Given that you only have 10 minutes, take a "power savasana" - it’s amazing how much of a difference just five mindful breaths can make, surrendering your body weight to the ground. You symbolically and physically open your heart space, ready to embrace the rest of your day. This last backbend allows for an energizing end to your yoga practice. Squatting in garland pose helps to release to muscles of the hips and lower back.įinish with a gentle backbend to open again through your chest and the front of your body. For added benefit, with your hands in prayer position, use your elbows to encourage your knees wider. The art of yoga isn’t about staying balanced physically, it’s about finding equanimity in your response to losing balance.Ĭome down into a squat to release your hips. If you fall, take a moment and calmly find the pose again. Remember, balance poses help you to cultivate a calm and centered mind. Keep your hands in prayer position at the heart center or lift them over your head. Stand at the top of your mat, set your drishti and bring your foot up onto the inner calf or inner thigh, pressing the knee out to the side. (Dig deeper into this pose in Cultivating Power in Your Practice With Warrior Two Pose.) Even a 10-minute yoga practice wouldn’t feel complete without it. Warrior two is my "go-to" pose for feeling strong, powerful and empowered. Hold for five breaths and repeat on the second side. Focus on externally rotating your thighs, expanding across your chest and grounding through your feet. Visualize any tension cascading off your shoulders and away from you.Įither step directly to warrior two, or to make this more of a vinyasa flow, take a Sun Salutation A to downward-facing dog, then step one foot forward and windmill your arms up into warrior two. To maximize its benefits, allow your upper body to relax and become floppy like a ragdoll. Bend your knees and clasp opposite elbows with each hand, gently swaying from side to side. Take baby steps, bringing your feet toward your hands until your find yourself in a standing forward fold at the top of your mat with feet hip-width apart. Bend one knee at a time to walk your dog, and stretch and open the hamstrings and the back of your body. This is fantastic way to challenge and energize your deep core muscles, For a beginner-friendly variation, or if you have any ankle issues, keep your knees down as you lift your hips.Ĭome to all fours then press back to downward-facing dog, taking your lower belly toward your upper thighs. Keep the top of your feet on the ground, and as you exhale, push your hips up, keeping your legs straight and using the strength of your core to lift you. Wake up your core muscles with a spicy flow from sphinx pose. Broaden across your collarbones by energetically drawing your forearms back toward your body. Place your forearms on the ground for sphinx pose, elbows directly beneath shoulders. Take around five breaths like this, enjoying the mobility and freedom you are finding in your spine.įrom all fours, slide forward onto your front.
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