Happy #WellbeingWednesday! Today we are bringing you a series of yoga moves that will break up your day, unravel your spine and make you feel amazing.
PPF's resident yogi Kim is sharing some of her favourite yoga moves, which will reset your body after a day sitting at your desk.
Kim leads Yoga classes at both our Brisbane studios in Camp Hill and Coorparoo. You can view timetables and join Kim for a class by clicking here.
Or, if you feel like staying home, you can join Kim in our at-home Yoga classes, available through our Online Membership. Online classes include Yoga, Core Yoga, Yin Yoga, Stretch Yoga and Meditations.
Move 1: Pilates Standing Rolldown
A beginner Pilates move. The Pilates Roll Down is the perfect stress-reliever as you are concentrating on relaxing the shoulders. The roll down also stretches the back and the hamstrings, works the abdominals, and creates better posture patterns.
The Move:
- Stand with your feet hips distance apart, knees soft and take a deep breath to prepare.
- On the exhale, tuck the chin to the chest, gently roll the shoulders forward and roll down through your spine one vertebrae at a time.
- At the bottom, hang gently, then inhale to prepare and on the exhale, tuck the tailbone under and use your abdominals to curl back up, re-stacking the spine one vertebrae at a time.
- Repetitions: minimum of 3. We recommend several roll downs every couple of hours if you are sitting for long periods of time.
Move 2: Standing Bananasana
This is a standing version of a Yin Yoga pose called Bananasana – literally Banana pose! It is a divine way to stretch the whole side of the body including obliques (side waist) and the iliotibial band (ITB).
The Move:
- Standing tall, cross one ankle in front of the other, keeping both legs relatively straight.
- Taking the hands up overhead, use the same hand as the leg behind to grab the wrist of the other hand and gently pull to the side – making a banana -shape with the body!
- Repetitions: Hold each side for 20-30 seconds.
Move 3: Cat/Cow
Cat/Cow is the perfect way to get some movement into your body and limber up through the spine if you have been sitting for long periods of time. Cow lengthens out through the front of the body while cat lengthens down the neck and the spine.
The Move:
- In a 4 point kneeling position with your wrists underneath shoulders and knees underneath hips, spread your fingers comfortably with the middle finger pointing towards the front of the mat.
- Bend your elbows slightly and hug the armpits in by your waist to stabilise through the shoulders, tuck the toes under and on the inhale, take your eye gaze just to the front of your mat (not up to the ceiling as this tends to compress through the neck).
- On the exhale, press through the hands, untuck the toes and arch your back up to the ceiling for cat.
- Repetitions: flow from cow on the inhale and cat on the exhale in the rhythm of your breath for 3-4 cycles.
Move 4: Downward Facing Dog
Down dog stretches the shoulders, calves and helps to calm the mind. The trick to down dog is to maintain as much knee bend as you need to keep your spine from rounding – if you have tight hamstrings, bend your knees a lot!!
The Move:
- Starting in the same position as cat/cow, however take your hands one whole hands distance further forward on your mat.
- Bend your elbows and hug the armpits in to stabilise the shoulders, tuck the toes under, and on the exhale press through your hands and lift your hips up.
- Keeping the knee bend, aim your hips to where the wall meets the ceiling – here you can “walk the dog†by bending one knee then the other.
- Repetitions: stay here as long as you wish!
Move 5: Spinal Flexion & Extension
A great alternative to cat/cow, particularly if you have issues with your wrists or kneeling. Again the focus in bringing movement into the body, lengthening out both the front and the back of the body.
The Move:
- Standing tall, feet hips distance apart.
- On the inhale, bend your knees, round through the spine and sweep the arms forward as if you are hugging a big ball.
- On the exhale, open up through the front of the body by lengthening the spine, standing tall, with the arms out by your side.
- Start subtly and after 2-3 repetitions, make the spinal extension slightly bigger by lifting the eye gaze higher and lengthening out through the neck, and open up across the chest by taking the arms slightly behind your body.
- Repetitions: 5-6 in each direction.
We hope these five yoga moves stretch out your body and relax your mind - we'd love to welcome you to one of our regular yoga classes at either our Coorparoo or Camp Hill studios.
Want more yoga tips? Check out our other blogs: A Beginners Guide to Yoga and Yoga Isn't Just For the Bendy
