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1. Sit comfortably in the middle of your mat. Close your eyes and taking
your focus within, work with a soft Ujjayi breath. Create a soft sound
in the back of the throat while inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
The sound is subtle, audible only to you and has been likened to the sound
of the surf running up and down the beach. Let yourself unwind here for
three to four minutes, keeping the mind focusing on the breath.
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2. Cat Stretch. This work eases tension in the back and strengthens the
muscles. Kneel on all fours, with your hands under the shoulders and knees
under the hips.
2a. Inhaling, lift your tailbone towards the ceiling, drop your belly
towards the floor and gaze towards the sky.
2b. Exhaling, lower the tail bone towards the floor, allow the spine to
stretch towards the ceiling and drop your head to look back between your
legs.
Flow in and out of these two positions. Breath flows – body flows.
To complete the sequence, after an exhalation, bring the spine into a
neutral position.
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3. Downward Facing Dog. A calming inversion, stretching the back of the
body, whilst strengthening the wrists arms and legs.
Kneel on all fours, with your hands under the shoulders and knees under
the hips. Turn your toes under. Exhale – lift your hips up and back.
Push your hands into the floor, lengthen through your spine, roll your
shoulders away from your ears and let your head hang between your arms.
Straighten and lengthen your legs and take your heels to the floor. Work
with an even inhalation and exhalation. To rest, exhale and take your
self back to kneeling.
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4. Chest opener. Encourages rib cage breathing and opens shoulders and
chest.
Sit back on your heels, place your hands on the floor behind you. Inhale
and lift the chest, exhale and look upwards. Take three complete breaths
here. Rest and repeat once more.
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5. Tiger Stretch. This work eases tension in the back and strengthens
the muscles. Kneel on all fours, with your hands under the shoulders and
knees under the hips.
5a. Inhaling, lift your tailbone towards the ceiling, drop your belly
towards the floor and gaze towards the sky, whilst extending your right
leg out behind you, keeping the toes pointed towards the floor and both
hips level.
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5b. Exhaling lower the tail bone towards the floor, allow the spine to
stretch towards the ceiling, draw the right knee in towards your forehead
and drop your head to look back.
Flow in and out of these two positions. Breath flows – body flows.
To complete the sequence, after an exhalation, bring the spine into a
neutral position. Repeat on the other side.
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6. Hip Opening Stretch. A restorative pose, which develops breath awareness,
gently stretches the spine and hips while taking your attention inwards.
Kneeling back on your heels, lengthen through your spine. Take your knees
wide apart and sit on your heels. Exhale and fold forward, trying to keep
your bottom in contact with your feet and rest your forehead on the floor.
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6a. Stretch the arms to the floor infront of you. Breath here. To release
from the stretch, inhale and walk your hands in to come to kneeling.
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7. Sitting Twist. Very detoxifing work which also helps to maintain flexibility
in the spine.
Extend your left leg away from you and stretch into the heel. Draw the
right knee up. Take the right hand to the floor behind you for support.
Inhaling – draw up through the spine. Exhaling – turn your
abdomen, waist, ribs to the right, and bring the left arm across your
body to the outside of the right knee. Soften the abdomen and breath.
Release with and slow exhalation and repeat on the other side.
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8. Head to Knee Forward Bend. Calming and purifying work which lengthens
the hamstrings and strengthens the back.
Extend your left leg away from you and stretch into the heel. Draw the
right heel up and let your knee relax out to the side. Inhaling –
draw up through the spine and arms. Exhaling – fold forward from
the hip over the left leg. Keep the back straight, gaze towards your big
toe and take your hands to either your shin or foot. Extend through your
spine with each exhalation. To release, inhale all the way back up to
sitting. Repeat on the other side.
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9. Boat. Energising work that builds strength, promotes confidence and
develops concentration.
Sitting on your bottom, draw your knees in towards your chest and lengthen
through your spine. Inhaling extend your legs away from you and point
into your toes. Have your arms extended away from you parallel with the
floor. Breath smoothly and deeply. Rest by hugging your knees in towards
your chest. Repeat three to five times.
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10. Shoulderstand. Rejuvenating work which helps maintain a youthful figure
and outlook.
Lying on your back, have your arms by your side, palms down, with your
knees up towards your chest. Inhaling – swing your knees over your
chest, press your arms into your mat and swing your hips up. Support your
back with your hands and keep your elbows close together. Extend your
legs to the ceiling and point through your toes. Breathe smoothly here.
To release, exhale and roll gently back down to the floor, using your
arms to control you. Hug your knees into towards your chest.
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11. Fish. Counter stretch work for the shoulderstand.
Calming work that deepens the breath and strengthens the top of the back.
Lie on your back and bend your knees, bring your feet behind your buttocks
hip distance apart. Inhale and lift your bottom and back off the ground.
Breathe here, as you take your arms beneath your back. Take one hand on
top of the other and straighten your arms. Lower your bottom back to the
floor, and allow your hands to slide side by side each other beneath you.
Inhaling and sit up on your elbows and look at your feet, exhaling open
your chest to the sky and roll the head back to the floor behind you.
Breathe deeply and smoothly into the sternum. To release, exhale and roll
your chin towards you chest and hug your knees in towards your chest.
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12. Final Relaxation. Time to absorb the benefits of
your yoga practice.
Allow ten minutes for this work. Lie on your back with your legs apart,
feet relaxed out to the side. Take your arms away from your body and turn
your palms up to face the sky. Close your eyes, relax your jaw and allow
the breath to return to a gentle unconscious abdominal rhythm. Feel yourself
settling into a state of stillness. Feel heavy and relaxed. Rest the mind
with the breath, and drift into peacefulness. To come out of relaxation,
bring a gentle awareness to your breathing, finger tips and toes. Stretch
out through the body, roll over and sit up. When you feel ready, smile,
open your eyes and embrace your day.
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