A few years ago, Daughter #2 spent a month in yoga teacher training, something I’ve always wanted to do. When she completed the course, she moved home for a few months (lucky us) and taught me the yoga routine I’ve been doing ever since.
Over the past week, we’ve had the opportunity to practice together every day. Here’s this week’s routine, strongly recommended. Warning: Don’t try it all at once if you’re new to yoga or have been taking some time off. The length of holding poses requires some conditioning but…lordy, lordy, it feels soooo good. And be sure to rest for as long as you want between poses.
NB: Have a clock nearby to time yourself. “Poses” listed here without links (see my comment below as I've added links for these thanks to a reader) are for conditioning only. This routine takes us about 90 minutes; lengthen or shorten depending on time available. AND remember never to hold a pose if it’s causing real pain. You know the difference between the discomfort of stretching and true pain.
One more thing: The popularity of yoga has come a long way since I started practicing. I’m forever grateful to Sally Leonard (where is she now?), who taught me basic hatha yoga in 1969. Our “studio” was a small stucco house with a concrete floor located on the beach near Merida, Mexico. Our “mats” consisted of towels. Our “yoga clothes” were bikinis. I mention this by way of saying that as a form of exercise, yoga is a lot like walking. The only thing you absolutely need is the intention. For people like me who hate gyms (never mind paying the membership fees), pulleys, weights, and treadmills (the symbolism alone repels me), yoga is the no-fuss, always-on solution.
The Sequence of the Bear
20 Sun Salutations
10 single leg lifts (left side, right side)
10 double leg lifts
100 bicycles (or 150 or 200 or 20, ahem)
Headstand – 5 minutes
Child's pose – as long as you want
Dolphin – 20 reps
Shoulderstand – 5 minutes
Bridge —2 minutes
Wheel – 30 seconds (or in my case, 1 quintillionth of a second)
Fish – 30 seconds-1 minute
Bound angle pose – 1 minute
Half-forward bend, right leg bent, left leg straight – 2 minutes
Half forward bend, left leg bent, right leg straight – 2 minutes
Seated side angle pose – each side, 1 minute -- (Ed. note: name of site for this link = YogaJess.com!)
Seated forward bend, both legs straight – 10 minutes
Cobra – 3 times, 30 seconds each
Half locust - each side for 30 seconds
Full locust - 30 seconds (scroll down on link page to see what this really is)
Bow Pose—one minute
Pigeon – left side, 2 minutes (fyi, we bend forward in this pose)
Pigeon – right side, 2 minutes
Spinal twist – both sides, 1 minute each
Crow (aka Crane) pose – as long as you can hold it (if you can hold it, double-ahem)
Standing forward bend with hands interlaced and extended your head—2 minutes
Triangle pose - 2 minutes each side
Sivasana - at least 10 minutes
