5 days of yoga
Yoga is one of the most ancient practices known to mankind. It is a means to reconnect to ourselves and transform body, mind and spirit. Here are 5 yoga postures for you to try out, one for every day. Each posture has a benefit: BALANCE, BACK ACHE RELIEF, SLEEP, DIGESTION & MORE ENERGY.
Integrate these 5 days of yoga into your life choosing the posture most suited to your current need.
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Tree Pose – for Grounding and Balance.
1. Stand nice and firmly on the ground with both feet together.
2. Begin to bring all your body weight onto the right foot and lift up the left foot to place either on your thigh, shin or ankle depending where you feel most comfortable
3. Hold here for 5 deep breaths in and out and then repeat on the left foot.
Tree Pose is incredible for grounding, bringing us back into the present moment and allowing a return to balance within our body, mind and spirit.
Cat & Cow – For Back Ache
1. Come onto your hands and knees. Ensure your figures are widely spread out and that your wrists are in alignment with your shoulders and your knees in alignment with your hips.
2. Taking a deep breath in, arch your back by lowering your stomach down towards the floor, lifting up your head and chest. This is cow pose.
3. As you breathe out come into to cat pose by contracting your spine to lift your stomach up towards the ceiling and bringing your chin down towards your chest. Squeeze and activate your stomach muscles here.
4. Breathe in to once again lower your stomach down towards the ground, lifting up the head and chest to come back into cow pose and breathe out to contract the spine up towards the celling once more into cat pose.
*Continue this motion of breathing into cow pose and exhaling up into cat pose for 1 – 3 minutes or more to release tension in your neck, back and spine.*
Childs’s Pose – For Sleep
This posture is best when done on a slightly soft surface such as a yoga mat, blanket or towel to help cushion your knees. It can even be done on your bed before you go to sleep. Here we offer 3 variations of the same posture so see which one works best for you.
Variation 1
1. Sit on your knees so that your toes are against the floor and your bum seated on the heels of your feet.
2. Lower your stomach down toward the floor so that you are lying on your thighs.
3. Allow your forehead to rest upon the floor and your hand to rest down at your side next to your bum.
4. Bring your awareness to your breath and begin to take deep steady breaths in and out. If you can breathe in for 5 seconds and breath out for 5 seconds to begin to slow down your breathing and heart rate. Remain here until you feel calm and relaxed.
Variation 2
1. In the same position as outlined above, simply bring your arms forward to stretch them out as for in front of you as you can and place your hands onto the floor, while resting your forehead on the floor.
2. Bring your awareness to your breath and begin to take deep steady breaths in and out. If you can breathe in for 5 seconds and breath out for 5 seconds to begin to slow down your breathing and heart rate. Remain here until you feel calm and relaxed.
Variation 3
1. Keeping your arms stretched out in front of you, open your knees as wide as your can so that your big toes are touching behind you and your legs are spread out to make a V shape in front of you.
2. Bring your forehead to rest upon the floor.
3. Relaxing your whole body here, bring your full awareness to your breath and begin to take slow long deep breaths in and out.
4. If you can breathe in for 5 seconds and breath out for 5 seconds to begin to slow down your breathing and heart rate. Remain here until you feel calm and relaxed.
Cobra Pose – For Digestion
1. Lie on your stomach with your hand directly next to your shoulders.
2. As you breathe in, lift yourself up to straighten your arms so that your body weight in resting on your hand. Keep your thighs and feet rested on the floor.
3. Gently lift your head and chest and allow the bum and lower back to relax.
4. Bring your awareness to your breath and begin to take steady deep breaths in and out. (you can always push yourself back into child’s pose after cobra to relax for a moment longer)
Cobra Adjustment.
If your back and hips are slightly stiffer and you are unable to lift yourself up to the point where your arms are straight, please rather use the following adjustment of the pose.
1. Lie on your stomach with your hand directly next to your shoulders.
2. Place you’re your forearms on the floor next to you and breathe in to lift yourself up so that your upper body is lifted and you are resting on your forearms.
3. Bring your awareness to your breath and begin to take steady deep breaths in and out.
Cobra pose is wonderful to stretch out the stomach muscles. Whether you have had a little too much to eat or are experiencing stomach cramps or indigestion, this posture helps bring space onto the stomach to assist in digestion.
Wind Mill – Morning Energiser
1. Stand with your feet approximately half a metre apart. Ensure your hips and toes are all facing forward.
2. Breath in to bring your arms up to your side at shoulder height
3. Breathe out to take your left hand down towards your right leg. Grab hold of your right leg with your left hand.
4. Twist to the right side by lifting up your right hand so that it is directly above your head. Look up at your right hand.
5. Breathe in and bring your body back up to standing with your arms once again lifted at shoulder length on either side.
6. Breathe out and now go down toward the left side by bringing your right hand to your left leg.
7. Twist to lift your left hand up above your head, looking up at your left hand.
8. Breathe in coming back up to standing and repeat
*Continue this exercise for 3 – 5 minutes or more to awaken your entire body. This posture activates your nervous system, increases your heart rate and energises every part of the body and mind.
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