3. Seal Pose
What it does: Opens the chest and heart meridian and relieves lower back tension. Also stimulates the kidneys.

How to do it: Lie on your stomach with your legs relaxed and arms extended in front of you.

Using your back muscles, lift your torso up into a backbend and rest your hands on the floor about four inches in front of your shoulders, keeping them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Turn your hands out to a 45-degree angle; don't lock your elbows.

Look directly ahead. Hold for one to three minutes. (If you feel any pain, follow suggestions from Sphinx pose.) To come out, bend your arms and lower your torso to the floor. Spend a minute on your stomach, and then push your hips back and sit on your heels, with head down and arms stretched in front of you. Stay for a few minutes to rest the lower back.

4. Quarter-Dog Pose
What it does: Applies gentle pressure to the shoulders and upper arms, stimulating the heart meridian as it travels to the fingertips. Also relieves tension in the neck and upper back.

How to do it: Start on all fours with your knees directly under your hips and palms below your shoulders.

Drop your left forearm to the floor; it should be horizontal in relation to your body, with the upper arm perpendicular to the forearm.

Reach your right arm straight out with fingers spread and extended.

Stretch your spine until it is as long as possible, keeping your hips directly above your knees (adjust your arms to accommodate the length of your spine), and rest your head on your left forearm.

Relax for one to three minutes. Come back to all fours, reverse the placement of your arms, and repeat the move.

Press into your fingertips to stimulate the corresponding meridian points.

If you experience sharp back pain, engage your buttocks and inner thighs and pull in your ab muscles. This takes pressure off the ligaments that run along your spine.