RESTORATIVE POSES
As
the holidays approach the excitement increases, but it frequently comes
with stress and anxiety. Try some soothing restorative yoga poses with
your child during this holiday season and be rested and rejuvenated
enought to truly enjoy it.
Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall Pose)
This pose helps to reduce headaches and fatigue, soothes the digestive system, calms anxiety and just feels wonderful.
Start
in childs pose, with your feet and hips close to a wall. Place a
bolster or rolled up blanket next to your hips. Roll over onto your
back with your sacrum (the bony triangle at the base of your spine)
resting on the blanket and your sitting bones sinking towards the
wall. Keep your legs straight and let them rest against the wall.
Allow your arms to fall to your sides with the palms facing up. Relax
the muscles of the face and let go of any hold you have on your
breathing. Rest here for five to fifteen minutes, and you will be
amazed at how much better everything feels when you get up. Make sure
to come out of the pose gently. Place your feet against the wall and
lift your hips to slide the blanket away, then roll onto one side and
use your hands to lift back up to sit.
Supta Baddha Konasona (Reclining Bound Ankle Pose)
Rest
in this pose anytime you are feeling aches and pains in your back and
legs, have a headache or just need a pick me up. Bring the soles of
your feet together with the knees bent out to the sides (like butterfly
pose). Use some yoga blocks or pillows underneath your knees for
support, then slowly roll down onto your back. Let your palms fall open
and breath slowly and deeply. Do not try to push your knees towards
the ground, just allow the hips to open gently. Stay here for one to
five minutes, and when you are ready to get up use your hands to bring
your knees together, then roll to one side and make your way back to
sit.
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OM WORK IF YOU GET A COLD
Bridge (Setu-Bandha Sarvangasana)
This pose opens the chest, relieving congestion and improving respiration.
Begin
on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width
apart and parallel to each other. Press into your feet to lift the
hips, and then interlace your fingers underneath your back. Gently
rock from side to side, working the shoulders close together. Extend
your arms down into the floor and keep lifting the hips and the chest
higher. Keep the gaze straight up, and lift your chin away from the
chest. Stay here for a few long slow breaths. When you are ready to
come down, release your hands and roll down one vertebrae at a time.
Gently draw your knees into your chest and rock side to side, releasing
your back. Lie down and relax.
Skull Shinning Breath (Kapalbhati)
This vigorous pranayama technique will help clear the sinuses and increase energy and vitality.
Practice
Kapalbhati in a comfortable seated position. Begin by inhaling deeply
and fully, then exhaling completely, drawing your belly button in and
squeezing out all of your breath. Inhale to a comfortable level, and
then begin making short sharp exhalations through your nose, pumping
your diaphragm in and up vigorously with each exhale. Allow your
inhale to be a reflex, with all of your focus on your exhalations.
Keep this up for as long as you feel comfortable, beginning slowly and
gradually picking up the pace. When you are finished exhale
completely, take a few even breaths, and then begin a second round.
Try to complete three rounds in a sitting. If at any time you feel
dizzy during this or any other pranayama technique stop and breath
slowly through your nose.
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SEED TO TREE TRANSFORMATION
Spring is here! The air is warm with possibilities, flowers and trees are blooming, and it’s a great time to bring your yoga outside. Try the following sequence with your child to celebrate this amazing time of year. In this sequence you begin by turning your body into a seed, and slowly grow into a beautiful tree pose balance.
1. Start off in seed, or child’s pose, sitting on your knees, folding over them from the hips and resting your forhead on the mat or the earth. Take deep breaths and try to imagine what it would feel like to be a tiny seed - warm and cozy and waiting to grow.
2. From seed pose, slowly take a deep breath in and begin floating your arms up over your body. Then gently look up and
strech your upper body to the sky to become a seedling. Close your eyes and feel the sun helping you to grow tall and the wind swaying you from side to side.
3. Take a few deep breaths as a seedling, and then come all the way up to stand. Tree pose is a balance, so before you start, find something still to focus your eyes on. Then breath in and bend one leg, placing your foot onto the calf or thigh of your standing leg. Bring your arms way overhead to make your branches. Stand tall and proud for a few deep breaths, and then try the other side. Don’t forget to keep breathing!
What kind of tree are you?
You can also try tree pose holding hands with
a friend, or standing back to back. Is it
easier or harder to balance now?
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FLOWER POSE
Spring
is a time to celebrate the blossoming of trees, flowers, and
possibilities! Flower Pose is a wonderful balance that allows you to
both connect to the earth and open to the sky. Try it yourself and try
it with your child.
Begin
sitting with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Reach your hands
through your legs and under your knees. Then turn your palms up to
face the sky, lean back and lift you feet off of the ground. Lift your
heart and breath deeply. Balancing on your sitting bones, feel
yourself root down into the earth and let yourself absorb the sunshine.
What color flower are you?
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BACK TO SCHOOL BRAIN BALANCE
September is here, and it's time for school! Welcome in the new year with a yoga pose that gets both sides of the brain working together. Don't forget to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water, and get eight hours of sleep to keep your energy up!
For this pose begin on your hands and knees, making sure that your wrists are right under your shoulders, and your ankles are right under your hips. Take a deep breath in, focus your gaze on something steady, and lift your right arm straight out to shoulder height. Then on your next breath lift your left leg straight back to hip height. Hold here for several slow breaths and then try the other side.
You can try making up your own brain balances too. Any time you use the opposite arm and leg, or cross the middle of the body, you are exercising your brain and teaching the left and right sides of your brain to work together!
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FALLING LEAVES RELAXATION
This is a great relaxation exercise to try any time you feel tired, stressed, angry or frustrated. It is also very helpful if you can’t fall asleep. Once you get into savasana (relaxation pose) have a friend or family member slowly read the visualization. You can also record yourself reading it, and then play it back any time you want.
Begin with a gentle warm up, and then to honor the changing of the seasons start your relaxation with tree pose.
Stand tall, find a still point to focus on, and imagine your feet rooting firmly into the ground. Slowly lift one leg and bring the sole of your foot to the inside of your standing leg. Press your foot and leg into each other to keep you steady, and reach your arms up to the sky. Take several deep breaths and imagine the cool fall breeze blowing by; Feel the warmth of the sun and see your leaves slowly turning to beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow. Gently lower down and move to the other side.
When you have completed your tree pose on both sides, lower down to the mat and rest in savasana. Lay down on your back, with your feet falling to the sides and your palms open to the sky.
Close your eyes and allow your whole body to relax. Let your feet relax, let your legs sink into the mat, allow your belly and your back to get soft and heavy, feel your arms melt and let your neck and head be totally supported by the ground. Imagine that your yoga mat slowly turns to a soft pile of autumn leaves; Let your body sink in and hear them crunching underneath you. Take a deep breath and smell the crisp and earthy air. See above you the clear blue sky, with fluffy white clouds slowly drifting by. Maybe you see a flock of birds heading south for the winter, flying together in a perfect V shape. Then in your mind see the trees all around you, getting ready for the winter. Watch the leaves turning their vibrant colors. See them shudder and flutter, dancing all the way to the ground as the wind blows. All around you the leaves fall, surrounding you with their cozy warmth. Keep breathing slow and steady. Watch the leaves fall until you feel completely at peace; Happy in your pile of leaves; Warm and safe and comfortable. Stay here for as long as you want, being nourished by the crisp autumn air and the warm sun.
When you are ready to get up, take a deep breath and stretch your body from finger-tips to toes. Keep your eyes closed, curl up and roll onto one side. Slowly sit up and take a minute or two to focus on your breath. Gently open your eyes, and try to keep that peaceful feeling with you throughout the rest of your day.
Namaste!
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SEETHALI BREATHING
With the summer air thick and hot, now is the perfect time to try seethali breathing to keep you cool! It looks so silly but it really works.
Start by sticking out your tongue and curling it up like a straw. Then take a long slow breath through your mouth, like you are sucking air through the straw, and feel it cooling as it passes over your tongue. Then as you exhale (breath out) imagine all the hot air escaping from your body.
Try to do this breath while sitting very still, maybe even close your eyes, and see how long it takes for your body and your mind to cool down.
This is a great breathing exercise (praynayama) for when it is hot outside, or when you are angry or upset inside.
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PARTNER POSES
Partner
Poses are the perfect way to renew bonds with friends and family, and
have some fun while everyone is home together. They can also be deeply
nurturing and restorative, and a great activity to do with your child.
Downdog Handstand -
This pose is so much fun! While one partner gets a great downdog
adjustment the other gets to go upside down in a safe and supported
handstand variation. Start off standing back to back, then walking
apart and placing your hands at opposite ends of one yoga mat.
The
first partner should start in downdog, and make sure that they are very
secure, with their fingers spread wide and their whole hands pushing
down into the earth. Then partner two should root their own hands
down, and very carefully place the top of one foot and then the other
onto their partner's sacrum (the bony triangle at the base of the
spine). Partner two should keep pressing their hands down and lifting
their hips high, while partner one presses their heels down towards the
floor and stays very steady.
See the photo above to get the
idea, and don't forget to communicate with your partner and let each
other know when you need to come down. Rest in child's pose and then
switch places. Try this pose with someone about your height - it's
great for kids and for grown-ups!
Turtle On A Rock -
Turtle On A Rock is a deeply relaxing pose best done with one adult and
one child, or an older and younger sibling. The adult (or older child)
should start in child's pose, sitting on their heels and then folding
forward until the forehead rests on the mat. If the forehead doesn't
reach the mat rest it on a firm pillow or block.
The child
then comes close to the adult's hips, facing away. Very gently have
the child sit on the edge of the adult's hips and then lower down to
lay across their back. Have the child open their arms out to the side
so that they fall down off the adult's back, opening their heart to the
sky.
Stay here for as long as you are both comfortable. See
if you can breathe together, feeling each other's backs rise and fall.
This pose is wonderful for children who have a cold or chest
congestion, or have difficulty breathing. It is also extremely
relaxing and soothing for the adult and a great pose for deepening the
bond between the partners.
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SURFING
Take a yoga adventure to the beach and go surfing!
Take
a deep breath and smell the salty sea air. Then get on your surf board
(yoga mat) and start swimming. The waves are coming in so make sure
you paddle really hard! Take a few deep breaths and see if you can
hold them as the waves roll over you and your board.
Keep
swimming until you see a big wave coming, and then jump up onto your
board. Spread your legs and arms wide, bend your knees and ride the
wave in to shore.
Start swimming out again and catch another
wave on the other side. Keep surfing until you are ready to rest and
close your eyes on the beach.
Try surfing to some music. I always love The Beach Boys or "wipe-out".
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