Vyaghrasan
(Tiger Pose)
Tiger is considered one of the strongest and most active animals. It is often believed that a tiger-like body is the healthiest body. Early in the morning when a tiger wakes up, he stretches his body will his full strength. The stretch increases the flexibility in tigers and they become more active. An average adult tiger weighs 363 kg and its speed is almost 65km/hr. How did they manage after being this heavy? The answer to the question is there stretching and strength enhances the activeness in their body and hence result in gaining so much speed.
It is believed that there are 8400000 animals on the earth and a total of 84 poses were made out of them by the Hindu god lord shiva. Hence, yoga poses do have religious values. Out of 84 poses, the pose that can provide strength and flexibility like a tiger is the vyaghrasan or tiger pose. It is one of the most important poses of hath yoga.
Vyaghrasan is a Sanskrit word. The Sanskrit word Vyaghr means tiger, Asana means pose.
Hence, vyaghrasan is a tiger pose. When a practitioner practices this pose, the pose looks like a tiger’s morning stretching. The name was given based on the posture.
This pose enhances the flexibility of an individual. It strengthens the legs, hips, arms, and core. It soothes your spine. Vyaghrasan is a kneeling pose that includes your knees, back, spine, and arms. The practicing time could be anywhere between 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
Practicing this pose is very easy. This is an easy pose and can be practiced by beginners. Though this is an easy pose it is very important to practice the posture after consulting your doctor and yoga instructor. There are certain precautions that you must follow to avoid any kind of injury. This particular posture is very beneficial in reducing back pain. When a tiger wakes up he stretches the whole body and reduces tension and refreshes them. similarly, we have to stretch our bodies like a tiger to perform this pose.
Benefits:
this easy pose consists of 100s of benefits. It is believed that if you know the benefits of a pose, practicing it will enhance the overall benefits. It will enhance the benefits and you can practice the pose in a better and correct way. Hence, an individual needs to practice all the poses. This pose is very beneficial to the people who are doing desk jobs and have constant pain in their back.

• Strengthen muscles: Practicing this pose will stretch your arms. When you practice this pose you put on the weight on your hands. The weight will strengthen the arms and your hands and result in strengthening the muscles around your elbow, wrists, and shoulder.
• Strengthen the knees and thighs: The hip weight falls on the thighs and the knees, tightening the muscles around the knees and thighs during the practice of this pose will also improve the muscle’s strength. This pose also enhances stretch on your hips and thighs and results in strengthening the knees and thighs.
• Open ups the hips: Practicing this pose will open up the hips. The stretching of the leg in the upward direction will open up the hips and improve movability.
• Improve flexibility: Practicing this pose will enhance flexibility in an individual. It stretches your spine, hips, shoulder, arms, back, hips, and legs. The stretch will increase flexibility. Along with the flexibility, it also strengthens and lengthens the spine, hips, shoulder, arms, back, hips, and legs.
• Improve posture: Practicing this pose will stretch your back and hips and improve your posture. It stretches the spine and hence results in improving the posture.
• Relaxes the mind: practicing this posture will help you in relaxing your mind. The ups and down moments will help in the blood flow. The oxygen-carrying blood will enhance the mood and the ups and down moments will relax your mind.
• Stimulate abdomen blood circulation: The raising and relaxing of the legs will enhance the blood flow and improve the blood circulation in your abdomen. The stimulated blood circulation will also improve the health of the abdomen.
• Strengthen the female reproductive system: Practicing this pose will strengthen the female reproductive system. Tiger pose is especially recommended to Post-pregnancy women. It tones and invigorates the female reproductive system and strengthens the muscles in this area. However, it also restores the reproductive health of women with many births.
• Reduces weight: Practicing this pose will reduce the excessive weight of your body. It enhances the metabolism and the stretch results in reducing excessive weight from your thighs, abdomen, spine, back, neck, shoulder, arms, hips, and legs.
• Activates sacral chakras: While Gazing upward, your back arches downward in this asana, which creates an energetic loop around the seat of the sacral chakra and balance it. A balanced sacral chakra lets your food digest properly, gives you pleasure, movement, and creativity.
• Cure Sciatica: Sciatica is a condition of sciatic nerve. A severe pain that radiates from the back into the hip and outer side of the leg is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve.
• Chest opener: Practicing this pose will help you in opening up your chest. This is a great posture that will open up your chest and also enhance the mobility in your neck. This is a great posture to enhance mobility and improve your chest.
• Loosens up the legs and hips joint: Practicing this pose will enhance flexibility and loosen up the legs and hips joint. This pose will improve flexibility and help in losing up the hips and legs joint. The loosened hips and legs enhance mobility in an individual.
• Great on the joints: This pose is great on joints. It enhances the overall health of your joints. The pressure at the hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists and neck helps in working on the movement of the joints. Thus it awakens the body and keeps these joints flexible and fit.
• Tones the spinal nerves: The breathing expands and contracts the spinal nerve. The expansion and the contraction of the nerves get enough prana to help to heal and keep the nerves fit.
• Promotes digestion: Practicing this pose will massage your abdomen. The massage in the abdomen will improve the digestive system and relieves digestive discomfort. This pose will also be very beneficial in reducing bloating and enhancing the overall health of your digestive system.

Technique:
Step 1: Sit on your knees and place your hands forward in the cat pose. Look straight and relax your body.
Step 2: Arch your back downward and stretch your right leg in the upward direction. Straighten your leg behind and swing it up.
Step 3: Hold on to the pose for at least 10 seconds or more if you want.
Step 4: Now, Fold your knees and bring them in the forward direction close to your heart without placing them down on the floor.   
Step 5: Bend your neck and try to touch them to your knees. Hold on to this pose for at least 10 seconds or more.
Step 6: Complete the pose by practicing the complete set. Do not force your breath.
Step 7: Relax and get back to the initial stage. 
Step 8: Repeat the process at least 15 times.
Precautions:

• Don’t practice this pose if you are suffering from back, neck, shoulder, hips injury.
• Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from cervical. Practicing this pose might enhance your problem.
• Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from an abdomen infection. This pose pressurizes your abdomen, the pressure in your abdomen can worsen your situation.
• Practice of this pose is prohibited in the case of spondylitis. Spondylitis is an inflammation of one or more bones in the spine that leads to severe chronic pain and discomfort.
• Do not practice this pose during pregnancy. Practicing this pose during pregnancy can cause trouble. Hence, it is suggested not to practice this pose during pregnancy.
• Do not practice this pose if an individual is suffering from a hernia.
• Consult your doctor before practicing this pose if you are suffering from heart-related problems. 
• Practicing this pose is prohibited if an individual is suffering from vertigo. This pose will enhance your spinning experience thus causing trouble.
• Consult your doctor or yoga instructor before practicing this pose if you are suffering from high or low blood pressure and respiratory problems.

Props and modification:

• Use yoga bends to stretch your leg in the upward direction.
• You can use the wall as a prop to stretch your leg in the upward direction.
• To modify this pose you can include Uthana Vyaghrasana (Raised Tiger Pose).
• You can also practice Vyaghrasana (foot touching head) to modify this pose.
• Practicing Vyaghrasana (foot resting on the head) can be practiced to give yourself a challenge and to enhance your flexibility.