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Love Thyself
A valentine’s sequence for self love by Lucy McCarthy
- Chest opener over two bricks
Take your two bricks and place one at the back edge of your mat on
the highest height, then place the second brick two hands distance
below the top one, horizontally at the second highest height. Lay the
back of your skull on the uppermost brick and the back of your mid
back just at the base of your shoulder blades on the second brick.
Keep your knees bent and feet on the mat hips width distance apart.
Be sure it feels delicious and easeful and do adjust the bricks higher or
lower as needed until you feel totally comfortable. Close your eyes and
start to deepen your breath. Visualise the breath starting to cleanse
and awaken the energetic heart centre. Use the breath to connect to
your heart. Notice how you are feeling today? Stay for one minute.
Then gently roll off the bricks to one side, move the bricks off the mat
and come up to all fours on your hands and your knees.
- Cat/cow spinal flow
Check your wrists are vertically stacked under your shoulders, fingers
spread wide and your knees are directly under your hips, hips width
distance apart. As you inhale, lift your sitting bones and collarbones
towards the ceiling looking up slightly with the head, whilst keeping the
back of the neck long. Exhale and round your back towards the ceiling
looking softly down towards your navel, curling head and sitbones
towards the earth. Continue to repeat this flowing, moving in sync with
your breath, washing the heart with sweetness, tenderness and love.
Enjoy the simple sensation of opening your body, giving movement
to any areas of your spine that feels stuck or tight today. Repeat for
one minute. - Puppy Stretch
Keeping your knees underneath your hips, thigh bones vertical, walk
your hands forwards until your forehead meets the earth and your
spine and heart is sloping towards the ground. Soften the collarbones
and base of the heart towards the earth. Breathe into all sides of the
chest relaxing any holding sensations you notice around your heart.
Let this pose invite in a surrendering of the mind to the wisdom of the
heart. Stay for 10 breaths. Then slowly lift the head, walk your hands
to your knees and then lift your spine so you are kneeling upright over
the knees.
Step into your highest potential with this gorgeous short, sweet practice to embrace yourself.
Encouraging a celebration of self, embracing all that you are through this fluid and uplifting
sequence to let you connect to yourself this Valentine’s Day.1
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