Yoga for Self Care

Yoga For Self Care

Welcome to healthy yoga day 11 which will focus on yoga for self care and healing. It provides a quickie routine for inner health and natural medicine. Magically nurture and reduce suffering on all levels.

It might just help to release pain, return concentration and improve productivity.

This 20 minute yoga class can be extended to 30 minutes or done in part in only 10. Some days you might do morning yoga may challenge and wake up or awaken with the best beginners mind.

This basic beauty flow can also be a great balance for bedtime ritual. Grounding movement is restorative to heal mental stress. The basics can be a calming sequence that may help you sleep.

A home yoga practice for self care might begin by sitting on a chair.

This class is inspired by a Yoga Journal article in the May and June 2020 addition.

Once seated on a chair comfortably place your hands face down on your knees or thighs. With your hands face down on your legs you are reminded to take care of your body.

Next, bring your awareness to your breath. Try to slow your breath down. Try to do three part yoga breathing.

You begin exhaling all of your breath out, then seal your lips and breath in through your nose just a little so that you feel your belly expand.

Pause, then breath in a little more to feel your chest expand. Pause.

Now breathe into your shoulders and neck taking in as much breath as possible. Pause.

Exhale in reverse order, out of the nose feeling the shoulders relax, pause, feel the chest collapse slightly as the breath exists, pause and finally let all the air out pulling your belly in at the bottom of the exhale. Repeat.

Notice how this breathing exercise helps you relax. Come off the chair and have a seat on the yoga mat on the floor.

Sit up nice and tall, roll your shoulders down and back. Enjoy a gentle yoga twist only far as feels good with your body.

From a seated yoga position move into a lateral or side body stretch with one hand on the mat for stability.

Be sure to stretch both ways. Next come to table top to release the spine with some cow cat yoga stretches.

From table top yoga position extend one leg at a time to stretch the hamstrings with the toes connected to the back of the yoga mat.

Lift the extended leg and opposite arm for a little core strengthening. From there move into downward facing dog yoga pose and then child’s yoga pose. In child’s yoga pose revisit with your breath. Keep the yoga breath deep slow and even.

Eventually come to a seated position and explore the mantra with the loving kindness meditation. “May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be well. May I be at peace.”

Finish the practice in Savasana with legs elevated on the chair, with a soft blanket under your body and a pillow or blanket to support your head and an additional blanket on your abdomen to feel grounded, safe and comforted.

I hope you feel good. Self care is self love. Thank yourself for loving yourself enough to practice self love in yoga today.