Yoga

I've decided that I need to incorporate more yoga into my life. I tend to easily stress, and I am having increasingly ridiculous problems with anxiety. I think everyone has issues with stress and anxiety, and it's because of the way our society works. We are always in GO GO GO GO GO GO! mode, and we don't allow ourselves time to just.. be. 

At least, I know I don't. I find myself rushing for no reason. For example, I went to the college bookstore yesterday to pick up some supplies for my classes. I had all the time in the world really. It was Saturday morning around 10 am, all of the places I needed to be were open until at least 5 pm, I had no plans until 9pm. And just a few small tasks to do. But while I was looking for supplies, I was trying to find a planner that would work for me, and help me organize my due dates for my assignments, simple enough task right?
I was FREAKING OUT! OMG WHICH ONE IS THE BEST! I found myself flipping through all of the pages at warp speed, trying to assess what I needed as if I had a gun to my head and only had 30 seconds to choose one. Why? I have no idea. After a few minutes of furious panicking, I finally realized what I was doing to myself, and took a step back. Took a few breathes, walked away, and then came back to start over. I chose a planner, (turns out, it's really not what I wanted, but I already wrote all over it, soooo...) and then moved onto the pens. Where I realized I have a really picky pen choosing criteria. I didn't find a pen I liked, so I didn't get one. It's just a pen! JUST A PEN! Ink in a plastic tube with some metal on the end. It's not a new sports car. Just. a. pen. 

SO, anyway. Long story short. I have decided that perhaps a stronger yoga practice may help me, relax. But this is where my over preparedness and inability to get out of my own way comes in.
I have to find THE PERFECT routine, if I'm going to be doing yoga practice at home, and you thought pens were a problem... Geeze. 

I found an image on Pinterest, of a "Good Morning Yoga Routine" and it seems easy enough, and like I can easily fit it into my super rushed life. It seems to be making it's way around the internet. It's just pictures, I'm not super great at yoga, so I still need instruction. I'm not sure where the image originated, but I found the post it was created from. But it's in slideshow format. (Which is THE WORST FORMAT FOR ANY WEBSITE EVER! Please stop.) I thought I would share, in a somewhat condensed version. The link to the original slideshow is there, if you are so inclined to check it out.


From Mind Body Green: 
"This is a 10-15 minute morning sequence designed to wake up the body and target all of the places that might need a little extra space and life breathed into them after a night of sleep. I designed this to be a flowing sequence, allowing one pose to flow into the next. I invite you to try it like this, or if that doesn’t work for you and you prefer to complete one pose at a time, guide yourself through it that way by returning to Downward Facing Dog in between each pose. Otherwise, just flow with it."

Chest to Thighs with Interlaced Hands

Stand at the back of your yoga mat with your feet together and carefully bow forward, hinging from your hips and not your low back. Reach your hands behind your back and interlace your fingers, pressing the palms together. Bend your knees and press your chest into and down your thighs, keeping your neck long. Hold for five breaths.

Sundial Salutation

With feet hip-distance apart, fold forward and place your hands on your elbows. Bring your torso toward the outside of the right leg and open your chest so that your left elbow points up toward the sky. Moving like a sundial, lead with your left elbow and slowly come up the right side, reaching up at the top and then continue to lower down the left side, keeping the chest open and the shoulders down. Repeat 3 times on each side.

Open Hip

From Downward Facing Dog lift your right leg all the way up to the sky behind you. Keeping the arms very strong, bend your right knee and stack your right hip over your left, opening up the hip, groin and thigh. Gently press the left heel down into the earth, being mindful to keep that heel from splaying out to the side.

Easy Lunge Twist

Step your right foot to the outside of your right hand so that your right foot is closer to the right edge of the mat. Turn your toes out to a 45 degree angle (like 10:00). Keep the left knee lifted and press the thigh up towards the sky. Press down into the earth with the left hand and open the right arm up towards the sky. Stay here for at least five breaths. 

Low Lunge Variation

With your right toes pointing straight ahead and the outer edge of the right foot parallel to the outer edge of the mat, lower your left knee down to the earth. Place your hands on top of your right thigh or reach them up to the sky. Soften the tailbone down and draw the low belly off of the thigh. Stay here for five breaths allowing the right heel to energetically draw back and the left hip to energetically move down and forward towards the right heel.

Triangle Pose

Tuck the back toes under and spin the left heel down so that the heels are more or less in line with each other. Pressing down through the outer edge of the left foot, begin to straighten your right leg. Engage both legs and consider stacking your left hip over your right. Slide your right hand as far up your right leg as you need to so that you are not collapsing anywhere. Open the left arm up towards the sky, reaching out through the left fingertips.

Forearm Plank

With toes tucked, lower down onto your elbows and forearms. Keeping the hips in line with the shoulders and your knees off of the ground, stack your shoulders over your elbows, which should be no wider than shoulders distance apart. Keep the back of the thighs pressing up towards the sky, while guiding the heels back and the heart forward. Maintain a strong core and hold here for 30 seconds.

Malasana - Yogi Squat

Separate your feet a little bit further apart, maybe even as wide as your mat. Turn your toes out slightly. Bend your knees and lower your hips down towards the earth. Bring your hands to prayer in front of your heart and allow the elbows to gently guide the knees and thighs open, keeping length in the spine. Engage mula bandha to experience a greater sense of lightness.Stay here for at least five full breaths.

Repeat everything on the second side.

~x~x~x~x~x~

And so, This concludes my stolen internet broadcast. I honestly just wanted this routine in a format that was easier to follow for myself. Which prompted me into creating a blog. So, this has become already way more intensive than it needed to be. 

Off I go, to try and unwind. Which is a whole 'nother story about how I'm terrified of popping my shoulder out of socket (again).

<3