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Hi Everyone,
A few of you have asked for a short, easy to do, sequence every morning to open up your body. So....here you are!! This will be a first in a series of sequences you can be doing in the morning, to ease off back pain, get those shoulders moving and release the neck. Lets motivate each other and be doing it every day together. For those of you in Melbourne where our weather is turning colder it is even more important to be warming up our muscles in the morning to make movement through the day a little easier. Also when the weather turns colder we tend to be hunching our shoulders and closing down our heart to keep warm, so this sequence is designed to ignite the inner fire (creating warmth from within) and opening up our heart space. I will aim to update our sequence once a month, so leave me a message and let me know how you go!! Don't expect from your body, allow yourself to be on your mat without expectation and simply feel what you body is telling you. Enjoy your time on your mat to connect with you, where ever you happen to be in that particular moment. Notice how your body feels different from day to day, simply notice without putting a story or attachment on what you find.
Start sitting in an easy crossed legged position, either on a folded blanket or cushion. Allow your pelvis to roll forward slightly, lengthing through your spine, soften through your groin and inner thigh, turning on your core and lifting your pelvic floor, broaden through your collar bones, dropping your shoulders, lengthen through your neck by tucking your chin slightly. Close down your eyes for 5 to 10 breathes, lengthen and connect with your breath, count your inhalation and match the count to your exhalation.
When you feel that you have centred yourself for your practice, inhale both arms up inhale both arms up above your head, then exhale both arms over to the left of your body feeling for the stretch through your left side waist, dropping your face to be looking toward the floor and start to feel for the stretch through the right side of your neck too. Make sure your sit bones are even on the floor and you are softening your muscles through your groin and inner thigh.
Hold this pose for 2 to 5 breaths, then keeping your body and neck exactly where they are, take your right arm, toward the right side, toward the floor, feeling for the extended stretch through the right side of neck and upper shoulder.
Feel for this neck stretch and breath into it, trying to mindfully release your neck and any tension sitting in this area. Hold this pose for 2 to 5 breaths, maybe a little longer if you feel comfortable, make to sure to take note of how long you stay there, so you can match your breath count to the opposite side. When you are ready to come out, inhale your right arm back over to the left, exhale, then inhale both arms back up to centre. Enhale to the right side and following the instructions for the previous side.
When you have completed both side and have inhaled back up to centre, release your arms down and roll out your shoulders to release from the pose. Now change the cross of your legs, in your easy crossed legged position, so that opposite leg is in front.
Exhale your arms behind you, clasping your hands behind you. If your hands don't quite reach together because your shoulders are tight or too broad, hold onto a yoga strap instead. Drop your shoulders down and feel for the stretch through the front of your shoulders and through the top of your shoulders, hold this pose for a breath or two.
After you have held this pose for a breath or two and allowed for your shoulder to settle, move both of your hands to the left side of your body.
Allow your body to settle into this stretch, dropping your shoulders away from your ears, taking any tension out of your neck. Hold this pose for a breath or two, then when you feel your body has settled into this pose you can gently drop your left ear to your left shoulder. Drop your right shoulder toward the floor. Breathing into the stretch through your neck and allow your body to release the tension that is sitting there. Make your breath is long, if there is tension the tendency is that your breath shortens and becomes choppy, lengthen your breath and tell your body it's ok to let go of that tension.
You can slightly adjust the area in your neck that you are stretching by turning your gaze toward the floor, adjust your your head to find where in your neck is your best release. Hold for 2 to 5 breaths. When you feel that your body has settled, return you neck up to neutral position, release your hands at your side, roll out your shoulder. Then repeat all instructions for the other side, this time when you clasp your hands, put your other little finger at the bottom of the clasp (the one that feels unnatural).
When you finished stretching the left side of your neck and have released your hands and arms. Come up to a table top position on your mat. Make sure hands are directly under elbow joints and elbow joints are directly under shoulder joints. If you know that you shoulders are tight, slightly turn your hands out on a 45* angle. Make sure your elbow creases are facing each and if you are prone to hyper extension put a micro bend in your elbows (that will work your upper arms, creating strength). Knees hip width apart and are directly under your hips joints.
Now we are going to slowly warm up the spine with bidalasana (cat/cow pose). Inhale, then on your next exhalation, roll your spine towards the ceiling, starting the movement from the base of your spine and feel for the movement vertebra by vertebra. Tuck your pelvis under and drop the crown of your head towards the floor. Pull your navel to your spine and exhale all the stale air from your lungs. Feel for the stretch between your shoulder blades and feel like a thread is pulling your spine up toward the ceiling from between your shoulder blades.
On your next inhalation lower your spine down and bring your stomach towards the floor. Start the movement from the base of your spine and feel for the movement through each vertebra. Raise your sit bones towards the ceiling and bring your head to be looking up (being careful not to crunch through your neck). Lengthen through your collar bones and open your heart. Fill your abdomen with air, a nice large cleansing inhalation.
Continue with your breath rolling between your cat and cow pose warming up your spine and cleansing your lungs of any stale air. Keep going for 5 to 10 breaths. On your last inhalation, exhale back to table top postion. Taking care to realign your hands and knees.
Inhale and raise your right hand up toward the ceiling, feeling for the twist through your spine, opening through your collar bones and stretch through your shoulders. Keep your hips square. Hold this pose for a breath of two.
When you have felt for this twist, thread your right arm underneath your left arm. Dropping your right shoulder onto the floor as well as your head. Take your left arm out long on the mat. Make sure your hips stay square. Feel for the stretch through your right shoulder blade and take any tension out of your neck. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths.
If this pose is strong and enough for you, you can stay here. Otherwise if you would like to increase the twist and the stretch through your shoulders, you raise your left hand towards the ceiling or you can create a bind by wrapping your left arm around your back and taking hold of your right thigh. Take care with these options and if it feels to much, return your left arm to the floor or come out of the pose. If you feel comfortable in your variation stay in for 5 to 10 breaths.
When you have stayed in for long enough for your body, release your left arm, if it is up, engage it into the mat and unthread your right arm to come back into table top. Repeat the process on your left side.
When you have finished with your left side and have come back up to a table top position. Bring your buttocks to your feet and your forehead towards the floor, stretching out your arms. Into extended balasana (childs pose). Feel for the stretch through your upper and lower back, releasing all your back muscles.
When you have stayed in balasana for a breath or two, scoop your body through your hands, so that you are laying on your mat on your stomach. Engage the top of your feet, your legs and pubic bone into the mat. Inhale and raise your chest and head off the mat. Open through your heart space, lengthen through your collar bones, drop your shoulders away from your ears and take any tension out of your neck. You should have no weight through you hands, the strength is come from your back (you can test this by taking your hands from the floor and hovering them just over the mat). Stay for 3 to 5 breaths as long as there is no pinching through your back.
Lower your body back to the floor. Our next pose is salabasana (locust pose), if you are menstruating or pregnant skip to extended balasana.
Release your arms to along side your body with your palms facing up. On your next inhalation, pressing your pubic bone into the mat, raise your legs, arms and torso off the mat.
Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, as long as there is no pinching through the back.
You can repeat the previous if it felt comfortable or if you are looking for a little more today, you can bend your knees, grab a hold of your ankles, then raise your knees and torso from the mat. Taking care to keep knees hip width apart. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.
Lower down, engage hands into the mat underneath your shoulders and fold back to extended balasana (childs pose). This pose will help to release the back from the previous poses.
Engage your toes into the mat from here, lifting your knees, lifting your sit bones towards the ceiling. Coming into Adho mukka svanasana (down dog). Releasing through your shoulders, taking your upper back through your shoulders, turning your armpits towards each other, turning upper arms out. Pushing hands forward, taking heals toward the floor, stretching through your calves and hamstrings. Stay here for 5 to 10 breaths.
When your body has released a little into your down dog, slowly walk your feet up in between hands, keeping a bend in your knees initially. In this pose the aim is to have your feet together, however if you are feeling you need a little more space through your morning practice have your feet hip width apart. Straighten your knees to release off your hamstrings, you are aiming to have your hands towards the floor, however if you're not quite there you can place your hands on your legs. The crown of your head is dropping towards the floor.
This is the variation if you don't quite reach the floor, you can put your hands at any place on your leg (taking care not to put pressure on your knees joints), the aim is to feel a stretch through your hamstrings.
Stay here for 3 to 5 breaths. Then bending your knees to take the pressure from your lower back, slowly round up, bringing your neck and head up last and coming into Tadasana (mountain pose).
If you feel that you need a little extra space in your lower back or are simply a little unsteady have your feet hip width. Otherwise bring you feet together.
All the muscles in your legs should be active and working, engage the muscle above you knee to lift your knee cap and that will activate the front of your thigh. Turn your pelvis forward slightly, drawing up the pelvic floor and engaging your core. Buttocks should be firm but not clenched. Lengthening through the spine, opening through the collar bones and heart. Drop shoulder toward the floor and arms should be active through to the fingers. Neck long and chin drawn in slightly to keep to the length in the neck. There are two opposing forces drawing the crown of your head to the ceiling and drawing the bottom of your feet through the floor. Keep your breath long and even. Stay here for 2 to 5 breaths.We will now commence a round of surya namaskar (sun salute) to create heat in your body (to warm your body and get the blood flowing). Follow your breath, every movement is either on a inhalation or an exhalation.
Come to the top of your mat. Inhale and raise your hands above your head, bringing your palms together if your shoulders allow and looking up if your neck allows.
Exhale and hinge from you hips coming into Uttanasana (foward bend)
Exhale and take your right leg back to a lunge, taking care that your left knee isn't over your toes.
Lower your body back to your mat, engage your toes into the mat, raise your sit bones up to the ceiling and exhaling back into down dog.
Inhale take your right leg back to a lunge
(yes I know the picture is of my left leg forward but you get the idea ;))
Exhale bring your left leg to your right to come into uttanasana (forward bend).
Exhale to release your arms to by your sides. And back to Tadasana.
Then you continue on with your Surya Namaskar on your left side.
Inhale to raise your hands above your head.
Exhale hinging from the hips and come into uttanasana (forward bend)
Inhale up to a half lift.
Exhale take your left leg back to a lunge.
Drop the back knee, inhale and raise your torso up.
Exhale your right leg back to extended childs pose.
Inhale and scoop your body through to cobra pose
Exhale back to down dog
Inhale take your left leg through to a lunge
Exhale bring your back leg through to meet your front foot into uttanasana (front bend)
Inhale rolling up to a standing position, bring your hand above your head
Exhale to release you arms to by your side in tadasana (mountain pose)
You can do one or two more rounds of Surya Namaskar if you would like to make sure your body is nice and warm.
When you have finished your last round exhale back down to uttanasana (forward bend) and come back into down dog. Let you body settle into down dog then inhale your right leg up.
Bend your right knee bring it through under your body, bring right knee toward right wrist. Into Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (King pigeon pose)
Stay for between 5 to 10 breaths and allow your buttocks to release. Inhale and bring your hands back onto the mat. Engage your left toes into the mat, lift your knee and raise you sit bones toward the ceiling and come back into down dog. Hold down dog for a breath or two then you can raise your left leg toward the ceiling, hold for a breath or 2 then bend your left knee bringing your left knee through under your body and through to behind your left wrist and come in pigeon pose with your left leg. Inhale your chest up to the ceiling, then you can exhale down towards the floor. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, then release back into down dog. Stay in dog for between 3 to 5 breaths. Bring you knees to the floor, then come down to sitting on the mat with your legs long on the mat.
Either sit on a cushion or a folded blanket. Bend your left leg up and keep your right leg straight on the mat.
Take you left arm behind you, inhale to raise your right arm
Exhale and take your right arm to the outside of your left leg.
Feel for the twist through your torso and allow your body to release, do not force the twist, however on each exhalation just see if you body will gently go deeper into the twist. Hold the twist for about 5 breathes. Slowly turn back to the centre to release, releasing your arms and bend both knees up and give them a little hug.
You can twist now on the other side.
Take your left leg out straight, bending your right knee. Take your right hand to behind your body inhaling your left arm up. Exhale take your right arm, in front of your left knee. Inhale, then on your next exhalation, twist vertebrae by vertebrae from the base of your vertebrae, so that you turn to face behind you. Hold for about 5 breaths turn to face the front to release, release your arms, release your legs, bend both of your knees and give them a hug to release.
Well done you have finished your practice!!
Take a few moments to complete some mindfulness meditation to centre yourself for the day.
Have a amazingly awesome day!!
Namaste
For more from Kia Kaha jump over to facebook www.facebook.com/kiakahayoga
or my timetable for my classes is at www.kiakahayoga.com.au
I look forward to seeing you here again soon xo
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