Bow (Dhanurasana)

A Kapha-Pacifying Yoga Pose

Begin on your stomach. Let the arms rest alongside the body with the palms facing up. Bend the knees and bring your heels as close to the buttocks as possible. Knees should be, and remain, no wider than hip distance. Reach your hands around the outsides of the ankles. Inhale to roll the shoulders back, and press the ankles strongly into your hands. The action of pressing the ankles into your hands will elevate your thighs, chest, and head away from the floor. Breathe in Bow for several breaths. Gently release the hands to lower the body and repeat the pose one to three more times.

Kapha Focus:

Feel light and buoyant. Use the inhalation to fill the shape of the pose and assist in floating your chest and thighs off the floor.

Benefits:

Opens the front body, massages the pelvic area, stimulates the glands in the neck and chest, encourages good posture, and strengthens the back muscles. It also helps to alleviate congestion in the chest.

Cobra (Bhujangasana)

A Pitta-Pacifying Yoga Pose

Lie on your stomach and place your hands underneath your shoulders. Inhale to roll the shoulders back, lift the chest, lengthen the tailbone, and find your gaze at the horizon or below. Lower down on an exhalation. Repeat several times with inhalation and exhalation.

Pitta Focus:

Opening the solar plexus, and keeping the back body expansive. Avoid gripping the buttocks. Keep the chin slightly drawn in towards the chest.

Benefits:

Strengthens the muscles of the back, stretches the spine, opens the chest and shoulders, and massages the abdominal and pelvic area.

Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

A Pitta-Pacifying Yoga Pose

Lie on your back and bend the knees with your feet a little wider than hip distance. Turn the feet in slightly to internally rotate the thighs. Reach the arms alongside the body, pressing the palms into the floor. Elongate your neck by slightly tucking the chin toward the chest, grounding through the upper body. On an inhalation, begin to lift the hips. Using your breath, let the front of the body open, focusing on opening the solar plexus. Exhale to slowly lower down. Repeat as a flow; inhaling the hips off the floor and exhaling to lower back down.

Pitta Focus:

Lengthen the back of the neck and draw your gaze inward. Let the breath open the solar plexus.

Benefits:

Increases flexibility of the spine, improves functioning of the endocrine and nervous system, and helps to balance the reproductive system and gastrointestinal tract.