Kelly’s Home Practice for Yoga Unlimited students

This document was designed to allow you to do your own yoga practice at home in about 30-60 minutes, depending on the options you choose and your own natural rhythm of practice. If you are unsure what a named pose (in bold) looks like, you can go to http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories/ and look it up. This resource will show you a picture of the posture as well as give you some tips and tricks to get into it.

Taking a little time for yourself to be with your breath and focus your attention on your yoga practice will help you to restore your equilibrium so that you can offer your best to your responsibilities off the mat. Be kind and loving with yourself as you practice. See if you can accept whatever you experience, without judgment. Above all, stay connected with a sense of playful exploration as you become your own teacher!

Opening Meditation and Pranayama

Come to a comfortable seated position – Easy Pose or Hero Pose work well. Tune into how you’re feeling and observe the sensations in your body. Then notice your breath. Slowly begin to lengthen your breath, making your inhalation and your exhalation about the same length. If you like, use your Ujjayi breath. Work with your breath for about 10-20 cycles (a cycle is an inhale, the pause between the inhale and the exhale, the exhale and the pause at the end of the exhale, before you inhale again.) See if you can stay connected with the slow, steady breath rhythm throughout your practice.

Sun Salutes (Repeat 3-6 times)

∞    Mountain pose

∞    Inhale hands to meet overhead

∞    Exhale to Standing Forward Bend

∞    Inhale to Half Standing Forward Bend

∞    Exhale step back to Plank Pose and hold while you inhale

∞    Exhale to Chaturunga (either with your knees down or with your legs straight) OR hold Plank Pose

∞    Inhale to Low Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog

∞    Exhale back to Downward-Facing Dog

∞    Jump or step forward on no breath

∞    Inhale to Half Standing Forward Bend

∞    Exhale to Standing Forward Bend

∞    Inhale to standing, hands meet overhead

∞    Exhale to Mountain Pose.

Standing Poses (Choose your set or do both depending on your time and energy level)

Set 1

∞    Fierce Pose (aka Chair Pose) – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Exhale to Standing Forward Bend

∞    Inhale, step back to Lunge Pose with your right leg – hold for 3-5 breaths (or pulse)

∞    Warrior 1 Pose (with the back heel down) or the Crescent Pose variation (with the back heel up) – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Warrior 3 Pose – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Mountain Pose – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Repeat with left leg stepping back to Lunge Pose.

Set 2

∞    Tree Pose with right leg bent – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Inhale, step back to Lunge Pose with your right leg – hold for 3-5 breaths (or pulse)

∞    Warrior 2 Pose – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Triangle Pose – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Half Moon Pose – hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Wide-Legged Forward Bend– hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Mountain Pose– hold for 3-5 breaths

∞    Repeat with left leg.

Seated Poses

∞    Easy Pose (aka Easy Cross Legs) – hold for 10-15 breaths. Begin with the right leg in front then switch to the left leg in front. Fold forward if you wish.

∞    Bharadvaja’s Twist – repeat on both sides holding for 3-5 breaths

∞    Bound Angle Pose – hold for 5-10 breaths

∞    Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend Pose – hold for 5-10 breaths

Relaxation

Spend about 10 minutes in Corpse Pose or in Legs Up the Wall Pose. Don’t skip this part!! It’s the most important bit.

~ Practice compiled by Kelly Fisher, December 2007

Lynda’s Home Practice for Yoga Unlimited students

Practising a little bit yoga regularly during the summer break will allow you to maintain flexibility and strength, and will help you find your equilibrium in the middle of the silly season!  The key to making this possible is to aim for a short practice several times a week, rather than a long practice once in while.

The following sequence is designed to take about 30 to 40 minutes, but if you have more time to spare, you can add familiar postures, increase the length of time spent in each pose, or you can enjoy a longer relaxation. Get creative with pillows and blankets to experiment with different restorative postures. This is a great time to play with your practice and discover what works for you.

Be sure to spend some time at the start of your practice just checking in. Feel your body, mind and breath, and let your observations guide you. Do you feel energised or tired? Happy or sad? Enthusiastic about being on the mat? How can your practice support you today?

Settling in:

Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.

Let your breath flow freely and observe it closely. Notice how you can accommodate your breath by making small adjustments to your posture, aligning your spine and letting the weight of your pelvis sink into the floor or the blanket/cushion that you’re sitting on. Feel the expansion of your ribcage in all directions. Bring your hands together at your heart and chant Om three times to mark the beginning of your practice.

Breath connection:

Release your chin down towards your chest to engage your chin lock. Gently lift the pelvic floor muscles to engage the root lock, and also draw in the lower abdominals to support the lower back. Spend a few minutes internalising your focus, and connecting with your Ujjayi breath.

Cat pose:
Come to all fours. Inhale, arch your back and look up. Exhale, round your spine and look back, letting your neck release. Repeat three times.

Dog pose:

Sit back on your heels with your toes tucked under. Reach forward, placing your hands in Hasta Bandha.

Come into downward dog and explore the pose. Move organically to release areas of tension. Once you have found your way into the pose, stay for 5 – 10 slow breaths to build strength.

Warm-up vinyasa:

Move through the following sequence three times, with your breath flowing, your belly drawn in and your pelvic floor lifted.

Downward dog, high plank, lower down, cobra, downward dog. If you’re feeling strong, lower down to Chaturanga from high plank, and then roll over your toes into upward dog instead of cobra.

Standing postures:

Mountain pose. Find your alignment, release your lower back.

Inhale and raise your arms, exhale and fold into standing forward bend. Inhale to half forward bend, then step back into a lunge. From the lunge, move into the following standing postures, then back to the lunge to step forward and repeat each pose on the other side. Hold the postures for 3 – 5 breaths on each side.

Crescent pose: either with hands interlaced on the front knee, or arms raised.

Warrior one/Victory pose: arms shoulder-width apart, or palms pressed together.

Warrior two: align the front ankle, knee and sit-bone, keep weight in the back foot.

Intense side stretch: feet closer together, square the pelvis to the front of your mat, fold forward over straight legs. If you hamstrings are tight, place your hands on a chair.

Chair pose: From mountain pose, bend your ankles knees and hips and come into chair pose.

Seated postures:

Squat: lower down from mountain pose with feet a little wider than your hips. Hold for a few breaths.

Easy crossed legs: sit on a folded blanket if knees are higher than your waist. Stay for 1-2 minutes before changing sides.

Easy crossed legs with a twist: exhale to twist to one side, inhale back to centre, exhale to the other side.

Wide legged forward bend: reach into your heels and fold forward between your legs, using a chair for support if necessary.

Slowing down:

Bridge pose: Lie on your back with bent knees, inhale to lift you hips, knees over heels. Hold for 5 breaths, then coil down. Repeat bridge pose again, lifting higher if it feels comfortable. Repeat once more, this time place a block or bolster under your sacrum so that you hold the pose without effort.

In this relaxed variation, focus on the breath and begin to release the efforts of your practice as you prepare for relaxation.

Relaxation: Lie on you back. Support your head and neck and if necessary place a bolster under your knees. Settle into the pose. Release your body and your breath. Observe the subtle sensations of your breath. Stay for 5 – 10 minutes.

Roll onto your right side before sitting up in a comfortable position. Place your hands together at your heart. When you are ready, chant Om three times to end your practice.

Namaste.

Sequence provided by Lynda Miers-Henneveld.

For visual references and more information about the postures, log onto www.yogajournal.com/poses/sequence_builder