Week 2

Day 8)      Breath Work

The breath is a vital, yet often, ignored aspect of life. We only really pay attention to it when we feel that we can’t get enough air.  While the actual function of breathing is automatic, the gripping, breath-holding, and restricted respiration that we often experience are often secondary to stress (recognized or unrecognized).  This brief sequence focuses attention on the chest, belly, shoulders and throat, and their part in respiration.  In yoga, all breathing is via the nose, as the nose provides a key role in limiting the amount of air intake to that appropriate for each individual, and this limits the opportunity for breath holding which is so common when we mouth breath.  Breath holding is also frequently associated with stress, as is hyperventilation, which is also fostered when we mouth breathe.  When doing these exercises, relax the tongue, throat and soft palate.

  1. Sit straight in a chair, feet squarely on the floor, hands on the thighs. This position allows the belly to move outward, as the diaphragm (muscle which separates the lungs from the abdomen) descends.  This is normal respiration.  Breathe fully expanding the chest and belly.  Notice that with extremely deep breaths, the muscles of the neck are also used. Keep your respiration slow and full,.  The usual inspiratory:expiratory ratio is 1: 2.5.     ** In this position, notice how slumping your shoulders forward restricts your breath.
  2. Try the same exercise, but sitting cross-legged on the floor, with a blanket under your bottom.  The slight light of the blanket allows the pelvis to sit upright, which in turn will make it easy to keep a straight spine.
  3. While standing, sweep your arms overhead on an inhalation, then fold forward, hinging at the hips on an exhalation, and notice the effects on respiration.  Try this same exercise reversing the inhalation/exhalation (i.e., exhale as your raise your arms), and notice the effects.
  4. See how bringing your shoulders down and back (i.e., shoulders not in the “turtle position”, with your shoulders by your ears), relaxes your neck and upper chest, and makes it easier to breathe.  Elevated and forward slumped shoulders are a common response to stress, along with breath holding.  When you are stressed, instead of tensing, breath-holding and raising your shoulders, try relaxing your shoulders, and breathe slowly and deeply.  See how this relaxes you, and helps you flow with and solve the problem, rather than fighting it.

Day 9)      Getting Started/Foundations

As stated previously, standing poses are important to build the strength, heat, and stability for performance of more complicated asanas.  The reference pose for all standing asanas is Tadasana or mountain pose.  As when constructing a building, foundation (in this case the feet) are key.

**Please also refer to posefinder in yogajournal.com for other poses listed

Tadasana- stand with the weight balanced evenly between the inner and outer edges of  the feet, with feet slightly separated.  To understand how to activate your leg muscles, shift your weight into the heels, and raise the toes.  Keep the muscles that you just activated working as you return your toes to the mat, without gripping your toes.  Shoulders would be back (not hunched forward), with the upper arm externally rotate (initially, palm is forward), then rotate the forearms only such that the palms face the thighs.  

SEQUENCE –
Tadasana – mountain pose
Urdva hastasana – volcano, upward salute
Uttanasana – standing forward fold
Utkatasana – Chair pose
Savasana – Corpse pose, complete relaxation

Let your breath guide your movements, and inhale as you spread your arms from mountain pose and sweep them overhead to volcano.  Pause, exhale then inhale fully, then exhale as you swan dive down to Uttanasana.  Inhale, exhale, then with an inhale, rise in a reverse swan dive with a flat back, and raise your arms to Urdva hastasana.  Exhale, while bringing your arms down to your sides and tadasana, or mountain pose.

Goals

  1. Keep your weight evenly balanced as you change positions
  2. Keep your back flat and your spin long while moving into and from uttanasana.  It is more important that you keep your back straight than whether or not you touch your toes.  Your hamstring flexibility at this time may prevent you from touching your toes.  This flexibility is variable, and can change with more stretching.
  3. Hinge at the hips as if your are folding your body in half, rather than allowing your back to round when you fold into uttanasana.
  4. When rising from uttanasana, use the muscular strength of your legs (press down firmly through all sides of your feet) rather than using your back muscles.

Savasana – This pose allows the body to completely rest, with no muscular action, and allows the body to integrate the work done in asana practice.  Lie on your back, with your arms slightly spread and your palms up.  The legs and feet should also be relaxed.  Tension or low back discomfort can be relieved by putting a rolled blanket under the knees.  Focus on breathing fully into your belly and chest.  Gradually let your attention shift to within your self, and allow your whole body to relax.  Relax in savasana for 5-10 minute at the end of every asana session. Enjoy!

Subsequent asana practice will include more standing poses.  Detail pose descriptions/indications/contraindications can be found in the posefinder section of the yogajournal.com site.

Day 10)    Beginning Sequence “A”

Seated Breathing in Lightning Bolt pose -Vajrasana (sit back towards your heels with a block underneath your sitting bones)
Cat and Cow-Bidalasana
Downward Dog-Adho Mukha Svanasana - Bent Knee, then straight
Mountain Pose –Tadasana
Volcano/Upward salute- Urdva Hastasana
Mountain Pose/Namaste
Jump to Warrior I-Virabhadrasana I – Feet under wrists
Tree Pose – Vrksasana
Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II
Triangle – Trikonasana
Warrior II
Mountain pose-Tadasana
Standing forward fold-Uttanasana
Supported lying Fish Pose-Salamba Matsyasana – with rolled blanket behind back
Corpse pose-Savasana

Day 11)    Beginning Sequence “B”

Seated or lying breath awareness/centering
Lightning bolt pose with mat behind knees– Vajrasana
Cat & Cow – Bidalasana
Lunge
Downward Dog-Adho Mukha Svanasana
Mountain pose/Tadasana-
Upward Salute-Urdva Hastasana
Warrior I – Virabhadrasana I
Warrior III – Virabhadrasana III
Mountain pose – Tadasana
Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II
Triangle pose –Trikonasana
Chair pose-Utkatasana
Extended Side Angle Pose-forearm to thigh or hand to floor-Parsvokonasana
Wide Angle forward fold- Prasarita padotanasana
Standing forward fold - Uttansana
Child’s pose - Balasana
Corpse pose – Savasana

Day 12)    Surya Namaskara A

Surya Namaskaras or Sun Salutations are special groups of asanas designed to acknowledge or salute the sun as the source of light, heat and life.  These asana groupings, accordingly, can generate body heat and invigorate the body.  The common thread in performing the asanas is the breath.  Each individual asana is done either to in inhalation or exhalation.  It is important to move through each asana slowly, and focus on your breath when moving from asana to asana.  Sun salutations can be used to start or end a practice, or be a moving meditation and practice on its own.

There are many possible variations on this theme.  This is only one. Start with the Right leg moving back first, then repeat the sequence with the left leg moving back first.

Mountain pose
Upward salute
Standing forward fold
Half raised standing forward fold
Lunge ®
Knee-chest-chin
Cobra
Down Dog
Lunge L
Half raised standing forward fold
Standing forward Fold
Upward Salute
Mountain pose **Repeat from top, starting with the L leg

Day 13)    Surya Namaskara B

Mountain pose
Upward salute
Standing forward fold
Half -raised standing forward fold
Lunge ®
Knee-chest-chin
Cobra
Down dog
Warrior I R leg
Knees-chest-chin
Cobra
Down Dog
Lunge L
Half -raised standing forward fold
Standing forward Fold
Upward Salute
Mountain pose **Repeat from top, starting with the L leg

Day 14) Balance

When people think of balance, many picture someone standing on one leg, or on your head.  In actuality, balance and even distribution of weight is key to all yoga postures.  Balance is dynamic, with many adjustments constantly needed to maintain balance.  One legged postures such as those following force us to look closely inwardly to sense how we are unsteady, and also to outwardly focus on one object to help us maintain our balance or equilibrium.  The following sequence can be done close to a wall-extend one arm so that the fingertips touch to help with your balance.  For poses other than mountain pose, do the pose with the R then L leg.l

Mountain pose
Tree pose – vrksasana
Mountain pose
Knee raised to front
Mountain pose
Straight leg lift, extend forward, then backward, same distance –
Warrior III – virabhadrasana III
Warrior I
Half moon – Ardha Chandrasana
Warrior II
Tadasana
Savasana

Again, the yogajournal.com site is an excellent resource for brand new yoga students for details on pose indications, contraindications, and step by step details for performance.