It's nice to have a home practice as a foundation to your yoga journey, and hopefully this sequence will give you some ideas. This is a 10 minute yoga practice, so remember, even if you're busy you can get on your mat and move.
I've received several requests to blog about yoga. I actually have a series of yoga posts brewing, it's just that they take a while to do properly. I'm starting with this sequence as a basis for further exploration.
All yoga photos by: Nat Anfield | model: Katrina Ariel
Let’s call this a “simple” yoga practice because 1) it doesn’t take very long to do, and 2) it uses straightforward poses that are accessible to many people.
Disclaimer: It’s up to you to decide if yoga is right for your body. If you have any conditions or question if this type of exercise is safe for you, consult your health practitioner. If you are new to yoga, the best way to learn is to attend class with a qualified and experienced teacher.
Always listen to your body, and modify to make each pose work for you.
When done safely and in a way that honours your needs, yoga can rejuvinate every cell of your body, bringing a wide range of benefits on a physical level while offering a way to de-stress and relax.
If you do practice with the intention to align body, mind, and spirit, even a short session can create a sense of harmony.
Cultivate strength, release tension, and let your breath lead.
A Simple Yoga Sequence.
Obviously, do both sides of each asymmetrical pose below.
1) Center In
Take a moment to be still. Sitting or standing, close your eyes and tune into your breath. If you want to work with an intention, set it now. Optional: sing an Om or three to open your practice and bring an immediate sense of harmony.
2) Child’s Pose — Balasana
Relax. Breathe. Be gentle with yourself.
3) Cat/Cow
I usually do two or three rounds, exhaling to round up, inhaling to arch.
4) Bird Dog
This is an excellent pose to awaken and strengthen core stabilizing muscles. Be sure to engage your transverse abdominis (lower belly) and pull your navel towards your spine, envisioning your entire core hugging in, strong and stable. You’ll feel your glutes work as well. To modify, do one arm at a time, then one leg at a time, instead of both at once.
5) Downward Dog — Adho Mukha Svanasana
Press down through your fingertips and keep your shoulder blades on your back. Bend one knee at a time to stretch out your calves.
6) Low Lunge — Anjaneyasana
Hips square, legs strong, press from your pelvis through your feet and stretch up.
7) Split-leg forward bend — Parsvottanasana
Use blocks if hamstrings are tight. This pose can also be done with a shorter stance and both feet flat on the floor.
8) Optional Vinyasa
If you like sun salutations, and know how to do them, feel free to toss one in here. Move with your breath.
9) Warrior II — Virabhadrasana II
Strong legs push into the floor. Float your torso on your breath.
10) Triangle Pose — Utthita Trikonasana
Use a block if the floor is out of reach. Stretch from your pelvis through strong legs.
11) Forward bend with shoulder stretch.
Find the place where this feels good for your body. Don’t force. Breathe.
12) Thread the needle. (Or pigeon, if you prefer.)
This is a great stretch for your hips. Keep your feet from turning at the ankle, to protect your knee. See how my foot is as if I were standing? Like that.
13) Simple twist.
Inhale to lengthen your spine, exhale to twist. Keep your pelvis stable. Inhale out of the pose after a few breaths or so.
14) Savasana.
Breathe and relax. Stay for at least a minute or two, and give yourself time to come out slow.
15) Optional meditation.
After a yoga practice is an ideal time for meditation. Even a minute is nice. Enjoy your breath.
BONUS SEQUENCE:
For those of you who already practice yoga and are familiar enough with these poses to do them safely at home, I offer this expanded sequence based on the one above. This is basically the practice I do at home each morning, varying a few poses each day.
A note about physio exercises: I start each of my yoga practices with subtle physio exercises to be sure my pelvic floor and transverse abdominis muscles are firing properly. (Hoping to do a post on this at some point.) This is something I added after I became a mother. If you have physio exercises, consider doing them before your yoga practice so your body is prepped and strong.
Expanded Simple Home Yoga Practice:
- Child or down dog
- Cat/cow
- Bird dog
- Down dog
- Plank
- Locust (lie on belly, lift chest, arms, and possibly legs as well.)
- Down dog
- Low lunge
- Split leg forward bend
- Wide squat / Goddess pose
- Warrior II
- Triangle pose (optional Half moon pose)
- Down dog
- Pigeon thigh stretch
- Pigeon forward bend
- Down dog
- Camel (or backbend of your choice)
- Child
- Seated twist
- Savasana
Ustrasana, camel pose:
Camel is my favourite backbend. It opens my shoulders and chest, helping balance all the time I sit in front of my computer.
^^ Please only do this pose if you know how. This is a good one to learn from a teacher.
Tip: For a pain-free camel pose, you have to root from your pelvis down, and rise up through your spine. No crunchiness allowed in the low back or neck. You can tuck your toes under to lift your heels up to back the pose off, as well.
Find what works for you.
There are infinite ways to practice yoga, and so many modifications to make things more gentle or step up the challenge, depending on what is right for you.
I hope this offering gives you some inspiration to find a local class to learn more (I highly recommend Anusara yoga teachers, if you can locate one near you), or to roll out your mat at home for a feel-good practice.
Yoga is an excellent tool for self-care. Remember also to drink water and eat food that nourishes you.
Take care of yourself. You are a gift!
Peace. @katrina-ariel
#teamcanada #steemusa #steemsugars #thealliance
Author bio: Katrina Hokule’a Ariel is an old-soul rebel, a musician, a tree-hugging yogini and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders and other books, she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steemit.
dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne
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This is a splendid yoga flow! Very informative direction, and I love that it's blog style for those of us not super into video. Although... you could be a Steemit video yogi!
Hopefully I can take one of your classes in person someday. 😁
Thank you my friend! I'm so glad you like it. I could do video, but you might be waiting for a very long time for that to happen. lol! As for teaching, I'm doing my last scheduled class this Sunday and then taking another break from teaching classes. Blog post coming up to explain all that.
Still, maybe I can do a little semi-private class when I come to visit. I'll still need my yoga, and love to share my practice with friends. ;)
I'll have to try this yoga flow today! Always looking for new yoga inspiration to shake up established routines.
You've been resteemed as part of the #LadiesofSteemit initiative! Keep up the great work. 💓
Thank you so much! #LadiesofSteemit is fabulous. Honoured to be included. :)
Fantastic post! I can see how this sequence can hit many many parts of the body as well, I see a couple in particular that I know could help me stretch out some tightened parts of my body right now. This is such a thorough post that I can only imagine how much work this took.
I also do love that you've had pictures taken of your form showing the various poses at it makes it even more special. Thanks for taking the time to do this as it will we a post that can be so helpful to many. Kudos to adding in the additional meditation mention too as I often think that is overlooked. Can you tell I adore this post? Going to be quiet now. 💜
I'm so glad you enjoyed this post! It's a collection of basic poses, but some of the most foundational yoga poses are ones we need the most. My body craves this, every single day. And, yes, I think meditation goes so wall at the end of a practice, when your mind is already more clear and your hips more open, body more calm... 💜 Thanks for the lovely comment.
Lovely lovely lovely! These shots are great! I had been wondering how best to share flows or practices with folks here, and this is supreme! Thanks for sharing, definitely resteeming, i just know this was work to put together! 🙌
Thank you so much! It was work to put together, but comments like this make it all worthwhile. :) This is one way to share a sequence or practice. The photos sure help. I'm extremely grateful to my photographer, Nat Anfield, for going above and beyond on the photoshoots we've done. These shots (and 100+ more) are part of photos taken for my book, Yoga for Dragon Riders. Nice to have them for blogging, too. :)
If you have any poses/topics you'd like to see me discuss, please feel free to ask! Thank you for the resteem and the encouragement!
Wow beautiful! A personal yoga book sounds like a dream for blog material! Keep up the splendid work @katrina-ariel, might have to get my paws on that book of yours :)
So I haven't posted about it much in the last 3-4 weeks, but I've recently started meditating. I have only one thing to say..
LIFE CHANGING
But I have been thinking about adding some yoga to the mix. I'm not new to working out, but yoga is totally foreign to me. I'm going to try some of these tomorrow. Great post for a newbie, the pictures are super helpful.
Meditation can absolutely be life changing. Yes! So glad you're finding it beneficial. Hope those stretches feel good for you. Thanks for letting me know you like this post — it encourages me to do more. :)
Haven’t read a post of yours I didn’t like ;)
Keep ‘em coming!
#11 and #13.... oh my goodness - they looked so deliciously relaxing!!! i could almost feel my body stretching with you as I went through your post hehehehe You radiate beauty and power and grace! It was wonderful "meeting" you today on PYPT... i've been seeing many posts about you through visiting @d-vine! :)
Aw, thank you so much! It was great to hear your voice as well. Yay for Discord and Steemit bringing people together. Deep breaths and peace to you! :)
deep breaths indeed!!! :) (i also have some adrenals that were burned to ashes.... i've learned to LOVE oxygen.... i sip it like fine wine :) hehehehe) and i agree... there are days when I think... why steemit?? why are you slipping from our grasp?!?!
and then days like today when i think OHHHHHHHHHH this is why i love you steemit!!!! hehehehe
goodnight :) sweet dreEms ;)
I love to se Awsome yoga like this and I'm always amazed by how easy it looks when I know it's not 😜 have tried more than once... Lol
I love yoga and I feel really relaxed after... Ok only tried like 4 times and then I had a week of and forgot to get my butt back there 😁 lol
What I have learned though is that I am of movable and had to use things to make it harder for me.... I guess I'm weard in that way to.. Lol
Awsome post dear! Great information and clear instructions on how to exercise this.
So glad you enjoyed it, @saffisara! Yes, yoga is one of those things that the more you do, the better it feels. Nice to take care of your body with movement and breath, but it sure isn't easy! lol!
I love this. So inspirational. I feel that even if I choose a few I can benefit from the stretching.