging at the hips bringing the palms flat on either side of your feet to Uttanasana*

4. Inhale – Come up to a flat back bringing the chin up and the finger tips to the floor

5. Exhale – Bring the palms flat, forward bending again into Uttanasana

6. Inhale – Bring the right foot to the back of the mat, come up on to the finger tips into a low lunge

7. Exhale – Bring the left foot back to meet the right coming into Downward Facing Dog

8. Inhale – Come forward to a Plank position

9. Exhale – Drop to your Knees, Chest, and Chin

10. Inhale – Come forward to a low Cobra

11. Exhale – Back to Downward Facing Dog

12. Inhale – Bring the right foot next to the right hand into low lunge*

13. Exhale – Bring the left foot forward next to the right and forward bend into Uttanasana

14. Inhale – Bring the arms out to the sides and up, reversing the swan dive to Urdhva Hastasana

15. Exhale – Drop the arms back to Tadasana

Repeat on the left side.

* who relaxes by collapsing in an easy chair with a cup of coffee, a drink or a cigarette
* who reads a book or listens to music or watches television after hard day’s work
* who habitually bites his nails
* who scratches his head
* who strokes his chin compulsively
* who taps his feet without realizing
* who pace about restlessly in your room
* who talks compulsively
* who displays constant irritability
* who takes a day out for his game of golf, the home Gardner, the knitter or the Sunday painter or even a bathroom singer
* Someone who suffers from psychosomatic illnesses like diabetes, hyper-tension, migraine, asthma, ulcers.

If the answer to any of these is yes, then you should be interested in knowing that you are fortunate to have landed at the right place.
We disclose the biggest secret of true health – True Relaxation
Did you know?
» Nomadic people all over Asia, traveling night and day reach an oasis or camping place and at once throw themselves on the ground and one hour of that precious rest refreshes them with as much new vitality and energy as an average person.
» Martina Navratilova, Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes and many other sportsmen have personal yoga instructor who teaches them this divine art.
» The IAF medical service’s Indian society of aerospace medicine have been using it to desensitize trainees having air sickness problems and deliver specific solutions
» Wolf Gang Von Goethe used the inspirations and institutions from this state to solve problems arising in his work
» Kekule realized the molecular structure of benzene in this state
» Noble Laureate Neils Bohr came across the planetary structure of an atom
» Einstein accelerated his awareness to the speed of the light in the famous thought experiments, which led to the story of relativity.
You have reached the one stop destination for all the challenges that a modern life poses.

Yoga Nidra
It is a state of conscious deep sleep. During the practice of yoga nidra, one appears to be sleep, but the consciousness is functioning at the deeper level of awareness. It is sleep with a trace of deep awareness. It is state of mind in between wakefulness and dream. Normally when we sleep, we loose track of our self and cannot utilize this capacity of mind. Yoga nidra enables the person to be conscious in this state and nurture the seed of great will power, inspire the higher self, and enjoy the vitality of life.
The Wholistic Technique for Relaxation
Most people think that relaxation is simply reclining and closing your eyes. When you are tired you simply go to bed .But unless you are free from muscular, mental and emotional tensions, you are never relaxed. That is the reason why many of wake up in the morning with a feeling of fatigue, restlessness and inadequate rest. In order to relax completely, the inner tensions, emotions and mind must be released, This complete state of relaxation can be achieved through yoga nidra.
Do you indulge in hobbies to get away from your routine?
But during each activity that restless mind keeps ticking away and muscles remain at work. Even listening to music requires energy. Actual state of relaxation can be achieved through yoga nidra. This technique is more efficient and effective form of physic and physiological rest and rejuvenation than conventional sleep. Psychosomatic illness such as diabetes, hypertension, migraine, asthma, ulcers and digestive disorders-all stem from tension.
Is your mind tense?
Then possibility is that your stomach is also tense. And if your stomach is tense, your circulatory system is also tense. To save yourself from this vicious circle of events that causes muscular, emotional and mental unrest, practice Yoga Nidra.
Secret of Transformation
Yoga nidra restructures and transforms our whole personality form within. With every session of yoga nidra we are actually burning our old samskaras, habits and tendencies in order to be born anew. This process is quicker than other systems that work on an external basis. In yoga nidra, sowing of seeds of change is found in sankalpa, which you make for yourself during each practice. Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word, which can be translated as resolve or resolution. It is the most powerful method for reshaping your personality.
WHETHER YOU WANT TO BECOME A PAINTER, WRITER, ORATOR OR SPIRITUAL LEADER – YOU CAN TRAIN YOURSELF THROUGH THIS SIMPLE, EASY TO LEARN TECHNIQUE
The sankalpa takes a form of a short mental statement, which is impressed on the subconscious mind when it is receptive and sensitive to autosuggestion. Sankalpa is a determination to become someone or do something in life. It thus has to be made when your mind is completely at rest or peace. Before and after the practice of yoga nidra, should ideally be the time dedicated to Sankalpa.
SANKALPA IS A SEED WHICH YOU CREATE AND THEN SOW IN THE BED OF YOUR MIND.
When the mind is clear, the seed of sankalpa grows very well. It will then become a powerful directive, for sankalpa needs to be planted with strong willpower. Once the seed of sankalpa is planted deep in the subconscious, it gathers the vast forces of the mind in order to bring about its manifestation.
NO PERSONALITY IS BEYOND REFORMATION, AND NO FEAR OR OBSESSION IS SO DEEP ROOTED THAT IT CANNOT BE CHANGED.
Benefits of Yoga Nidra
» Yoga nidra gives you profound experience of muscular, mental and emotional relaxation.
» Yoga nidra transforms a victim of stress into a victor in life.
» Yoga nidra improves the lives of people with chronic degenerative diseases.
» Yoga nidra revives the dispersion of human energies at all levels.
» Yoga nidra burns the old samskaaras, habits and tendencies in order to be born new.
» Yoga nidra melts your mind so that you can cast good creative impressions on it thereby increasing receptivity.
» Yoga nidra plays a vital role in ensuring psychological health and well being of children.
» Yoga nidra augments the capacity of receptivity and attention and awakens the joy of learning in young students
» Yoga nidra helps in regaining the point of balance and harmony in every sphere of existence.
» Yoga nidra provides the perfect conditions for intra-uterine growth of the foetus.
» Yoga nidra acts as an ideal antidote to preserve child’s natural abilities and creative faculties in the most effortless and spontaneous way.
» Yoga nidra helps in combating diseases that have sprung up with new dimensions and reached a peak in the last few decades
» Yoga nidra decreases the requirements for analgesic, hypnotic and sedative drugs.
Yoga nidra as a Process of Releasing
The mind is not directed here and there during yoga nidra. There is no guided imagery, no explanation and no effort whatsoever to be aware of any object, or part of body or being. Rather you go into state of deep releasing and letting-go. You invite your attention to go deep into the stillness and silence, in the space between the breasts. As you move deep into the state of yoga nidra, you want to release and release. There are thoughts in the dreaming mind but we go past that in yoga nidra..Your attention has also left the dreaming state of mind, and gone further inward. Here, you completely let go of any words, thoughts, images, impressions or pictures. It is this emptying which takes you to yoga nidra.

The State of Receptivity & Creativity
In the yoga nidra state, the mind is exceptionally receptive. Languages and other subjects can be learned rapidly. Suggestions given at this time are successful in removing unwanted habits and tendencies. Just as you melt iron and cast it into a particular mould, the same way there is a phase when the mind is melting and at the same time you can cast good and creative impression on it. Receptivity of mind can be awakened only when the dissipations are annihilated and in Yoga Nidra we do this by awakening the emotional structure of the mind. Being emotionally receptive to everything that we need to assimilate, we need to withdraw distractions so that mind can flow on one smooth level. Then whatever is impressed upon the mind, becomes the directive, the destiny. Yoga Nidra mind is obedient and hence more receptive.
Man is weak because he is depending merely on his intellect and the information of his senses. But once the doors to the deeper mind is opened, you are at the root of creativity. The practice of Yoga Nidra enables one to receive intuitions from the unconscious mind. This is the secret of the extraordinary accomplishments and the fount of artistic and poetic inspiration.
Yoga Nidra Enhances Learning Capabilities
Modern educational methods, which make use of this state are producing spectacular results. Educational innovators such as Dr Georgi Lozanov, a Bulgarian psychologist and the founder-director of the institute of Suggestopedy in Sofia, are now utilizing yoga nidra to create an atmosphere in which knowledge is gained without effort. Dr Georgi Lozanov, recognizing that the state of active and relaxed awareness in students awakens the desire to learn, improves memory and reduces inhibition, has devised methods for teaching/learning of foreign languages that are three to five times faster, with the use of relaxation and music. As the class proceeds, the students effortlessly assimilate an enormous amount of knowledge, which, under conventional classroom conditions, would surely precipitate strain, tiredness and loss of concentration.
Yoga nidra is being tapped internationally as a means of improving conscious recall thereby increasing memory function. Yoga nidra is a promising technique that will revolutionize the teaching procedures in the future by enabling students to assimilate knowledge without much effort. There are students who want to learn, but their conscious mind is weak or unreceptive. Such children with learning disabilities can benefit from yoga nidra by absorbing knowledge through the subconscious mind. Such children can be taught by transmitting symbolic forms directly into his subconscious.
Yoga Nidra for Stress Relief
Mental stress is the penalty the man is paying today for becoming civilized. It is true that some people are more prone to suffer from the effect of stress, but no one is immune to it. Only the threshold varies. It has been seen that urban population have higher blood pressure levels. The higher standard of living, higher education, higher incomes and more skilled occupations are associated with higher level of stress. Executives, professionals and people working on jobs with deadlines are under stress most of the time. It has been noted by Russek & Zohman in a study of coronary patients and an equal number of controls, that job stresses accounted for greater differences between the groups than other risk factors like diet, heredity, obesity, smoking or exercise.
Other than keeping stress out of their lives yoga nidra can make corporates more efficient by enhancing their creativity, receptivity of knowledge and problem solving skills.
The research done by Dr. K.N Udupa of Banaras University suggests that stress-related disorders evolve gradually through four recognizable stages. Firstly psychological changes such as anxiety, irritability and insomnia arise due to over stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. In the second stage symptoms such as high blood pressure, elevated heart rate and increased intestinal motility surface. In the third stage, a more profound physical or biochemical imbalance sets in, while in the final fourth stage, irreversible symptoms that often requires surgical or long term management appears.
Yoga Nidra is increasingly becoming popular and is now being prescribed by doctors in many countries as a preventive and curative therapy in earlier three stages of stress related diseases. In addition, yoga nidra is effective in management of psychosomatic disorders that have progressed to an irreversible stage by providing effective symptomatic relief, treating depression and deep rooted anxiety and evolving the best possible outlook of the sufferer towards the disease. Yoga nidra being subjectively oriented and internally directed, comes as a great savior for them. The ultimate objective of yog nidra goes far beyond rectifying the imbalances created in the body by poor stress management. It lies in actually teaching the sufferer to thrive on the same difficulties, anguish and tensions and positively utilizing tension as a stepping stone to greater awareness.
Yoga Nidra and Hypnosis
Yoga Nidra and Hypnosis brings about a state of sensory withdrawal. But they are two very different sciences.

* Although they may start at the same point of relaxation and receptivity, Yoga Nidra proceeds in one direction and Hypnosis in another.
* When the mind is dissociated from the sensory knowledge, it passes through a hypnotic state but the state of mind achieved in yoga nidra is far beyond hypnosis.
* The aim of yoga nidra is to take consciousness as far as you can lead it. When you are transcending up to a certain point, you are actually passing through the range of hypnosis.
* During yoga nidra, the brain is completely awake and it receives a higher quality of stimuli and develops a different type of awareness. However in hypnosis, the subject is led into a deep sleep in which the brain is completely shut down. The consciousness in hypnotic state is very limited and confined to a very small area. This is tamasic condition, while yoga nidra creates a sattvic condition.
* According to Yoga, there are three important nadis or energy channels in the physical body known as ida, pingala and sushumna. Ida conveys the mental force, Pingala the vital force and sushumna the spiritual force. Throughout our lives, Ida and Pingala Nadis are continually feeding the brain with the necessary stimuli which enable it to cognize an object, a sound, an idea. If you close off Ida and pingala, then brain is isolated. That is hypnosis. But in yoga nidra, the sushumna nadi is activated and provides the necessary energy and stimuli to the brain. Because of sushumna activation, the brain receives a higher quality of stimuli and a different type of knowledge.

Yoga Nidra and Curing Diseases
Yoga nidra has widespread application in the management of diseases of all kinds, and promises to play a far greater role in the future. Yoga nidra can be utilized either by itself or in conjunction with other conventional forms of medical therapy. It has been found useful in both acute and chronic conditions, especially in degenerative and stress related conditions such as hypertension, heart diseases and arthritis. Diseases with high psychosomatic component such as asthma, peptic ulcer and migraine headache respond favourably by yoga nidra. Yoga nidra can be really helpful in psychiatric treatment especially in cases, which are unresponsive to routine psychotherapy.
The practice of yogic relaxation has been found to effectively reduce tension and improve psychological well being of people suffering from anxiety. The autonomic symptoms of high anxiety such as headache, giddiness, chest pain, palpitations, sweating, abdominal pain respond exceptionally well to yoga nidra. Practising yoga nidra successfully decreases the time required to fall asleep, thereby curing insomnia.
It is a wonderful aid in curbing excessive consumption of coffee, cigarettes and alcohol and drugs by reducing deep seated conflicts and tensions. Its influence in removing pain by stimulating the pituitary gland to release its own potent pain suppressing compounds is remarkable. If all this is not enough, yoga nidra if practiced regularly in pregnancy creates the most favourable conditions for intra uterine growth. This divine practice is also recommended for cancer patients in conjunction with meditation therapy. In this way crucial balance between concentration and relaxation is established, While meditation involves relaxation, surrender and letting go, yoga nidra is emerging as an excellent preventive and curative procedure in cardiovascular management because it works by inducing a more relaxed mental attitude and emotional climate.

ccording to the Gheranda Samhita ( a eighteenth century treatise on Hatha
yoga), there are eighty four thousands asanas. However, to the best of  my
knowledge, the largest collection of asanas in one single publication is Dharma
Mittra’s Master yoga chart, which presents a whooping 908 postures. Mr Iyengar’s
"Light on Yoga", a book which is still considered by many to be the ultimate
reference in this field, describes little more than 200 asanas – still far too
much to fit into a daily practice – and far more than most people will master in
a lifetime. Which ones are essential?
To find the answer to this question, and decide which asanas must be
included in my regular practice and taught in my classes, I decided to look at
various styles of yoga and at a number of yoga texts. The results of these
investigations are summarised in the table below. I have used the Sanskrit
names, but a translation of most of these is included at the end of the article
for the benefit of those who prefer to use English.
But first, here’s a short explanation of what the various columns contain.

• Iyengar yoga: Mr Iyengar gives in "Light on Yoga" a list of
  important asanas. I have shortened the list slightly, based on my own
  experience with this style of yoga.
• Ashtanga yoga: I consulted Patthabi Jois’ "Yoga Mala". I have
  included asanas from the Surya Namaskar sequences and from the closing
  sequence, which are considered essential and should be practiced on a daily
  basis. Standing postures were not included, but had they be, the list would
  look even more similar to the Iyengar list (hardly surprising, since both
  styles come from Krishnamacharya)
• Sivananda: These are the twelve basic postures which teachers of
  this school of yoga include in all their classes.
• Classical texts: The Gheranda Samhita describes thirty two asanas,
  which must have been considered essential by its author. Most of these thirty
  two asanas are also listed in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The main difference
  between the two texts is that the GS lists some standing postures, while the
  HYP doesn’t. I have left out some the lesser known asanas listed in the GS,
  but not in the HYP.
• Theos Bernard: describes in his book "Hatha Yoga" how he was given
  a number of asanas to practice on a daily basis. This is a list of these
  asanas.
• Dharma Mittra: Mentions 8 asanas as essential in his book "608 yoga
  poses". Savasana isn’t included in these, but in his guidelines for practice,
  he advises to end all asana session with a "relaxation posture such as
  Savasana", which has therefore been included.

As can be seen from this table, most sources agree to include
some backbends, and at least one forward bends, one twist and one sitting asansa.

While classical texts do no list inversions amongst asanas, they mention
Viparita Karani, which is probably Sirsasana. Nearly all other sources include
Sirsasana, Sarvangasana and Halasana. It comes as no surprise that Iyengar yoga
places a particular emphasis on standing postures, which are simply ignored by
some other sources (the Hatha Yoga Pradipika does not mention any standing
postures, although the Gheranda Samhita  lists three).
While only one mild backbend and no twists are listed here for ashtanga, this
has to be seen in the context of the whole system, in which the second series
actually contains a number of strong twists and backbends and was meant to be
practiced regularly. However, beginners do not get much  practice at backbends,
and this has been pointed out by some as a shortcoming of the ashtanga system.
All sources insist on the importance of finishing the practice with a relaxation
time in Savasana.
Although the shortest list includes only 9 postures, it seems to be difficult to
go below 12 if you want to include some standing postures.
Here’s my own list (in no praticular order), for what it’s worth: Uttanasana,
Trikonasana, Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Urdhva
Mukha Svanasana,  Dhanurasana, Marichyasana or Baradhvajasana, Siddhasana,
Padmasana, Baddhakonasana, Supta Virasana, Navasana, Matsyasana, Savasana.