Yoga is the ultimate blend of control and surrender. The concentration on your breath and the subtle muscular contractions will aid in the development of a greater sense of body awareness. Your conscious effort to release overactive muscles and mental distractions will enhance your ability to accept the present and discover that steady breathing can lead to peace of mind.
Pranayama: Breathing
Sit in a comfortable seated position, on a chair or cross-legged on the floor, with an upright spine. Allow your palms to rest on your knees. Take a deep breath into your nose and release it through your nose. Inhale to allow the rib cage to widen as if you were inflating a balloon inside your chest. Exhale as you release the air from the rib cage, deflating the balloon and drawing your belly toward your spine. Continue with this breathing pattern for five to 10 minutes to obtain a calm state of mind.
Asana: Standing Pose
Stand with feet together or hip width apart for the mountain pose. Evenly distribute the weight between the balls and heels of the feet. Lift your lower abdominals to release your tailbone down. Keep your legs straight and strong by drawing the thighbones toward the back of the room. Lift the sternum as you draw the shoulder blades in and down the back. Extend your arms downward with palms facing your thighs and fingers together. Each inhale allow the energy to rise from the belly to the crown of the head. Each exhale firms your muscles to cultivate strength and stability.
Asana: Inversion
Begin in mountain pose. Inhale to raise your arms toward the ceiling. Exhale to forward fold. Extend your arms out toward the sides of the room as you hinge at the hips. Keep a slight bend in your knees as you release the crown of your head and the arms toward the floor. Evenly distribute the weight between the balls and heels of the feet. Squeeze the inner thighs toward each other and draw them up toward the pelvis as if a suction cup existed between your thighs. Inhale to draw energy up the thighs, and exhale to release the spine toward the floor. Hold the pose for five breaths to reduce anxiety and obtain a sense of peace. To come out, keep your knees bent and exhale as you strongly draw your abdominals into the spine to roll up one vertebra at a time.
Asana: Backbend
Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet hip width apart. Extend your arms along the sides of your torso with palms facing the hips. Press your feet into the floor and lift your hips up for bridge pose, keeping your knees over your ankles. Press every fiber of the upper arms into the floor to draw your shoulder blades deep into the upper back. Extend the tailbone toward the back of the knees by drawing the abdominals in and up like a zipper that extends from your pelvic floor to your lower ribs. Hold the pose for five breaths to open the chest and strengthen the legs.
References
- "The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health"; Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden; 2002
- "Yoga As Medicine"; Timothy McCall, M.D.; 2007
- "The Heart of Yoga"; T.K.V. Desikachar; 1999
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