Yogasana - Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose)

Chaturanga dandasana is also called four-limbed staff pose or plank pose. This basic stance demands careful alignment and isn't just a push-up.

In Chaturanga, you should stimulate muscles from the front to the rear of your body and keep your elbows close to your ribs rather than allowing them to splay outward. In a hover, this permits your chest to stay aloft. To keep stable in the posture, you must also stimulate your legs and arms, as well as activate your abdominals and shoulders. The inclined plane will awake and activate large body muscles of the arms, trunk and legs . It is the only position in the Surya Namaskar where breathing does Kumbaka (retention) in full.

Steps:

1. From Ashwa Sanchalanasana step, bring your left foot next to your right.
2. Make sure that your wrists are located under your shoulders.
3. Stretch your palm and fingers
4. Distribute the weight between hands and feet.
5. Bring your sternum forward while simultaneously keeping your heels back. Feel your body strong and stretched in two opposite directions
6. Feel the abdomen active and keep the whole body in a single line (like a board) without the hips rising or falling.
7. The crown is directed forward and the gaze goes to the ground, a little above in front of the line of your hands.
8. Try to keep your neck relaxed.
9. If you have reduced mobility, or are a beginner, you can do this step by placing your knees directly on the ground.

Benefits:

• It is a strength asana that activates and tones the large muscle groups. It strengthens the abdomen in particular.
• It teaches us to distribute weight and muscle strength evenly.
• It tones arms and legs.

Yogasana - Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)

Ashwa sanchalanasana or famous called equestrian pose is an asymmetric posture that involves keeping the spine long and your chest open, integrates the alternate stretching of the legs and mobilizes the pelvis and sacroiliac joint. The asana name comes from sanskrit words ashwa meaning horse, sanchalana meaning stepping movement or marching. 

Steps:

1. From Uttanasana, place your palms next to your feet, all fingers in line (bend your knees if you need to)
2. Keep the hands fixed on the mat and do not move it during the rest of suryanamaskar.
3. Take a big step back with your right foot
4. Rest your right knee on the mat.
5. Lengthen the spine, open the chest, and look forward.

Benefits:

1. It lengthens the spine or extends the column
2. It helps in stretching quadriceps of the rear leg.
3. The psoas is lengthened.
4. The gluteus maximus of the front leg is stretched.
5. It's dynamic practice provides agility to our body movement and develops asymmetric coordination of legs and hips.

Yogasanas for kids and teenagers to grow taller

Due to various reasons, lot of kids don’t grow in height on par with their age. For some, this problem is also hereditary. There is a solution for this in yoga. One should practice the below yoga asanas along with suryanamaskara daily. For fruitful results, this should be particularly practiced by people in the age group 12-16.

Halasana

The name comes from sanskrit word Hala meaning plough, a large farming implement used to cut furrows for planting seeds.

First, lie on the floor on your back. Slowly, lift your legs and keep them at 90 degrees without bending your knees. Then start lifting your hip and buttocks by slowly moving your legs over the head and place them behind your head as shown in the picture. You can keep your hands in a direction opposite to your legs or you can keep your hands on your hip as a support. Stay in this posture for 3 minutes. Then slowly lift your legs and come back to your original position. Then be in shavasana and breathe in and breathe out 5 times slowly.

Note: Don't be in a hurry to do the asanas. Do them slowly. You should not speak, move, laugh or move your head side ways when you are in this halasana posture.

Benefits: This asana will help on the elongation of the backbone. This will heal any body posture defects and make them look taller.

Vrikshasana

The name comes from sanskrit word Vriksha meaning tree.

From Tadasana weight is shifted onto one leg. Stand on your feet keeping your legs together. Now bend the right knee and place the right foot on the left inner thigh or in half lotus position. Your hips should be open and your knees should be facing right side and not forward. Toes of your right foot should be facing down. Now slowly raise your hands above your head pointing upwards clasped together in anjali mudra. You should stretch your hips, shoulders upwards while clasping your hands. Stay in this position for 1 minute and slowly come back to original stance. Repeat the same asana with your left leg.

Benefits: By doing this asana, growth and concentration will improve in kids. Bones in your legs will stretch and you can see faster growth in them too.

Sarvangasana

This asana is discussed in greater detail in one of my previous post which you can access here

Benefits: This asana will stimulate thyroid gland in kids which helps in faster growth in height