Prayer pose
Start by bringing your hands in front of your heart into a praying position. Say, "Namaste," which means, "The divine within me recognizes the divine within you."
Throughout the entire sequence, remember to take deep belly breaths to fill your lungs with nourishing oxygen and nitric oxide from your nose.
Pointed mountain pose (or reaching for the stars)
This pose uses your own body weight for resistance. Strength building also increases flexibility, warms us up and gets blood flowing in preparation for deeper poses that require more strength.
From the standing position, reach up to sky with hands together and glance up with shoulders pulled away from the ears.
Move from pointed mountain pose to toe touch.
Lower arms to your sides and fold forward with flat back as your hands reach toward the floor...
Toe touch looking heavenly
Glance up with finger tips as close to the floor as possible...
Jump back with palms flat and move both legs back to plank position.
Plank position (or push-up position with straight arms)
This position builds core strength.
Get in push-up position with arms straight...
Firm your abs and lower your butt into a "collapsed plank."
Collapsed plank (or push-up position with bent arms)
This builds upper-body strength.
Lower "plank" like a partial push-up position...
Then, lift up into up dog.
Up dog
This stretches spine and shoulders, and opens chest and lungs.
With shoulders back and eyes forward, lift knees off the ground with weight on the tops of feet.
Note: If this is too hard, an easier option is cobra position. Base your weight on your hips rather than the tops of your feet.
Down dog
This strengthens and stretches whole body.
For five breaths, press palms into ground with heels pressing toward ground, head between arms and relaxed.
Warrior one to the right
Swing your right foot between your hands...
Lift your hands to the sky keeping your hips square.
Warrior two to the right
Rotate hips as you rotate to the right...
Thrust your right hand forward and left hand back...
Focus on the middle finger of your right hand.
Airplane
Straighten your right knee and rotate your arms back so they are directed to either side of the body. Keep leaning forward like an airplane.
Triangle
Twist your body so your right hand can touch your right foot as your left arm goes to the sky. Keep the right leg straight.
Head to knee
Twist back into airplane...
Bring your head to your knee and hands to the ground on either side of your feet.
Return to plank Position
Bring your right foot back even with your left foot to resume "plank."
Warrior one to the left
Swing your left foot between your hands...
Lift your hands to the sky, keeping your hips square.
Warrior two to left
Rotate hips as you rotate to the left...
Thrust your left hand forward and right hand back...
Focus on the middle finger of your left hand.
Left Airplane
Straighten your left knee and rotate your arms back so they are directed to either side of the body. Keep leaning forward like an airplane...
Left Triangle
Twist your body so your left hand can touch your left foot as your left arm goes to the sky. Keep the left leg straight...
Head to Knee
Twist back into left airplane...
Bring your head to your knee and hands to the ground on either side of your feet.
Back to plank
Then...
Up dog
Then...
Down dog
Bent over
Step your feet even with your hands...
Keep bent at the waist as you relax your hips and allow your nose to approach your knee.
Bent over looking heavenly
Keep your fingers on the ground as you look upwards toward the sky.
Pointed mountain pose
This stretches and elongates the spine.
Walk up to your hands...
Glance up and fold back down...
Come up with arms at sides and reach to ceiling...
Glance up and bring arms back to prayer pose.
Prayer pose
- Bring your hands to your chest.
- Close your eyes.
- Repeat, "Namaste." Remember, "The divine within me recognizes the divine within you."
