Yoga Pose of the Month – Gather and Hold
Rest your hands with palms face up and fingers folded inward on any surface. Begin to inhale and open your fingers wide as if waiting to receive a gift. Hold your breath and fingers like this as you count to three. As you breathe out slowly, curling your fingers into your palm. Count to three. Repeat with simple movement and natural breath.
Gather life’s gifts with open hands and full breath. Hold and savor.
Tap Therapy: A relaxing & protecting massage.
Beyond relaxation, this simple action stimulates the immune system functions of the Thymus Gland helps to produce and maintain immune cells or lymphocytes that defend against cancer and other threats.
The purest comfort & strength can be found in smallest of gestures.
Go For Gold
Place your hands firmly on your hips. Point your elbows back. Take a breath in, gently arch your chest forward as you lift your head, chin and heart. Hands stay fixed, as you begin to release your breath, fanning your elbows out to the side like wings. Your head curls forward as your back rounds and spreads open. With each inhale, arch forward again like a racer ready to run. With each exhale, bow forward as if draped in victory. A slow ten counts to each “arch and bow.”
Yoga is training for Warriors seeking awareness, strength and hope.
One Footed
Place a book under your right foot or stand on a step. Focus your eyes forward. Begin to straighten your right leg. Stand tall using your left big toe to stay balanced on one leg. Eyes always fixed on that spot. Count ten long smooth breathe cycles in and out. Then repeat with the left foot. Experiment swinging the free foot back and forth. Time yourself and try standing on each foot for 40 seconds or counts!
Finding balance is a life’s work.
Yoga Pose of the Month – Moving Meditation
The idea is not to walk to “get somewhere,” rather to feel the muscles move and to enjoy having no place to go. Place your feet hip distance apart. Breathe in and slowly lift one heel. Breathe out, and gently replace the heel. Switch to the other foot. While on your stroll to nowhere, count your nonsteps, or match words to your movement and your breathing. For example, as you breathe in, say “Walking in place this way.” As you breathe out, say, “I am grateful for today.”
Walking to nowhere is like walking into NOW. The best place to be.
Empty the Tank
Count to five as you take a deep breath in. Breathe out as you count to five again. Add one count each breath out until you are at 10. This will empty your lungs completely.
Don’t hold your breath! Keep a continuous steady flow to your count.
Fill yourself with peace and ease.
Let go what is not useful, what you do not need.
Shoulder Spiral
Sit tall looking forward at eye level. Bend your left elbow wrapping the arm around your back with your hand resting on your right hip. Place your right arm across your chest, fingertips on your left shoulder. As you breathe in, gently press the shoulder back, looking forward. As you breathe out, slowly spiral your head right. Repeat several times, and then switch arms. Right arm back, left fingers to right shoulder. Look center as you inhale. Twist as you exhale.
Yoga teaches us to see the world from both sides.
Yoga Necking
Take a comfortable posture sitting or standing. Center your head atop your spine with the chin lifted. Breathe in and grow taller. As you breath out, slowly let your left ear lean in the direction of your left shoulder and relax the muscles in your neck. Breathing in, reach your right hand towards the ground. Breath out, leaning deeper to the left. Center on an inhale and lean on the exhale for 5 breaths. Repeat on the other side, leaning right, reaching left for 5 breaths.
Yoga Neck 3 or 4 more times.
Who you are is always changing. Always opening. Always breathing.
Relax your face muscles. Rest your eyes on a single spot.
Breathe in, as you gaze wide into the corners of your eyes. Breathe out, as you slowly focus again on the spot. See more with each inhale and narrow your focus on each exhale. Make every breath long and smooth.
The Buddha does not close her eyes while meditating.
She keeps them open to softly gaze at all life has to offer while staying focused on her spot.