Start by standing in the mountain pose with your arms straight down and relaxed, breathe in and place your feet at a distance just over shoulder width apart.
Place your hands in the prayer position in front of your sternum. Breathe in and on the next exhalation crouch down to your knees, so that your buttocks are almost touching the floor. Keep the knees open and place your arms in front of your legs. Keep the spine long, the shoulders down and open, elongating the neck.
Breathe normally, holding this position for about 30 seconds. To come out you can either sit down and stretch the legs in front of you or stand back up again with one long inhalation. You can place the hands on the floor for support as you go up.
This posture helps to open the hips and elongate the spine.
Hatha Yoga Postures: Sanskrit – English
Marcia has been practising yoga for over 20 years and has specialised in the Hatha and Ashtanga schools of yoga, although has also enjoyed learning other branches such as Iyengar. As well as yoga she practices meditation, and plays a wide range of sports, including badminton, cricket, cycling, and walking.