Ready to mix up some moves on your mat to increase your overall mobility and flexibility? Give these a go for an overall feel good feeling from head to toe.
No props are necessary for these but if you like to support your practice with props, feel free to have a block, bolster or cushion nearby.
1. Turtle Pose – Start seated with the feet on the floor. Walk them out a bit farther than normal and drop the knees to the sides so the legs are in a diamond shape. Fold forward. Either propping yourself up, or to take it deeper slide the hands under the legs. Keep the palms facing up. Allow gravity to pull you into the fold, taking time to find the variation that works for you. Take about 10 deep breaths.
2. Seated Cat/Cow – Lift up and cross the legs. Rest the palms on the knees. Inhale to lift the heart, squeezing the shoulder blades behind you. Exhale to reverse, chin to chest and round. Warm up the spine with several rounds of this.
3. Seated Pigeon – Bring the feet to the ground, walking them froward. Bring the hands behind you. Cross the right ankle over top of the left knee. Bend the left knee as much as you like. The closer the knee to the chest, the more you will feel it. Rocking side to side. Not slouching or rounding, but lifting the heart and pushing hands into ground to find more length.
4. Reverse Table – Plant both feet on the floor. Turn the fingers to face you. Push into hands and feet. Squeeze the glutes to lift seat up. Keep chin slightly tucked.
Repeat seated pigeon on the other side.
5. Humble Lunge – Come to downward dog. Then step right foot through to the top of the mat. Knee over ankle. Press into feet to lift up, keeping knee off the floor. Interlacing fingers behind the back. Dive forward and down inside of the front leg. Reaching the hands away from you, knuckles towards the sky.
6. Pigeon Pose – Bring hands down to the mat. Lower right knee behind right wrist. Shift the back leg as needed. Notice if you are leaning to one side or the other, Walk the hands back, opening through the chest, Grounding through the hips. Lift out of low back as you fold down. If you like you can support the forehead or the hips with a prop. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths.
Repeat 5 and 6 on the other side.
7. Reclined Twist – Lower down onto your back. Hug the knees in to you, rocking side to side. Keep the right knee in. Straighten the left leg to the mat. Cross the right thigh over to the left. Reach the right arm out to the side. Keeping the right shoulder anchored to the floor. Creating as much space between right hip and right shoulder. Repeat other side.
These poses come from a 20 minute intermediate practice I released on YouTube and inside of my app.
Kassandra
