Free Sivananda Yoga Workouts

Sivananda is a style of yoga founded by Swami Vishnudevananda and named for his teacher. Sivananda yoga, introduced to the West in the 1950s, emphasizes physical, mental and spiritual wellness with five principles: proper asana, or postures; proper pranayama, or breathing exercises; proper relaxation; proper diet; and positive thinking and meditation. The Sivananda workout is designed to build flexibility, stimulate circulation, strengthen bones, calm the mind and reduce stress.

Corpse Pose

A typical Sivananda workout takes about an hour and a half, beginning with savasana, or Corpse Pose, where you lie on your back and relax deeply. Let your arms and legs fall out to your sides as you allow your body to melt into the floor to drop you deeper into relaxation. Start your practice in Corpse for two to three minutes. You will also do Corpse Pose between asanas and as a final relaxation.

Pranayama

Breathing exercises, done while seated in a cross-legged position, energize you for your practice. These include kapalabhati, where you contract your abdominal muscles to exhale rapidly, and anuloma viloma, where you breathe alternately through each nostril. You then warm up your upper body with neck rolls, shoulder lifts and eye exercises, where you look up and down, side to side and around in a circle, both clockwise and counterclockwise.

Sun Salutations

Sun Salutations, a flowing sequence of postures, limber up your entire body by stretching your body forward and backward and regulating your breathing. The sequence begins in the standing Mountain Pose, followed by an upward stretch, forward bend, lunge to the right, Plank Pose, Cobra, Downward-Facing Dog, a lunge to the left, forward bend, upward stretch and Mountain Pose. To finish one round, repeat the sequence with a lunge to the left after the first forward bend and a lunge to the right from Downward-Facing Dog. Eventually, you can build up to doing 12 rounds.

12 Postures

The 12 Sivananda basic asanas are: Headstand, Shoulder Stand, Plow, Fish, Seated Forward Bend, Cobra, Locust, Bow, Half Spinal Twist, Crow, Standing Forward Bend and Triangle. You hold each asanas as you breath deeply for a full meditative effect and gently release your body when you are done. According to "The Sivananda Companion to Yoga," written by Lucy Lidell, the sequence is designed to maintain proper curvature of the spine and purify your nerve channels so breath can flow freely.

Deep Relaxation

In Sivananda, you hold the final Corpse Pose for 10 minutes. This final rest will most likely be the most relaxing one since you have stretched and relaxed your muscles.

Considerations

See your healthcare practitioner before beginning a brand new exercise routine. Practice each pose slowly and carefully with full attention on your breath.