Rand’s Yoga

Daily

Do some poses 5 or 6 days a week. The gentle persistent repeat will make a difference.

• Stand – stand well, feel from your feet up, engage your thigh muscles for support and butt and ab muscles for stability, relax above your navel, and hold the pose for more than 20 seconds
• Pillar – shift all your weight to one leg, engage your muscles for support and stability, relax from your navel up, and hold the pose for at least 20 seconds. Do each side twice alternating.
• Step – shift all your weight to your left leg and do pillar to your left. Slide your unweighted right foot forward 6 inches feeling it keep touching the floor. Pause. Throughout focus on your thigh muscles and butt muscles doing the work and keeping your groin muscles off. Put your weight evenly on both feet and hold. Bend your right knee, have your weight evenly on both feet and hold. Straight your right knee, pause, shift your weight to your left leg, and slide your right foot back. Stand well. Do pillar to your right and repeat this pose. Then do both sides once again.
• Reach (up downward dog) + sway – hold for at least 20 seconds, stand up well, pause, do it again
• Sit well – for most of a minute
• Seated supported forward fold (seated ardha uttanasana) – relax into it for at least 20 seconds, sit up smoothly, repeat once
• Knee squeeze
  Sit well. Bring your legs together and keep your shins vertical. Put a fist between your knees. Smoothly squeeze your knees together and hold the squeeze. Increase and hold the squeeze. Smoothly release the squeeze. Then repeat with your other fist.
• Chair squat × 4
• Wall elbow press
  Stand and rest your butt and shoulders on a wall but not your head with your feet approximately eight to a dozen inches away from the wall. Look straight ahead and firm your abs. Feel your quads take your weight. Let your arms hang straight down. Gently rest your elbows against the wall. Pull your shoulder blades together and toward your butt and hold. Press your elbows against the wall to press your torso away from the wall. Hold the press for 20 seconds then smoothly release. Repeat once.
• Supported forward fold wide – hands on chair + shift (ardha prasarita padottanasana)
• Knees up – elbows on the floor

Back

As soon as you notice your back feeling uncomfortable, do a couple of poses to ease and forestall discomfort.

• Reach (up downward dog) + sway – do 2
• Knees up – rest into it
  hands on shins
  & also strap or towel from hand to hand and knees closer to your chest

Next Time

• Reclined leg extend
• Half locust
• Wall elbow press
• Sit
• Seated forward fold
• Seated warrior 1
• Chair squat
• Kneel up
• Kneel up one leg forward
• Stand
• Pillar
• Step
• Standing supported wide forward fold + shift

Future

• Turn off tfl
• Stork for glute medius