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| Staff pose (dandasana) -- sit on chair, trunk upright, press hands into chair, press shoulder blades into back, move shoulders back and down. Hold for 30 seconds.
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| Prayer position -- press palms and fingers together, stretch and bend fingers. Hold for 30 seconds. |
| Arms overhead (urdhva hastasana) -- Lift arms over head, keep arms straight and shoulders down . Hold for 30 seconds. |
| Arms overhead, fingers interlocked
(parvatasana) -- Same as above, clasp fingers, turn palms upward. Hold for 30 seconds. |
| Chair twist -- sit sideways in chair with right side against back of chair. Place hands on back of chair, twist to the right using hands for additional support. Repeat on other side. Hold for 30 seconds. |
Mountain (tadasana) -- Stand with feet together, hands at your sides, eyes looking forward. Raise your toes, fan them open, then place them back down on the floor. Feel your heel, outside of your foot, toes and ball of your foot all in contact with the floor. Tilt your public bone slightly forward. Raise your chest up and out, but within reason - this isn't the army and you're not standing at attention. Raise your head up and lengthen the neck by lifting the base of your skull toward the ceiling. Stretch the pinky on each hand downward, then balance that movement by stretching your index fingers. Push into the floor with your feet and raise your legs, first the calves and then the thighs.
Breathe. Hold the posture, but try not to tense up. Breathe. As you inhale, imagine the breath coming up through the floor, rising through your legs and torso and up into your head. Reverse the process on the exhale and watch your breath as it passes down from your head, through your chest and stomach, legs and feet. Hold for 30 seconds. |
| 90 degree forward bend to wall -- Stand with feet about hip width apart, raise arms over head, bend at hips bringing hands to rest on wall. Hold for 30 seconds. |
| Arms overhead with hands in prayer position -- Stand in
tadasana, raise arms to Tee position, turn palms up, then rotate arms in small circles, first forward then back. Lift arms straight overhead, join hands in prayer position, stretch up and look up at hands. Hold for 30 seconds. |
| Dog pose with chair -- Stand, feet hip width apart, facing the seat of a chair. Bend, placing palms on seat, shoulder width apart. Straighten arms and lift waist, hips and knees a few inches above the chair. [I can't visualize this one…>>.] Turn arms out and curve trunk back between them. Bring coccyx, sacrum and lumbar spine forward, keeping buttocks tight. Stretch front of body from the pubis. Raise sternum and ribs. Hold shoulders back. Press shoulder blades and dorsal spine in. Hold for 30 seconds. |
| Hands in prayer behind back -- Stand in
tadasana, bring palms together behind back, fingers pointing up down. Turn fingers up and raise as high as possible between the shoulder blades. Hold for 30 seconds. |
Relaxation (Savasana) - Possibly the most important posture, the Corpse, also known as the Sponge, is as deceptively simple as
Tadasana, the Mountain pose. Usually performed at the end of a session, the goal is conscious relaxation. Many people find the "conscious" part the most difficult because it is very easy to drift off to sleep while doing
Savasana. Begin by lying on your back, feet slightly apart, arms at your sides with palms facing up. Close your eyes and take several slow, deep breaths. Allow your body to sink into the ground. Try focusing on a specific part of the body and willing it to relax. For example, start with your feet, imagine the muscles and skin relaxing, letting go and slowly melting into the floor. From your feet, move on to your calves, thighs and so on up to your face and head. Then simply breathe and relax. Stay in the pose for at least 5-10 minutes.
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