Get stretching - Parsva Sukhasana

Good morning... its time to stretch

 I start with a few gentle breaths to waken the body.. here goes.. Tadasana - mountain pose

Inhale through the nose and stretch your arms up and above your head, keeping feet grounded and close together..letting the in breath inflate your chest 

exhale through the mouth, returning the arms back down to the sides of the body, noticing how the chest deflates on the out breath.. repeat this several times making the breath deeper with each breath..filling the lungs with fresh oxygen and expelling the stale breath

focus and keep breath smooth and controlled... try to stretch as tall as possible ( keep upper body soft and legs strong, knee caps lifted  )

A few sun salutations to warm up the body as seen in previous posts...

and onto some side body stretches... ( some of my favourite asanas )

Starting off in an easy seated side stretch- parsva sukhasana.  This is an excellent stretch for the waist and side of the body, including the neck and shoulders.  

I find this beneficial for my obliques and back, a part of the body that I dont usually stretch in my usual day to day movements.

This is one of the asana that I have seen noticeable improvement since i started practising yoga.  I love the lengthening that I feel from doing this pose.  

A more advanced asana can 

be seen here Parivrtta janu sisasana ( seated side stretch ) it also shows which muscles are being used.This gives the sides of the body a fantastic stretch as seen in the diagrams, it has many benefits including opening and lengthening the side of the body and intercostal muscles between the ribs.

It also massages the abdominal organs improving digestion.

It is important to keep both sitting bones down and to keep lengthening before stretching over to side. 

yoga day hurray

To do yoga everyday is a gift to ourselves

a gift that brings with it many benefits

No 2 days are the same ..something we all agree on I'm sure

Some mornings we wake and are full of energy and good intentions..

and other days we wake and that energy somehow still seems to be sleeping!!

Sometimes that energy needs a little nudge or a kick up the gluteus maximus 😉

Yoga is a perfect way to do this..

on days like these I take a few nice deep inhales and exhales...stretching the arms above my head...inhale and reach for the sky and lower arms to the side of the body as you exhale..after several of these I move on to forward fold...

Forward fold with knees bent and exhale deeply, exhaling out that stale breath from the body..let body be quite relaxed /floppy as you exhale down..and gently draw in abdominal muscles, helping to push out that stale breath..repeat this several times....

I try to let this sequence flow smoothly from Tadasana ( mountain pose ) through to Uttanasana ( standing forward fold )

I am gentle with my body 1st thing in the morning and allow my knees to be bent in uttanasana, and move on to legs being straight after several sequences ( and if it feels good )

It is important to work to our own bodies limitations..it is our practise.

I soon feel the energy/warmth waking....

This sequence only takes minutes but sets me up for the day....so even if I am very limited on time I can still fit this in....and hopefully time permitting I can follow this with either a home practise or instructor led class at the gym.....

Have a fab day

yoga journal Tadasana

I love to practice every day...
bit extreme some people might say....
I havnt got time...i hear you say
But yoga practice does not only mean spending an hour or so on the mat at a class!
it can be very beneficial to spend 10/15 mins each day. It can be 1st thing in the morning or evening or lunch time..in fact it can be anytime that is good for you It is your practice
So pick a time that works for you...
if you are a busy mum/dad with youngsters maybe 1st thing in the morning is never going to be an option 😟 ( early morning is a fab time to practice ..so may be putting the alarm on for 15 minutes earlier...and beating the mayhem that comes with having a young family, is an option....just a thought 😉)
I like to start my day with a glass of water ( this has many health benefits which I will go into at a later date )
My yoga practice starts with a few deep breaths..like so 
stand tall and straight in tadasana ( mountain pose ) as shown
Experience the complete stretch as you take a full body stretch from feet through hips/abdomen/chest/throat/arms/ head.....fill your whole body with breath as you breath in through the nose, whilst raising the arms above the head... out through the mouth lowering the arms back to the side of the body..as you breathe out...
I repeat this several times.
I personally like to keep my feet a few inches apart allowing me more stability.
There are many variations and can be modified to suit each individual.....most importantly do what is good for you...work to your limitations...It is your practice 
I will then follow with other asanas (positions) usually depending on how i feel at the time and what i think I will benefit most from on any given day...... ( more on these in next blogs 😍)

Enjoy your day

Namaste