Good

yoga poses to practise at home to reset and recentre yourself.

Hold each pose for a minimum of three to five breaths and up to two minutes.

SIDE BODY STRETCH

Start in a seated cross-legged position but have one shin stacked infront of the other. You can always sit on a block or a blanket to elevate the hips if sitting is di icult for you.

Place one palm down to the mat and reach the opposite arm up towards the ceiling. As you bend through your elbow, draw the upper arm over towards the palm that is resting on the mat to create an opening through your side ribs and let your ear soften down towards your shoulder. Repeat on the opposite side.

The benefits: A side stretch is very good for releasing any tension through the side body and increases our capacity to breathe deeper. It also encourages health of the spine.

CHILD’S POSE

Kneel onto your mat and either bring the big toes to touch and have your knees as wide as your mat or bring the knees in so that the thighs are touching. Extend the arms out in front of you – crawl the fingertips as far forward as you can, and then soften the chin in towards the chest, and rest your forehead on the ground.

The benefits: It’s very grounding to have the forehead in connection with a surface. If your forehead can’t touch the ground, just place a block or a book underneath the forehead so you have that resting point. This is a beautiful stretch to support the spine. Foetal position is a very familiar pose to the body, so it helps calm the nervous system – which makes it a fantastic position to come into if you are ever feeling dizzy or overwhelmed and you need a moment’s rest. It’s very soothing and allows the heart rate to drop back to its natural rhythm.

CAT COW

Take a four-point kneeling position with the knees hip-width apart and the palms shoulder-width apart. Spread your fingertips and feel the front of the feet against the floor. Let the belly soften towards the ground and roll the shoulders down and back and think about opening across the collarbones as you lift the crown of your head. Then as you take your next breath, draw the chin in towards the chest and parachute the ribs up towards the sky, allowing the chin to soften in and feel that expansion through the back of the ribs up towards the ceiling. Repeat this flow of flexion and extension of the spine moving with your breath.

The benefits: Moving from extension into flexion stimulates oxygen through the spine, which creates greater health of the spine and is very energising for the body and mind.

Wellbeing

en-nz

2023-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://good.pressreader.com/article/282402698487268

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