Your on the floor playing with the kids, lying on your belly while they push around the blocks or show you how well they can open and close their favorite pop up book (for the millionth time), so why not do a little something good to strengthen your back and your arms while you’re there. This pose is simple enough in the execution but delivers big results from repeated use.
Cobra Benefits:
Promotes blood circulation and strengthens the spine
Opens the heart and lungs and stimulates the abdominal organs
Tones upper arms and buttocks
Stretches the chest, shoulders and abs
Cobra How To:
Lie flat on your stomach, top of your feet flat on the mat and your hands at the sides of your chest right next to your front ribs.
Keep your elbows in the frame of the body (imagine there is a string attached to each elbow holding them in next to your body)
Push through the hands, lifting the chest, and pressing the pubic bone into the earth.
Keep a soft bend in your elbows (elbows pointing straight back not out to the sides) and look straight ahead
Hold here for three deep breaths then push back to child’s pose.
Cobra Caution:
Pregnant women should avoid this pose as well as any women who have serious back pain or carpal tunnel syndrome or suffer from a hernia.
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There is a little child in everyone of us just screaming to get out but once released this child doesn’t say “let’s go on a roller coaster ride and eat cotton candy till we puke!”, this child whispers in a soft little voice “rest, relax, and just be”. This pose is reminiscent of when I was a little girl and my mom would let me stay up late to watch Bambi. I sat on the comfy shag carpet in a ball in front of the TV and felt so comfortable in my own little world—that is until my brother would push me over and tickle me until I cried, but it was oh so nice while it lasted.
Today, I routinely practice Childs Pose, and I don’t need to be watching Bambi to do it. I practice this pose as both a transition between a series of challenging asanas, or poses, and as a chance to take a rest and calm my thoughts. So let your inner child remind you to rest, relax, and just BE for a few moments out of everyday while you practice this pose.
Childs Pose Benefits:
Gently stretches the lower back, hips, and ankles
Relieves stress and tension
Childs Pose How To:
Begin on your hands and knees, with the tops of your feet flat on your mat, knees out to a V and your big toes touching.
Slowly lower your tailbone to your heels and your torso down between your thighs.
Lengthen the neck and gently rest your forehead onto the mat.
Place your arms on the mat by the sides of your torso, with your hands back by your feet, palms up.
Stay here for at least three deep breaths if you are transitioning between poses or a few minutes if this is your only pose.
Childs Pose Caution:
Those with knee injuries should not attempt this pose unless properly supervised by a yoga teacher.
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Mommies, it’s time to down dog! Next to savasana, or corpse pose, where you lie on your back in relaxed meditation, down dog is one of the most widely recognized yoga poses. Themainstay in any yoga class, down dog is used as a warm-up pose, a pose to transition between poses, a strengthening pose, and much more. Recently I watched my one year old boy do a baby version of down dog and it was adorable. He had his hands and feet on the ground walking around like Mogley from The Jungle Book when he saw something between his legs that caught his eyes—so with his head down and butt up I couldn’t help but giggle at my little yoga boy in the making. This pose is great to do any time of day for a quick ‘all over’ stretch and energy boost.
Down Dog Benefits:
Energizes the whole body
Builds arm and leg strength
Beneficial in relieving symptoms of menopause or menstrual discomfort
Builds flexibility in the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
Stimulates the nerves and calms the brain
Down Dog How-To:
Start with your hands and knees on the mat—wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Curl your toes under and straighten your legs. Be sure your feet are hips distance apart.
Your tailbone lifts up toward the sky then presses back. The top of your head reaches toward the earth as your chest reaches back toward your legs.
Rotate the arms outward—imagine you are turning your hands so that your thumbs would point straight forward—this helps to create space between the shoulder blades.
Engage the front of the thighs (quadriceps) as you draw the heels down to the mat. *For those with tighter hamstrings keep a slight bend in the knees but continue to work towards straightening the legs.
Hold here for 5 deep, even breaths then release back to the starting position or release further into child’s pose by resting the tailbone back on the heels, bringing the arms back by your side, palms up, and resting your forehead on the mat.
Down DogCaution:
For those with frequent headaches or high blood pressure be sure to rest your head on a block or folded blanket in down dog.
If you have shoulder issues, take care by not rotating the shoulders and arms outward.
And lastly, if you are in the latter stages of pregnancy do not practice
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Now that you’ve had a week to master Warrior 1 let’s continue the theme of the mommy warrior with Warrior 2, strengthening both your peace-of-mind and your thighs. This is a perfect pose to do for those times that you’re feeling a little less than the awesome mommy that you are; like when you beat yourself up over that Krispy Kreme you indulged in, your mother-in-law made another comment about the way you choose to discipline your kids, or instead of ‘politely’ hanging up on the solicitor on the phone you decided to release your frustration with a string of four letter words. Follow the How To below and you will feel like a peaceful, strong, and beautiful mommy in no time.
Warrior 2 Benefits:
Promotes flexibility in the inner thighs, hips, groin, ankles and chest
Strengthens the thighs, shoulders and arms
Builds stamina
Relieves back pain
Warrior 2 How To:
Stand in Mountain pose, reach your arms out to a T then step your feet out to the sides so that your ankles line up underneath your wrists—yes, your stance should be that wide.
Keep your arms out to a T. Spin your right leg open so that your right toes are now pointing in the same direction as your right fingertips.
Pivot your left heel back so that your left foot is now at an angle
Bend your right knee so that it sits above the ankle. Look down to make sure that you can see your front big toe and the knee is in line with the second toe (this alignment protects the knee and the hips).
The torso sits right above the hips, do not lean the torso over the front thigh—the spine should be straight.
Keep the back leg straight and strong by reaching down through the outer arch of the back foot.
Take a deep inhale and lift the chest up, exhale as you relax the shoulders down away from your ears.
Focus your gaze is out over your front middle finger.
Hold for five deep breaths or as long as you can while breathing in through the nose and out through the nose
Repeat on the left side.
Warrior 2 Cautions:
Diarrhea
High Blood Pressure
Severe neck or back discomfort
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Being the perfect, well rounded moms that we all are it’s part of our inherent makeup that we always strive to act in peaceful, non violent ways with everyone we encounter. This includes the times that we are confronted with a rude clerk at the store counter or that pushy woman at the department store, and yes, even when our children are acting like wild animals. It was hard for me to keep a straight face as I wrote that but let’s pretend for a moment that’s all true. No matter how calm we may try to stay in a particular situation, whether by taking deep breaths and finding our chi, or gritting our teeth and praying to everything holy to help keep us from exploding, we can be assured that there is a peaceful warrior that resides in us all. Warrior 1 is one of three warrior poses in yoga, all giving strength to the arms, back, chest, and thighs. So strike a pose, it’s time to be mommy warriors of peace and strength.
Warrior 1 Benefits:
Promotes flexibility in the back of the legs
Strengthens the thighs
Opens up and stretches the chest and lungs
Strengthens the arms and shoulders
Promotes flexibility in the hips and groin
Warrior 1 How To:
Begin standing in Mountain pose at the back of your mat.
Take a long stride forward with your right foot.
Set your back heel down so that your back toes are now angles to the front left corner of your mat.
Inhale and reach your arms up, palms facing each other, fingertips to the sky, biceps next to the ears and shoulders relaxed down.
Exhale and bend your front knee so that it sits above your ankle. Look down to make sure that you can see your front big toe and the knee is in line with the second toe (this alignment protects the knee and the hips).
The spine is straight with your torso above your hips.
Pull the right hip back and the left hip forward—this is a small movement.
Keep the back leg straight and strong by reaching down through the outer arch of the back foot.
If you’re comfortable with your balance and you do not have any issue in your neck, look up between your hands.
Hold for five deep breaths or as long as you can while breathing in through the nose and out through the nose
Repeat on the left side.
Warrior 1 Caution:
If your neck bothers you at all in this position just look straight ahead instead of looking up between your hands.
Those with high blood pressure, severe back pain, and any heart problems should not do this pose.
If your shoulders bother you with your arms raised, lower them down by your side.
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We all know how to sit down in a chair, we do it everyday, but what would happen if we took the chair away and just pretended to sit down? We’d all have thighs and a butt like Jessica Alba, that’s what! This pose helps to shape your butt, thighs, and back as well as chest and shoulders, try to hold the pose for at least 30 seconds, if not longer, at a time and you will see great results. So, take a seat… just leave out the chair!
Utkatasana Benefits:
Stretches the torso, shoulders, and chest
Strengthens the ankles, calves, thighs, and spine
Stimulates the internal organs, improving digestion
Beneficial for those with flat feet
Utkatasana How To:
Begin standing with your feet together and arms by your sides.
Inhale the arms up, biceps nest to your ears and palms facing each other. Relax your shoulders down.
Exhale and bend your knees keeping the weight of the body back in the heels (so much so that you can wiggle your toes). You are slightly bent forward at the hip hinge but the chest stays lifted keeping your spine lone.
Imagine you have a string attached from your tailbone to your heels—this will help you from sticking your butt out and arching in your lower back.
Hold for 30 seconds to a minute then straighten the legs, release the hands back by your side and stand straight up.
Utkatasana Caution:
Be mindful not to do this pose if you have severe headaches, insomnia, or low blood pressure.
Okay, be honest, when was the last time you reached down and could actually touch your toes without bending your knees? For those who boldly answer “last night, I bent over to apply my new cotton candy nail polish on my toes” I say, “Bravo!” Though I must admit, there are easier ways to polish your toes, but good for you that you are incorporating such a beneficial stretch into your beauty regimen. For those who shyly admit “I don’t think I’ve seen my toes up close and personal since I tried to pry my old silver toe ring off because it was turning green.” I say, “It’s never too late to reach down there and take a closer look.” This forward fold stretch invigorates the body and stimulates the leg muscles—a great prep before a workout and a cool down afterward. The more you do this pose the further you will reach each time.
Uttanasana Benefits:
Promotes flexibility in the back of the legs, stretching the hamstrings and calves.
Strengthens the hips, back, thighs, and knees
Helps to relieve headaches, stress, tension, high blood pressure, and insomnia
Stimulates the internal organs, improving digestion
Beneficial in relieving some symptoms of menopause
Exhale, bring the arms out to a T or bring your hands to your hips and fold forward from the hip hinge trying to keep your legs straight and reaching your chest toward your thighs.
Lengthen your torso by actively reaching your tailbone to the sky and the crown of your head toward the earth.
If you can reach the mat, place your hands flat next to your feet or on your ankles and use this grip to pull your chest further toward your thighs. If you are not there yet try bringing your hands to your elbows and hang here—concentrating on keeping your knees as straight as possible.
Uttanasana Caution:
If you have any back issues it is best to perform this forward fold with your knees bent.
Stand up straight! Who doesn’t want to walk into a room full of people and feel confident as they stand tall, hold their head up high, and exude a commanding presence? While confidence building may take some work– you don’t tape those daily affirmations to your bathroom mirror for nothing– your attention commanding posture doesn’t have to be difficult.
So, standing up straight is actually a pose, you ask? Yes, in fact, there is more to it than you think. This is a pose all in itself, but most commonly used as the starting position of all standing asanas (poses).
Mountain Pose Benefits:
Improves posture (and hopefully confidence)
Relieves sciatica
Helps to bring focus back to your yoga practice and to your body
Firms the thighs
Strengthens the abs
Mountain Pose How To:
Stand Tall—arms by your sides with palms facing forward, centering yourself and finding your equilibrium of balance.
Bring the big toes together and let the heels sit slightly a part spreading the toes. Ground down through your feet.
Flex the thighs, lifting the knee caps up.
Reaching up through the spine, feeling as if there is a string attached to the crown of your head and it pulling you up toward the sky.
Relax the shoulders down away from your ears and squeeze the shoulder blades back creating space between the collarbones.
Keep the chest lifted, take the arch out of your low back by drawing the sit bones toward your heels (it will feel like a gentle tucking forward of the pelvis).
Mountain Pose Caution:
Do not do this pose if you are suffering from severe headaches or low blood pressure.
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Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose or Cobblers Pose)
I have been a yoga instructor for 5 years now and truly believe that my daily practice, even if it’s just for ten minutes a day, has significantly contributed to being able to get back in shape after having a baby.
If you have ever watched a little kid sit down into what we usually call “Indian Style” and then observed in aw as they maneuvered this way and that into flexible positions that you didn’t think were possible and thought to yourself, “wouldn’t it be great if I could do that”, then this is the pose for you. It’s a great pose for all degrees of flexibility, even if you’ve never done yoga before. This pose is also great for runners and bikers with tight hips as well because Baddha Konasana opens up our hips, groin, and inner thighs not only making it easier to sit on the floor and have tea parties with your daughter but help boost your athletic performance as well by lengthening the muscles that get ‘bound up’, from strenuous physical activities.
Baddha Konasana Benefits:
Lengthens and strengthens the spine, inner groin, hips and knees.
Stimulates and massages the internal organs of the abdomen, improving digestion and the function of the liver and kidneys
Continuous practice of this pose during pregnancy is said to help ease child birth
Creates flexibility in the hips
Helps relieve symptoms of menopause
Baddha Konasana How To:
Begin seated on the floor with your legs outstretched—placing a blanket underneath your tailbone if you have tight hips
Pull the navel into the spine, bend your knees, and bring your heels toward your pelvis
Drop your knees down toward the floor while keeping the soles of the feet together
Place your hands on the same-side ankle and lift your chest by lengthening from the sternum as you work your outer thighs further toward the ground, opening up the inner groin
Hold here for 1 to 5 minutes before slowly returning to the starting position
Baddha Konasana Caution:
Those with groin or knee issues should only perform this pose with a blanket underneath the outer thighs.
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