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Matsyasana (Fish pose)

April 8, 2009
Lie on your back, with legs lightly touching each other along the insides. Inhale. Lift your head up and exhaling, drop your head gently back. Your neck should arch deeply, with your entire body weight borne on the elbows. The crown should rest on the floor. Breathing should be normal. To release from the pose, raise your head, look at your toes, and gently lower your spine and head back to the ground.

Avoid
Avoid this pose in case of severe neck pain. If having vertigo, learn it in a phased manner using cushion or bolster support till the sense of dizziness is weaned away.

Benefits
Aids weight loss through pressure on the thyroid and liver, hiking metabolism and releasing fat respectively. The spinal arch is an emotional detox -- known to clean up mental negativity such as depression, lethargy and fear. The pressure around the hips also work out the uro-genital system which is deeply hit when we have such negative mental states. It fights stress. The thymus gland, or the immune gland, at the chest involved with our defences gets rejuvenated.

Also see: Power your legs with yoga

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