Author: james craig

HANDS-TO-FEET POSE

(Hands to Feet Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches your low back
  • It opens flexibility in your hips
  • Strengthens your Achilles

For your mind:

  • Supports your connection to muscles
  • Focus your breathing to slow down.
  • Can calm down the internal dialogue

For your spirit:

  • Reduces fear of the unknown
  • Increases your conviction in yourself
  • Allows kindness to spread throughout your Self-body and mind

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Take A Ragdoll pose
  • Cup your calves with a grip to pull you down
  • Bend your knees more
  • Be gentle but grab your ankles like ropes to pull you down. (Only whats comfortable)

Pose Description:

  1. Starting in a forward fold position.
  2. With big toes touching root into your ball mounds evenly.
  3. Bend your knees to bring your belly and thighs together.
  4. Engage your core and relax your neck and jaw.
  5. Lift your right heel and slide your hand under from behind.
  6. Cup your heel with your palm and place your heel down.
  7. Lift your right heel and cup it.
  8. Gently allow your upper body to engage and pull you down.
  9. Slowly straighten your legs while you breathe.
  10. Lift your tail bone toward the ceiling.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Balancing Poses Yoga Poses

HALF-MOON POSE

(Half-Moon Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • It opens up lung capacity on each side of the body
  • Releases tension in the spine
  • It can strengthen your spines facia

For your mind:

  • Clears your thinking
  • Stimulates awareness of your toes

For your spirit:

  • Encourages oneself to step past perceived limits
  • Connects you to new potential

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • For shoulder injuries, you can leave your hands at your heart center in prayer.
  • Second shoulder mod, with both arms overhead, lower your right arm down to your side with your palm, open out to the side to extend a half-moon image made by your arms in a mirror. The arm overhead can continue to stretch.
  • Third modification, rotate your left hand toward the ceiling palm up. Wrap your right thumb and pointer finger like a bracelet around your left wrist. Draw your shoulders down your back and then extend your right hand over to the right.
(Rotate your palm toward the ceiling)
(Drop your arm palm face up)

Pose Description:

  1. Start from a standing position.
  2. Open your palms out and away from your body to open shoulder rotation.
  3. Reach your arms over your head and bring your palms together.
  4. Interlace your fingers with a firm grip.
  5. Lower your shoulders softly. (Extend your spine comfortably)
  6. Release your pointer finger into a steeple grip.
  7. Suction your palms together.
  8. Root both feet down equally.
  9. Use your right hand to extend over to the right. (Go only as far as a breath cycle allows)
  10. Lengthen your low back.
  11. Leave your ears between your biceps.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Yoga Poses

BALL POSE

(Ball Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches the spinal cord
  • It gives way to releasing tension from the jaw and throat
  • Relaxes the sinus muscle by giving it space at the front of the skull
  • Removes tense shoulders
  • Strengthens the plantar facia arch

For your mind:

  • Focus your equilibrium
  • Creates awareness of your eye muscles
  • Calms and centers you

For your spirit:

  • Ignites balance within oneself

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Place 1 block in front of you horizontally and face down wide to support your balance.
  • Bend your knees only halfway to the full depth you imagine achieving.
  • Use the seat of a fold-out chair to control your balance into the descent into a ball pose.
  • Leave your hands lightly on the ground (fingertips or palms) to give you balance and control over how you bend your knees.
  • These are to support your joints.

Pose Description:

  1. Starting from a forward fold pose or halfway lift pose.
  2. From a forward fold pose
  3. Fan your toes and place even weight on the ball mounds of each foot.
  4. Lift your heels and place your spread-out fingertips on the floor.
  5. Bend your knees slowly, maintaining what you have down thus far on both feet.
  6. Plant your palms on the floor and feel your arms squeeze on your thighs.
  7. Mindfully “round” your upper body, neck, and head forward and softly gaze down to gain balance.
  8. Wrap one hand around your knee, keeping thighs engaged, and assist.
  9. Wrap your other hand around your knee, connecting your forearms firmly and comfortably.
  10. Breathe here evenly and try to close your eyes for five breaths.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Balancing Poses Yoga Poses

HALF-WAY LIFT POSE

(Half-way Lift Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Strengthens your connection from your feet to your abdominal muscles
  • Engages Latissimus Dorsi
  • Stretches neck and overall spine
  • Stimulates even blood flow throughout your body

For your mind:

  • Centers your equilibrium
  • Conducts awareness of your core and inner-thigh relationship
  • It helps you observe your breath stretch your body
(Half-way Lift Pose)

For your spirit:

  • Stimulates courage and confidence within oneself
  • Encourages intrepid outlook on what’s possible
  • Concentrate your inner strength from the ground up on a level playing field

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(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Utilize Two blocks you can place your hands onto to stabilize your balance until stronger.
  • Place a chair before you to use the seat to hold your balance.
  • Put your hands on your thighs to assist low back injuries or knee injuries.

Pose Description:

  1. Starting in a forward-fold pose.
  2. Press the soles of your feet evenly into your mat to stimulate alignment.
  3. Lengthen your spine slowly.
  4. Plant your palms on your shins and extend your arms.
  5. Engage your thighs.
  6. Contract your core.
  7. Widen your shoulders.
  8. Relax your neck and softly gaze down.
  9. Breathe here for a few cycles and learn from how your muscle engagements feel; make it better for yourself.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Balancing Poses Yoga Poses

FORWARD FOLD POSE

(Foreward Fold Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • The brain receives new blood flow
  • The brain receives more oxygen
  • Stretches your lower back and hamstrings

For your mind:

  • It gets you into a new perspective.
  • Clears your mind to refresh your thought process
  • Releases emotions you may be resisting

For your Spirit:

  • It teaches you to let go of resistance in yourself.
  • It opens up your flexibility within
  • If you are down, you can get back up.

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Take Ragdoll Pose, separate your feet hip-width wide, fold forward, grab your elbows, and gently pull your elbows down.
  • Bend your knees a little more.
  • Use a chair or wall or safety bar, or blocks to assist your balance.
  • Remember, flexibility will come through practice and the strength you gain to focus intentionally.
(Bend your knees more)
(Palms on the floor or blocks)
(Use your finger-tips)
(Take a Ragdoll pose)

Pose Description:

  1. Start by standing up, place your hands at your heart, or reach your hands overhead.
  2. With your big toes together or separate slightly.
  3. Release your toes, and slightly bend your knees.
  4. Relax your gluteus maximus, contract your core, and hinge your hips slowly.
  5. Fold forward to touch the ground.
  6. Keep your lumbar spine length with abdominal contraction on the way down.
  7. Flaten your palms’ on the floor with thumbs outside your pinky toes.
  8. Take a breath to lengthen more into your fold.
  9. Remove tension from your neck by gently releasing it to gravity.
  10. Pull yourself down and connect your belly to your thighs. (Push your palms down, or Cup your calves.)
  11. As slow as your breath, straighten your legs at the same pace. (Do not force, allow.)
  12. Establish a connection to every muscle in your body, from your toes to your hands and everything in between.
  13. Be here for a few breaths, your choice of how many.
  14. Important! Exit slowly.
  15. (option a Half-way Lift Pose here)

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Balancing Poses Yoga Poses

Yoga is your Mind

Your mind is such an incredible entity that is connected to all the energy in the universe. This union between you and all that is around you can be “thought of” and when contemplated may be felt within oneself. Each mind has an entire universe set inside of it, it has been growing from the very start of life, yours and before. And then how you insert new information into your mind, the future gives way to who you can become and how you want to become it. The will to become it is your choice and always can be. We can recognize this with the simplicity that every mind has its body or physical state that it exists in. Your mind then discovers the universe that surrounds your body. This makes the unity of mind and body as close to one another as energy is to mass and light. They can not be “separate”. Mindfully think about that. How you imagine yourself can be just as important as how you are being, this can be thought of like this picture clear in your mind as physically turning on the light switch to your rooms lamp with ease. Try this out for yourself, it’s easy, picture yourself turning on the light switch in your room right now. Then physically do it, are they similar. Work on your mind with visualization. The more you work on this the more at ease each movement will be. When your mind has a clear representation of what you would like to see in your world it becomes solid, you can believe that these seemingly two states mental and physical are essentially one state of being. And now you can turn the energy of the mind into the world you see around you every moment. Start by going easy on yourself, learning takes time. Be patient. When you practice a physical Yoga practice, you can begin to see, feel and hear what yoga is inside of yourself and around you, and why Yoga is your Mind. That’s not too complicating… Happy practicing, namaste friend.

Categories: Yoga Themes

BACK BEND POSE

(Back Bend Pose)
(Back Bend Pose)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stretches intercostal muscles and increases flexibility
  • It opens up lung capacity.
  • Strengthens latissimus dorsi and upper/mid-back muscles

For your mind:

  • It builds trust in oneself, and you can keep your balance.
  • It brings more awareness to the bottom of your feet and stabilizes you.
  • It teaches you to release stress, and everything will be okay.

For your spirit:

  • Have less fear and more courage
  • It opens your heart to what is really in front of you.
  • Centers you to cultivate greater balance within

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(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Place your palms on your lower back or upper glute for support.
  • Bring your thumbs to your sternum with palms together, “prayer hands” on your chest, easy for your shoulders.
  • Reach your arms overhead with palms together or with a steeple grip, advanced level to grow strength and flexibility.
(Hands in a heart mudra position on your chest and lean back.)

Pose Description:

  1. Stand up.
  2. Plant the soles of your feet down onto your mat.
  3. Open your palms externally and reach your arms over your head.
  4. Draw your shoulders down your back and lift your chest.
  5. Taught and engage your core throughout this posture.
  6. Bend your elbows starting with an obtuse angle like a diamond.
  7. Cactus your arms at your elbows at 90 degrees if comfortable.
  8. Raise your gaze about a 33 to 45-degree angle forward and up and face your palms in the same direction.
  9. Slowly fall backward as you root down only to the edge of your comfort.
  10. Gently engage your transverse abdominals to support your spine.
  11. Exit through Moutain Pose.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Balancing Poses Yoga Poses

MOUNTAIN POSE

(Mountain Pose w/ Extended Arms Overhead)

Benefits:

For your body:

  • Stimulates balance in the center of your body to relax your mind.
  • Strengthens your spine by standing tall and breathing for a few cycles.
  • It opens blood flow to your muscles to firm and tones them and helps you engage with your whole body.

For your mind:

  • It improves concentration so you can let go of moving or having to be anywhere.
  • Encourages patience to be here and now and open to the vulnerability of the present moment.
  • Builds awareness of the substance of the ground beneath your feet by thinking about how your muscle carry themselves in the posture when they can settle to the bone; there seems to be no effort here.

For your spirit:

  • It fires up your confidence in how you breathe and the recognition of your breath at any second.
  • When you feel taller and lighter, you feel happier, more confident, and can speak and resonate with more self-esteem.
  • Your breath becomes the forefront of your awareness and gives you a deeper view of what a mountain may feel.

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

  • Separate your feet to a comfortable distance for you and your low back, and parallel your feet {Your second toe and heel line up parallel in both feet}(maximum to hip-width distance).
  • Keep your arms to your sides with your palms facing in.
  • Keep your arms to your sides with your palms facing forwards.
  • Stand on a mat that is padded for your comfort in your joints.
(Mountain Pose w/ Palms facing forward)
(Mountain Pose w/ Palms facing in)

Pose Description:

  1. Stand up.
  2. Bring your big toes to touch the center of your mat.
  3. Separate your heels a finger-width distance. (If Needed, feel comfortable modifying.)
  4. Parallel your feet with the line of your second toe and heel.
  5. Press all four corners of your soles down into your mat evenly.
  6. Lengthen your toes softly.
  7. Engage your quads and glutes.
  8. Settle your pelvis level to the floor.
  9. Hug your transverse abdominous 2 inches below your navel.
  10. Stick your hands into imaginary pockets by your sides and extend your fingers to open your shoulders. (You can breathe here to get all the benefits of this pose.)
  11. Open your palms to stretch your shoulders wider.
  12. Soften your shoulders.
  13. Find stillness. ( Option to remain here and breathe. )
  14. (Continue to extend arms overhead mountain pose.)
  15. Rotate your palms out away from your body.
  16. Reach your arms overhead and face your palms toward one another.
  17. Rotate your pinky a little toward one another.
  18. Draw your shoulders down and stabilize your breath.
  19. Lengthen your fingers together to the sky.
  20. Relax your jaw, eyes, and tongue.
  21. Breathe here for up to 2, 4, 8, 13, or 21 cycles, evenly paced in and out.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!

Categories: Balancing Poses Yoga Poses

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Will With Zen Yoga Practice!

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Below you here is a free 1 hour Yoga practice you can do! We’ll practice like this side by side together. Please practice when you have the time if you miss today then come back and try a little bit tomorrow. Come into your Yoga practice with a beginner student mindset knowing that you will learn and improve each week.

10/9/19 Wednesday Yoga Practice

In this video, you will be doing a whole body Yoga flow. These movements are done slowly with focused rhythmic breathing. Use your props that will assist your alignment and physical confidence. Props could be things like a Block, a Strap, a Towel, a Pillow, a Chair, a Wall, anything that supports you. Enjoy your practice today!

Categories: Yoga Series