Breathe Easy With The Woodchopper Pose

Yoga is a holistic exercise that helps you work on every muscle in your body. There is a yoga pose for every part of your body. And each one of these yoga poses come with their own set of health benefits. Here we are talking about the woodchopper pose. As the name suggests, you are literally aping the motions of a woodchopper, chopping timber for this yoga pose.

The woodchopper pose in yoga is not specifically for a single part of your body. It actually has a number of different functions. But before you get down to analyse the benefits of the woodchopper pose, lets first learn how to do it in the right way.

Steps To Do The Woodchopper Pose

1. Stand straight with your legs wide apart and your shoulders squared. You can clutch your knees slightly.
2. Now raise your hands above your head and clasp them as if you are holding an axe.
3. Breathe in and while exhaling, bend down with full force as if you are chopping wood. You are supposed to exhale with a 'ha' sound that is typical while doing hard labour.
4. Pass your hands and head in between your legs when you bend down.
5. Raise yourself to the standing position and start all over again.

Benefits Of The Woodchopper Pose

• This yoga pose is mainly a breathing exercise. It opens up your lungs to suck in more air.
• This pose also helps to release tension that can cramp your muscles. In the old times it was a common saying that hard labour relaxes you. So in this pose you are basically imitating the motions of hard labour so that you can release pent up tensions and stress. Releasing stress is also helps you breathe easy.
• If you are looking to have a flat tummy, this an excellent yoga pose to try. The sharp bend works on your abdominal muscles. It also helps to improve digestion.
• Additionally, this yoga pose also works on your hamstrings and thigh muscles. Sports-persons are generally prone to hamstring injuries. The woodchopper pose comes as a very good workout for them.

This is one of the best yoga poses for children. They also enjoy due to the imitation involved in it. And children get some fantastic breathing exercise by trying this yoga asana.