chair & twists

Something that I really enjoyed a few classes ago was this relatively simple sequence:

Start out in chair (utkatasana) with hands at heart center. As you exhale, twist to the right, then inhale back to center, and exhale to the left, inhaling back to center, etc. It creates a very nice flow of twisty breaths :)

yoga at work

Especially for those who are working desk jobs, most of you undoubtedly feel quite stiff as a result of being crunched over your desk, slouching, sitting uncomfortably. I used to have constant back pain from sitting in front of a computer all day, to the point of having to recline back in my seat, turning my monitor down to meet my gaze. Doing yoga daily has eased much of this discomfort, and I'm happy to say that I generally sit in a more presentable manner these days.

My posture has improved rapidly from doing yoga daily, making it easier for me to sit up straight. Still, I get antsy from sitting there with no movement whatsoever. My body enjoys stretching and twisting and pulling all kinds of maneuvers. Below are a few things I do to keep myself as active as possible while being sedentary (if you have any tips of your own, please comment and share):

• Lotus or half lotus is excellent for the hips and also helps me keep my back straight. My coworkers may think I'm a bit strange, but my body is grateful. Remember to switch out your legs!


• Especially after doing a version of lotus pose, I like to sit back on my knees, either on my toes or heels.


• Something else I enjoy is bending at the knee and swinging both feet behind me on either side of the thigh, while the feet reach out through the holes between the chair arms and back (provided that you have a chair conducive to this pose).


• Most important about the three poses above is the ability to keep your back straight, I have found. If one of them makes you more likely to sit up straight, that's the one to go for.


• I have a swivel chair at work, and I like to do an occasional twist. I keep my torso to face the computer monitor while I rotate the chair to the left and right with my hand, thus creating a twist.


• To build strength, I extend each of my legs one at a time and hold for five minutes each. The knee can either be bent or straight, depending on your needs.

Some of these may get you strange looks, but I find that it helps relieve some of the stress your body endures from being immobile for such a long period of time.

Airplane sequence

For this one, we first need to get into airplane pose. There are probably infinite ways of doing this; so, do whichever is the best transition into airplane for you. One way is to get into a solid warrior I, virabhadrasana I. Once you're there, begin to shift your weight into the bent knee, gently lifting your straightened leg off the ground while straightening your bent knee. Meanwhile, begin to lower your torso so that it's parallel to the floor while extending your arms back into airplane stance.

Ultimately, you should be standing on one foot while extending the other backwards (the aim is to have it parallel to the ground). At the same time, bend forward so that your back is parallel to the ground. Your arms should reach backwards at a 45-degree angle from your torso, like an airplane. Palms are facing up, chest lifts, and the gaze is forward.

This is a mini-sequence to work on:

Once you're in airplane, bend the leg that is extended back and reach for it from underneath. Pull it through to the front, lift the torso perpendicular to the ground, and straighten the leg while holding on to your toes (or don't straighten it if this is too much). Now here's the fun part: while holding on to your knee or toes, start to squat down. If you manage to do this (I haven't), eventually start to lift back up. If your foot was straightened, bend at the knee and reach back with the same leg, returning your arms to airplane position.

Another, more challenging, option is to come into warrior III, virabhadrasana III, instead of airplane. The difference is that instead of having airplane arms, stretch your arms out parallel to each other in front of you.

Airplane is one of my favorite poses, and as I realized, it is beneficial to lift your chest into a mini-up-dog while squeezing your shoulders towards each other. Even if your leg doesn't lift very far off the ground or at all, it's helpful to lift your chest to achieve the full benefit. Also, make sure your hips are square to the floor and that the hip opposite of the leg you're lifting isn't shifting up. If it is, you may have to lower your lifted leg a bit.

Airplane is a nice, relatively simple, balancing pose and is good for your hamstrings and your lower back.

Fun yoga poses

Excellent class this evening. I was debating whether I had the energy to go to a later level III class, meaning I'd get home at 9:15pm, having left for work at 7:45am, versus an earlier level I class. I didn't cop out for once and went for it. This is one of my favorite classes and teachers, and it was well worth it.

Some fun things to do (for future reference):

• Warrior 2 --> tree pose --> warrior 2, etc.
• Focusing on slowing down the pace when jumping to a forward fold and back to plank
• Lifting yourself off the floor by using your arm muscles while in full lotus pose
• Doing a hand-stand one leg at a time; starting at the back of your mat and giving yourself the momentum to swing your hands to the floor while pushing one leg up and keeping the other straight down; the focus, again, is doing this slowly and holding it
• Crescent lunge --> swing back leg into palms & hold it up --> swing back for airplane --> step back for lunge
  

And perhaps not as fun but something to work on:

• Extend opposite limbs while in table-top and shift into down-face dog with one arm extended and the opposite foot behind the other