Talasana - The Palm-Tree Pose

"Tala" means "palm tree" in Sanskrit. In this posture, the body is held upright like the trunk of a palm tree. Hence the name.

Sequence:

1. Stand erect.
2. Keep your feet slightly turned out and sufficiently apart according to your height and build. Look straight ahead.
3. Inhaling, slowly raise your arms overhead with the palms facing each other.
4. Raise your heels slowly, keeping your balance.
5. Lift yourself on your toes slowly until you stand on tiptoe.
6. Exhale slowly and keep balance.
7. Inhale slowly again.
8. Balancing the body on tiptoe, pull up and stretch your arms upwards from the shoulder-blades with the fingers outstretched.
9. Raise your heels also simultaneously as high as possible and stretch your body to the maximum.
10. Stretch your neck and head backwards and look up.
11. Hold your breath and keep your balance. Keep yourself firmly in this position as long as you can hold your breath comfortably.
12. Exhaling, relax the body and return to the starting position by slowly lowering the arms and heels simultaneously, bending the neck and head forward.


Benefits:

* Talasana fully stretches the upper portion of the body.
* It stretches the spine vertically in particular and straightens out unnatural curves if any.
* By practicing this asana, the body becomes well-built, well-proportioned, nimble and agile.
* It expands the ribcage and increases the capacity of the lungs.
* It firms up the respiratory muscles and the muscles of he neck, lower back, abdomen and pelvis.