For your practice pleasure, here is a short video to move along with.
My room is messy and I look a fright, but the movements are beneficial to prepare yourself for gardening, or really anytime.
Enjoy. Hope you are well and peaceful.
Showing posts with label practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label practice. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Short practice to pop the bubble
Ever have a bubble in your throat? You know the desire to scream, bitch, cry, drop the diplomacy and just spill it sista! Yeah... that's pretty much my Thursday(s). The small gnawing behind my eyes that was just an annoyance on Monday has matured into what will be a thumping menace by end of day Thursday. Aargh!
Relax. Friday is coming.
And the following morning flow helps pop the bubble and keep my filters somewhat intact.
1. Tadasana
2. Standing yoga mudra
3. Hands to floor - Forward fold
4. Tadasana
Repeat 3 x
-------
5. Tadasana
6. standing yoga mudra
7. hands to floor - forward fold
8. rag doll
-------
9. from rag doll spread feet a bit more than hip width apart
10. bend knees - hands on thighs - lengthen into a jackknife back
11. Standing cats & cows - 3- 5x
12. wide stance tadasana
13. drinking bird - legs straight, hinge forward into a flat back, arms beside hips*
14. rocking horse - deeply bend knees - lift body up - arms beside ears*
15. drinking bird
16. standing cats & cows 3 -5x
17. catcher's twist - hands to thighs, knees bent, long spine - twist through belly, chest to look over one shoulder, then the other. - 3 - 5 x
18. Tadasana
______
19. Downward dog
20. Plank
21. Downward dog
Repeat 3 x holding each posture for 5 breaths.
___
22. Downward dog
23. lift rt. leg, bend knee, stack rt hip on top of lft.
24. extend rt. leg up into 3 legged dog
25 ease onto lft. knee
25. modified side plank
26. Hands and knees
27. thread the needle
28. down dog
Repeat on other side
_______
29. From down dog - hero's posture
30. breath of fire - 2 minutes
31. sphinx - lion's breath
32. puppy stretch
33. cobra - lion's breath
34. puppy stretch
35. upward dog - lion's breath
36. crocodile - deep sigh
37. Downward dog
38. Cobblers pose w/twist.
39. Sitting meditation.
Breathe.
OM SHANTI
*This video demonstrates "drinking bird" and "rocking horse" and is also a sweet little flow.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Confessions of a cranky yogi
Deep breath in.
Let it out.
K. Here goes.
My name is Jennifer, & I am a cranky yogi. Right now i am anyway and ... well, often I am.
This is a difficult post for me to write. However, as i move into the next phase of life, i simply wish to live authentically. First, i need to figure out what exactly living authentically means ... or means for me anyway.
I mean, yoga people are expected to be .... what? Eternally internally mellow and externally fit? Oozing wisdom & spirituality?
I would love to be a floaty yogi. You know. The ones who have starlight shining from their eyes and sunbeams shooting from their heart chakra. They have the yamas and niyamas down! In fact they climb all over the 8 limbs like circus performing children on monkey bars. Bitches! (see, cranky) They are simply oozing harmony and unity. So much so that Monarchs come to rest on their shoulders attracted by that sweet smelling sweaty nectar of equanimity and non-judgement.
But, I am not all that. The fact of the matter is there is this dark place where i tend to hang out frequently. Whether this place was inherited from my ancestors, or whether it was constructed from conditioning, it can be a pretty dark place. Sometimes, it's a place of solace and sometimes a place of deep sadness & loneliness.
My therapist tells me i am depressed. Yes. I said therapist. Because everybody needs someone to talk to sometime. & if i pay someone to listen, at least they'll act like they're listening & not interrupt. Yes?
Deep breath in.
Let it go.
But, here is the thing .... the other side of darkness is light. And honestly, spending too much time on either side is not healthy, in my opinion. Overly happy people need to calm the hell down and overly sad people need to get over themselves (yeah, i'm including myself in that group).
So, my goal for the year is to work that balance... to take a seat in that space between darkness and light. To bask a little bit in those warm golden rays of contentment. Sometimes, in my area if you get to the lake at just the right time, you can see the night sky rolling in from east to west. And there is a moment of time where you are standing right in between night and day. Darkness on one side & light on the other. It's not as though the points are divided so much as they are simply working together. But it's a very comforting and powerful moment for me. And that is kind of how i define contentment - as a resting space between the happiness & sadness. And i think to live authentically is to be content. Not complacent ... but content. and detached. contentedly detached .... balanced.
So, this is my journey. Honestly, my chest is a little tight from pangs of anxiety as i write this. I am really a rather private person. But the first step to anything, really, is accepting the present moment. And maybe there are others who are splashing around in a similar psychological mud pit. And, maybe, just maybe ... i can be of some use after all.
Deep breath in.
Let it go.
Let it out.
K. Here goes.
My name is Jennifer, & I am a cranky yogi. Right now i am anyway and ... well, often I am.
This is a difficult post for me to write. However, as i move into the next phase of life, i simply wish to live authentically. First, i need to figure out what exactly living authentically means ... or means for me anyway.
I mean, yoga people are expected to be .... what? Eternally internally mellow and externally fit? Oozing wisdom & spirituality?
I would love to be a floaty yogi. You know. The ones who have starlight shining from their eyes and sunbeams shooting from their heart chakra. They have the yamas and niyamas down! In fact they climb all over the 8 limbs like circus performing children on monkey bars. Bitches! (see, cranky) They are simply oozing harmony and unity. So much so that Monarchs come to rest on their shoulders attracted by that sweet smelling sweaty nectar of equanimity and non-judgement.
But, I am not all that. The fact of the matter is there is this dark place where i tend to hang out frequently. Whether this place was inherited from my ancestors, or whether it was constructed from conditioning, it can be a pretty dark place. Sometimes, it's a place of solace and sometimes a place of deep sadness & loneliness.
My therapist tells me i am depressed. Yes. I said therapist. Because everybody needs someone to talk to sometime. & if i pay someone to listen, at least they'll act like they're listening & not interrupt. Yes?
Deep breath in.
Let it go.
But, here is the thing .... the other side of darkness is light. And honestly, spending too much time on either side is not healthy, in my opinion. Overly happy people need to calm the hell down and overly sad people need to get over themselves (yeah, i'm including myself in that group).
So, my goal for the year is to work that balance... to take a seat in that space between darkness and light. To bask a little bit in those warm golden rays of contentment. Sometimes, in my area if you get to the lake at just the right time, you can see the night sky rolling in from east to west. And there is a moment of time where you are standing right in between night and day. Darkness on one side & light on the other. It's not as though the points are divided so much as they are simply working together. But it's a very comforting and powerful moment for me. And that is kind of how i define contentment - as a resting space between the happiness & sadness. And i think to live authentically is to be content. Not complacent ... but content. and detached. contentedly detached .... balanced.
So, this is my journey. Honestly, my chest is a little tight from pangs of anxiety as i write this. I am really a rather private person. But the first step to anything, really, is accepting the present moment. And maybe there are others who are splashing around in a similar psychological mud pit. And, maybe, just maybe ... i can be of some use after all.
Deep breath in.
Let it go.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
another short morning sequence
This morning I found this cool online meditation timer. It's simple and, best of all, free.
My personal practice has fallen by the wayside of late. But this morning, instead of saying "screw it" to doing something good for myself because I have places to be and things to do, I said "screw it" to those places and things & took a few moments for myself. I mean, shoot! I am worth a few moments of my day. Aren't you?
And I fit a very nice simple practice into about 10-15 minutes w/the help of the online timer. It chimes a start, midway and ending tone. The midway chime is very helpful because I tend to lose track of time and either end up lopsided or running very very late into my day.
And man, did that short sequence of stretches feel gOOOOD.
So, I will share that sequence with you.
Mountain
Bring hands to low back, interlace fingers, stretch arms down the spine.
Release the hands bring arms overhead.
Fold forward.
Jacknife 3x
Step back into low lunge.
Exhale into arda hanumanasana
Inhale - low crescent lunge
repeat 3 x
High lunge
forward fold
Mountain
Repeat on other side
Mountain
forward fold
plank - 5 breaths
cobra - 5 breaths
downward dog - 5 breaths
forward fold
Mountain
Raise arms overhead interlace fingers, palms turn up & pinkies turn away. Stretch up from soles of feet to palms of hands. Keeping shoulders away from the ears. 3 - 5 breaths
standing crescent moon to one side.
Switch the hands so the opposite index finger is in front.
Repeat.
Tree - 3 - 5 breaths on both sides
Qi gong twist - dragon slithers up the column ( I practice this a bit differently than described here. But the link provides sufficient instruction)
4 x - holding on the last for 3 - 5 breaths.
2 minutes of tantric power breath
2 minutes meditation.
Aaaaaaaahhhh. That's better.
My personal practice has fallen by the wayside of late. But this morning, instead of saying "screw it" to doing something good for myself because I have places to be and things to do, I said "screw it" to those places and things & took a few moments for myself. I mean, shoot! I am worth a few moments of my day. Aren't you?
And I fit a very nice simple practice into about 10-15 minutes w/the help of the online timer. It chimes a start, midway and ending tone. The midway chime is very helpful because I tend to lose track of time and either end up lopsided or running very very late into my day.
And man, did that short sequence of stretches feel gOOOOD.
So, I will share that sequence with you.
Mountain
Bring hands to low back, interlace fingers, stretch arms down the spine.
Release the hands bring arms overhead.
Fold forward.
Jacknife 3x
Step back into low lunge.
Exhale into arda hanumanasana
Inhale - low crescent lunge
repeat 3 x
High lunge
forward fold
Mountain
Repeat on other side
Mountain
forward fold
plank - 5 breaths
cobra - 5 breaths
downward dog - 5 breaths
forward fold
Mountain
Raise arms overhead interlace fingers, palms turn up & pinkies turn away. Stretch up from soles of feet to palms of hands. Keeping shoulders away from the ears. 3 - 5 breaths
standing crescent moon to one side.
Switch the hands so the opposite index finger is in front.
Repeat.
Tree - 3 - 5 breaths on both sides
Qi gong twist - dragon slithers up the column ( I practice this a bit differently than described here. But the link provides sufficient instruction)
4 x - holding on the last for 3 - 5 breaths.
2 minutes of tantric power breath
2 minutes meditation.
Aaaaaaaahhhh. That's better.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
a simple sequence for the back and shoulders
Here is a simple restful warmup sequence that i find helpful to ease an achy back and cranky shoulders.
Let me know what you think. Feel free to leave comments.
Remember - practice safely & mindfully. And check with your doctor before venturing into any exercise program.
Peace.
Lie on your back. Bend the knees and line the heels up w/ the hips.
Place your hands on the hip bones. Let the back surrender to the floor, the shoulder blades sink with heaviness.
Breathe.
Inhale deeply filling the belly. Exhale relaxing the spine.
Notice the movement of the body, the gentle rocking of the pelvis with the breath.
And deepen the breath.
As you inhale, the belly inflates, the lower back arches as the pelvis tilts towards the back of the body.
As you exhale the lower back rests into the floor as the pelvis tilts towards the front to the body and the tailbone lifts ever so slightly.
Be here. Coordinating movement with breath. Pausing at the top of the inhalation and at the bottom of the exhalation.
Stay with this movement as long as you wish.
When you are ready, move back to the starting point.
Separate the feet a bit more than hip width apart. Let the arms fall away from the body.
Begin to slowly move the knees from side to side. There is no goal of getting a knee to the floor. Simply relax into the feeling of the hips beginning to open.
Again, let the breath guide the movement.
Stay with this movement as long as you wish
Bring yourself back to the starting point - knees bent and heels in line w/the hips.
Place the hands, palms down, on the floor beside the hips.
As you inhale, press evenly into the feet and begin to peel the spine off the floor inhaling up just a little bit vertebrae by vertebrae. Then exhaling down the same way.
As you feel comfortable, you can roll up a little higher working up to the shoulder blades.
Allow your breath to guide this movement 6 - 8 times
Lifting the spine with the inhalation again, this time lifting the arms and bringing them to rest beside the ears.
Exhale - roll the spine to the floor and bring the hands beside the hips.
Repeat this motion 3 x.
Again, peel the back off the floor & bring the arms beside the ears with the inhalation. With the exhalation move the spine to the floor and the hands beside the hips. This time, at the bottom of the exhalation, bring the knees into the chest then roll the chest & chin up towards the knees. Take a breath here. Follow the inhalation back into bridge posture - lifted spine and arms beside the ears.
Repeat 3x
Once more lift up through the back and bring the arms up beside the ears.
Then hold the posture.
Press down evenly through the insides and outsides of the feet. The thighs should be parallel with one another.
Lift up through the fronts of the thighs and the pelvis, moving the chest towards the chin. Keep the neck natural.
Stay here in this variation of setu bandha sarvangasana bridge posture for 5 breaths.
Slowly lower down.
Drop the hands away from the body just a little bit. Spread the feet a little wider than the hips and rock the knees side to side.
Draw the knees back to center line the heels with hips. Reach the arms up towards the ceiling. Bend the right arm and hold it right above the chest then bend the left arm and place it on top of the left (think of making a "basket" with your arms.) Keep the arms connected as you drop the left elbow towards the floor and the knees to the right. Hold here for about 5 deep breaths.
Then move back to center. Switch the arms and repeat - dropping the right elbow towards the floor and the knees to the left. And hold here.
Pull back to center. Release the arms. Roll the body to right as though you are rolling over in bed. Mindfully lift yourself and come into simple sitting, sukhasana. Bring the hands to the knees and rotate the body 3x in one direction & 3x in the other.
Come back into the quiet of sukhasana. From here you can continue on with your practice or sit quietly for few minutes then continue on with your day.
Namaste
Let me know what you think. Feel free to leave comments.
Remember - practice safely & mindfully. And check with your doctor before venturing into any exercise program.
Peace.
Lie on your back. Bend the knees and line the heels up w/ the hips.
Place your hands on the hip bones. Let the back surrender to the floor, the shoulder blades sink with heaviness.
Breathe.
Inhale deeply filling the belly. Exhale relaxing the spine.
Notice the movement of the body, the gentle rocking of the pelvis with the breath.
And deepen the breath.
As you inhale, the belly inflates, the lower back arches as the pelvis tilts towards the back of the body.
As you exhale the lower back rests into the floor as the pelvis tilts towards the front to the body and the tailbone lifts ever so slightly.
Be here. Coordinating movement with breath. Pausing at the top of the inhalation and at the bottom of the exhalation.
Stay with this movement as long as you wish.
When you are ready, move back to the starting point.
Separate the feet a bit more than hip width apart. Let the arms fall away from the body.
Begin to slowly move the knees from side to side. There is no goal of getting a knee to the floor. Simply relax into the feeling of the hips beginning to open.
Again, let the breath guide the movement.
Stay with this movement as long as you wish
Bring yourself back to the starting point - knees bent and heels in line w/the hips.
Place the hands, palms down, on the floor beside the hips.
As you inhale, press evenly into the feet and begin to peel the spine off the floor inhaling up just a little bit vertebrae by vertebrae. Then exhaling down the same way.
As you feel comfortable, you can roll up a little higher working up to the shoulder blades.
Allow your breath to guide this movement 6 - 8 times
Lifting the spine with the inhalation again, this time lifting the arms and bringing them to rest beside the ears.
Exhale - roll the spine to the floor and bring the hands beside the hips.
Repeat this motion 3 x.
Again, peel the back off the floor & bring the arms beside the ears with the inhalation. With the exhalation move the spine to the floor and the hands beside the hips. This time, at the bottom of the exhalation, bring the knees into the chest then roll the chest & chin up towards the knees. Take a breath here. Follow the inhalation back into bridge posture - lifted spine and arms beside the ears.
Repeat 3x
Once more lift up through the back and bring the arms up beside the ears.
Then hold the posture.
Press down evenly through the insides and outsides of the feet. The thighs should be parallel with one another.
Lift up through the fronts of the thighs and the pelvis, moving the chest towards the chin. Keep the neck natural.
Stay here in this variation of setu bandha sarvangasana bridge posture for 5 breaths.
Slowly lower down.
Drop the hands away from the body just a little bit. Spread the feet a little wider than the hips and rock the knees side to side.
Draw the knees back to center line the heels with hips. Reach the arms up towards the ceiling. Bend the right arm and hold it right above the chest then bend the left arm and place it on top of the left (think of making a "basket" with your arms.) Keep the arms connected as you drop the left elbow towards the floor and the knees to the right. Hold here for about 5 deep breaths.
Then move back to center. Switch the arms and repeat - dropping the right elbow towards the floor and the knees to the left. And hold here.
Pull back to center. Release the arms. Roll the body to right as though you are rolling over in bed. Mindfully lift yourself and come into simple sitting, sukhasana. Bring the hands to the knees and rotate the body 3x in one direction & 3x in the other.
Come back into the quiet of sukhasana. From here you can continue on with your practice or sit quietly for few minutes then continue on with your day.
Namaste
Saturday, March 19, 2011
a practice for a quiet mind
One my biggest challenges is simply rolling out my mat then stepping onto it. For the longest time I felt that if I did not have a complete hour or longer to dedicate to asana & pranayama, the practice simply wasn't worth doing. However the "hour" rarely, if ever presented itself. & I found myself just getting tighter & crankier.
So, practice, whether it consists of 5 minutes of pranayama & 5 minutes of meditation or holding one pose then a counterpose on both sides of the body is still practice - & very beneficial.
So, here is a suggestion for a short 15 - 20 minute asana practice to help you ground, center & quiet your mind for the challenges of your day or to unwind after a busy day.
*As always, practice with compassion and gratitude for your physical abilities. Please consult your doctor before practicing asana, pranayama or any exercise
program.
1. Tadasana(mountain) - finding your posture - acknowledging your breath - grounding down through the feet, lengthening up through the side body, opening the heart center, quieting the mind - breathing in gratitude, compassion & acceptance.
2. standing yoga mudra holding for 5 breaths
3. uttanasana(forward fold) - place hands on shins or thighs - inhale lengthen/straighten through the spine - exhale uttanasana - 3x
4. Rishi's posture - hold for 3-5 breaths each side - relax into uttanasana in between left and right side
5. uttanasana
6. Inhale to tadasana - moving into a slight backbend
7.chandrasana (standing crescent moon)- both sides- 3-5breaths
8. uttanasana
9. Rt. foot steps back - high lunge arms overhead - 3-5 breaths
10 exhale into low lunge. Move w/the breath, straighten the front leg w/the exhalation & bend w/the inhalation 5x
11. Low lunge - arms overhead
12. High lunge
13. Rotate into utkata konasana (goddess pose)
14. In utkata konasana, inhale arms overhead, straighten legs. Exhale into goddess with hands on thighs - kapalabhati breath. Inhale arms overhead, straight legs. Repeat 3x
15. Tadasana
16. Steps 8-13 on opposite side. Hold utkata konasana for 3- 5 breaths
17. Tadasana
18. vrksasana (tree pose) - rt. knee bent - 3-5 breaths
19. Step back w/right foot - lunge. Move through a sun salutation slooowly. Hold each element for 3 - 5 breaths.
20. Tadasana
21. Steps 18-20 opposite side
22.malasana (yogic squat)
23. baddha konasana (cobbler's pose)
24. Navasana (boat pose)
25. Move from navasana into baddha konasana - 3 - 5 x
26. baddha konasana - relax forward w/a straight spine.
27. supta baddha konasana (reclined cobbler's pose) relax here as long as you need.
28. Savasana
Namaste
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)