10 min plan – no.5

Adho mukha virasana

Starting as before: moving from AM virasana into AM svanasana repeat several times, before walking the hands back from AM Svanasana into Uttansana (check no.2 for reminders).  Take about 4-5min…take your time. Observe without judgement, without justification.

Virabhadrasana  II – 2min.  Start and finish in Tadasana. Be aware of what your body remembers from class, rather than remembering with your head. As before, if this is new to you, don’t hold it long (20seconds or less). Repeat it several times to the right and the left. Bring your questions to the class.

Virabhadrasana II

Utthita parsvakonasana

 

 

 

 

 

Utthita parsvakonasana

‘Intense  lateral stretch’  from the outside edge of the back foot right the  way thru to the fingertips.  Don’t forget the back leg. Try to find a way of working the legs that encourages the hips to open more…

Dandasana – as before. Sit on a  block if you need to. Bring the top of your sacrum forward and ‘grow’ your  spine. Sternum, collarbones and shoulderblades working as one unit. 

Viparita karani or savasana

10min Yoga plan – no.2

10th Aug onwards

If this is new to you: start with week1 for a few days before moving onto this.  Please also remember these instructions here are not designed to be in depth: just sufficient to spark a memory of what you’ve covered in class. As ever, if you need further guidance, consult ‘Light on Yoga’ or speak to me in person…

Adho mukha virasana

Spend a couple of minutes moving from Adho mukha virasana

Adho mukha svanasana

into Adho mukha svanasana (see Week 1) building a little more into downward dog each time.

 

 

Then, from the last AM svanasana, walk the hands back towards the feet: into Uttanasana. Arms folded, hanging below the head. Pull on the inner elbows. Co-ordinate it with an exhalation. Lengthen along the side ribs. Lengthen into the points of the elbows.

Tadasana. Don’t throw it away. Take the time to activate the legs. Lift and open the front body. Keep the front ribs moving back. Shoulder blades moving in and down the back. Tailbone long. Take the weight towards the back of the heels. I’m saying too much here: feel your way into it – we do it all the time, your body knows what’s expected. One last thing: try it standing back to an inward pointing corner so that the back of your head, your dorsal spine (between your shoulder blades) and tailbone/sacrum are in contact with the corner. And soften….

Then jump or step into trikonasana: turn the back foot in a little and the front foot and leg all the way out. Does this sound familiar? We’ve done this a hundred times in class: don’t over-think it, let your body lead. If that doesn’t make any sense, think about it like this: instead of listing the different movements as single instructions in your head, just make the starting shape…

Do both sides twice and return to Tadasana.

Spend a minute in savasana to finish.