Ujjayi Breath (ooh-JAH-yee)
Come to Easy Seated Pose. Clear your mind of all distractions. Breathe in slowly through the nose, taking in as much air as you can. Breathing out, contract the muscles at the back of your throat to create an ocean-like sound. (Think about the exhale you take when fogging up a mirror. Use those same muscles, but send the breath out of the nose.) Repeat 5-10 full rounds. |
From seated, draw the sole of your right foot to the inside of your left thigh. Allow your right knee to fall to the mat. Breathe in as you lift your arms up overhead, creating space through out the entire spine. Exhaling, hinge from your hips and fold forward, reaching for the left foot. Feel your shoulders reaching toward the back of your mat as your heart reaches forward. Flexing the left foot, keep pressing the left heel away from you. Fold forward. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, and slowly rise back up on an inhale.
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Lift the right knee to face upward as you bring the sole of the right foot back to the mat. Start to softly bend through the left knee, but keep the leg mostly extended. Breathing in, draw your right knee in towards your chest, then cross the right ankle on top over the left knee. Gently press your right knee away from you. Start to walk your left foot in towards you more, keeping the right knee reaching toward the front of the mat. Gently walk your hands slightly behind you to prop yourself up, but remember to keep your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed. Hold for 5-7 breaths.
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Come to Table and step right foot forward. Bend your knee and stack it over your ankle. As you do so, lift your left heel off the mat and pivot your toes to face the right. Square hips and shoulders over the right knee, and lower the left knee and the top of the foot to rest on the mat. Drop palms of hands to the mat on the inside of the right foot, then shuffle the foot to the right side, facing toes out 45 degrees. Lift up to the outer edge of the foot, making sure to keep your knee in line with your ankle. Keep the right hip pulling back, then lower down to your forearms. Relax the hips and hold for 5-10 breaths. Repeat on the opposite side.
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From Table, tuck your toes under and walk your hands toward your knees. Keeping your hands on the mat for balance, lift your knees off the mat and sink your hips down. Bring your biceps to the inside of your knees, connecting the palms of your hands together in the center. Use your elbows as leverage to open your knees further, and lengthen the spine. Stay here for 5-10 deep breaths. Slowly lower down to Easy Seated Pose.
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From Easy Seat, hug your right knee into your chest and extend your left leg out in front of you. Cross the right ankle over the left knee, keeping the right foot flexed. Bend the left knee, stacking right knee on top of the left ankle. Flex the left foot back as well. If your right knee can't quite rest on your left ankle, place a small, folded towel in between the knee and ankle. Pause here for a couple of breaths, then fold forward. Hold for 5 - 7 deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.
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Hugging your right knee back into your chest, cradle your leg in your arms. Flex through the right foot and place the heel as close in towards the middle of the left hip as you can. Walk your left heel in close to your right leg, then using your hands for assistance, gently slide the left foot on top of the right calf muscle. Stay here 5 breaths, then repeat on the other side. Lie back on your mat for Savasana, then return to seated, bringing hands to heart center.
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