It
only takes a minute to boost yourself with yoga! These are straight forward, effective
yoga exercises you can do anywhere, any time you need them. We also call these
'Yoga Snacks'.
If
you drop us a note, we can put you on the email list to send these directly to
your desk top. :) We add new ones regularly.
May
4, 2008
This
one is for all you runners, walkers, joggers, gardeners and anyone with tight
hamstrings or a cranky lower back. I like it after sitting at a desk all day.
It's called Heel Presses.
Start
Standing. Legs together. Fold forward at your waist and bring
your hands toward the floor. If your hands won't touch with legs straight, it's
OK to bend your knees.
For
your first few breaths,
*
Breathing in, gently lift your hips toward the ceiling, straightening out
your legs as much as they will go without pain. Don't force them, just see what
they will do as you breathe in and out.
*
Breathing out, feel your upper body sinking down toward your hands. (Remember
your Relaxation Response? Your body will naturally relax, sink down and
let go as you breathe out.)
After
3 - 6 breaths doing this, you're ready for the Heel Presses.
The
Heel Presses
*
Keep your hands in place.
*
Lift one heel.
*
Press it into the floor while you are lifting the other one.
*
Do this back and forth between each foot, like you're on a stair master.
Remember,
the deeper benefits of the stretch are all in the breathing. So focus
your breathing like this:
*
Focus on the right foot.
*
Lift it as you're breathing in - take extra time for extra breath in.
*
Press it into the floor as you're breathing out. Take extra time for breathing
out, feeling your weight sinking into your heel more and more as you're breathing
out.
Do
6 - 10 of these. Take a break. Then do 6 - 10 focusing on the left foot.
Tip:
If you have trouble reaching your hands to the floor, it's OK to place them on
the seat of your chair. Then sink forward as much as you can (without pain) before
starting the Leg Presses.
In
yoga - slower is better. :)
April
28, 2008
Energy
Booster. Try this any time your energy is low. It's called Skier's Pose.
*
Start standing with your feet hip width apart.
*
Squat slightly, as if you are a skier and you're doing a downhill run. (Tip:
Squat directly downward with your weight going into your heels.)
*
Raise your arms up over your head.
Breathe
in.
Breathing
out:
*
Sweep your arms downward, like you're a skier pushing off with their poles.
*
Do this while dropping your body down, dropping your chest toward your thighs. (Tip:
You'll end up squatting more. Squat directly down into your heels.)
*
Finish this sweeping motion with your arms up and back behind you. Go back to
breathing in, reaching up.
OK
- now that you have the basic movements - do 5 or 6 of these rapidly, with
big breaths in as you reach up and, as you sweep down and squat, breathe out
all your air. 5 or 6 is all it takes to feel energized. Have a great week!
April
20, 2008
I've
had a lot of requests for neck and shoulder relief at the office. Here's another
good one. I call it the Elbow Opener.
There are tips on parts of this movement on our Elbow
Opener page.
How
to Start
Sitting
or standing
Lace
your fingers around the back of your head.
Open
up your elbows.
Before
beginning the stretch. take a breath and feel your shoulders dropping and relaxing.
As
you breathe in
*
Open your elbows more and more.
*
As long as you're breathing in, see if your elbows with open farther. But not
to the point of pain.
*
You'll feel this in your arm pits, front of your chest and in your shoulder blades.
Pause
As
you breathe out keeping
your fingers laced behind your head
*
Bring your elbows together in front of you.
*
As long as you're breathing out, try bringing your elbows closer and closer together.
* You'll feel
yourself pressing on the sides of your head. (If you can actually make your elbows
meet, I congratulate you. I'm not sure it's possible. Let me know if you do that.
;) But don't go into pain to achieve it.)
*
You'll feel this in the back of your shoulder blades and in your neck.
Pause
Repeat
with each breath in and out for at least a minute.
Tips
*
Take long, slow breaths in and out.
*
Make your breaths are very full and very empty.
*
If you think you've breathed in lots, breathe in a little more.
*
If you think you've breathed out lots, breathe out a little more.
*
Remember the pauses.
*
If you get dizzy, you need longer pauses.
April
14, 2008
In
my attempt to keep your Yoga Snacks balanced between stretches, breathing
and meditation, this week we're going to explore a meditation for opening our
hearts. It's called 'A Meditation for Loving Kindness'. When people practice
this, even for a few minutes, I can see a visible change in their appearance.
Stress melts out of their features and they practically beam. It's really beautiful
to see and even more beautiful to embody. The meditation is a variation of The
Sponge from Yoga Snack #6
Meditation
for Loving Kindness
*
Sitting, standing or lying down
*
See that you're comfortable. Usually this means having your neck and spine lined
up with each other, chin forward, hands by your sides or in your lap.
*
Imagine there is a ball of bright light in the center of your chest, where
your heart is.
*
Take time to imagine this light - its size, its texture, its colour and
especially feel how clear and warm it is. Then move on to the next step:
*
Breathing in, imagine the light is getting larger, brighter, stronger,
expanding throughout your chest.
*
Breathing out, feel its warmth soaking into the surround areas of your
body.
1
- 3 minutes of this and many people feel themselves letting go of anger, emotional
tension and heart aches. As a regular practice, it's transformative.
April
7, 2008 This one is for all you gardeners who are hobbling around after
spring tilling. The remedy is called the Frog. It stretches muscles in your hips,
thighs and lower back - all the parts that complain after a good round of weeding,
hauling and hoe-ing. Try it for 5 minutes before you hit the dirt or use it later
in the day when your gardening muscles are stiff. (It's also a good warm up
for jogging or swimming.)
Start standing. Open your legs to just past shoulder width apart. Feet
turned 45 degrees outward. Squat
down into your heels. Have your weight sink directly into your heels.
You'll
look like a frog sitting on a lilly pad.
Tip
Your feet need to stay flat. So if you squat and your feet roll or lift, then
you need to play with the placement and angle of your feet until you can squat
with feet staying flat.
Breathing
Tip Keep your head and chest up and you'll breathe more easily.
Part
One
Once
you've found your squatting position, sit there for a few breaths. Feel your hips
sinking more and more with every breath out. You don't have to force the stretch,
just let breathing out and gravity do the work. You'll feel your lower back stretching,
your hips loosening, your knees stretching.
6
breaths down here is good.
Part
Two After squatting
for 6 or more breaths, it's time for the full Frog.
Place your hands just forward of your shoulders, onto the ground.
Breathing
in - lift your hips up into the air, stretching your legs. You need to keep
your hands in touch with the ground.
Pause
- feel the stretching reaching up your legs and up your back.
Breathing
out - squat into your heels. As long as you're breathing out, let your weight
sink more and more into your heels.
Pause
Breathing
In - lift your hips up into the air again?. etc.
Repeat
5 - 10 times and you'll work some of the knots out of your back. Your legs
and hips and knees will be ready for the garden again.
Basic
Meditation This next Yoga
Snack is the most fundamental of meditations. It helps you separate yourself
from stress and busy thinking. If you practice this regularly, you'll begin to
get a sense of yourself separate from your thoughts, feelings and mental concerns.
The
Meditation Sitting, standing or lying down. Arms by your sides Neck
and spine lined up with each other
Mentally
follow your breath as it come into your body and goes back out into the room.
That's all
you do. Your mind will wander. That's OK. It's the practice, not the success that
brings you the benefits. When you've noticed that your mind has wandered, just
bring your attention back to what you were doing with a slow breath in - and you're
back to breathing in and out.
Do
this for 1 - 3 minutes first thing in the morning or just before bed. Then do
it at any time when you find yourself with nothing to do or when you need a quick
break.
If it's
any encouragement, even expert meditators report that they only get 'into the
zone' or and 'uninterrupted flow' for moments at a time.
March
17, 2008
The
Lion - another great stretch for your neck and shoulders. OK
- I know this one seems odd and silly but if you hold it for 4 - 6 breaths it
gives amazing relief for tension in your neck and shoulders. Combine it with a
few neck stretches and you're re-energized!
For
the Lion you:
open
your jaw as wide as you can.
Tighten
up your neck muscles.
Pop
your eyes wide open. ? and?. the most important part?
Stick
your tongue out.
Tip
Think of this as bringing the back of your tongue as far as possible forward.
Let the front of your tongue be loose.
Tip
When I'm in public, I do this with my hands over my mouth and no one seems to
notice or think it's odd..
Breathing
for best results.
1.
Remember to breathe!
2.
Extending
with the Breath works very well here. As you hold the
stretch, take extra time to breathe in and when you breathe out, breathe out a
little more than you normally do. As you breathe out bring the back of your tongue
more and more into the room and open your jaw wider and wider.
Have
a great day!
March
10, 2008
Pacing
Your Breathing Better breathing habits include a better pace in
your breathing. As you slow down your breathing, you can get better air exchange,
eliminate more toxins, feel calmer and more relaxed and you will be able to focus
your attention more effectively.
Here's
a breathing exercise to help retrain the pace of your breathing to a healthier,
more efficient pattern. You can do this exercise whenever you have a minute, I
call it 1:2 Breathing.
Breathing
in, count how long it take you to take your normal breath in, about 2/3 full.
(Count mental seconds or heart beats, any steady rhythm.)
Now,
take twice as long to breath out. Breathe out to about 2/3 empty.
So,
for example, if you take, say, 5 seconds to breath in, try to take 10 seconds
to breathe out.
Each
breath in, count your breath in. Each breath out, take twice as long to breathe
out as you did to breathe in.
If,
while breathing out, you can't manage the full time without spluttering, try something
close to that amount of time. So, for example, if you take 5 seconds to breathe
in, try taking 6, 7, or 8 seconds to breathe out. And then, over time, slowly
creep that toward 10.
Try
this breathing strategy with some of your stretches you've learned and you'll
get a lot more out of them. Like
Butterfly Breathing:
As
you start breathing in, your elbows start moving upward and you start counting
the breath in. When you're done breathing in, pause your movements
and finish the count. Breathing out, your chin goes up and back, starting
counting the breath out.
Try
to make the movements, the breath out and the count end at the same time. So,
if it took your 5 seconds to breathe it, it will take you 10 seconds to breathe
out and press your chin up and back.
Doing
stretches in this way helps you get a much deeper work out
More
Neck Relief with the Bust / Pec Expansion & Hug This combo is great
for relieving tension in your neck and shoulders, while building up your biceps
and the breathing muscles in your chest. It's great while you're waiting for elevators
or standing in line at the bank.
-
Sit upright in your chair or stand upright, legs together. - Reach
your arms behind your back
-
Lace your fingers together. - If you can't reach your fingers, it's not cheating
to use a belt or book to span the gap. - Knuckles
need to be pointing downward. (Palms upward.) - Straighten your arms & elbows.
If this is difficult for you, think of it as reaching slightly toward the bottom
of your hips. It also helps to rotate your shoulders back, opening up your chest.
This straightens your arms nicely.
-
Take a moment to relax into this position. Remember your Relaxation Response?
Take a leisurely breath in, as you let it go feel your shoulders sinking down,
your upper body relaxing and letting go.
- Next
time you breathe in, rotate your arms upward, as if drawing a big circle with
your arms. Arms stay straight. (Many people find the picture on the website helpful
to get the idea of the rotating movement.) You'll feel your biceps and shoulders
working hard.
- Pause the movement as you breathe out. Feel your legs
and shoulders relaxing, even as you hold your stretch.
- Each breath in,
rotate your arms a little higher. - Each breath out, pause the movement and
see what parts of your body you can 'let go of' and relax.
Once
you've gone as far as you can go without pain, hold it there for a breath or two.
Slowly let the stretch go as you breathe out.
Then
give yourself a Hug.
-
Left hand on top of your right shoulder. - Right hand on top of your left
shoulder.
- Breathing
out, press your elbows downward. You'll feel your shoulders stretching. -
Then switch which arm is on top.
Breathing
Tips for Most Benefit from these Poses Take your time with each breath
in and out and notice how that helps the stretch.
February
25, 2008
Neck
Relief! Here are some stretches to give your neck welcome relief
throughout the day. They're all quite simple and, together, add up to a really
effective office break. Some of these stretches may seem familiar to you - but
now that you've learned some breathing strategies, they can become more effective
than ever!
Remember to use your breathing strategies
of either: Your body relaxing and stretching farther as you breathe out -
or breathing out a little more than usual and so finding a little extra stretch.
For
best results, do these three stretches as a mini routine, one after the other
and then do at least one more round of them in sequence.
Neck
Press
Sitting or standing upright (no slouching!) Neck,
shoulders and spine lined up. Facing forward.
Bring
your chin forward and then down, toward your chest. You'll feel a nice stretch
from the back of your head all the way down to your shoulder blades.
Each
time you breathe out, allow your chin to follow your chest downward for a
stronger stretch. Each time you breathe in, hold your position.
Continue
until you've gone as far as you can go. Hold this final position for 2
- 6 breaths.
For a stronger stretch: Once your chin is down Lace your
fingers behind your head. Let the weight of your hands encourage more of a stretch.
No pushing. Just let gravity do the work.
For
even better results, follow this with:
Neck
Stretch
Sitting
or standing upright, neck shoulder and spine lined up. Facing forward.
Bring
your right ear down toward your right shoulder. You will feel the left side
of your neck stretching.
Important
tips: Keep your nose pointing forward. (Don't turn your head) Keep your
shoulders down. (Don't raise your right shoulder to try to meet your right ear.)
Each time
you breathe in, check that your shoulders are down and nose is pointed forward.
Each time you breathe out, feel your shoulders dropping, your ear following
your shoulder down, the stretch increasing.
Continue
until you've gone as far as you can go. Hold this final position for 2 - 6
breaths.
Return
upright. Pause. Feel the muscles relaxing. Now do the other side.
Neck
Twist This is a simplified version of the Chair Twist from Yoga
Snack #2
Sitting
upright, neck shoulder and spine lined up. Facing forward. See that your
shoulder blades are settled up against your chair and your hips are settled into
the back of your chair.
Turn
your head to the left as if you're trying to look at your left ear.
Every
time you breathe in, feel yourself growing a little taller, your spine lifting.
Each time you breathe out, turn your head a little farther.
Key:
Don't drop or raise your chin. Keep
both your shoulders nicely nestled into the back of your chair.
Continue
until you've gone as far as you can go. Hold this final position for 2 - 6
breaths.
Return
to the front. Pause while the muscles let go of the stretch. Do the other side.
February
18, 2008
Here's
a quick way to get a lot out of any stretch. I call it 'Extending with the Breath'.
We'll use it with Butterfly Breathing (from Yoga Snack #5), but
you can use it with just about any stretch. It goes like this:
To
learn the technique, start by picking a stretch that you know well and like. Go
into the stretch. As you hold it:
Take
a normal breath in. (This will make you about 2/3 full of air.) Stretch more as
you breathe in..
Now
breathe in a little more. (Not so much that you're going to pop, but just go for
a little more air than you usually do.) Stretch a little farther as you breathe
in a little more.
Breathing
out, let a normal amount of breath go, (this will make you about 2/3 empty). Stretch
more as you breathe out.
Now
breathe out a little more. Stretch a little farther as you breathe out a little
more.
Continue
in this way for several breaths while you hold the stretch.
Practice
this whenever you have a moment, with or without a stretch of your choice. This
will train you to have fuller, more effective breathing, even throughout the day
when you're not thinking about it. It will also let you go deeply into a stretch
with less chance of injury.
For
example, let's use this with Complete Breath.
Reach
your hands up over your head
Lace
your fingers together, palms pressing upward.
Breathing
in, press your palms more toward the ceiling, reaching upward with your arms.
This will give you a good stretch down your arms, down your neck and shoulders
and even into your upper back.
Breathe
in a little more and press your palms even more toward the ceiling, stretching
higher.
Pause
Breathing out,
let your arms float down toward your sides. Feel your shoulders dropping, your
body sinking and letting go.
Just
when you think you're done and your arms are settling to your sides, breathe out
a little more and feel the weight in your arms and shoulders dropping, sinking
and letting go even more.
Pause.
Repeat
as much as you like. This is an effective office break that takes some tension
out of your neck and shoulders.
If
you want, you can use this with Butterfly Breathing. First, here's a
reminder of how to do the basic Butterfly Breathing:
To
use Extending with the Breath with Butterfly Breathing:
Breathing
in - lift your elbows up. Now breath in a little more and lift your
elbows up a little farther.
Pause
Breathing
out - bring your elbows down Still breathing out - ball your hands into
a fist, bring your elbows together in front of you, gently pressing your chin
up and back as you finish breathing out. Now Breathe out a little more
and press your chin up and back a little farther.
Pause
Repeat
as much as you like. 10 - 15 of these take about a minute and makes you feel
energized. Go for that extra stretch that comes from that extra breath in and
out.
February
11, 2008
Here's
a quick way to drop stress. It's called The Sponge. It's a breathing exercise
that slows down your breathing and helps you be present minded very easily. The
more you practice it, the better you get at it, the quicker it works.With practice,
you can soon be using the Sponge to help you drop stress in a breath or two.
One
of the goals of yoga is to improve your breathing so that you have more energy
throughout the day and are more calm and relaxed even while feeling energized.
Butterfly Breathing does a lot of that. It
boosts your breathing, loosens your neck and shoulders and gives you a lift any
time of day. It's great first thing in the morning, just before any workout or
at the office for an energy boost.
An
important benefit of yoga is better breathing. As your breathing improves you
will have more energy throughout the day, better concentration, better immunity,
you'll sleep better, get more out of your exercise programs and even avoid heart
attacks. Many health conditions improve as you become better at breathing.
To
start you on that journey, some Yoga Snacks will address your breathing
- either by strengthening and loosening your breathing muscles or by giving you
exercises that will improve your breathing skills.
Today's
Yoga Snack is a breathing exercise that is also very helpful for relaxation
- Abdominal Breathing. Do this for 1 - 3 minutes a day, or whenever you have a
moment. It's great when you need to recover from stress or for helping you fall
asleep at night.
Have
your chin pointing directly forward. (Not pointing up too much or down too far.
That will cut off your breathing.)
Take
a breath or two to settle into place, feeling your weight drop down as you breathe
out.
Rest your
hands on either side of your belly button, as if they are a bowl cupping your
belly.
Push
your belly button upward, toward your hands, filling up the 'bowl'. o Notice
how this draws air in.
Then
squeeze your belly button away from your hands, emptying the 'bowl'. o Notice
how this squeezes air out, like squeezing the air from a balloon.
Pause
Repeat
for 1 - 3 minutes or for whatever time you have. o Breathe in by pushing your
belly outward. o Breathe out by squeezing your belly inward.
Key
All the action is to be done with the muscles of the belly. Your hands are simply
a target.
Intermediate
Method As you get comfortable with these movements,
do them without your hands on your belly, just breathe in by pushing your belly
outward; breathe out by squeezing your belly inward.
January
21, 2008
The
Next Big Yoga Secret The longer you take
to breathe out, the more your body will let go and relax - and stretch even farther.
Here's
a calming relaxation break using this week's breathing technique.
Try this
with the Chair Twists from last week. Or, try it with this quick office stretch
- the Simple Side Bend:
Sitting,
legs together, feet not crossed, hips nestled into the back of your chair. Or
- standing, legs together. Lace
your fingers together. Press your palms outward.
Big breath in. Reach
your arms up overhead, reaching for the ceiling, pressing your palms toward the
ceiling. You should feel this in your arms, shoulders, armpits and spine.
Breathing
out - bend to one side. This is stretching from the hip, as if your hips,
body and arms are one, connected unit. Keep your palms pressed outward as
you do this. You should feel this in your arms, shoulders, armpits, sides of
your chest and hip.
Hold
it as you breathe in. Breathing out, see if you will bend any farther
as you breathe out. Just go with what your body is naturally willing to do as
you let go of your breathe.
Hold the pose for several breaths until
you feel you've had a good workout.
Breathing
in, lift upright, pressing your palms up the whole time. Then do the other
side. 1 - 3 repetitions on each side, depending on how much time you
have.
Key: Bend directly to the side. If
you start to twist your shoulders or upper body, you'll start to feel it in your
lower back. If you feel discomfort in your back, turn your body until you only
feel it in your arms, shoulders and sides.
Key:
Notice how you can get more of a stretch if you take a little longer to let go
of your breath.
January
14, 2008 A
Relaxed Body Stretches Better Using Your Relaxation Response
This
audio guides you through a refreshing office break called 'Chair Twists'. It's
great relief for your neck, shoudlers and lower back. The key is to notice how
your body relaxes and will stretch more when you breathe out, giving you more
and more of a twist without having to force it.
January
5, 2008
Your
Body Relaxes When You Breathe Out Your Relaxation Response
This
audio guides you through your Relaxation Response. You'll discover that,
when you breathe out, your body naturally lets go and relaxes. Use this to quickly
relax, whenever you need it. Your Relaxation Response also helps you get
more out of stretches, without any additional effort. Click on the audio and we'll
talk you through a nice Yoga Snack Break using your Relaxation Response.
If
you'd like to learn more about your Relaxation Response and how to put
it to use in all kinds of ways, check out Breathing
Theme 1, or Your
Relaxation Response articles and videos on this site
Yoga Snacks 
