Yoga with Kassandra

7 Yoga Exercises for Full Body Toning

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Ever wonder if 10 minutes is enough time to be worth getting on your mat? Give this short sequence a try, and feel the benefits. You'll want to add it in to your regular rotation to build up your strength.

Have 1 block handy as you roll out your mat.

1. Kneeling - Sit on your heels (or start cross legged if you prefer). Place the block between the palms, and extend the arms forward at shoulder height. Spread the fingers wide as you press the palms together. From here retract and protract the shoulders. Squeeze the shoulder blades back behind you while pushing the palms into the block. Then reach the shoulder blades forward. This is a subtle small motion to strengthen and engage the shoulders. After several rounds of this, reach the hands overhead. Then bend the elbows, bringing the block back behind your head. Lift the gaze up to stretch the pectorals and triceps.

2. Forearm Plank -Bring the block down to the mat, squeezing the palms in to the block and bringing the forearms to the mat. Elbows under the shoulders, as you extend the legs back behind you. Kick back through the heels, reach the crown forward, and bring hips in line with head and heels. Draw the belly in to firm up as you hold here. Drop the hips down, untucking the toes, and place the block off to the side. With forearms flat on the mat, lift the chest forward in sphinx for a few breaths.

3. Opposition - Laying on your belly with your forehead on the mat, extend the arms and legs out long. As you inhale, lift the left hand, right foot, and chest. Push down in to the grounded hand and foot. Exhale to lower back down. Repeat on the alternate sides. Lower down and repeat through. Then slide the hands back beside the chest. Inhale lifting chin, chest and palms up in cobra. Squeeze the shoulder blades back behind you. Lower down and repeat a few times.

4. Bird Dog - Come to table top, with palms under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Reach your right arm forward, then extend the left leg back behind you with toes pointing down. Keep the left hip pointing down as well. Inhale to lengthen out. Then as you exhale, bend your knee and elbow to tap them together. Do a few rounds of this. Repeat on the alternate sides.

5. Side Plank - From table top, extend the left leg out behind you. Roll to the inner edge of the left foot. Extend the left arm up to the sky, bend the elbow and bring the hand behind the head. Push down in to the left foot and right hand, to try and lift the right knee off of the mat. Keep lifting the hips, and see if you can tap the left elbow to the right knee. Squeezing and contracting and working the obliques. Drop the right knee back down and extend the left arm up and overhead to stretch the side. Then repeat with the right leg back.

6. Bridge - Lower down on to the back. Place a block between your upper thighs, engaging the adductors. Press the feet in to the mat, roll the shoulders back, and lift your hips and back off of the mat. Reach the tailbone towards the knees. Dig and drag the heels back to lift further. Lower down as you exhale. Come back up in to bridge. Lean on to the right foot, and lift your left leg up to the sky. Drop the left foot and repeat with the right leg. Drop down and hug knees in to the belly.

7. Reverse Table Top - Rock up to a seat, with knees bent and feet flat on the mat hip width apart. Bring the hands back behind you, fingers facing towards the toes. Push in to the feet to lift up into reverse table top. Open through the chest. As you exhale, drop the hips while straightening the legs and sending the hips back in to L sit. Repeat this through a few times.

Prefer to practice along with me? Press play on the video below.

Namaste,
Kassandra

Please do subscribe to my YouTube channel

☮ Website: http://www.yogawithkassandra.com ☮ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kryoga ☮ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoga_with_k... Yoga with Kassandra - Disclaimer Please consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. By participating in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Yoga with Kassandra from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Yoga with Kassandra’s negligence.

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If your hips are feeling tight or stiff, this practice is for you! Also if your low back is feeling pain (possibly connected to the stiff hips) this practice will help.

Hold each of these poses for somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes. Set yourself a timer if need be, or come out early if needed. Stay tuned toward the breath while in each pose. Allow each exhale to relax you further.

Remember the three principles of Yin:
1. Find your edge
2. Be still
3. Hold the pose

When the time is up, take time to ease out of the pose and transition to the next.

1. Wide-Legged Child's Pose - From kneeling, bring your big toes together and take the knees as wide as you would like. Press your hips down to the heels, then walk the hands forward. Lengthen and stretch out from the low back as you fold. Rest your forehead direct to the mat or on the palms.

2. Butterfly Fold - Come to a seat, bringing your legs out in front of you. Bend the knees and bring the soles together. Drop the knees out to the sides. Allow your diamond to be short if you want to get more in to the inner groin, or longer to target the hips and glutes. Soften and fold down. Let the fold happen naturally rather than forcing your way in to the shape.

3. Reclined Swan - Lower down on to your back. With knees bent, cross the right ankle over the left knee. Stay grounded, or reach the hands through to clasp the left knee or thigh to guide the legs in closer to the body. Use very little arm strength, and keep the head and shoulders relaxed to the mat. Take slow and steady breaths in and out through the nose.

4. Reclined Shoelace - Cross the right thigh all the way over the left thigh. Hug the knees in towards the belly. Either hold the knees or clasp hold of the feet, guiding the feet away from one another. The further apart the feet, the more you will feel the stretch.

Repeat 3 and 4 on the other side.

5. Cat Pulling Its Tail - With knees bent, walk the feet in closer to you. Shift the hips slightly to the right. Straighten the left leg forward, as you pull the right knee in towards you. Cross your right leg over the body towards the left side. Reach the right arm out to the side. If you want to take the quad stretch, bend the left knee and try to clasp the left foot with the right hand. Roll the right shoulder down to the mat. Use the left hand to guide the right hand down. If holding the left foot is too much, release the clasp.

6. Happy Baby - Draw the knees in towards the shoulders. Stay here with the knees wide if preferred. Or clasp hold of the feet, kicking the heels to the sky while also dragging the knees down to the ground. Use elbows to press the knees wider. Keep the head and shoulders relaxed on the mat.

Be sure to give yourself some time for Savasana before getting up.

Prefer to let me guide you through the poses? Practice along with the video below.

Namaste,
Kassandra

Please do subscribe to my YouTube channel

6 Yin Yoga Poses for Hip Flexibility

by Yoga with Kassandra on 07:20:00

😍 ONLINE YIN YOGA TEACHER TRAINING 😍 Get certified to teach! ❤️ http://bit.ly/yinyttinfo If your hips are feeling tight or stiff, this...

Hey Yogis,

We are just a few short days away from November and a BRAND NEW 30 Day Challenge in the Yoga with Kassandra app.

This month will focus on getting your alignment on point! Wherever you are at on the mat, this challenge is a great way to up level your practice (with a mix of Vinyasa, Hatha, and Yin classes).

The monthly challenges are ONLY available to app members!

❓❓ What else does the app offer you? ❓❓

download my yoga classes for offline use
schedule videos ahead of time
follow monthly yoga calendars
journal every day to track your progress
create your own playlists

What's not to like?

>> Take the Yoga with Kassandra mobile app for a FREE 7-day test drive!

The app also offers ⭐️ EXCLUSIVE ⭐️ content, not available anywhere else! Like the 40 minute Vin to Yin Throat Chakra class I just uploaded yesterday.

This class is the latest in the mobile app members-only Vin to Yin series I've been adding to every Sunday!

If you already have the app, find the new class under "Recent Uploads".

Not in yet? Click this link to give it a GO 🚦

Talk soon,
Kassandra

P.S - Have you joined our Facebook group yet?

NEW November Yoga Challenge Inside 👇

by Amy Stubbs on 15:53:00

Hey Yogis, We are just a few short days away from November and a BRAND NEW 30 Day Challenge in the Yoga with Kassandra app . This mo...

😍 ONLINE YIN YOGA TEACHER TRAINING 😍 Get certified to teach! ❤️http://bit.ly/yinyttinfo

If you wake up stiff and achy, one of the best things you can do to improve the day ahead is to set aside 10 minutes to stretch and move your body.

This short and simple flow will help you to release tension residing in the body from the previous night's sleep. It will leave you energized and ready to tackle the day.

No props needed, so without further ado roll out your mat and get going.

1. Toe Squat - Kneel, with your toes curled under. Sit back on the heels. Reach your arms up overhead. Spread the fingers wide. Start to rapidly open and close the hands. Doing so for about 30 seconds. Reach the arms out to the sides, folding the thumb inside and fingers over. Bend at the elbows, tilting the hands out as if pouring from two pitchers. Flip the thumb to the outside of the fingers, then make half circles with the wrists. Release and shake out the hands.

2. Table top - Come down to all fours, untucking the toes. Wrists under the shoulders, and knees under the hips. Inhale, dropping the belly, lifting the gaze and curling the tailbone up. Exhale, rounding and contracting the spine. Repeat for a few rounds of breath. Keep the hips over the knees, while walking the hands forward until the forehead lowers to the mat. Melt the heart down.

3. Back bend - Drop the elbows to the floor, sliding forward on to the belly. With elbows under the shoulders, draw the shoulder blades back and shine the heart forward. Point the toes back. Breathe in to the rib cage as you hold here. Lower down, bringing the hands besides the ribs. As you inhale, squeeze the shoulders back, lifting the chest and floating the hands up in Cobra. Keeping the lower body glued to the mat. Exhale, to lower back down.

4. Downward dog - Tuck your toes underneath. Lift the hips up and back. Bend deeply in to the right knee and push the left heel towards the ground. Switch legs. Repeat through twice. Kick the left leg up to the sky, bend the knee and open the hip up.

5. Standing sequence - Step the left foot through to the top of the mat. Spin the back heel down and toes out to the right. Lift up in to Warrior 2, bending in to the right knee and pushing the knee open over the middle toe. Reach the arms front to back parallel to the mat. Keep the shoulders over the hips. Reverse your Warrior, bringing the right hand down to the back leg and reaching the left arm up and back. Switch to extended side angle, with the left forearm on the left thigh and right arm up and over. Straighten the left leg and reverse the arms once more. Stretch the left arm far forward, then lower it down to the shin. Draw the right shoulder back as the right hand reaches up in to Triangle.

6. Low lunge - Bend in to the front knee, bringing the fingertips down to the mat. Lift the back heel, and drop the back knee to the mat for low lunge. Hang out here, or bend the right knee and reach the left hand back to grab hold of the foot for a quad stretch. Release. Straighten the left leg and fold forward to stretch the hamstrings.

Repeat 5 and 6 through on the other side.

7. Seated - Drop down to seated. Extend the legs out in front of you. Bring your right knee in towards the chest. Step the right foot over the thigh. Hugging and holding the right knee with the left arm. Bring your right hand back behind you, twisting to the right. Find length in the spine as you hold here for a couple breaths. Unwind, aligning the right ankle over the left knee. Set the hands back behind you. Bend the right knee, drawing the legs closer towards you while holding this figure four shape. Repeat on the other side.

Prefer to be guided by visual and audio cues? Press play on the video below.

Namaste,
Kassandra

Please do subscribe to my YouTube channel