Unless I'm incredibly busy, I always get to the studios where I teach approximately 30 minutes early. One reason is to avoid being late- I do not believe in stealing people's time with my own tardiness. The other is to open my sacred space and prepare myself to teach. I begin by preparing the studio- set my lighting, light candles, adjust the heat, and set up my music. Then I prepare my body and center my mind. Usually 3-5 sun salutations and a few minutes in headstand will do it. This routine is especially important for my early morning classes. By the time I've finished at 5:45 rolls around, my morning grumpiness has worn off and I'm ready to greet my students and excited to teach class.
A few benefits of teaching early in the morning include:
- Intentional deep breathing in yoga fills your body with oxygen, waking you up more quickly. You might still WANT your coffee after class, but you won't NEED it. You're no longer a slave to caffeine.
- You'll be more centered and ready for a calm and peaceful day regardless of what life throws at you. You're grounded from standing postures, focused from balancing postures, and connected to your body through sun salutations. Depending on where you practice, you've most likely gotten some meditation in as well.
- If you're generally busy, you'll have your yoga finished before work, so any last minute meetings, car trouble, or exhaustion won't keep you off your mat- you've already got it done! If you want to bring more yoga into your life with two practices a day, you'll have your first practice complete, ready for a second class or home practice in the evening.
- You've set your intention for the day- in most classes, you'll set an intention at the beginning of practice. Maybe your teacher suggests one, maybe you take your own. You've begun your day with a purpose and can spend the rest of your day living by that intention.
- You'll look better on the outside too- regular yoga practice can slow the aging of your organs. All of that health will show outwardly with glowing skin and bright eyes. You've also gotten your metabolism moving before breakfast, promoting weight maintenance or loss depending on your eating habits.
If its not reasonable for you to make it to a yoga class before work, school, or your children wake up- do a home practice- even if its a few sun salutations and an inversion. (See this blog for a shoulder stand tutorial, an inversion thats accessible for most levels).
New to Surya Namaskar A or Sun Salutations? There are several slight variations but basically--
Begin in tadasana, mountain pose: Standing tall, feet hip distance, quads engaged, neutral spine, core engaged, shoulders relaxed, chest open, gaze directly in front of you, corners of the lips turned up :)
Inhale, urdvha hastasana, upward mountain: Biceps to ears, shoulders stay relaxed
Exhale, uttanasana, forward fold: Swan dive forward, legs remain engaged, weight in the balls of your feet, upper body heavy.
Inhale, ardha uttanasana, halfway lift: Lift the upper body half way with the bend 100% in hips, chest forward, shoulders relaxed, groin back, long through the upper body, gaze down. If your hands can't stay on the ground. Take them to blocks or your shins (blocks are better for grounding if they're available to you)
Exhale, chaturanga dandasana, four-limbed staff: Step or float back to plank pose, toes tucked under, legs and core engaged, biceps forward, neutral spine. Lower until your arms are at a 90 degree angle -- this is an important and complicated pose with a lot of variations-- please see this blog for an in depth explanation and modifications)
Inhale, urdvha mukha svanasana, upward facing dog. Roll over your toes, tops of the feet in contact with your mat, straighten your arms to a slight bend in the elbows, chest forward and lifted, gaze in front of you
Exhale, adho mukha svanasana, downward facing dog. Hips lift up and back, roll over the toes, feet hip distance, slight bend in the knees, gentle internal rotation of the hips, long neutral spine, shoulder blades relaxed down the back, gaze between your heels. See this blog for help perfecting your down dog.
*Take 5-7 slow and steady breaths in down dog*
Exhale, uttanasana, forward fold: step or float your feet forward- same form. If floating, jump high and land light, taking a big bend in the knees, take off and land with your legs as one unit, land with soft or bent knees and hands remaining grounded.
Inhale, ardha uttanasana, half way lift
Exhale, uttanasana, forward fold
Inhale, urdvha hastasana, upward mountain pose: Reverse swan dive, long through the upper body, spine remains neutral through the transition
Exhale, samastitihi, hands to heart center: same as tadasana with the hands resting in prayer in front of your heart.
Complete a minimum of three salutations, or as many as feel good. Take your time. To make it even better- spend some time in tadasana or samastitihi to center your mind. "Walk the dog" in down dog, bending one knee and then the other, moving the hips back and forth, doing what feels natural and beneficial to you. Hang in forward fold for a few or several breaths, shake your head yes and no, shift you upper body left and right. Again, do what feels good or natural. When you're done, you might feel inspired to continue your practice, either way you'll be more alert, centered, and ready for your day to begin. :)
For a full clip of Surya Namaskar A:
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