deepbreathing

BASICS YOGA CHALLENGE FOR BEGINNER’S (gentle yoga to ease into moving with deep breathing)

Posted on by pennyjoliver

With over 36 million people in the USA practicing yoga, why not start a yoga practice today in the comfort of your own home? Halleluyah Yoga is here to help you get started!

Join me as we practice some deep, conscious breathing and explore a few very basic Asanas. Asanas are the physical postures that make up yoga. They build our bodies, focus our minds, and challenge us both mentally and physically. They offer us practice at mastering our reactions under stressful conditions. What we learn about ourselves can then be taken off our mats and into our lives.

To wake up our bodies and refresh our minds, I have included some deep breathing in these Asanas. Awareness of your breath will draw your mind to this present moment. A few moments before you begin, clear your mind through deep breathing so that you may enjoy all the wonderful gifts that yoga has to offer!

Grab a mat, towel, and some water; step onto your mat!

1.) Sitting Cross Legged

  • Sit in a simple cross-legged position.
  • Become aware of your sitting bones in contact with your mat.
  • Try to adjust your weight on both of your sitting bones equally.
  • If you have trouble sitting comfortably, move your feet forward and slide your heels apart until you are more comfortable.
  • Try to lengthen your spine by pulling your stomach in.
  • Press your shoulders down while lifting your chin. Feel anchored, grounded and centered in this position.
  • Place your hands on your knees.
  • Now you are ready to just breathe.

A deep breathing tip: Picture yourself taking the biggest, deepest, slowest, and longest inhale imaginable! Start at the bottom of your stomach, and picture your inhale riding up your stomach, through your lungs, chest, neck, mouth, nose, and head. Feel your entire torso lift with this breath as it expands to make room for more breath. At the top of this breath, when there is no more room for any more oxygen, hold it all in for a second or two. Then, slowly let the oxygen release from your head down to your nose, mouth, neck, chest, lungs, and stomach. Give a gentle push out with your stomach at the end of the exhale. Relax for a few seconds and repeat the process again. Then do it a few more times!

2.) Cross-legged Twist

  • Sit up tall.
  • Inhale with a big inhale.
  • As you exhale, begin a slow, gentle twist from your hips to your right side.
  • The end of your exhale should end your twist.
  • You may deepen the twist by placing your left hand on your knee.
  • Relax your breath and come back to the center.
  • Repeat the entire process of breathing and twisting to the left side of the room.
  • Repeat a twist to both sides a few more times!
  • Remember that your exhales will provide more space for you to twist.

3.) Seated Baby Cobra Stretch

  • This exercise is a terrific warm-up for your spine, a shoulder stretch, and a chest opener.
  • Doing this exercise with deep inhales and exhales releases stress, and improves lung capacity and circulation.
  • Seated in your cross-legged position, please place each hand upon each shoulder.
  • Inhale as you lift your chin and stretch back.
  • Exhale, tucking your chin, rounding your back, and rolling your shoulders forward.
  • Repeat the process 5-10 times.

4.) Cross-Legged Side Stretch

  • Your sides need a little love too, so let’s stretch them!
  • Seated in your cross-legged position, please inhale deeply and slowly, extending and lifting your arms overhead.
  • Press your palms together for a second or two.
  • Slowly exhale, lowering your right arm to your mat while reaching over with your left arm.
  • Look forward and try to match your ear to your right shoulder and your left bicep to your ear.
  • Meet your palms together overhead, and then repeat the stretch on your left side.
  • Repeat the process on both sides 3-5 more times.

5.) Child’s Pose

  • Child’s pose is an essential pose in many yoga classes because it’s a retreat back to a safe resting place after practicing more difficult poses. Beginners, as well as advanced students, all benefit from striking this sanctuary of a pose!
  • Sitting on your heels with your knees together, fold forward over your thighs.
  • Rest your forehead to the floor. Extend your arms overhead.
  • Close your eyes and let go of any tension.
  • Enjoy the reassuring massage of your stomach pressing down into your thighs with each inhalation.
  • For high blood pressure, or if your sitting bones stay up too high in the air, rest your forehead on a pillow or towel. Even making fists with your hands and resting your head there will do!

 

6.) Cat/Cow Pose

  • These two poses will bring awareness and flexibility to the entire length of your spine. They provide a great way to activate your entire body and get your blood pumping!
  • Before we begin, on all fours check to ensure your hands are spread open wide and directly below your shoulders.
  • Your knees should be directly below your hips.
  • Inhale, pressing your palms into your mat, raising your chin, and lengthening your neck. This will provide an arch to your back, making your tailbone lift and stretch. Hold for a moment.
  • Slowly exhale, rounding your back by tucking your chin and your pelvis. Keep moving your chin toward your breastbone.
  • Repeat 10 more times, inhaling and arching your head up. Exhale and tuck inward.
  • Accentuate the stretch so it gets deeper each time.

7.) Seated Forward Fold

  • Stretch out your spine, your hamstrings, and your back in this pose and give your brain a boost by folding forward!
  • Sit with your legs forward.
  • Keep your knees and toes pointing to the sky.
  • Lengthen from your tailbone to the top of your head.
  • Keep equal weight on each sitting bone.
  • Inhale, extending your arms out to your sides and pressing your palms together overhead.
  • Exhale, folding forward over your legs. At first, you may not bend forward very far, but with time your flexibility will improve!
  • Repeat this stretch, inhaling up and exhaling as you bend forward up to 10 times.
  • After you have completed it, remain bending forward and breathing normally. After just a few moments, you may witness yourself bending deeper forward.

 

I hope you enjoyed this beginner class and may you have an awesome day or night, filled with love and peace. And may peace be with you wherever you may go! (John 20:19)

DEEP BREATHING MINI YOGA CHALLENGE (calm down)

Posted on by pennyjoliver

Breathe for health!

Deep breathing is the fastest way to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which activates the relaxation response of your body. It’s necessary for your body to heal, repair and renew itself. Voluntary control of the breath shifts the autonomic nervous system from the “fight or flight” response to the calm parasympathetic state. This state positively affects the immune function, hypertension, asthma and stress induced psychological disorders. Long, deep, and slow exhales extending longer than inhales activates your vagus nerve too. New research has linked the vagus nerve to improved neurogenesis, BDNF, or increased brain derived neurothrophic factor output. The neurotrophic factor is like a super fertilizer for your brain cells! This repairs brain tissue and regenerates the body. They have also found that stem cells are directly connected to the vagus nerve. Activation of the vagus nerve  can stimulate stem cells to produce new cells, repair, and rebuild your very own organs.

As you practice this breathing technique on a regular basis, your muscles will relax and your anxieties will fade. The oxygen supply to your body’s cells will increase; this will help produce endorphins, the body’s feel good hormones. Want to increase the effects of deep breathing even more? Add a verse of Scripture to think upon.

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Job 33:4

Long deep Breathing:

To begin you must first fully exhale to empty out your lungs. On your next exhale, breathe out slowly through your mouth while counting to five. Pull your belly in to engage your lungs to deflate. At the end of the fifth exhale, pause for two counts. Then inhale slowly with your mouth closed to the count of five. Expand your belly as you breathe in. Now close your eyes, relax, and repeat the inhales and exhales 5-10 times.

During your yoga workout, try to include deep breathing whenever you can. It will enhance your efforts, heal your body, and make you feel good!

HALLELUYAH!