om body
om bodyWide Legged Forward Bend
(Prasarita Padottanasana)
On an exhale lower the hands either side of the front foot onto the
floor and lift your back knee off the floor. Pivot your chest and both
feet a quarter turn to your right coming into a wide legged forward
bend. Look at your feet pigeon toe them turning your toes in heels
out slightly. Hands stacked directly under your shoulders. Bend your
knees generously to free up the lower back. Take 3 deep breaths as you
completely relax the face and back of the neck.
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Lizard
(Utthan Pristhasana)
From the wide legged forward bend on an inhale look up and lift your
spine halfway up with a long flat back. Exhale and pivot a quarter turn
back to the left into a lunge with the left leg forwards. Place both hands
to the inside of the front foot then step the front foot to the far left hand
side of the mat and turn the foot out at a 45 degree angle. Either stay
up on the hands or if more open in the hips mindfully lower onto your
forearms. Relax your head and neck completely taking 4 breaths into the
back body. If you are on your forearms come back up onto your hands.
Step the left foot back into the middle of the mat with the hands framing
the foot and on an exhale step back into Downward Facing Dog.9
Child’s Pose Forehead On Block
(Balasana)
From a kneeling position open your knees shoulders distance apart.
Top of the feet flat on the mat with your big toes touching. Keeping
the heels touching the buttocks, walk your hands out in front of you
until your spine is long and forehead touching the floor. Arms are
shoulders distance apart with the palms down, fingers spread open.
Then place a block (on the lowest height) under your forehead with the
skin of the forehead gently drawing down towards the bridge of your
nose. The block presses gently on the vagus nerve which assists in
deep relaxation and a quieting of the mind. Take 5 slow deep breaths
expanding the lungs fully in all directions on the inhale and exhaling
fully as you relax the whole body deeply.
Alternate Nostril breath (Nadi Shodhana)
From Child’s Pose lift the chest into an upright position, shoulders
stacked over the hips kneeling. Open your right palm out in front of you
and fold the index and middle fingers into the palm of the hand leaving
the thumb, ring and baby finger sticking up. Bring the right hand in front
of your face with the thumb alongside your right nostril, ring and baby
finger alongside the left nostril. Close the right nostril with your thumb
inhale slowly through the left nostril, at the top of the inhale, close the
left nostril with the ring finger open the right nostril and exhale. At the
end of the exhale inhale back through the right nostril. At the end of the
inhale close the right nostril with the thumb, open the left nostril and
exhale. Repeat this for 4 more rounds. In through the left, out through the
right, in through the right, out through the left is one round.10 11