Women’s Fitness Australia — May 2017

NOT A NEWSFLASH: YOGA

HAS THE ABILITY TO DESTRESS.

This sequence from yoga instructor

Pippa Richardson takes it one pose

further by helping both the mind and

body prepare for a night of restful sleep.

“There are a wide variety of things

that can a ect our sleep, including

lifestyle habits and physical conditions,”

says Richardson. “Yoga is proven to help

reduce these psychological stressors,

which, in turn, can have a positive e ect

on the way we sleep. We can use specifi c

poses and breath work to stimulate the

parasympathetic nervous system (the

‘rest and digest’ mechanisms in the body).”

Get bendy with these yoga poses and

you can say see ya later to restless nights

and hello to long, good-quality slumbers.

Make a habit of doing them every night.

“Ideally it’ll be the last thing you do in your

day,” adds Richardson. Sweet dreams!

HOW TO DO IT: Perform each pose

one after the other, taking as much time

as needed. Repeat and remain in each

pose for the time/reps recommended.

■ (^) Start in a tabletop position
on all fours, with wrists under
your shoulders, and knees
under your hips.
■ (^) Curl your spine up towards
the ceiling; let the back of
your neck be long.
■ (^) Then move in the opposite
direction, allowing your belly
to soften to the fl oor a little
bit and lengthening your body
from the crown of your head
to your tail, while drawing your
shoulders down your back.
■ (^) Repeat this movement
for a few rounds of breath,
taking your spine through
fl exion and extension.
■ (^) From all fours, tuck your
toes under and send your sit
bones back towards your heels.
■ (^) Reach your arms out in
front, little fi ngers touching
the outside edges of the
mat. Spread your hands
and push down through
your index fi ngers.
■ (^) Slowly lift your knees away
from the fl oor and begin
to straighten your legs,
pushing your hips upwards.
■ (^) Once you’ve come up,
bend your knees so your
spine can lengthen. Keep your
head in line with your spine.
■ (^) Stay for a few breaths and
let your knees come to the
fl oor. Repeat this 3-5 times.
■ (^) Kneel on the fl oor and fold
your torso over your thighs
so that your forehead comes
to rest on the fl oor. You can
experiment with having your
knees together or having a
little bit of space between
your thighs. Arms can rest
by the sides of your body
or reach out in front.
■ (^) Stay in this position for
3-5 minutes or longer.
■ (^) Sit sideways against
a wall with your right hip
and right shoulder gently
touching the wall.
■ (^) Carefully, in one smooth
movement, swing your
legs up the wall and allow
your back and head to
come to rest on the
ground. If you have
moved away from the
wall, shu• e yourself
forwards slightly so
that your sit bones
are touching the wall.
■ (^) Extend your legs
straight up the wall; your
arms can fall away from
your body or you can
rest them on your belly.
■ (^) Stay in this position
for 5-15 minutes.

CATCOW
Technique 
DOWNWARD DOG
Technique

CHILD’S POSE
Technique 
LEGSUPTHEWALL
Technique
Search for womensfi tnessau on Spotify
to get this workout’s matching playlist!
Imagine you have a long
leopard’s tail, which is
pulling you up and back
Spread your hands and root down through
the joint of your index fi ngers throughout
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RelaxFIT
WORDS
AMANDA KHOUV
PHOTOGRAPHY
HENRY CARTER
Bend your knees slightly if
your hamstrings are tight