Here's a short yoga sequence to to get all 6 ranges of motion of the spine moving, in less than 10 minutes. Stay in each pose for as long, or as little as you'd like; just make sure you keep the duration of time equal for both sides.
Come
to standing, separating the feet about two fists distance. Having a soft
bend in both knees, begin to fold forward, allowing the torso to melt
down over your thighs and grab your elbows with opposite hands. Enjoy
the work of gravity as you breath space in between the vertebrae,
keeping the back of the neck long. Feel free to sway side to side, or
hang in stillness. Whatever feels good here.
Plant
the palms firmly on your mat, middle fingers facing forward, leaving a
soft bend in the knees as you lift the hips toward the sky. The feet
will be about inner hip distance apart, or the length of a yoga block,
with the second toes facing in. Firm up the triceps, engaging the arms,
letting the ears fall between your upper arm bones as you soften the
shoulder blades down your back.
As you breath, bend into one knee, then the other; alternating sides, pedaling out the legs to get some movement going into the lower body, while keeping the length in your spine.
From
your 3-legged dog, draw the knee in toward your nose, using the core to
mindfully step the right foot between your hands. Untuck the back toes,
firming the tops of all five toes into the mat. Allow the right hand to
come down to the floor in line with your right hip, either on a block or
tenting the fingers tips. Inhale as you lift your left arm over head,
side bending towards the right. Keep the shoulders in line with one
another, allowing the chest to broaden. Continue to add length to both
sides of the ribs, as you breath into all the little spaces between the
left ribs.
Release both hands back down to the mat, tucking the back toes under and step the right leg back into a 3-legged dog (see #4).
As you breath, bend into one knee, then the other; alternating sides, pedaling out the legs to get some movement going into the lower body, while keeping the length in your spine.
Plant
the palms firmly on your mat, middle fingers facing forward, leaving a
soft bend in the knees as you lift the hips toward the sky. The feet
will be about inner hip distance apart, or the length of a yoga block,
with the second toes facing in. Firm up the triceps, engaging the arms,
letting the ears fall between your upper arm bones as you soften the
shoulder blades down your back.
As you breath, bend into one knee, then the other; alternating sides, pedaling out the legs to get some movement going into the lower body, while keeping the length in your spine.
As you breath, bend into one knee, then the other; alternating sides, pedaling out the legs to get some movement going into the lower body, while keeping the length in your spine.
Release both hands back down to the mat, tucking the back toes under and step the right leg back into a 3-legged dog (see #4).
From
downward dog, step or hop to your hands. With the big toes touching, and
a thumbs' space between the heels, bend the knees, sink the hips and
extend the arms skyward. Yay! Chair pose! It's not my favorite either,
but it warms up your quads like nobody's business. For a twist, the
palms press together at heart center, and begin to rotate your torso to
the right. To get deeper into the twist, hook the left elbow above the
right knee and continue to press energy into your hands. Keeping the
length along the right side of the ribs, draw energy out through the
crown of your head on the inhale, and twist deeper wringing out the
middle and upper back with your exhale.
Inhale to come to center, and
take your twist to the left side.
Inhale,
finding your way back to center in your chair pose and begin to fold
forward once again. Separating the feet hip distance, keep the soft bend
in the knees, like you did in your rag doll pose. If your shoulders are
sensitive, stay here. Or, to get into the shoulders, interlace the
hands behind the small of your back and allow them to fall towards the
floor in front of you. Press the palms together, if that's possible and
breath space into your shoulders.
To come out, slowly roll yourself up to standing. Gently closing your eyes, take 3 additional rounds of breath, noticing how your body feels now compared to when you first woke up. If you'd like to set an intention for your day ahead, feel free to add that in here as well. Softly open your eyes, and get ready to conquer the day ahead!
To come out, slowly roll yourself up to standing. Gently closing your eyes, take 3 additional rounds of breath, noticing how your body feels now compared to when you first woke up. If you'd like to set an intention for your day ahead, feel free to add that in here as well. Softly open your eyes, and get ready to conquer the day ahead!
