Roll out of bed yoga

Hello from Spain!

So we devised an easy beginners routine to transform any yoga virgin into a sun kissed yoga guru.

1) FORWARD BEND: stand in mountain pose, then exhale as you bend your trunk over your legs. Let your head and neck relax and hang. If your hamstrings feel tight, keep a minuscule bend in your knees to give them some more space to relax and open. Press your hands and finger tips into the ground.

2) DOWNWARD DOG: from all fours, lift your hips and press backwards, keeping your arms outstretched. Reach your heels towards the ground. Relax your shoulders towards the ground and relax your head and neck. Stay here for five long, deep breaths.

3) PLANK: Press your palms into the ground and step your feet back ensuring your wrists are under your shoulders, knees under hips. Straighten your legs and arms, so your body is in a straight line from the top of your head to the bottom of your heels. Keep your stomach strong and lift the front of your thighs up. Stay here for five long, deep breaths.

4) SIDE PLANK: from your plank, press into your right hand and roll to the outside edge of your right foot, stacking your left foot on top. Straighten your left arm so it's in line with your shoulders. Look up. Hold for two long, deep breaths. Roll down and through plank pose and repeat on the other side.

5) UPWARD DOG: Lower your knees gently to the ground. Roll your shoulders down your back and lift your chest through your arms with a big inhale. Straighten your arms, keeping your shoulders down. Sway your torso a little from side-to-side if that feels good and keep your body relaxed.










  

Morning stretches in the park

In todays outdoor yoga session we soaked up the morning sun with some great postures, starting in a sitting position and focusing on breathing. After a quick warm up session we focused on a mat sequence beginning in mountain pose and linking a few of our favourite poses together. Crab pose felt particularly good this morning as it elongated the spine and opened the chest. This is great to counteract spinal curvature caused by everyday activities such as leaning over a desk, holding heavy shopping or curling up in bed.

Outdoor yoga session this Saturday / Sesión de yoga al aire libre este sábado

Hi Friends, I'm starting an outdoor yoga session on Saturday at Jardines del Real (opposite the fountain with the pillars), Valencia. 11.30am to 13.00pm. Bring a mat or a towel. €5 suggested donation.

See you there!


Hola amigos, estoy empezando una sesión de yoga al aire libre el sábado en Jardines del Real (frente a la fuente de los pilares), Valencia. 11.30 a 13.00 horas. Traiga una colchoneta o una toalla. € 5 donación sugerida.

Nos vemos allí!

Yoga Life Today has moved to Valencia!

Hello yoga enthusiasts! Today we are practising from Valencia. Situated on the east coast of Spain alongside the Mediterranean sea. Valencia is a perfect location for yoga-lovers. Well known for its natural setting and agreeable climate. Valencia is the perfect place to enjoy a yoga holiday during the summer. Watch out for photos and blog entries from Yoga Life Today coming soon.

Yogic Backbends

Something new to try as a counter active posture from leaning forward for most of the day; either from sitting at a desk, driving or carrying heavy shopping bags, is Crab Pose. This is one of the various backbends you can do in yoga and is a great way to release energy and realign the body.

From lying flat on the mat you bring your feet in so the buttocks are lifted and the shoulders are still on the floor. Roll the shoulders back so the front of the chest is open. You can use your hands to support your lower back or buttocks either with palms facing upwards or in Prayer Position at the bottom of the lower back.

You may wish to rise onto tiptoes if you really feel the lift. Hold this for a short while if it feels comfortable, and to come out of the posture, slowly lower the spine back to the mat. 

Revolved Head to Knee Pose

Roughly three quarters of the way through a 90 minute yoga class we focused on some floor stretches. The revolved head to knee pose begins sitting on the floor with legs apart and straight out in front of you. You bend in the left leg and bring the left arm up and over your head to reach the opposite foot. The right arm stretches out towards the right foot where both hands should be clutching the foot. If starting out with this pose it maybe easier to hold onto the calf.

Your head should be tilted upwards under your top arm and your gaze focused to the ceiling. You should feel a fantastic stretch along side the left side of the body. This is a particularly a relaxing pose after a series of flow poses. I like to hold this stretch for a while and can feel myself sinking in to the pose quite nicely. Do the same on the opposite side to centre your body.

Counter poses, again to centre the body, would be a double leg forward stretch where your hips are aligned, legs are stretched out in front of you on the mat and the top half of the body falls down towards the floor.

Eye relaxation

A quick and easy exercise to relax the eyes is by rubbing the palms together so that you can feel them heating up. Once they are warm place the palms over eye sockets for a few moments. Repeating this 2 or 3 times should help relax the eyes. Give it a try.  

Opening the heart centre

A great easy posture for relaxation is to start in sitting position, crossed legged on the floor. Chest is open, shoulders are as far away from the ears as possible and the back is straight. Stretch your arms out so that they rest on the knees. Palms should be open and face upwards. Personally I like to hold the thumb and forefinger together because I feel an increased opening in the heart. This is subjective but you may feel an increased opening as many people do. Breathing should be normal but focused on bringing the breath to the top of the chest. Personally I like to breath in and out through the nose but you can also choose to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. After 5 or 10 minutes in this posture the benefits are mainly relaxation and detachment from daily bodily or mental stresses.

Organic haircare

For so long I've been using standard high street products for my daily shampoo and conditioner but have recently been trying out sulphate and paraben free alternatives. I have found that my hair has come up feeling a lot more clean and moisturised and that I need to wash my hair a lot less often. Studies of parabens and sulphates in beauty products have been linked with medical problems for some consumers  so that is why there is this alternative range of products that get a lot less exposure in the media but are available to buy. I really notice the difference when I use organic shampoos especially as my hair is fine and curly. Parabens are linked with preservatives that provide the product with a longer shelf life but are less productive at moisturising and strengthening the hair. Similarly, sulphates give the lather effect when washing the hair so the consumer feels they're getting a complete cleaning experience. Organic haircare doesn't lather up and foam as much but is gentler on the hair and scalp and I've found the effects to be softer, shinier and cleaner.

Yoga Life Today has a new email address

For any enquiries or discussion about yoga please email us on yogalifetoday@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you. Namaste

Side Plank Pose

A variation of the Plank Pose (Kumbhakasana) is Side Plank Pose. You can move into this from standard plank as it focuses on strengthening the side that is holding the rest of your body weight. I found it particularly useful for strengthening the arms, wrists and the abdominals. Also you can feel the leg nearest the floor, in particular the thigh working hard. It's important that the palms are flat and firmly grounded on the floor and the arm is stretching out as much as possible. This beautiful stretch oxygenates the working muscles to keep them strong and healthy. 

Crescent Moon in Vinyasa Flow Yoga

In this weeks Yoga session we practiced a new pose called Crescent Moon. In a Vinyasa flow sequence this can be started from a deep forward fold or it works from kneeling position. We added this on to our regular sequence which goes like this;

1)Beginning at the top of the mat in Mountain Pose (inhale)

2) Extended Mountain Pose (exhale)

3) Deep Forward Fold (inhale)

4) Plank (exhale)

5) Knees, chest, chin (inhale)

6) Cobra (exhale)

7) Step back into Downward Facing Dog (inhale)

8) Step right foot forward and left leg back in to Crescent Moon (exhale)

9)Step left and right foot forward into Deep Forward Fold  (inhale)

10) Raise arms to Extended Mountain Pose (exhale)

Namaste

Warrior Pose 3 (Virabhadrasana III)

On Tuesday's yoga session we chose to focus on some standing postures. Starting in the beginners pose, Warrior pose 1 and moving into the more advanced Warrior pose 3. From Warrior 1, you bring your torso and arms forward so the arms and back are parallel with the floor. Keeping the concentration on your breathing, you gradually lift the left foot off the floor and extend behind you keeping it as straight as possible depending on your own flexibility. You will create a straight line with your arms, back and extended leg. To release, exhale and lower the raised leg to the floor. Inhale as your arms and chest lift in to Warrior Pose 1. Straighten the right leg and lower the arms as you step into Mountain Pose. Then repeat on the other side. I found this to be a difficult pose as it takes a lot of concentration, but very satisfying when you can hold it and feel comfortable in the pose.  It's a beautiful pose, and helps to quiet the mind after a long or hectic day.  

Ashtanga Yoga

Today, after a busy and alcohol infused Christmas and New Year I thought what better than a detoxing yoga session to kick start 2013. Today's session was Ashtanga Yoga which I'm completely new too, but is recognised as the form of yoga favoured by the western world. It's faster paced and more physically  demanding than more traditional forms of yoga such as my personal favourite and most practiced Hatha Yoga.

The first thing I noticed when we began the lesson with A and B type Vinyasa is how quickly my body warmed up. This is artificially created in Bikram Yoga, and in Hatha Yoga, you simply don't get the same affects until towards the end of the practice. Down to the pace, and the expertise of the other practitioners in the class I adapted the postures to make them easier for me as a newcomer with the use of a belt. Instead of taking a Vinyasa I felt that stretching out my calf muscles would be more beneficial as I hadn't been to a yoga session for a while. One objective of yoga is to avoid the ego, and listen to what your individual body is telling you rather than worrying about keeping up with other people in the class. 

I think that Ashtanga Yoga is very good for strengthening. Today I discovered Scales Pose which strengthens the arms and shoulders. Starting in Lotus Position you lift the buttocks, legs and feet off the floor. For beginners this is very difficult so you might find yourself just being able to lift the buttocks of the floor to begin with. The legs and feet will follow with more practice. Repeat twice by swapping the legs around.

You can do a similar pose by bringing the thighs to the chest, making yourself the tinniest unit possible and lifting the buttocks and feet away from the floor.