Kashtha Takshanasana is an Indian translation for Wood Chopping exercise. You can learn this asana as below:

Routine:

• Get in the primary position - Squat holding legs somewhat apart.

• Keep the spinal chord and the neck straight
• Maintain some distance between the knees.

• Interlock the fingers of both hands and straighten your elbows.

• Holding both the hands between the knees place the fist on the floor.

• Do not allow the elbows to bend during the entire exercise.

• This is the initial position.
• Just contemplate about axing a tree.

• Inhale deep and stretch your hands above the head.

• Fix the eyes on the raised and interlocked hands.
• Exhale with 'haa' sound to expel all the air from lungs.

• Simultaneously bring back both the hands quick on the floor as if to chop a tree.

• This is the first cycle.
• Repeat this for fifteen times.
• Recline in Sukhasna pose when the exercise gets over.

• One may perform this in Vajrasana or standing pose if squatting down is uncomfortable.

Breathing Pattern:

• Inhale when you raise the arms.
• Exhale when you bring the arms down.

Consciousness:

• On the breath.
• Hands movement.
• Shoulder stretch.
• Upper back muscles.

Benefits:

• Firms up the breast among women and develops chest muscles for men.
• Relax the pelvic girdle and tones up the pelvic muscles.

• Pretty useful for shoulder blade muscles, shoulder joints and upper back muscles..

• Quite beneficial for women in the 1st trimester of pregnancy.

• Valuable for an asthmatic patient provided 'haa' sound, one keeps mouth shut and exhales out from the nose.

• Psychologically quite useful exercise for a depressed person.

Contraindications:

• High blood pressure.
• Epilepsy.