By engaging your muscles it helps stimulate and fire up your body and create more stable yoga poses. Dianne Bondy of Yogasteya supports that “muscle engagement increases strength, vitality and stability in all poses. It draws connection between the body and mind by creating focus on what is happening in the body.” We’ll be using the small muscles that are often neglected.
In this article I will show you 5 poses you can practice daily without feeling discouraged while doing yoga. This will bring you a new perspective of yoga and keep an open mind that less will always -- I mean always -- be more. This will bring awareness in your life. The struggle is real to those who practice yoga but if you put in the time and work through the discomfort and breathe, like in life, in time you will be doing yoga with ease. Get ready to be strong!
Let’s begin with some simple steps, materials you will need are a wall and a towel or belt. Also closing your eyes and focusing on breathing rather than the discomfort will help ease tension. Proper position that feels right for your body is healthier rather than pushing its limits. Remember to BREATHE, and by the way all these poses are done on a wall.
1) STANDING POSE
Position: Stand against the wall and place your feet hip distance apart. Butt and shoulders (roll your shoulder up back and down) are pressed against the wall. Plant your hand about 45 degrees beside you. Feel free to keep feet a few inches away from the wall.
Now, engage everything. Feet planted on the ground, press down with all four corners of your feet. Lift your knee cap up to your thighs. Suck your stomach in and up but keep the natural curve of your back. Shoulders are pinned against the wall. Palms of the hands are pressed on the wall.
Alignment: normal curvature on your back, stomach sucked in and up, head on the wall and shoulders relaxed.
Benefit: Improve posture; strengthen shoulders and legs, core
Relaxation: Step off the wall and shake legs and arms to release tightness
Time: 5 times, 1 minute each
2) MOUNTAIN POSE/ TADASANA
Position: Stand against the wall like #1. Now bring your arm up against the wall. Position arms either cactus (arms at 90 degree pressed on the wall) or reaches arms upward thump on the wall whichever serves you. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Feet are hip distance apart or as wide as you are comfortable.
Alignment: normal curvature on your back, stomach sucked in and up, head on the wall and shoulder is relaxed.
Benefit: Improve posture; strengthen shoulders and legs, core and study arms Relaxation: Step off the wall and shake legs and arms to release tension
Time: 1 minute, 5 times
3) KNEE HUG
Position: You maybe or may not need a towel or a belt. Standing pose like #1. Lift knee towards chest and place towel or belt on your knee. Hold this position and remember to engage core, shoulders pinned against the wall. Hips are leveled avoid leaning one side.
Alignment: normal curvature on your back, stomach sucked in and up, head on the wall and shoulder is relaxed. Hips are leveled. The higher the knee the better balance you’ll have Benefit: Improve posture; strengthen back, stretches hip, butt and hip flexor
Relaxation: Step off the wall and shake legs to release tension
Time: 1 minute, 3 times
4) RIGHT ANGLE POSE
Position: Stand facing the wall. Place your palms on the wall, now gently and slowly walk your feet back and slide hands down until you are bent at a 90 degree angle. Pretend you are pressing the wall forward; shoulders are away from your ears
Alignment: Tailbone pointing down, flat back, neck and hand are alight with back. Arms are shoulder width apart and feet are hip distance apart. If there is too much tension feel free to widen your stands and your hands.
Benefit: Stretches lower back, hamstrings and shoulders and arms. Strengthen the legs and core
Relaxation: Step off the wall and shake your legs and arms to release tightness
Time: A minute and half, 3 times
5) PLANK
Position: Face the wall. Place your palms on the wall, now rotate your biceps outward and engage all muscles in your body.
Alignment: Hands are shoulder width apart and feet are hip width apart but feel free to widen your hands and feet to your liking and what feels comfortable for you.
Benefit: Improve posture, strengthen arms and core
Relaxation: Step off the wall and shake your legs and arms to release tightness
Time: A minute and half, 3 times
To end, lay on the floor and hug your knees to your chest and make small circles and do both directions.
Then come into Child Pose, knees wide apart or as far as you can go. Toes touch butt is lowered to heels. Hand reaching up and palms and forehead to mat. Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 minutes.
These poses will help release tightness in your body. You’ll feel sore while doing these poses because these are the small muscles that we don’t normally use in our day to day activities. If you’re in an office you’re sedentary, sitting all day and then there’s the laborers that are moving around plenty all day but still not using all of their muscles.
Practice these poses right after you get out of bed in the morning before doing anything else. The entire 5 poses are less than 30 minutes of your time with 10 seconds breaks in between poses. All I ask is from you is to make an effort to practice this twice a day: when you wake up in the morning and before bed time. This will help you let go of your day and begin anew, relax and calm.
The divine in me honors the divine in you. I recognize my true essence in every soul I meet. I am you, you are me and we are one. Namaste
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