In Rhythms Yoga: Monday Morning Yoga Pose

Yoga break in the office!

“The moment of letting go is not when llfe is over. It’s when life really begins.” -Sylphe 

Find reprieve in your workday, nourish your central nervous system with fresh blood, and learn to relax more in order to be more efficient during the day. Let go of tension and mental obstacles while moving through a mini-yoga sequence with the breath while sitting in your chair. Here are a couple of poses to help you release tension.

Chair Mountain Pose, Tadasana: Come to the edge of your seat so that you can create a tall spine without slumping. Roll the shoulders and then place them firm on your back. Spread the feet hip-width distance and stacked under your knees. Feel the earth supporting your feet and press into the four corners of your feet. Bring your palms and place them flat on the thighs. Take a few deep accentuated breaths, 3-5 inhales and exhales, to mentally “leave” work and take care of you, momentarily.

On an inhale breath, with a tall spine, lift the arms up over the head. Pause there and turn your pinkies inward to create opening in the upper back. Draw your low belly in rather than sticking out your chest. Reach through the fingers towards the sky and then notice the shoulders and relax them, creating more space between ears and shoulders for the neck. Notice your pelvis, is it tipping forward or backward, maneuver it to be neutral. With your arms overhead take 3 long, deep rounds of breath, inhales and exhales. Feel strong and grounded in mountain pose.

Chair Forward Fold: Take one more inhale breath with arms overhead, preparing to fold forward. With a flat back, hold your belly in towards your spine, and very slowly begin to hinge at the hips Allow your palms to fall to the calves, ankles, or earth, wherever it feels comfortable. Notice the space you’ve created in the low back. Enjoy the feeling of having all the vertebrae in the back open up. Option to walk the feet wider and hang the torso in between the legs.

Allow the head and neck to hang heavy. Take a slight tuck of the chin to elongate your neck, creating neutrality in the cervical area. Roll your shoulder blades back down your back. Stay here as long as you feel the need, at least 3-5 full inhales and exhales. Feel the weight of the world and any worries drift down your back.
Two options to come out of the fold:

• Option one: On an inhale breath, place your hands at the tops of your thighs at the crease, and with a flat back rise back up.
• Option two: On an inhale breath, make a slight adjustment with your pelvic bone, slightly tuck it under and slowly rise up one vertebrae at a time. Head and neck come up last. Roll the shoulders at the top! Ahhh... 

Letting go of worries and stress in a forward fold is a feeling you must experience for yourself! The opening we create in the spine in a forward fold allows relief from daily spinal compression, creating a healthier spine, and it feels amazing!

Namaste,
Christi Iacono
In Rhythms Yoga
Go to www.inrhythmsyoga.com for the class schedule and contact for private sessions.