Chakrasana - Standing Wheel Pose

"Chakra" means 'wheel' in Sanskrit.

Sequence:

1. Stand erect with feet wide apart.
2. Keep both hands on the sides touching the thighs. The fingers should be close together.
3. Look straight.
4. Slowly inhale deeply.
5. Keeping your body tense, continue inhaling and raise your right hand laterally above your head.
6. Now inhale and raise your right leg slowly until it is 90 degrees or then as high as possible.
7. Ensure that the right hand and palm is turned inwards from the shoulder while raising the hand.
8. Exhale slowly and raise your right shoulder and simultaneously bend your trunk and head to the left till the hand becomes parallel to the ground.
9. Take care not to bend your right hand at the elbow.
10. Begin to exhale and bring your leg down slowly back to the floor. Complete the exhalation.
11. As you are bending, slide the left hand down the left thigh till it reaches the knee.
12. Hold this posture as long as you can comfortably hold your breath.
13. Begin inhaling and return to the starting posture. Return your right arm, trunk and head back to the straight position.
14. As you bring the right arm below the shoulder turn the palm inward.
15. Bring back the right arm to resting position by the right thigh.
16. With straight legs joined together, raise them to 30 degrees from the ground. Hold for a few seconds.
17. Complete exhalation.
18. Repeat the above steps for the left side.

Benefits:

• The lateral bend in Chakrasana makes the spinal column elastic.
• This pose also makes the hip joint flexible..
• The pose is good for checking the rigidity of the rib cage, resulting in an increase of lung capacity.
• Chakrasana results in a supple and resilient body.