Uttana shishosana

  Uttana Shishosana is a great heart opener. It expands your chest, thereby decreasing the tension in the back and shoulder areas. As a result, the breathing capacity of your lungs improves. In this yoga pose, the blood flows toward the shoulders and the chest.

Benifits:

Downward-Facing Dog is the bread and butter of yoga, but it can be challenging for beginners.

This modification shares the same benefits as the classic pose — stretching the hamstrings, opening the shoulders, and creating length in the spine — without all the weight on your upper body.

How to do it:

Place your hands on the back of a chair with palms shoulder-distance apart. Step your feet back until they align under hips, creating a right angle with your body, spine parallel with the floor.

Ground through your feet and lift through thighs. Reach hips away from hands to lengthen the sides of your torso. Firm your outer arms in and lengthen through the crown of your head.