Divertion: I bought this at RM31.90 from mynews.com. my mom bought this at a news vendor in taman tun at RM42! and the other day...i went to Sun Mag in Ikano...and it was selling at RM10! uuurrrgh...
this magazine is really good for those who wishes to practice yoga without going for classes. especially since yoga is now banned for muslims in malaysia, i will just practice yoga at home. i think i have gone for enough classes to know the basics, the do's and the don'ts. and that is why i truly treasure this magazine! it has very detailed how-to's to ensure you are not breaking your back (or neck!).
anyway, in one of the articles, they have put a sequence for mornings, afternoons and evenings. a minimal/basic routine for those who are too busy/tired to do a full-blown sequence.
so yesterday, after a very stressful day at work...i decided to try out the evening sequence.
1. Reclining Toe-To-Head Pose
Photo courtesy YogaJournal.com
- Come to lie on your back with the legs outstretched
- Bend the right knee and hug it into your chest.
- Place a yoga strap around the ball of the right foot. Hold the ends of the strap with each hand.
- Straighten the right leg up toward the ceiling while holding tightly to the strap.
- Stretch the right leg upwards with the foot flexed, but keep the ball of the hip joint resting in the socket and both sides of your butt equally pressing into the floor.
- Keep the left foot flexed and the left leg pressing towards the floor.
- Hold for 5 to 10 breaths.
- To come out, bend the right knee back into your chest, bring the left knee to join it, and then do the left side.
Beginners: You may bend the left knee and bring the sole of the left foot to the floor if this is more comfortable.
Advanced: Instead of using the strap, take the right big toe in a yogi toe lock and then straighten the leg.2. Eye of the Needle Pose
- Begin the eye of the needle exercise by laying flat on your back on your yoga mat with your legs bent. Breathe deeply a few times, allowing the stress to dissipate from your body.
- Flex the toes of your right foot. Slowly and gently raise your straight leg and push your heel towards the ceiling. Bend at the knee and rest your right ankle on your left knee.
- Lift your left foot and slip your right hand between your legs and your left hand around the outside of your left knee. Grasp your hands together around the top your left knee. Try not to lift your head and shoulders off of the mat. If you feel like you must lift your upper body, grasp your left leg under the knee, instead of on top
- Press your right knee away from your body gently as you draw the left knee into your stomach. Only push and pull as far as is comfortable, as this exercise can be hard on the knees. If at any point you feel pain or discomfort, you have gone too far.
- Exhale and release your left leg followed by your right leg. Repeat the stretch on the opposite side. For best results, hold each stretch for a minimum of two deep breaths, or approximately 10 seconds, to release the hip muscles and reduce low back pain
- Lie on your back
- Bring your arms out to your sides palms up
- Bend your right knee and place your right foot on your left knee.
- On inhalation, push down your right knee to your left, while twisting your head to the right. Hold for 5 breaths
- Bring your right knee back to the centre and switch sides to repeat
- Sit on your buttocks, back straight, legs together in front of you, hands at your sides, palms on the floor. This is sometimes called Staff pose.
- Flex your feet and extend them on either side of your body as you lower the torso to the floor, forearms ahead of you.
- Inhale, and on the exhale, rotate your hips forward as you bend into the pose, and widen your legs a little further.
- Continue to move forward from the hips, forearms on the floor. If you start to bend at the waist, you’ve gone too far.
- Keep the kneecaps pointed toward the ceiling, and draw the shoulder blades down from the ears.
- Hold the pose for a minute or more and on an inhale, come up.
- Sit with both legs stretched out straight in front of you and your feet flexed.
- Bend your left leg in and touch it to your right inner thigh as far as you can go
- Keeping the right leg and spine straight, turn your body so that your torso faces the right leg.
- Inhale. Bring your arms over your head, and then down and over the straightened right leg. Let your arms rest on the floor or grab the bottom of your foot for a more challenging position.
- Allow your stretch to become deeper as you exhale. While holding this yoga pose, use each breath to deepen the stretch.
- Return to your sitting position and repeat with the other side.
- Sit tall with back straight and legs crossed naturally in front of you. Place your palms on the floor in front of your legs.
- Allow the spine to curve naturally as you walk your hands forward, relaxing the head and neck. Relax the shoulders down.
- Breathe deeply and hold for 10-30 seconds.
- Stretch to the point of "mild discomfort," not to the point of pain. Never bounce. To reduce the intensity of this stretch, don’t walk hands as far forward and/or keep your back straight with your head lifted.
- Sit next to a wall with the side of your body on the wall and your knees bent into the chest.
- Bring the lower back onto the floor while bringing the legs up the wall. Keep the upper body supported with the elbows on the floor.
- Slowly release the elbows and lower the whole back down to the floor.
- If you are comfortable, stay here several minutes.
- To come out, bring the knees into your chest and roll to your side.
You may wish to support the low back with a bolster or several folded blankets placed right at and parallel to the wall. This also increases the angle of inversion.
and there you have it. apparently, this also helps you SLEEP better.i do enjoy doing this...very relaxing...
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