Jamie’s Yoga

Morning

Soon after waking do these poses.

• Sit well
  Sit in the middle of a hard chair like a dining chair with your shins vertical and your feet square on the floor, barefoot or in socks. Have your knees at a width that takes no effort. Rest your palms on your thighs and let your upper arms hang straight down at your sides. Firm your abdomen. Look straight ahead. Focus and feel the firm press of your weight on your sit bones. Adjust the tilt of your pelvis slightly forward to feel some press at the base of your crotch (mula). Hold the pose for most of a minute. Feedback from the three-point press will begin to help the curves of your back.
• Seated supported forward fold (ardha uttanasana)
  Slide your lower arms forward on your thighs and rest your arm bones on your thighs just behind your knees with your elbow joints slightly wide of your thighs. Get comfortable in the pose. Pull your shoulders blades together and toward your butt and hold them that way throughout the pose (retract and depress). Press your arms firmly on your thighs, hold the press, then smoothly relax the press. Allow your abdomen and back to sag and sink into the pose and pause. Smoothly sit up from the pose, pause, then do the pose once more.

Day

Do these poses at a time of day that works well for you. Try for four sessions a week, but not more.

Knees bent rest • then Knees up • then Bridge • then feet Walk-out; in the pattern : Rest • Up • Rest • Bridge • Walk • Rest • Up • Rest • Bridge • Walk • Rest • Up • Rest

• Knees bent rest : Lay back on a thick mat or soft pile of blankets or towels. Be comfortable. Have your feet flat on the mat with your knees elevated ＿∧.

• Knees up : Smoothly bring your knees toward your chest and hold the top of your shins with the last joints of your fingers. Rest into the pose, focus on the feel of the back of your pelvis square on the mat, and allow your arms and shoulders to extend and relax.

• Knees bent rest : Release your hands and smoothly lower your feet to the mat as they were before. Pause in the rest pose.

• Bridge : Bring your arms on your chest and smoothly press up into a bridge only far enough to feel the pull as you extend the front of your thighs.
• Feet walk -out : Alternating your feet one small step at a time walk your feet away from your shoulders as far as you can comfortably, pause, then smoothly lower your butt to the mat.

• Knees bent rest : Slide your feet toward your butt into the first pose with your feet flat on the mat and your knees elevated. Pause.
• Repeat : Do the knees up pose again, pause, then allow your knees to open smoothly with your fingers still on your shins and rest in the pull. Bring your knees back up and smoothly lower your feet to the mat. Do the bridge again as before and then walk your feet away from your shoulders. Return to the knees elevated rest pose again and do the knees up pose once more and again allow your knees to open.

• One-sided bridge
  Get stable in the knees bent rest position. Press up into bridge and hold. Lower your butt almost to the mat then press up into bridge and hold again. Shift your weight all to one foot and bring your opposite knee toward your chest. Lower your butt almost to the mat then press up into this one-sided bridge and hold. Lower and press up and hold one-side again. Lower your raised knee and foot and do a two leg bridge and lower and press up and hold twice. Then do the one-side bridge the same way with your other leg. Then do a two leg bridge twice again.

• Half locust (salabhasana)
  Get face down on your mat. Reach your fingers along the mat toward your toes. Raise your chest off the mat and keep looking down. Pause. Then smoothly lower your chest back to the mat. Repeat once more.

• Half happy baby
  Get stable in the knees bent rest position. Bring your knees up and your feet into your hands and rest into happy baby pose and pause. Lower one foot to the mat into half of the knees bent rest position and pause. Then slide that foot away along the mat and rest into extending along the front of that hip. The slide that foot back toward your butt, pause in the knees bent rest, then back up into happy baby. Now do your other leg. Then do both again.

• Lay back
  After you have done a good yoga session, not by itself, lay back and let your muscles relax and allow your energy to free.

Next Time

• Half locust
• Sphinx – you do this well
• Kneel up
• Table
• Stand
• Sit well + mula
• Seated supported forward fold + mula
• Seated warrior 1
• Knees up
• Hollow hold
• Half baby

Future

• Mula bandha