Got power? God says you do. And the power He is talking about far exceeds our thoughts. In Ephesians 1: 19, God says, He is giving us, “The exceeding greatness of His power to us – toward who believe. We possess His Godly, supernatural, creator of the world, raiser of the dead, holy, magnificent, awesome, eternal power. Halleluyah!
Below you will find whole body postures designed to get you empowered physically, especially your core. As you move through these hardcore Yoga moves, let God unleash the exceeding greatness of His power in your life!
1.) BACK STRETCH INTO FORWARD BENDING STRETCH WARM UP
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Inhale, stretch up and lean backward. Exhale, slowly bending forward. Repeat 10-20 times for a terrific stretching warm up. Don’t forget to breath.
2.) DOWN DOG
Bend your knees on your last Forward Bend and sit on your heels. Place your hands firmly into the ground with palms spread wide. Slowly raise your hips. Your arms and legs will straighten. Try to keep your heels on the mat by walking them in closer. Try to press your shoulders down but keep your neck lengthened. Stretch the backs of your legs further by keeping them pressed back. It will also lift your hips higher. Stay a while and breathe continuously. Come to your knees then try a few more times.
3.) PLANK
From a Down Dog Position, simply lower your hips. If you need to, walk your hands forward or feet back to stretch out into Plank Position. Let your arms come straight down from your shoulders; then your palms will be in the right place. Keep them spread. Your arms should be straightened but not locked. Keep your hips up. If they are falling, simply place your knees on the ground. Hold the Plank Position, or modified with knees on the ground, for 10 seconds. Try again 5 more times at 10 seconds. As you get stronger, hold for 20 seconds 5 times. Practice and shoot for a full minute.
4.) PLANK PUSH UPS
After you have completed your Planks, lower your body by bending your elbows. Touch the floor with your chin if you can, but try to keep your body up. Hold for a few breaths then raise your body back to a Plank Position. Repeat 5-10 times. You can always lower your knees until you get stronger, because you are still building whole body strength.
6.) SIDE PLANK
After you have completed your Plank Push Ups, pick up your left arm and your left leg as you balance on your right side. Try to place your body on a horizontal line with feet and legs stacked on top of one another. Let your shoulders be in a vertical line with palms spread wide. Hold for 20-60 seconds, then repeat on your other side. Or hold the same side 20 seconds, then come down and do this 3 times for a total of 20+20+20= 60 seconds. Then repeat on your other side.
7.) SIDE PLANK KNEE UP
After you have completed Side Planks, begin again in Side Plank position and place your top foot on your bottom knee or thigh. Hold for 20-30 seconds for a total of 60 seconds.
8.) SIDE PLANK LEG UP
After Side Plank Knee Ups, begin again in Side Plank position and raise your top leg as high as it will go. Hold for 10 seconds to begin and shoot for 1 minute on each side as you progress.
9.) ELBOW PLANK
From a Plank position simply lower to your elbows. Let your elbows be right below your shoulders. If you feel any discomfort stop immediately. Hold for 10-60 seconds. Then continue a few more times.
10.) ONE LEGGED ELBOW PLANK
From an Elbow Plank position, simply raise a leg and hold for 10-60 seconds as you progress. Remember to always stop if you feel pain, especially in your back and neck.
11.) CROW POSE ON ELBOWS
Come to a standing position then bend your knees and lower to the floor. This can be a challenging Position. It requires a lot of upper body strength so you may need to work up to it. Place your hands spread wide on the floor directly in front of you. Slightly bend your elbows as you raise your knees onto your elbows. Hold for 10-60 seconds. Or gently rock forward, lifting your feet off the floor and then place your feet back on the floor. This will build whole body strength even as you work up to the full Crow Pose position.
12.) HALLELUYAH STRETCH
Come to a kneeling position. Step your left leg out in front. Pick your left foot up or wiggle it to your right side. Guide your knee as you gently lower it to the floor. Ultimately, your forward leg will be horizontally in front of you. Straighten your back leg. Sit here for a few moments, then slowly raise your back leg. Your forward leg will probably push your knee forward; this is perfectly alright. Let the bend of your back arm lock your back foot, and bring your left hand to meet your right and clasp them. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat with your right leg forward.
Yoga on!
HALLELUYAH!
