practice at home
You know those things we know will feel great and improve our life, but we just can't seem to get into a routine with them? Like eating more vegetables or flossing or doing situps everday. Practicing Yoga at home is one of these things. We know our life will improve if we do it, but we can't seem to get started or stay committed. Often this is because we choose sequences that are too challenging and time consuming. The key is to start very small. If our home practice is just fifteen minutes of gentle stretches, we are less likely to avoid it and more likely to feel the satisfaction of having completed it.
Below are two simple fifteen minute routines, one for first thing in the morning and one for the evening before bed. Commit to one or the other for just one week and see how it feels. From there you can decide how to change it to better serve you. Or perhaps you'll be inspired to add both to your daily routine. We have to experience the benefits first hand in order to have an authentic motivation for doing something. Pressuring ourselves into things just creates more resistance. Go in easy and let feeling good be the indicator of whether this is something you want to do.
Moring Flow
Start standing. Inhale Lift the arms stretch the side body long. Exhale bow (bend the knees if hamstrings are very tight). Inhale look forward. Exhale step the right foot back and lower the knee. Inhale here pressing the hips down. Exhale, lift the hips up and back, down dog (upsidedown V). Inhale to plank (top of a push up position). Exhale lower slowly to the earth. (Second line of pics) Inhale lift the heart, move it forward then up as the hands and shoulders pull back. Exhale pass through cat pose back to down dog. Inhale step the right foot forward, then the left, look forward. Exhale bow into a forward fold. Inhale rise up and begin again this time with the left foot stepping back then forward. Repeat three times on each side.
Stretched out on your back, lie still for several minutes after practicing. THink about how you want your day to go. See everything getting accomplished smoothly and successfully. Relax and breath into those images.
Evening Hip and Shoulder Openers
Pushwall - Start near a wall. Place hands hip height and step back to make an L shape with your body. Look down but don't let the head hang. Stretch the hips back and the ribs and head forward. Inhale float the upper arm bones up, exhale melt the heart down and stretch it forward. Take ten breaths here.
Shoulder Stretch - Next, place one hand shoulder-height on the wall with the thumb pointing up. Turn the body and feet away from the wall. Inhale, press the hand into the wall, exhale turn the ribcage away from the wall. Take five breaths here and switch sides. Twice on each side is great.
Thigh Stretch - Using the wall for balance reach for the foot and draw the heel close to the hip. Bend the elbow of the arm holding the foot and use its strength to stretch the thigh. Scoop the tailbone in to tone the belly and deepen the stretch. Take five to ten breaths each side.
Wide Legged Stretch - Sit facing the wall with legs open. Reach up and try to get the hands as high up the wall as you can. Keep looking up at the hands and lifting your heart towards them with each inhale. The idea here is to stretch the hamstrings and inner groins without rounding the back. Not easy! Reach up with the side body to lengthen the spine, press down with the thighbones to ground yourself. Ten deep slow breaths.
Frog - With forearms to the ground, open the knees wide apart. Pad the knees if they get sore. Walk the knees as wide as you can. Scoop the tailbone under and resist the temptation to dump the belly. Ten deep slow breaths here.
Pigeon - Take the right knee forward and extend the left leg back. Move the right knee out to the right (away from the midline). Roll the left hip and ribs forward to keep from collapsing onto the right side. Support the right hip with a blanket or pillow if the hip is very tight and lifted high. Lean forward onto forearms and breath ten deep breaths. Switch sides and repeat.
Seated Spinal Twist - Bending the right knee, place the right foot outside the left thigh. If this feels like too much, place it inside the thigh. Hug the right knee with the left arm and place the right finger tips to the ground behind the hips. Inhale sit tall by pressing down through the sitz bones and stretching up through the ribs and skull. Exhale hug the knee and roll the upper chest to the right. Five long breaths each side. This purifies the internal organs and releases tension from thfine muscles along the spine. Switch sides and repeat.
Butterfly - Bring the soles of the feet together, open the knees wide and bow forward. If the knees are lifted high, sit with your low back against a wall.
Extended Leg Stretch - Lay on your back and hold the right foot with the right hand. Use a tie or towel if the hand does not reach. Make sure your neck head and shoulders are on the ground. Use a tie if they are not. Keeping the left left strong and grounded, open the right leg out to the right. Stretch the right sit bone towards the left foot as you move the right foot towards the shoulders. Take 10 deep breaths each side.
Extended Hip Side Stretch - Laying on your back, take the right foot in the left hand (or use a tie) and cross the leg over to the left. Let the foot come to the ground or rest on a pillow. Roll the out hip (facing the ceiling) down away from the shoulder to lengthen the right side body. Use your internal strength to anchor th right shoulder. This pose stretches the outer hip and side waist and give a sooting spinal twist. Ten breaths each side.
Happy Baby Pose - Lay on your back, bend and open your knees, soles of the feet facing skyward. Hold the outer edges of your feet with your hands and pull down. Keep your low back rooting down, don't let it round and lift too much. Eventually in Happy Baby Pose, the natural curve of the low back is lifted off the ground. Keeping a strong even downward ull on the feet, rock gently back and forth to massage the edges of the sacrum (bottom of the spine). Smile and breath deeply for as long as you'd like.
Plow Pose - Laying on your back, lift the legs 90 degrees, arms along side the body. Use a squeeze of the belly and swing of the legs to take the feet up and over the head. If plow is new to you, do it near a wall or sofa and bring your feet to the wall or rest them on the sofa. Keep a gentle lift of the chin in plow pose to help keep the neck from over-stretching. Breath into the back of the rib cage as you inhale. Soften as you exhale. Ten deep breaths. Plow stimulates the endocrine glands that release seretonin and helps us sleep better.
Stretched out on your back, lie still for several minutes after practicing.
Copyright 2007 © Yoga with Jennifer Lynn
