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Restorative yoga poses and hatha yoga stretches

English name: Crocodile Pose
Sanskrit name: Makarasana

Difficulty level: Basic

Technique

1. Lie on your stomach with your forehead resting on the floor.
2. Raise your head and shoulders and rest your chin in your palms, elbows on the floor. Relax the entire spine and close your eyes.
3. The pose is felt in 2 places. With the elbows close to the chest, the stretch is felt in the lower back. With the elbows wider apart, the stretch is moved up into the neck. Adjust your elbows appropriately so that the stretch is equal in these 2 areas. Hold the pose for several minutes.

Breathing

• Breathe normally in the final position.

Benefits

• Anatomical - Helps with lower and upper back pain including slipped disks and sciatica.
• Breathing - Makarasana is used in the yogic treatment of asthma as it aids greater volumes of air to enter the lungs.