A little yoga is better than no yoga. ~ Me=========================================================
Day 26 Activities:
1) Mantra meditation
2) Minimum 30 minutes of calorie burning
3) Write down everything you eat and sketch your Balance Chart
4) Continue to remain aware of your speech patterns
5) Cut Cords
6) Try out your personal practice from yesterday and try these quick yoga moves for when you're on the go
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Even the best intentioned, best planned yoga practices sometimes fall by the wayside because vacation, work, life get in the way.
So what can you do when you just don't have time or space for a full yoga practice? First, forgive yourself for being human. Next try out one or all of the three movements below.
Each movement will get your blood circulating, and your joints/muscles moving. And you don't even need to sit down. With the kids...have them do them along with you...kids seem to like these postures.
Yoga Move #1: Pinwheel
Stand with your feet a little bit wider than hip width distance apart. Let your knees bend slightly – keep this bend throughout the movement. Let your arms dangle by your sides. Begin to twist your spine gently and slowly toward the right, back to center, and then toward the left.
Let your whole spine come into the movement as if your spine is a sponge being rung-out. The twisting movement starts with your lower back and then ripples up your spine, including your head and neck (as if you are turning to look behind you over your shoulder). Move gently and continuously, twisting from side to side.
Continue to keep your knees bent, feet planted on the ground. Keep twisting from side to side and begin to let your arms swing naturally as you move. You may want to speed up the movement. Go at your own pace. Let your shoulders stay relaxed.
Continue this movement for 1-3 minutes. Breathe in and out through your nose the entire time...remember not to hold your breath. After you are done, settle into a still standing position and close your eyes for a count of ten breaths in and out through your nose.
Yoga Move #2: Wall-bow
Wall-bow is done in slooooow motion. The slower you move, the more calming your experience will be.
Begin by standing two feet in front of a wall or large tree with your back facing the wall. Your feet are pointing straight ahead and are hip-width distance apart. Let your buttocks and entire back rest against the wall behind you, with your weight supported where your buttocks and lower back touch the wall. Let your arms hang by your sides. This is your starting position.
Take three inhales and exhales through your nose. Begin to draw your chin toward your chest (you’ll feel a stretch on the back of your neck). Remember move as slowly as possible. Continue to let your arms hang heavily. Inch by inch; allow your body to round forward, keeping your chin tucked toward your chest, lower back supported by the wall.
Let your body round as far forward as is comfortable. As this happens, your spine will peel away from the wall beginning with your upper back, with your lower back the last part to come away from the wall.
At your end point, your fingertips are grazing the ground (or your shins/knees) and the top of your head is facing the ground. When you are all the way down, you’ll probably feel a nice stretch along the back of your legs, lower back and entire spine. See if you can take a full 5 minutes to roll down. Allow yourself to hang in the down position (still supported by the wall) for up to 2 minutes.
Roll up just as slowly as you came down, in the reverse movement, so your lower back touches the wall first and your chin draws away from your chest last. When you get back up, take a few breaths with your eyes open to reacclimate to your upright position.
Note: You can experiment with how this posture feels with your feet closer or further from the wall.
Yoga Move #3: Standing Cat-Dog
Begin by standing with your feet slightly wider than hip width distance apart. Bend your knees a lot, reaching your buttocks/tailbone behind you; you are nearly in a squat position. Now, rest your hands on your thighs just above your knees (right hand on right thigh, left hand on left thigh). This is your starting point.
For this posture set, you’ll be moving your body with your breath; so begin to pay attention to your breath. As you come to an exhale, round your spine, by drawing your shoulders forward , chin toward chest, and stomach concave so your lower back is rounding toward the ceiling.
As you come to an inhale, begin to arch your back (knees are still very bent) by tipping your tailbone/buttocks up toward the sky, belly toward the ground, gently tip your head back and draw your elbows back as if they are trying to touch behind your back. You can lift your hands off of your thighs for the inhales if you like to get more of a back bend through your upper back.
Continue to round your back on your exhales and arch your back on your inhales for 20 breaths. Feel free to linger in one of the positions, if it feels like it’s stretching your spine in a particularly beneficial way.
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