Do you have sore wrists? Need to give your hands a break? Try this mini flow that is totally free from weight bearing on the arms.
These 7 poses are all done standing. You can still get a powerful practice, while working on balance or strengthening the legs.
1. Standing Cat/Cow – Stand at the top of your mat, with feet hip width apart. Reaching the tail down. Bring the arms out in front, with elbows bent. Inhale to lift the heart, squeeze the shoulder blades back. Exhale to bring biceps together, rounding and contracting the spine. Try to isolate this in your upper and mid back. Take about 5 rounds.
2. Side Bend – Bring the right hand to the outside of the right thigh. Reach your left arm up and over, keeping the left shoulder pulling back. Push out into the left hip. Use obliques to lift back up. Repeat other side.
3. Standing Pigeon – Stand with hands on hips or together at the heart. Lean onto left leg, lift the right knee up. Cross the right ankle over the left thigh. Bend the supporting leg, as you send hips back. Repeat other side.
4. High Lunge – From standing with feet hip width, step the left foot back. Bend into the right knee generously. Reach the arms up overhead. Open into a twist towards the right, reaching left hand forward and right hand back.
5. Warrior 3 – Come back to center, with hands overhead. Exhale to tilt forward and lift the left foot. Coming at most parallel to the ground. Keep the left hip wrapping down. Maybe bringing the arms back at the sides.
Repeat 4 and 5 on other side.
6. Goddess – Turn to face the long edge of your mat. Taking the feet wide, turning the heels in and toes out. Squeeze the glutes to push the knees open as you sink down. Lift the right heel off of the floor. Pulse here, lifting and lowering the hips just and inch or two. Lower the right heel and switch to the left.
7. Wide-Legged Forward Fold – Turn the feet into parallel. Fold down. Letting the spine decompress. Head heavy. Resting arms down if you like.
These 7 poses come from a 10 minute morning class I shared on YouTube. Check the full practice out below.
Namaste,
Kassandra
