Friday, April 16, 2010

Five ways to sneak yoga into your day.

We don't always get to practice. In fact some people spend years thinking about practicing yoga before they even try it! So if you're a newbie or an oldbie everyone could use a bit more yoga in our lives.

1) Head to the Bathroom.
What??!!? No really. The bathroom, in many workplaces, is the only place you can go to make funny faces, floss, stretch, do EFT, or a little bit of yoga. Guys - find a stall!

2) Rock out - in Mountain Pose
Plant your feet, hip width apart. Make the knee joint soft, not locked. Relax the butt - no tucking under here. Lift up out of the waist, imagine someone pulling your hair up to the ceiling, and stand tall. Let the arms hang loose off the shoulders. Chin neutral so the back of the neck is relaxed.

3) Close Your Eyes and Breathe.
Do you pay attention to your posture for most of the day? Neither do I. When you stand up straight, you free up your breathing mechanism - the heart, lungs, and the diaphragm. Feel what it feels like to breathe. Nothing fancy.

Feel the air go in through the nostrils and fill the lungs. The belly expands slightly as the air fills the lungs. Then everything contracts naturally as the air leaves the body on exhale.

4) Four part neck stretch
Stand in mountain pose and do this gentle four part series:
- Drop your chin to the chest, wait a beat, return to neutral
- Drop your right ear to right shoulder, wait a beat, return to neutral
- Drop your left ear to left shoulder, wait a beat, return to neutral
- Lift your chin toward the ceiling, wait a beat, return to neutral

5) The return
If you can, meander by a window on your way back to your desk. Or step outside for a breath of fresh air. Look at one specific thing - be it a car, a bird, or a tree. Recognize it's realness, it's being, and appreciate it for what it is. Say a silent thank you to yourself for taking this time to nourish. Make yourself a cup of tea and get back to work!