Low-Impact Yoga

[Shivani Devi]

Low-Impact Yoga - full workout.

Recommended for the very young, the very elderly, those with chronic illness, the beginner, or the just plain lazy. :p

Full workout time - 45 mins (can be stretched to 1hr).

1. Sit on the yoga mat in sukhasana (crossed-legged) or on any comfortable position.
Do prayers, mantras, focus on your breath or whatever makes you relaxed and open (5 mins).

2. Open your eyes slowly and extend your right index finger, placing it in line with both eyes, but about 6 inches in front of you face.
Gaze at your finger for 10 seconds, gaze into the distance for 10 seconds (3 mins).

After this, rub both hands together very fast, until a heat is felt and place both hands over your eyes. (1 minute).

3. Place your hand back down into your lap and drop your head forward - let it drop as far as it will go, then, rotate it fuly all around to the right 3 times, giving your neck the FULL stretch, then in the opposite direction and around to the left 3 times. (3 minutes).

4. Sit back up and place both palms bown on the yoga mat and extend both legs out in front of you, straight out if you can, but if not, you can separate your legs...whatever is comfortable.

Then grab on to your legs where comfortable - thighs, knees, calves, feet...wherever, and begin to massage your own legs up and down...try to reach and bend a bit more forward each time you go down towards the feet and do it until you feel the slight sting/pull, then genetly let go...bend forwand from your midsection, not the upper body.
Just keep doing this for...(5 minutes).

Another variation is called the 'rowboat' - grab the thumb of one hand with the other and start 'rowing the boat' or 'churning the mill'.

5. Sit back on the yoga mat with both legs out in front and open both as wide as you can...then try and place the big toe of both your feet on the floor, but try not to move your legs..the, try to put yor 'pinky toe' down to the floor on the other side. Do this 3 times and hold for 10 seconds each time...stretch it right out.

Then, start rotating both feet at the ankle, in both clockwise and anti-clockwise direction, inwards, towards each other, then outwards...do this for (5 minutes).

6. Cat Pose - all you need to do is try and get up on all fours on your knees on the yoga mat and drop your head down and even getting this far is great.

Pretend you are an angry cat...breathe in and arch your back up for 10 seconds, then breathe out and hollow your back out, pushing your whole abdomen down and hold that for ten seconds.

Do this 3 times, holding each for 10 seconds...breathe in, arch up...breathe out, hollow hown...and really give it your full stretch (3 minutes).

Next, try and raise your right knee to your forhead during the arch and stretching it out straight behind you during the furrow....do this three times to each leg, right and left side (3 minutes).

After that, do the same with each arm, right and left, raising it during the furrow, and you can also try doing alternate arms/legs to see if you can balance in this pose and hold it fully (5 minutes).

Resume going back on all fours.

7. The Child Pose - whilst on all fours, place your back legs together, then let the weight of your whole body fall back down upon your legs, placing your arms at each side and turning your head right/left...whichever way is comfortable. This is a yoga relaxation pose after stretching, but you can stretch out your spine if you want to, but this is just, let's fall back into 'Child Pose' and have a biy of a rest/break for...5 minutes.

8. Shavasana (corpse pose).. so, just lay on your back on the yoga mat and get comfortable on your back (3 minutes).

9. Half- Moon Pose - extend both arms over your head, grab your left wrist with your right hand, breathe in and pull your arm towards the right side, trying to keep your left shoulder on the floor.
While you do this, move both feet as far as you can towards the right side too, feeling the whole stretch down the left side...hold for 10 seconds.

Breathe out and slowly resume the postition with both arms overhead.

Do this three times for the left side.

Then, swap over and grab the right wrist with the left hand and pull towards the left, walking feet towards left and feeling the whole pull down the right side...do it 3 times, holding for 10 seconds each time. (3 minutes)

10. Pawan Muktasana (gas - relieving pose) - lay back down on your mat and just bring your knees up to your chest and wrap your arma around your knees. If you can pull your head up to your knees and curl yourself up in a little ball, that would be good, then just roll around and feel the yoga mat massage your spine...if not, just bring one knee up to your chest, as far as you ca...breathe in, knees up....head up...hold for 10 seconds...breathe out, knees and head back down. Do this 3 times. (3 minutes).

11. Shavasana (corpse pose) again, for full relaxation, just tensing, releasing tired muscles (10 minutes).

12. Sitting back up cross-legged in sukhasana and feeling relaxed, focus on breath, say closing prayers, a moment of quiet reflection/meditation. (3 minutes).

Peace.