Strengthening asanas fix the looseness of our etheric field, dense it. Unlike stretching and pivoting postures, their effect is based on attracting energy to the most strained zone of muscles. Physiologically this influence is noticed by the muscle vibration in the involved zone. If there is no vibration, the pose is done incorrectly. In strengthening (tightening) poses one should stay quiet long, overcoming the resistance. If you do these poses till «the slightest discomfort», it gives no effect. The unwillingness to withstand difficulties, to exert oneself and to feel discomfort — these are astral signs of a loose field; and vice versa, tightening etheric field stimulates these qualities.
In strengthening postures you should pay attention to your breath, which has a tendency to break. Indeed, uncontrolled emotions mean the field is loose. Our consciousness is the mirror of our breath. If the breath is broken, the flow of consciousness is broken as well.
In case of muscular overstrain or excessive fatigue after doing force postures adverse effects can be relieved by doing Bhastrika.
Tightening Manipura field #
Parvatasana — Forward set (mountain pose) #
This pose stabilizes and tightens the etheric of anterior Manipura.
Technique. Take a push-up pose, on your hands or on your wrists under you shoulders, hands parallel. Shoulder blades aren’t risen, pelvis isn’t falling down. Stand in this position until you feel vibration in you abdominal muscles. Sometimes there is also a vibration around kidneys. The effect from asana can be intensified by mantra «houm».
Criteria of doing right. Vibration in abdominal muscles.
Mistakes in doing parvatasana #
Urving the back with shoulder blades and pelvis — typical for people with rigid Svadhishthana
Sagging typical for people with loose Manipura. In both cases Manipura isn’t tightened
Parvatasana — Backward set (mountain pose) #
This asana tightens the etheric field of anterior Manipura.
Technique. The same as in the previous pose, only face up.
Criteria of doing right. Vibration in the lower back.
Tightening Svadhishthana field
#
Kandharasana — Set on shoulders (shoulder pose) #
Technique. Stand on your shoulders. Lie on your back, bend your knees and put your feet close to your hands. You can grasp them. Rest upon your nape and your shoulders.
Criteria of doing right. Vibration in the underbelly and in anterior hips.
Ardhashalabhasana (half-locust pose) #
Starting position. Lie on the floor face down. Arms long your body.
Technique. Raise one leg, not bending the knee and not taking your pelvis off the floor.
Criteria of doing right. Vibration in the zone of kidneys. The most typical mistake in this exercise is to raise the pelvis from the floor and to raise the leg by pivoting the back. Then the needed effect (tightening of the field and vibration) isn’t achieved.
Mistakes in doing Ardhashalabhasana
#
The pelvis is raised off the floor (the pose looks more impressive, but doesn’t tighten the field)
The same plus the pose is done by pivoting the backbone. Can cause traumas to a weak or ill low back
Shalabhasana (locust pose) #
The same as the previous one, but raising both legs. The effect is similar, but stronger.
Dhanurasana without hands (bow pose) #
Starting position. Lying on the belly, hands long the body.
Technique. Raise straight hands long the body, raise and keep legs up, feet together.
Urdhvadhanur asana (inverted bow pose) #
Adhomukhashvanasana (cat pose) #
Starting position. Lie face down, hands at the level of the chest.
Technique. Lift your pelvis so that the arms make one line with the back. The back must be straight. The bending is done only by the pelvis. Don’t bend your knees. Heels, if possible should stand on the ground.
Criteria of doing right. Vibration in lower part of stomach.
Mistakes in doing Adhomukhashvanasana (cat pose)
#
Round lower back. Svadhishthana field wouldn’t tighten, because the energy will accumulate in the belly.
Advanced level of the exercise
Navasa (boat pose) #
Navasana
Simplified version
Virabhadrasana (swallow pose) #
Tightening Muladhara field
#
Kukkutanasana (cock pose) #
Controlled splits #
Legs apart in splits, thigh muscles fixing it. The tension in inner thighs muscles stabilises the looseness of Muladhara. The most impor-tant in this pose is not to move the pelvis.
Front view
Mistakes in doing splits
The pelvis is moved back
Utkatasana (strong pose) #
Utkatasana
Utkatasana with feet together
Simplified version. Horseman pose in qigong
Tightening side zones #
Santolanasana (balancing pose) #
Utthita parshvakonasana (stretched right angle pose) #
Strengthening poses in yoga complex #
Strengthening poses is an important part of yoga practice, even if the practitioner has no looseness in his chakras. Doing the stretching we cleanse our channels, move energy in them, our etheric starts «swelling». Evidently we become more energetic, but then the energy is easier to lose. To make sure it doesn’t happen, stretching asanas should be compensated by tightening postures, i.e. by asanas, which condense our etheric, tightening it in respective zones.
Tightening poses should always be compensated with stretching poses, in a very proportional way. If you do only tightening poses, your etheric will be rigid, i.e. you’ll move like a soldier. If you do only stretching, you’ll become too loose, like a «dust in the wind», which is also bad, especially for the social life.
Yoga always means a good balance of flexibility and density, largeness and building-up of both physical body and physiological state (which is actually the same). Tightening poses are well done with tightening meditations, i.e. with techniques to tighten the astral field.